17's ROSTER

2008
#2 Dustin Jones 6'3 SG
Barlow High School

2009
#10 Cameron McCaffrey 6'1 PG
Century High School

#11 Taylor Dunn 6'4 SG
Mountain View High School

#25 EJ Singler 6'7 SG/SF
South Medford High School

#32 Steven Bjornstad 6'10 C
Columbia River High School

#33 Taylor Braun 6'7 SF
Newberg High School

Aaron Dotson 6'4 SG
Rainier Beach High School

2010
#1 Terrance Jones 6'8 PG/SF
Jefferson High School

#23 Terrance Ross 6'6 SG/SF
Jefferson High School

16's ROSTER

2010
Kenneth Acker 6'1 PG
Grant High School

Michael Leunen 6'7 Post
Redmond High School

Hayes Garrity 6'2 Wing
Westview High School

Antione Hosley 6'1 PG
Evergreen High School

Trevor Ritchie 6'2 Wing
Wilson High School

Noah Kone 6'8 Post
Jefferson High School

Garrett Jackson 6'6 Wing
Westview High School

Jordan Raily 6'9 Post
Beaverton High School

Kelvin Cain 6'5 Wing
Grant High School

Jalen Caoile 6'0 PG
Tigard High School

Alex Johnson 6'2 Wing
Jefferson High School

15's ROSTER

2011
Anthony Penny 5'11
Grant High School

Mischael Mangum 5'11
Jefferson High School

Travionte Riley 5'11
Grant High School

Andrew Andrews 6'1
Benson High School

Robert Lazenby 6'1
Wilson High School

Davonte Jacobs 6'2
Grant High School

Jamarvin Coleman 6'3
Parkrose High School

Andrew Roundtree 6'3
Jefferson High School

Kyle Milligan 6'4
Jesuit High School

Josh Hall 6'7
Hockinson High School

Tyler Sonnemaker 6'8
Central Catholic High School

2010 - Top 100 Rankings (All Positions)

Terrance Ross (Pictured) and Terrance Jones both cracked Rivals Top 100 players in the country. They were the only two players in the state of Oregon that were selected. Terrance Ross is ranked #27 and Terrance Jones is ranked #31.



Rivals.com
1 Jeremy Tyler
2 Tristan Thompson
3 Jared Sullinger
4 Josh Smith
5 Josh Selby
6 Harrison Barnes
7 DeShaun Thomas
8 Brandon Knight
9 Reggie Bullock
10 Joe Jackson
11 Crandall Head
12 Andre Dawkins
13 Dominique Ferguson
14 Adreian Payne
15 Joshua Hairston
16 Roscoe Smith
17 Daniel Bejarano
18 Dion Waiters
19 Perry Jones
20 Jason Morris
21 Evan Anderson
22 Dwayne Polee
23 Kendall Marshall
24 Will Barton
25 Ralston Turner
26 Markel Starks
27 Terrence Ross
28 Doron Lamb
29 Vander Blue
30 Nate Lubick
31 Terrence Jones

PAC-10 Offers Singler

June may be a month off for many basketball players, but try and tell that to E.J. Singler. The all-around 6-foot-6, 200-pound forward from South Medford High School has been busy playing with Team Jones, his high school team, and working out daily on his own. The month was to possibly end with a camp and unofficial visit, but even though Singler instead used this past weekend to rest up he still saw a major change in his recruitment.

The original schedule included a trip up to Pullman for Washington State's elite camp this past weekend, but Singler didn't make it up. "I just decided to stay at home," Singler said. "It was pretty much the only weekend I had off, so I just worked out on my own and get ready for July."

Wazzu has been one of Singler's favorites for quite some time, so he was a little disappointed that he didn't participate. While he didn't make it to Cougs camp, he did get an important phone call from the WSU coaches once their event concluded.

"Yesterday (Monday), Washington State offered," Singler said. "I loved it. Coach (Tony) Bennett is a very successul coach and I really like him. They've always said that they wanted me but didn't know if they had a scholarship. But after camp they decided and they called me."

According to Singler, the coaching staff had been looking at going with a big man for their scholarship, but after getting a closer look at their top targets in elite camp, decided on offering the South Medford star instead.

