After Anthony Crater's dismissal from USF due to a "violation of team rules", Stan Heath has a scholarship in his pocket to use on a high-profile transfer. And based on a tweet this afternoon from Adam Zagoria, it loooks like that player could be Arizona PG Lamont "MoMo" Jones.
Jones had a solid sophomore season for Sean Miller's club, averaging 9.7 points, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 steals. MoMo really shined in the Wildcats' run to the Elite Eight this year, where he and Derrick Williams dominated Duke and nearly toppled UConn before Kemba Walker took over.
After announcing his decision to transfer, his likely landing spot was St. John's, where he would be close to his sick grandmother, and would most likely be granted a waiver to play immediately. However, the NCAA has blocked any transfer to the school because Jones' former high school coach, Moe Hicks, is on the Red Storm staff.
Jones would be a huge upgrade over everything we have on our roster. He's improved every aspect in his game and appeared to take the next step in the NCAA Tournament. He relentlessly attacks the basket, has excellent court vision, plays solid defense, and starting to find his range from three. His assist-to-turnover ratio dropped just a bit from his freshman to sophomore seasons, but that can be attributed to the increased scoring load he had to pick up.
USF does have some stiff competition for his services. According to Zagoria, he is also slated to take official visits to Marquette and Pitt. Jones will also take unofficial visits to schools around New York City which includes a trip to Seton Hall.
If Jones comes to Tampa, he would have to sit out the 2011 season unless our NCAA compliance ninjas can work their magic once again. Either way, Jones will have two years of eligibility left wherever he lands.