Scotlandville basketball player Jones commits to Vanderbilt

Scotlandville High basketball standout Damien Jones’ meteoric rise up the recruiting charts has led to an equally quick commitment.

The 6-foot-9 Jones committed to Vanderbilt during a weekend visit to Nashville-based school.

“I liked everything about the school, the teams, the coaches and city,” Jones said. “I think Vanderbilt has everything I was looking for.

“The thing I especially like is the way the coaches relate to the players. And I like the academics, too.”

Jones averaged eight points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots per game while helping lead Scotlandville to the Class 5A title last spring.

Since the conclusion of the 2011-12 season, Jones has garnered more and more attention from recruiters and had early offers from a number of schools, including Vanderbilt, Stanford, Texas, LSU and Florida.

An honor student, Jones carries a 4.5 grade-point average and plans to major in electrical engineering. Jones said a meeting with an engineering professor during the weekend visit to Vanderbilt was a key point.

Jones plans to sign with the Commodores during the NCAA’s early signing period in November. The visit to Vanderbilt was his first recruiting trip. He said he does not plan to make additional recruiting visits.

“I’ve talked to Damien and his mom, and I think this commitment to Vanderbilt is a strong one,” Scotlandville coach Carlos Sample said. “They (the Jones family) really enjoyed the visit to Vanderbilt. I don’t see him changing his mind.”

Jones said committing early will allow him to focus on Scotlandville’s efforts to defend its 5A state title.

“There shouldn’t be as many phone calls from recruiters,” Jones said. “That will make it easier to focus on my senior year.”