NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top schools for Carlik Jones

Radford Highlanders guard Carlik Jones narrowed his top eight NCAA Basketball destinations for his grad transfer season.

Carlik Jones is one of the most sought after grad transfers for the 2020-21 NCAA Basketball season. Amid all of the chaos that the coronavirus (COVID-19) has caused, the transfer portal has ballooned with transfers looking for new basketball homes.

Jones has heavy hitters on his list who could be one piece away from a national championship with him on their squad. The 6-foot-1, 180 pound, Radford Highlander guard and grad transfer has Radford, Gonzaga, Michigan State, Maryland, Marquette, Louisville, Texas Tech and West Virginia on his radar. All of them are very successful programs that could use a guard like him that knows how to win.

Last season, he averaged 20 points, five assists, five rebounds and shot 48 percent from the field. He had numerous 20-point games and two 30-point games including his last game for the Highlanders. He scored 33 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists in an 86-78 loss to the Hampton Pirates.

He led the Highlanders in minutes (1057), points (641), assists (175) and steals (45) this season. He’s going to provide instant offense to the team he decides to join in the transfer portal. He is a high volume scorer with solid court vision and teams also need to beware of him defensively. While his list is at eight now, I’ll be interested to see who makes the top three or four. Those teams will be in some good company.

Should he decide to take his talents elsewhere it’s going to be fun watching him play for a big-time program in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Big East or WCC.