Youth tourney to draw recruits

The third-annual Sport 2 Sport/Jayhawk Invitational youth basketball tournament will be held Friday through Sunday at Allen Fieldhouse, Horejsi Center and Sport 2 Sport.

The tournament, which is split in 17-and-under and 16-and-under age divisions, was designed three years ago as a way to bring future college basketball prospects to Lawrence to take unofficial tours of the Kansas University campus while also playing games in the fieldhouse.

The Hoop Group and Bob Gibbons of All Star Sports are sponsors of the tournament. Entry fee per team is $400 with each team guaranteed three games. Names of possible major-college recruits attending should be announced later this week when brackets are finalized.

Joseph Jones, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound center from Normangee High in Normangee, Texas, has said he will be attending with his Houston Select team. He is reportedly considering KU, North Carolina, Texas, Arizona and many others.

Jones averaged 18 points and 14.9 rebounds a game and led Normangee, which is Class 1A, to a 31-2 record.

“I really don’t have any favorite schools or a top five yet,” Jones told Shay Wildeboor of rivals.com. “Everything’s happened so fast and my recruitment has been like a big rush.”