Florida basketball staying close with nearby 4-star power forward

One of the top basketball recruits in the class of 2024, power forward Ryan Jones, plays locally and is getting closer with Florida’s coaching staff.

The Rock School (Gainesville, Florida) power forward [autotag]Ryan Jones[/autotag] made another stop by the Swamp earlier this month and left impressed by Todd Golden’s coaching staff, according to Gators Online.

“Every time I go, I feel more comfortable since the new coaching staff came there,” Jones said. “It was just all-around great. They treated me like I’m already on the team. Great coaches.”

Associate coach Carlin Hartman has been Jones’ lead recruiter at UF. His son plays at The Rock School as well, which forms a second natural connection to the program — the first being proximity. The goal is to commit by the early signing period in November, and Jones is prepared to move into the official visit phase of his recruitment.

Florida is set to host him on Sept. 16, but LSU will get him a week after that. Earlier trips to Xavier on Aug. 3 and Virginia Tech on Sept. 2 are also on the schedule. Jones isn’t closing the door on adding more schools to the list, but those are the four he’s looking at the closest right now.

Jones is a good student (3.9 GPA) looking to further his education and find a mentor while going to school for basketball. Florida is one of the best public universities in the country, and Hartman is standing out as a coaching connection early.

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