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Rashad Jones-Jennings

Height: 6'7" (201 cm)
Weight: 235 lbs (107 kg)
Position: PF/C
High School: Howard School of Academics and Technology (Tennessee)
Hometown: Chattanooga, TN
College: Little Rock
Current Team: Little Rock
Win - Loss: 21 - 12

Articles

Orlando Pre-Draft Camp: Day Two

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Jonathan Watters
Jonathan Watters
May 30, 2007, 05:12 pm
Much grief was thrown in the direction of the DX staff members that got so excited about Rashad Jones-Jennings at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, as the leading rebounder in the country and the PIT decided for some reason to convert himself all of a sudden to the shooting guard position. He started off the game bricking a contested 19 footer badly (“why is he shooting that,” wondered anyone in the crowd who had any remote idea what kind of player he is), and then proceeded to airball two more college 3-pointers before the game was up. It’s not quite clear what was going through Jones-Jennings’ head or who told him that he has become some kind of Reggie Miller clone since the season ended, but he needs to get himself together and recall what got him from playing intramural basketball three years ago to the NBA pre-draft camp today. It surely wasn’t his outside shooting.

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, Day Four (part two)

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Eric Weiss
Eric Weiss
Apr 09, 2007, 03:53 am
Jones-Jennings put forth yet another strong performance here at Portsmouth, throwing his weight around to pull in strong rebounds and using his hustle to make a few disruptions on the defensive end.

Unfortunately, he had quite a few problems in the post offensively, as he doesn’t have the best hands for catching entry passes and his touch around the rim isn’t stellar either. He missed some hook shots badly, both using glass and not, missed a putback lay-up badly, and just generally had struggles going up with the ball from the post. His hands aren’t very large for a player his size, so he often has to hold the ball with two hands to control it, getting him into trouble when he needs to hold it with just one. Jones-Jennings did do a good job getting to the free-throw line, though, as while he didn’t finish on many of his field goals, he drew contact and went up strong to get to the line, where he shot just 4-8. His mid-range shooting needs a bit of work, as he air-balled an 8-footer, though he also hit a 15-footer from the baseline. Jones-Jennings wasn’t really forcing it with his game in the post, though, as he dumped off a nice assist to a cutter and dished out a nice kick-out for a three-pointer as well.

Defensively, Jones-Jennings did a better job leaving his imprint on the game, bodying up strong against taller opponents in the post and not allowing them to get easy baskets around the rim. He also makes up for his height by fronting very well, picking off two entry passes in that manner in the game. He tried to do some damage with weak-side help as well, contesting and even blocking some shots in the lane, but at times he just comes up short because he doesn’t have the length or height to get to every guard’s drive. He boxed out well around the hoop and did a good job pulling in some emphatic rebounds, showing excellent instincts in tracking the ball off the rim, which goes well with his mobility in moving outside the painted area to pull down the ball.

Jones-Jennings is not your typical prospect, and most people will write him off as an NBA player, but more and more undersized forwards are finding roles on teams, and his work ethic and motor would be highly favored by coaches. He should have a chance at making a summer league team, though he will likely have to go to the D-League to work a bit on his offensive game if he plans to go the NBA route, which is certainly not a sure thing down the road.

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament: Day Three

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Eric Weiss
Eric Weiss
Apr 07, 2007, 04:44 am
The player that is slowly evolving into DraftExpress’ favorite player at the camp, Rashad Jones-Jennings got by on very little today to make a very big impact on the game. One way to describe his style of play would be to say that Jones-Jennings is an addict, and the basketball is his drug. He is simple everywhere on the floor at any given moment, making big plays wherever he goes. Looking at how small he is (he looks around 6-7 or maybe even less), you want to just write him off in warmups before the game even tips off, but once you see how much of an impact he has, he forces you to rethink the sitaution…

After watching him play for two games here, it’s no surprise at all to see him lead the entire NCAA in rebounding. He seems to have an innate sense for where the ball will end up once he sees it come off the hands of a shooter, positioning himself perfectly to come down with the rebound while pinning his man down with his strong frame. It’s almost comical to see how quickly he goes to work once the ball hits the rim, just going after the rebound with reckless abandon and knocking over anyone that is in his way. Once he corrals it with his two huge and strong hands, he’ll sometimes swing his elbows around ala Charles Barkley to scare off his opponents for good measure, just to further emphasize his dominance. No one here has figured out if Jones-Jennings actually has any teeth hiding inside his mouthpiece, but that’s just another thing that adds to the level of intrigue.

