SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. — When Madison Jones was in high school at the Raleigh (N.C.) Ravenscroft School, he considered Seton Hall along with Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Richmond.
“They recruited me out of high school and they offered me then,” the 6-foot-2 Jones said of Seton Hall on Tuesday. “I actually came up on a visit when I was in high school and I liked it a lot.”
But the North Carolina native ultimately chose Wake Forest, where he spent three years until he was dismissed in August 2015 after he was charged with driving while impaired and had his driver’s license revoked.
Seton Hall stayed in touch and offered him a second chance. After sitting down with head coach Kevin Willard, Jones joined the team in June, as first reported by ZAGSBLOG.
“Everything happens for a reason and now I’m here,” Jones said.
Jones figures to step into the starting point guard position vacated by the departure of Isaiah Whitehead to the NBA — and he’s being handed the keys to a team that won the Big East Tournament championship and made the NCAA Tournament last season.
Despite the losses of Whitehead and sixth man Derrick Gordon, Seton Hall returns a slew of talent, led by juniors Khadeen Carrington, Desi Rodriguez, Ish Sanogo and Angel Delgado. The Pirates were picked to finish fourth — along with Georgetown — in the Big East.
“It’s a blessing to come into a team that’s already accomplished something great and we just want to build on that and keep it going,” Jones said. “I think we have the tools to and I think we definitely can; we just gotta stay focused and stay on the right path.”
Willard wanted Jones the first time around out of high school, but is now getting a more mature player who has significant ACC experience.
As a junior at Wake Forest, Jones played in all 32 games, earning six starts. He was among the ACC leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio while averaging a career-best 4.7 points, 3.0 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 21.0 minutes per game. Jones led the team with 34 steals and ranked second on the team with 97 assists.
“He’s bringing a lot [of] what Derrick brought last year, a very calming influence in the locker room,” Willard told me. “[He’s] mature, understands what this is all about. He’s played in big-time games, he’s surprised me offensively. He’s really been able to score the basketball in the halfcourt better than I thought he could.
“We recruited him out of high school,” Willard added. “When the second time came around, it was a good opportunity for us.”
Rodriguez is among the returning players who likes what he sees from Jones.
“He brings a lot,” he said. “I know losing Isaiah was a big fall, but gaining Madison and Jevon Thomas, I think they’ll be great for us. Madison is a guy that’s very unselfish, he gets out in the passing lanes, he gets the team involved so I’m excited to play with him this year.
“Playing in the ACC is a tough conference, so he definitely brings a lot of experience from there.”
The 6-1 Thomas has had a checkered history but there has never been much doubt about his talent. The Queens native played at three high schools and committed to Dayton and St. John’s before finally landing at Kansas State. He then transferred to Seton Hall and becomes eligible Dec. 23 for the Rutgers-Seton Hall game in Newark.
Thomas and Jones have been battling during practices, but Thomas doesn’t see any competition with Jones for the starting point guard spot.
“I think we both bring experience,” Thomas said. “I talk to Maddy and see his view on the game and how he approach things. I think that will be big for us. Losing Isaiah but bringing in two older guards that played at a high level should bring real experience.
“He’s a great defender, he’s a great point guard, we learn from each other every day.”
With all of this talent and a second chance at Seton Hall, Jones believes the Pirates can get back to the NCAA Tournament.
“I got a good feeling that we got the tools to do what they did last year and go even further,” he said. “It’s beyond exciting because I just can’t wait to see what we have in store for the year.’
