It was the most important phone call of Mookie Jones’ life, and he couldn’t get an answer.

The Peekskill (N.Y.) High School senior forward was calling Syracuse men’s basketball head coach Jim Boeheim to give his verbal commitment to the Orange, but he would have to settle with his voicemail.

‘I didn’t talk to coach Boeheim, I left a message on his phone,’ Jones said. ‘I got his answering machine.’

Minutes later, Jones ended months of speculation, announcing Tuesday afternoon his commitment to Boeheim and the Orange at a press conference held in the Peekskill school library. Syracuse was long considered the favorite to land Jones, ranked the 40th-best player in the nation by Rivals.com and 58th-best by Scout.com.

‘When I found out they were looking at me, I said, ‘Yeah, that’s where I want to go,” Jones said in a phone interview shortly after the announcement. ‘I wanted to go there from the start.’

The 6-foot-7, 180-pound wing became the third member of the 2008 class to commit to Syracuse, joining Archbishop Carroll (D.C.) High School’s Kris Joseph and Notre Dame Prep’s (Mass.) James Southerland.

Jones said that Syracuse coaches have told him that Southerland will reclassify and spend an extra year at Notre Dame Prep before coming to Syracuse in 2009. Assuming no current SU players leave early for the NBA Draft or transfer, the Orange has just two free scholarships for next season.

Jones made his choice just days removed from his official visit to Syracuse this past weekend. Jones attended Syracuse’s media day festivities Friday before watching the Orange’s first official practice later that night. Before stopping by SU, Jones visited Marquette and DePaul.

‘They didn’t do anything special over any of the other schools, this is just where I felt comfortable,’ Jones said of his visit. ‘Between DePaul, Syracuse and Marquette, they’re all good on the court and off the court. … I just saw something in Syracuse that I didn’t see in other schools.

‘When I was on my way home (from Syracuse), I was like, ‘Yeah, this is what I want.”

Despite his verdict, Jones’ coaches advised him on Sunday to take another night to think about his choice. When Jones woke up Monday, little had changed, and he opted to cancel his two remaining official visits to Rutgers and St. John’s and call Tuesday’s press conference.

Before announcing his choice, Jones called the coaches of the other four finalists to inform them of his decision. He then called Boeheim and left his message pledging to wear Orange next season.

It wasn’t until after the announcement that Jones talked to SU assistant coach Mike Hopkins about his choice.

All three of Syracuse’s current recruits present similar body types and athletic skills and project roughly as wing players in Boeheim’s system. Yet the scene at small forward might be a bit less crowded next year should Southerland reclassify. The thought of having to earn his starting spot was not a factor for Jones, who said he routinely arrives at Peekskill at 5 a.m. to work on his game before school.

‘I really didn’t care. That was a concern with everybody else,’ Jones said. ‘If you’re a good player – like me, I’ve been competing all my life. I didn’t get it handed to me and start for no reason, I had to work my way up. That’s what I’m known for, working hard and outworking people for a spot.’

In Jones, the Syracuse coaching staff will gain a versatile athlete whose athleticism and length have made him a multi-dimensional threat during his Peekskill career. Jones averaged 22.6 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks per game as a junior.

‘He’s got a passion, great desire and a willingness to learn,’ Panzanaro said ‘He’s the type of kid who wants to play 365 days a year. … The other night, he was out shooting the ball from 6 to 11 (p.m.)’

Jones has won three Class A state championships and two Federation championships at Peekskill, which produced Los Angeles Clippers forward Elton Brand and New Orleans Hornets center Hilton Armstrong.

It’s a winning pedigree that Jones will take with him to Syracuse.

‘I’m gonna do whatever coach needs me to do,’ Jones said. ‘If coach wants me inside, that’s what I’ll do. I don’t have a problem playing defense. Whatever it takes…I just wanna win, and I have the confidence to take that big shot.’

Published on October 16, 2007 at 12:00 pm