We’ve seen a lot of players come through our doors over the years, varying in appearance, skill level, and everything in between. We decided to put forth a “Getting to Know” series on some players who have attended events but still remain on the lesser-known side of things. Each of these prospects embody being a student-athlete and getting it done in the classroom as well as on the basketball court, and today’s edition will take a closer look at Arael Jones of Corvian Community School.
We first saw Jones at the Teammate Nationals in June of 2020, where we stated, “Grind Academy has always been able to construct an intriguing roster with talented young prospects, and Arael Jones was clearly their leader on both ends of the floor. He’s long, smart, and possesses an exceptional nose for the ball. Jones is a crafty, decisive playmaker with sharp vision and ball-handling ability. He’s quite electric with the ball in his hands, but can also toggle off-ball and easily make an impact with his cutting and perimeter shooting. Jones rebounds and defends really well, especially for his position, and knows how to disrupt others with his high motor. For a prospect in the Class of 2025, it would be shocking if Jones didn’t continue to emerge as a high-level player.”
Since then, Jones has only continued to showcase his noteworthy abilities as a major piece for Team United’s 15U group. He’s a very well-rounded guard with the blend of IQ, skill, and toughness to effectively run a team on either side of the ball. Jones handles the ball well, creates for himself and others, and applies scoring pressure as needed from all three levels. He’s a quality defender with the necessary instincts to harass opposing guards or intercept passing lanes with consistency. Jones is also quite crafty and able to breakdown defenders with relative ease. He makes great decisions with the ball in his hands, and will absolutely remain a prospect to monitor going forward. Jones has the ability to be among the top players within North Carolina’s Class of 2025, especially at the guard position.