Carroll's hotly recruited Derrick Jones bulks up for senior season

Derrick Jones checked back into Saturday night's All City Classic with about five minutes left in the final game of a showcase that pitted Philadelphia's best basketball players against New York's premier talent.

The basketball star from Archbishop Carroll went straight for the low post. He wanted to defend Jessie Govan, a 6-foot-10 center bound for Georgetown. Jones gave up four inches to the hulking Govan and a sizable weight advantage. But Jones said he did not mind.

The two clashed down low for rebounds and battled for loose balls. Usually reliant on his athleticism, Jones instead played physically. And he got the best of Govan. Jones forced him to lose control of his dribble and the ball bounced away. Govan wanted a foul to be called. Jones, jogging up court, turned his head and smiled.

The 6-6 Jones displayed his ability to leap and dunk this summer on the AAU circuit. His recruitment surged as Jones garnered offers from the nation's top college programs. But his performance at the next level will be greater if Jones continues to show his ability to mix his athleticism with physicality. Jones said he spent a lot of time this summer in the weight room, bulking up for his senior season.

"That's what everyone is going to do to me, play physical," Jones said. "When I was a freshman, I was lanky and skinny. But now I play physical back. And I get it done. When it gets physical, it turns me up even more."

Jones will take the SATs later this month and decide afterward what colleges he wants to visit. Jones is considering Auburn, Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina, and UNLV.

Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie, who won the national championship in April, visited Jones at school last month. Jones was also visited by UNLV assistant Ryan Miller. Ollie and the Huskies seem to be a favorite to land Jones. He visited campus over the summer.

"Having the head coach come to school and talk to you shows that the school is really interested," he said. "It was great just being able to talk to him."

George Washington defensive end Shareef Miller included Penn State and Temple on Tuesday night when he whittled his college options to 11 schools. The 6-4, 225-pound senior is also considering Arizona State, Illinois, Miami, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia. He will visit Rutgers on Saturday.

Temple's addition on Tuesday of Haverford School senior Levan Alston comes with an added bonus: his willingness to recruit.

Alston said the first thing he was going to do after announcing his commitment was call Archbishop Carroll senior center Ernest Aflakpui. The two visited Temple together last month. Along with Aflakpui, Alston said is trying to sway Haverford School small forward Lamar Stevens and Roman Catholic guard Tony Carr to Temple. Both are two of the area's top juniors.

@matt_breen