Obviously, Singler is happy about receiving his first Pac-10 offer and would like to get a closer look at Pullman soon. "I definitely want to make it up there sometime," Singler said. "That's the biggest offer so far and it's very exciting."

Schools Come Calling on the Terrances

OregonPreps

For the past year rising juniors Terrance Jones and Terrance Ross have been developing quite the national reputation with Jefferson and Team Jones and have quickly become two of the more highly coveted players in the 2010 class. When college coaches were permitted to contact the two directly at the end of the school year, they each heard from a "who's who" of college coaches.

Jones, a 6-foot-7, 200 pound versatile perimeter player, said he received phone calls from UCLA, Washington, Kansas, Georgetown, Texas, Florida and Oklahoma over the first weekend of the contact period.

Ross stands 6-foot-5 and is an extremely athletic, dead-eye shooter from the perimeter and has shown this spring an improved ability and aggressiveness attacking the rim. Pat Strickland, who coaches both Jones and Ross at Jefferson and with Team Jones, said Ross had a long list of schools calling to show their interest.

"Texas, Maryland, Oklahoma, Indiana, Washington, Oregon State, Oregon, Cal, Arizona State, Baylor and Kansas all called for Ross this past weekend," Strickland said.

The two also acknowledged that they have plans of attending the same school.

The pair was scheduled to attend the Nike Hoop Jamboree in St. Louis. And while Ross stayed in Portland and played with Team Jones in the Rose City Showcase, Jones more than held his own against some of the nation's top underclassmen.

"I played thought I played well," Jones said following the camp. "I had a lot of other guards on my team so I was forced to play out on the wing. I just had to make plays from the wing and move without the ball in order to be effective, and I did that. It just allowed me to show my versatility."

Jones said he played with the same team-first attitude that he uses with his Jefferson and Team Jones squads while at the camp, a trait that according to Jones wasn't matched by many of the camp's other participants.

"Most of the other guys there were looking to go one-on-one and look out for themselves," Jones said. "I was trying to help everyone on the team get involved and trying to get a win."

It's that same mentality that has placed Team Jones deep into most of their tournaments and allowed for the Terrances to gain more exposure. And they realize that as they get into the final month of the AAU season, playing as a unit will only benefit them individually.

"We're getting our name out there as a team," Jones said. "As we continue to show that we are a really good team, each of us will continue to get recognition."

Interest Picks Up For Terrance Jones

Evan Daniels
scout.com

From the opening tip of the Nike Hoop Jamboree, it was clear that Terrance Jones had brought the “A” game to St. Louis (Mo.).

Whether it was during a team practice, 3-on-3 or 5-on-5, Jones went hard and made an impact for his team. The 6-foot-7 wing attacks the basket well, is a terrific passer, shoots it well from deep.

“I liked our team,” Jones said of the Hoop Jamboree. “We had lots of guys that could do different things. We all got used to each other and did our roles real good and that’s why we won a lot of games.”

“I did everything I could and tried to move with out the ball because the ball wasn’t getting passed that much, so I was just getting rebounds,” he continued. “When I did get the ball I tried to look for open people and I thought I did alright when I looked to score.”

The underclassmen camp was loaded from top to bottom with talent and Jones thought he more than held his own.

“I think I was one of the best dudes there,” Jones said. “I just liked how the games went and how I did.”

Prior to the Hoop Jamboree, Jones teamed with Team Jones and had a number of strong showings during the spring. They came in second at Kingwood, won the Texas Showcase and lost in the quarterfinals at the Cactus Classic.
Terrance Jones is a hot commodity among college coaches and after a big time effort at the Nike Hoop Jamboree schools are beginning to offer the talented wing scholarships.

Since the spring he’s heard from a number of schools including Texas, Kansas, Florida, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, California, Arizona and Arizona State. He said Oregon State, Cal and ASU are the only schools that have offered.

Since Sunday, when college coaches could begin contacting 2010 prospects, Jones received calls from John Thompson, Billy Donovan, Rick Barnes and Herb Sendek.

