Some links on Terrence Jones

Terrence Jones is not the most popular guy in the Pacific Northwest right now.

You can't really blame them for being upset, either. I mean, Jones did toy with their heart. He did renege on a commitment. And he did it in a way that made him seem like more of an attention whore than a torn teenager.

I written enough words on Jones, but here are a couple of the columns I have come across the last few days. I have a feeling these guys are not anywhere near done.

John Canzano, the Oregonian (he's the guy that wrote this glowing defense of Jones):

I don't believe Jones' change of heart on Wednesday -- dumping his commitment to Washington for a promise to Kentucky -- was rooted in academics, or campus life, or the promise of better competition.

I'm not buying that Jones was motivated solely by the idea of a bigger national stage at Kentucky. Or the idea that the Wildcats are a better fit for his style of play. And I certainly wonder about the people who surround Jones today, including his summer coaches, because they feel a lot like a pack of guys sucked into the jet stream of grandeur they found drafting behind the kid.

We're being told the chapter on Jones recruitment is closed. Nothing more to say. Nothing more to see. Move along, right? Except, Kentucky coach John Calipari is involved.

So I'm not buying this is the end. And neither should you.

Steve Kelley, Seattle Times:

Yo, Terrence! If you make a statement at a news conference, you're supposed to honor it. There's a responsibility that come with calling a news conference. It isn't some whimsical event. It's serious business.

I'm sure your post-conference phone call to Kentucky coach John Calipari didn't help the situation. At the time, I thought that calling Calipari was a touch of class. You turned it into a touch of weakness.

I'm sure Coach Cal slick-talked you into postponing a final choice. I'm sure he preyed on your immaturity.

Look, I'm not saying you shouldn't have chosen Kentucky. I'm saying you shouldn't have called a news conference, soaked up all that glory, then quickly backpedaled from your decision.

And if you change your mind, you don't spend a month hovering in "Twitter world," tweeting and teasing people, wavering between Washington and Kentucky.

You leveraged one school against the other, and obviously you enjoyed the national attention you attracted. You were the last blue-chipper standing and you bathed in the buzz.

Nick Daschel, The Oregonian:

Does Jones wish he could take back April 30, when he announced he would join Jefferson classmate Terrence Ross at Washington? Ross, a blue chip guard who was Oregon's Class 5A Player of the Year in 2008, signed a letter of intent with Washington in April.

Jones flatly said no.

"I feel players decommit all the time. Everybody knew me not signing anything knew I had options," Jones said.

Why pick Washington in the first place?

"A little bit of just not knowing, being close to home. You can't go wrong being that close. It was a spur of the moment thing, not really thinking about it. Picking something just because it was there," Jones said.

Jones described the recruiting process as "fun," and said he did not feel embarrassed about how it played out during the final weeks.

"I didn't let anybody rush me. I did it my way," Jones said. "I didn't care what anybody had to say and how I was doing it my way. Honestly, I only cared about the two coaches I was dealing with, and my family."