Defensively, Jones-Jennings did a pretty solid job with the tools he has at his disposal, despite the fact that he gives up a lot of height and doesn’t bring an incredible amount of explosiveness to the table to make up for it. He likes to gamble for steals on post-entry passes, and had some success at this tournament doing so, even if at times he’ll get burned. His lateral quickness is obviously very solid, allowing him to get out and hedge screens on the perimeter and then recover quickly just like an NBA coach would want him to.

Offensively, Jones-Jennings is a very limited guy, lacking serious touch on his post moves and not having much to hang his hat on outside of 10 feet. He did hit a mid-range jumper from the baseline on one occasion, and mixed in a turnaround jumper with some strong finishes on others. If given the opportunity, Jones-Jennings will attempt to absolutely kill the rim every time he touches it. If he makes a bad play, he’ll run down the court with a big snarl on his face, and sometimes clap his two massive paws together like he’s crashing a pair of cymbals, creating a similar sound effect too.

Most NBA people we spoke to seemed somewhat dismissive of his chances of making an NBA roster. That’s not a surprise considering that he’s 6-7 at best and not particularly skilled or athletic. Jones-Jennings is a guy that coaches fall in love with, not scouts, since he’s clearly not the prototype for what they are looking for in an NBA player at his positon. We’re not saying he’s a surefire bet to make the league or even that he has any real chance of being drafted (barring a great showing in Orlando), but he is a guy we enjoyed watching and wouldn’t be shocked if someone found a spot for him somewhere. His matchup with Ryvon Covile was definitely a classic.

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament: Day Two

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Joseph Treutlein
Joseph Treutlein
Eric Weiss
Eric Weiss
Apr 05, 2007, 05:58 pm
The second you take your eye off Jones-Jennings, he’ll make you pay. That was the first lesson learned on Jones’ crazy game as he came careening into the press table early in the first half of his first game at the PIT. Jones is a power forward in the truest sense, which hurts him tremendously in the eye’s of the scouts because his height is generously listed.

But although it’s not common for a player to make it with Jones’ size limitations, his tenacity and his ability to defend and rebound are skills that are equally as rare. Jones plays with a motor that refuses to quit. He boxed out on every single free throw, using his body and punishing his opponent. Jones constantly searched out his man and made sure to keep himself between the man and the basket on every shot that went up, even when he clearly had run out of gas toward the end.

Jones also got his hand on numerous loose balls and did it with purpose for the most part. When he couldn’t secure a rebound or a steal he would attempt to deflect it to a teammate and not just slap at the ball for no reason. His head constantly moved to survey the situation and get a feel for where the ball was, where the opponents were spaced, and where he needed to be in order to maximize his ability to make a play.

Offensively, Jones is limited, but not as much as Reggie Evans was limited coming into the NBA himself. This is not to say that Jones will find success on the same level as Evans has, without knowing his “intangible” qualities, but he certainly has some elements to his game that do translate to the professional game.

It’s extremely hard for a player with Jones’ abilities and limitations to make it to the NBA level, but there are a number of anomalies in the league, so it’s not out of the question. Regardless of where Jones ends up, his skills as a defender and rebounder are top notch and he has the type of motor that very few players possess at any level. Where he ends up will be a matter of situation and environment, but he can help a team at some level in the realm of professional basketball. It will be interesting to see how his next two games play out, because he has a chance to improve his standings tremendously in the eyes of the pro game on every level if he keeps this up.

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