Two Pee Dee hoops players sign with colleges

By: | SCNOW
Published: May 29, 2009

Two of the Pee Dee’s top players signed to play collegiate basketball Thursday.

Timmonsville’s Jonathan Jones is headed to Spartanburg Methodist while Darlington’s Brad Knox is off to Brunswick Community College.

Jones averaged 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Whirlwinds this season. He was one of the key players in Timmonsville’s run that ended in the third round of the state playoffs.

“Jonathan improved tremendously over the years, especially his leadership skills,” Timmonsville coach Gerald Wright said. “He has tremendous athleticism and the sky is the limit for him.”

Jones’ versatility was also a big part of his and the Whirlwinds’ success this year, Wright added.

“He can play either outside or inside,” he said. “We wend to him when we needed points in the paint, and he could also hit the (3-pointer) for us.

“His mid-range jumper will be a great asset to him at the next level.”

Knox was a vital part of Darlington’s program the last four years. He averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game for the Falcons this year.

“He played a lot of minutes for us and did a lot of different things out on the court for us this year,” Darlington coach Ken Howle said. “He’s worked really hard and it’s always been his dream to play at the next level.”

Howle said Knox will likely be a point guard and could see some playing time next year.

“He works extremely hard on defense and on rebounding,” Howle said. For a 5-foot-10 points guard, he’s a great rebounder and a very well-rounded player.

“If he continues to improve, he has the potential to land a four-year college somewhere.”