The news seemed to come out of nowhere on Tuesday, sending a shock wave through the Northwestern community: freshman forward Jared Jones was transferring.
The athletic 6-foot-10 big man showed some promise as a true freshman for the Wildcats last season, even though he averaged just 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in just over 10 minutes per game. Playing as the backup to starting center Ryan Young, Jones came on strong toward the end of the season, scoring in double-figures in back-to-back games in February.
There were no outward signs that Jones was unhappy in Evanston, so his decision to leave reportedly came as a surprise to Northwestern's staff, as well. He is the fifth Wildcat to leave the program since the end of the 2018-19 season, but the first non-graduate transfer.
What impact will Jones' transfer have on the Wildcats? Is this a bad sign for the program? Here are five thoughts about Jones' transfer:
The Cats are losing a talented player: One source called Jones the most physically gifted player on the roster. At 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds, Jones came to Northwestern with a Big Ten-ready body, a far cry from the long, skinny big men who often enter the program. His legs, especially, got attention, making his shorts look a size too small. Jones could certainly run the floor, jump, rebound and defend the rim, and, at times, he showed potential as an athletic big man who could make plays on both ends of the floor.
Jones' high points were February games against Rutgers and Michigan. He had 11 points and a career-high-tying five rebounds in 16 minutes against the Scarlet Knights, and followed that up three days later with a career-high 12 points and four boards against the Wolverines in a personal-best 19 minutes. Those were the only two times he managed to score in double-figures all year, but they were signs of how high is ceiling might be.
He still needed quite a bit of development: Jones had natural athletic ability, but he wasn't the most skilled player, which is why he was primarily a screener offensively and had almost twice as many fouls (72) as baskets (39).
Jones' shot was suspect: he was just 1-for-12 on 3s and shot below 45% overall. He also had trouble controlling his body on the defensive end, where he picked up fouls at an alarming rate. He fouled out of two games on the year, including once in just 11 minutes against Wisconsin. In his first Big Ten game against Purdue, he collected more fouls (four) than minutes played (three). Jones finished with the third-most fouls on the team despite playing the ninth-most minutes. Even though he controlled his fouling as the season went on, fouls will probably be Jones' lasting legacy at NU.
He probably wasn't going to start: The biggest issue for Jones was playing time, and it’s difficult to begrudge a player who wants more minutes. While he managed to see quite a bit of action as a true freshman, he was playing behind Young, a redshirt freshman who started all 31 games. He probably wasn't going to beat out Young for that spot, so he was staring at three more years as a backup center. Northwestern also has 7-foot center Matt Nicholson coming in this year, and he would likely cut further into Jones' minutes.
Jones could play the 4 in a big lineup, but fellow true freshman Robbie Beran and sophomore Pete Nance split time at that position, creating a log jam that Jones probably wouldn't be able to split. More importantly, Jones doesn't fit the mold as a stretch-4 that coach Chris Collins' system prefers.
His transfer doesn't signal a problem with the NU program: Coming off of a season that saw Northwestern lose three players as transfers, some will look at Jones' departure and sound the alarm. But it's important to look at the entire picture.
Last year's defectors -- Jordan Ash, Aaron Falzon and Barret Benson -- were all graduates. So is Tino Malnati, a walkon who announced last month that he was leaving the program. Losing a grad transfer is much different than losing a lower classman with multiple years of eligibility remaining. Jones will be the third Wildcat to leave the program in the last five years as a non-graduate, joining Isiah Brown and Rapolas Ivanauskas. That's not good, but given the current state of college basketball, it's far from eyebrow-raising.
Just look at the rest of the Big Ten, where prominent programs are losing players left and right with multiple years remaining. Ohio State is losing three transfers, including prized freshman D.J. Carton, while Illinois, Maryland, Michigan and Ohio State are each losing two. Nebraska is losing four.
Transfer-mania is sweeping the nation and isn't isolated to Evanston.
NU now has one more scholarship: While Northwestern is losing a valuable contributor in Jones, the upside is that the Wildcats now have one more scholarship to use in what could be a program-changing 2021 class.
As everyone with any purple in their wardrobe knows, the Wildcats are among the finalists for a pair of five-star talents -- No. 3 prospect Patrick Baldwin Jr. and No. 16 Max Christie -- who each have family ties and could alter the trajectory of the entire program. NU also feels very good about its chances of landing Julian Roper, who is slated to announce his decision on May 4. Tamar Bates and Casey Simmons are two other players who have the Wildcats in the mix.
Jones' scholarship gives coaches a wider net to catch another potential big fish.