“I’m just taking my time and just waiting,” Jones, of Jefferson (Ore.) High, said about his recruitment. “I’m just thinking about trying to get better as a AAU team. I want to play with Terrence [Ross] in college.”

“We are real tight,” he said of his relationship with Ross. “We probably stay the night with each other at least once a week and we hang out at least once a day.”

According to Jones, a collegiate decision won’t come anytime soon. Jones, who hasn’t taken any unofficial visits, is more focused on getting better and playing with his AAU team, than his recruitment.

Jones will close out the summer with trips to the Nike Peach Jam, the Main Event and then the LA Best of Summer. He’s also hoping for an invitation to the LeBron James Skills Academy.

Singler Narrowing Down Choices

As Team Jones moves on from their successful spring on the AAU circuit and head into the heavy evaluation month of July, E.J. Singler, their 6-foot-6 do-it-all forward won't necessarily be looking to add more schools to his list, but instead try to sway the minds of the staffs already looking at him.

His Team Jones squad is competing at the 8th annual Rose City Showcase, and following an 80-64 first round win over Portland Legends, the South Medford rising senior took time to give his thoughts on Washington State, Oregon and Stanford- the three schools sitting atop his list.

"The main thing that I like about Washington State is their coaching staff," Singler said. "They have a terrific young staff and I really like the way that they play. Their offense is really good and they play terrific defense, too. But also, their coaching staff gets the players to play with an underdog mentality, which is appealing to me."

In discussions with Wazzu head coach Tony Bennett and his staff, Singler noted that talks have started including a scholarship offer.

"Right now they're trying to evaluate and see whether or not they need to try and get a post player," Singler said. "If not, they said that I'm their number one guy. So hopefully an offer could be coming soon.

He had originally planned on making a trip up to Pullman to visit the campus and attend the Cougars' elite camp, but Singler has decided to wait until later on in the summer to trip to the Washington State campus.

"The facilities down in Eugene are obviously top of the line and they really look after their student-athletes," Singler said when discussing the University of Oregon. "I also have a lot of connections with the university and the program. Not only is it an in-state school, but also I have a good friend in (assistant coach) Josh Jamieson and (former Team Jones teammate) Garrett Sim is going to be down there next year."

"Obviously they have great education at Stanford," Singler said. "Really that's what the school is known for. I don't really know the new staff at Stanford except for the head coach Johnny Dawkins, but they said they'll run stuff pretty similar to what was run at Duke. But it's a great place to be at; they have a great campus, beautiful weather, and good facilities."

While EJ noted that he's only talked to Dawkins once since he took over at Stanford, his heavily recruited older brother, Kyle, has had nothing but glowing remarks about the former Duke assistant.

While Singler will be playing the waiting game in anticipation of receiving a scholarship offer, he'll be staying plenty busy for the remainder of the summer.

"I just competed in the Nike football combine in Eugene last weekend, which went real well," Singler said. "When July hits we have a busy summer with basketball and then August is the start of high school football for me."

With such a busy schedule of both football and basketball events, Singler said that he hasn't made a definite decision to which sport he'll be playing collegiately, but did say he's leaning towards basketball.

It just changes from month-to-month and day-to-day," Singler said. "Until I start getting some higher level offers, I can't really pick."

Singler In No Hurry

Scout.com

E.J. Singler, 6-5 JR SF Medford (Ore.) South Medford, had a very good showing in the spring evaluation period. He has an excellent feel for the game and he’s constantly involved in the action. His overall skill level is good, he plays with toughness and he’s a very good competitor.

I spoke with Singler recently and asked about the programs that have been involved with him.

“The main three right now are Washington State, Oregon and Stanford,” said Singler. “Two schools that have offered so far are St. Louis and Pepperdine.”

Singler talked a little about the issues important to him in choosing a school.

“Definitely how I interact with the coaches and the players,” said Singler. “Also, the environment, the campus and whether I feel comfortable there. I don’t really care about the East Coast or West Coast – I’ll go with whoever wants me the most.”

Singler has been to the Oregon campus several times and said both Washington State and Stanford want to have him visit.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to take unofficial visits because my schedule is very busy with football and basketball right now,” said Singler. “I’ll probably just play through the summer and then take official visits in the fall.”

Singler Ranked #7 Wing

EJ Singler is considered the 7th best wing prospect on the west coast according to scout.com

1) Tyler Honeycutt, 6-7, Sylmar (Calif.) High
2) Hollis Thompson, 6-6, Los Angeles (Calif.) Loyola Georgetown
3) Mike Moser, 6-6, Portland (Ore.) Grant
4) Solomon Hill, 6-5, Los Angeles (Calif.) Fairfax
5) C.J. Wilcox, 6-5, Pleasant Grove (Utah) High Washington
6) Aaron Dotson, 6-4, Seattle (Wash.) Rainier Beach
7) E.J. Singler, 6-5, Medford (Ore.) South Medford
8) Chad Adams, 6-5, Albuquerque (New Mex.) Highland New Mexico
9) Garrett Johnson, 6-5, Pomona (Calif.) Diamond

Bjornstad Ranked #4 Post

Steven Bjornstad is ranked the 4th best post prospect on the west coast according to scout.com.

1) Renardo Sidney, 6-9, Los Angeles (Calif.) Fairfax
2) Greg Smith, 6-8, Vallejo (Calif.) Bethel
3) Anthony Stover, 6-9, La Canada (Calif.) Renaissance Academy
4) Steven Bjornstad, 6-10, Vancouver (Wash.) Columbia River
5) Eric Hutchinson, 6-9, Longview (Wash.) Mark Morris
6) Chris Cunningham, 6-7, Pomona (Calif.) Diamond Ranch
7) Trevor Williams, 6-9, Denver (Col.) Denver Lutheran
8) Chris Manressa, 6-7, Rancho Santa Margarita

Singler Staying Open

OregonPreps

For now, the question remains - is the future of E.J. Singler in football or basketball at the college level? The all-around 6-foot-6, 200-pound athlete from South Medford High School is keeping all of his options open, but one thing's for sure - his focus right now is on hoops. Singler has been one of the key guys with Team Jones on the AAU circuit so far this spring and summer and with more tournaments ahead, he wants to keep on helping the squad earn wins and elevate his college recruitment along the way.

"I feel really good about our team as we really play well together," Singler said. "I thought we played well and obviously with us not able to practice with each other a lot, there's a lot of room for improvement so I'm excited about that. I played alright and felt I did everything pretty good. This year I'm trying to do more thing on the offense end as I have the ball in my hands more."

College coaches flocked to the games of Team Jones during the spring evaluation period and it wasn't hard to take notice of Singler and the improvements to his game. He hasn't picked up any new offers as of yet, but there's no question that three schools have gotten a lot more serious with him and they currently reside on the top of his list.

"Recruting has been going good and I've been really hearing from Washington State, Stanford, and Oregon," Singler said. "I like how they're in the Pac-10 and how they're interested in me. I like the coaches and I like how they play too."

Since Singler will have some free weekends in June before getting things going again in July, he's planning on possibly making some unofficial visits. No dates are set in stone but he is eyeing trips to Stanford and Washington State.

While his focus has been on basketball, Singler has definitely not forgotten about the intrigue he has to football coaches as a wideout. "There have been a lot of coaches who have come by the school," Singler said. "We have weight lifting class in the morning and coaches have come to watch us workout. I'm going to the Nike Combine in Eugene on June 6th, but I'm not really going to do football stuff until basketball ends in July. Then when it's August, practices will kick in."

Singler notes that no football offers have come about, but he remains open to the idea of playing on the gridiron if it's the best fit for him. "Whichever school wants me the most then that's probably where I'll go," Singler said.

Acker the Heir Apparent

OregonPreps

It was a banner year athletically at Grant High School as the Generals captured the 6A state title in boys basketball and reached the semifinals in football. Star athletes Paul McCoy and Andre Broadous move on from both teams, but don't cry any tears for Grant. Kenneth Acker, an all-around 6-foot, 175-pound athlete, is stepping into lead roles in both sports and the rising junior is spending this summer getting ready for both.

This past year as a sophomore, Acker started it all as a utility player on the football team where he chipped in on both ends. "I think I had a pretty successful football season," Acker said. "I didn't expect to come in and start that much but I did, so I feel like I had a really good role on our team. It was a good season and I'm looking forward to next year."

From there, Acker moved to the basketball court where he played a key role in the backcourt backing up McCoy and Mike James all the way to the title. "I really liked it my sophomore season," Acker said. "I went in thinking I was going to swinging (JV) back and forth, but I came in, they liked what I did, and I got a lot of minutes. It was exciting just soaking it all in."

Acker wasn't finished adding trophies to his mantle. From hoops he moved immediately to the track where he was a member of Grant's state title 4x400 relay team. Acker will continue on in all three sports the next two years at Grant, but when it comes to what his college future entails there appears to be an early leader.

"Right now I'm probably looking at football because of the season I had, but we'll see," Acker said. "I've gotten a couple of letters from Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona State, and Portland State. I want to major in business management so I'm looking at that and also a good campus."

It's very early, so Acker is obviously keeping all of his options open. This summer he'll remain busy as he'll hit a couple of camps and combines for football, prepping to step into the vacancy Broadous leaves behind at quarterback. Basketball-wise he's playing on the 16U squad for Team Jones, preparing himself for taking over the starting point guard spot McCoy kept. Individually, he's staying focused as well. "I'm just working out trying to get bigger," Acker said.

Gill Going Out of State

OregonPreps

This past Sunday, Mario Gill walked with the rest of his Wilson High School classmates at graduation. The quick 6-foot-1, 175-pound guard from Portland did so with his college future already set as well. The NCAA Clearinghouse will prevent him from heading to the Division I level immediately, but Gill was able to secure a full scholarship at a top national JC program to help him get there two seasons from now.

"I'm going to Eastern Arizona next year," Gill said. "I had gotten my SAT score back and I was a couple of points off (from qualifying) so I have to take the JC route. Eastern Arizona got in contact with me right after I got my score and they're going to pay for everything. I did my research and they're pretty good too."

Gill decided on the Gila Monsters - who have had a number of kids from Portland in recent years including recent San Francisco signee Dontae Bryant - not long after getting a good look at Thatcher, Arizona. "I took a visit down there and it's really cool," Gill said. "Of course, the weather is nice and the campus is nice too. But the basketball court - that's my favorite part of the place and that's great because that's where I'll be spending most of my time."

At EAC, Gill notes that they plan on using him mainly at the combo guard spot but he's aiming to show the staff what he can do as a floor leader. "I'm going to get my point guard game going down there," Gill said. "I'm just going to play hard and do whatever God has planned for me down there."

This past season, Gill was named PIL 6A Player of the Year and earned First Team All-State honors after averaging 18.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists while shooting over 55 percent from the field and over 46 percent from the three-point line. Since he wasn't an academic qualifier, Gill will now be a member of the JC Class of 2010 and he will be completely open in the recruiting process.

Paschal Picks His School

OregonPreps

After helping lead Jefferson High School to the 5A title and showing off his quickness on the AAU circuit with Team Jones, Kalonji Paschal picked up his share of admirers on the recruiting trail. There was a hangup in getting through the NCAA Clearinhouse for the quick 5-foot-10, 175-pound point guard from Portland though, and quite honestly it was getting a bit tiring. So instead of waiting some more, Paschal decided to head the JC route by following an established Demo pipeline.

"I signed with Eastern Arizona," Paschal said. "Donte Bryant, Markhuri (Sanders-Frison), and Jonathan (Scott) all went there and they all enjoyed it. Donte told me it was a great experience for him and he was part of the reason I came to Jefferson from Benson."

"I haven't been to Thatcher before, but I've been to Arizona," Paschal continued. "They told me that it's a lot of run and jump stuff like Jefferson basketball, so that will be pretty good for me."

Paschal had an offer from Montana State, but it had been contingent on him getting through the NCAA Clearinghouse. He has another shot to get that done, but is focused on heading to Thatcher next season. "I have another ACT this Saturday," Paschal said. "But I didn't want to wait anymore and get it all done."

If Paschal were to qualify, he would only have to play at Eastern Arizona for a season before moving on. Otherwise, he'll be there for two years and he's hoping to bring along the tradition he was a part of at Jefferson. "I just want to go in and win," Paschal said. "I'll do whatever it takes."

Paschal noted that playing football at Eastern Arizona could be a possibility, but for sure he'll put on the pads at least one more time in next Saturday's Les Schwab Bowl. "I've been working out to get ready as I haven't touched a football since football season," Paschal said. "There won't be any pressure anymore, so I just want to go out and have fun."

Bringing Structure to AAU Basketball

by Jerry Ulmer, The Oregonian June 12, 2008

Team Jones isn't a typical AAU boys basketball team.

Many teams rely primarily on talent by freelancing on the court. But Portland-based Team Jones subscribes to a more disciplined approach, running offensive sets and clamping down on defense.

"It gives college coaches and scouts a different perspective on AAU basketball, because a lot of guys just roll the ball out," said Team Freddy Jones coach Pat Strickland, an assistant at Jefferson High School.

First-year Eastern Arizona coach Maurice Lietzke concurred. He said AAU teams that run offensive sets make evaluating players easier.

"You get a better feel for what kids can do and an idea of what their roles and capabilities are," Lietzke said, though not singling out Team Jones. "You can evaluate their skill set."

Added Strickland: "We like to add structure to it. You can show all your skills and athleticism, but we think it's more feasible for the coaches to see you doing that in a structured environment to show that you're coachable."

The team's philosophy will be on display Friday through Sunday in the eight-team, Super 17s bracket of the Rose City Showcase at Grant High School.

"As a player, Pat Strickland was a fundamental juggernaut, and that's what he really exemplifies as a coach," tournament organizer Canaan Chatman said. "He has athletic teams. But he makes athletic teams cohesive. There's not very many teams on the circuit taking charges."

E.J. Singler, a 6-foot-7 junior forward from South Medford who has become a leader for Team Jones, said the system keeps the team on track.

"We run and gun sometimes, but if we miss a couple of shots in a row, we get it together," Singler said. "We can always get a score if we set up one of our good plays. All the coaches like to say that we're the only team they like to watch because we run stuff."

The sixth annual tournament -- which has attracted such players as Dwight Howard, O.J. Mayo and Michael Beasley -- is loaded with talent again. And Team Jones, missing some of its key players, will try to create some chemistry on the fly.

The team, which finished first and second in two Texas tournaments in April, will be without Jefferson sophomore wings Terrence Jones and Terrence Ross. The Terrences, who led Jefferson to the Class 5A state title in March, were among 120 players invited to the Nike Hoop Jamboree in St. Louis this weekend.

Team Freddy Jones also lost Wilson senior guard Mario Gill and Jefferson senior point guard Kalonji Paschal. They became ineligible for AAU tournaments when they recently signed with Eastern Arizona, a junior college.

To help patch the holes, the team has added what Strickland called "two sleepers" in Patrick Simon, a 6-7 sophomore from Ephreta, Wash., who has committed to Washington State, and Godwin Okonji, a 6-9 sophomore from Henderson, Nev.

"We're going to teach them the basic stuff," Strickland said. "When they're out of the game, we can go to our full repertoire."

Much will hinge on the play of Singler, the younger brother of Duke's Kyle Singler. He has received scholarship offers from Saint Louis and Pepperdine -- "I don't see myself going to either one of those," he said -- and he anticipates getting an offer soon from Washington State.

"E.J. is our backbone," Strickland said. "So I give us a good shot still. He doesn't specialize in anything, but he just does everything really well. He doesn't take a play off. He guards the best player on every team, whether it's a 1 or a 5."

Strickland said Singler has come out from the shadow of his brother and South Medford senior guard Michael Harthun, who is headed to Washington State.

"He really is a smaller clone of his brother," Strickland said. "His brother is more versatile just because he can handle the ball and he's a little bigger. But I love E.J.'s approach to the game."

Living in Southern Oregon, however, Singler has made it to only one practice this year. He learned much of what he knows about the team's offense last year.

"In order for us to run our system, we like to get kids who are right in our backyard, so you can have time in the gym," Strickland said. "That's kind of unprecedented for AAU summer and spring basketball."