Colby Jones breaks down his finalist

2020 shooting guard Colby Jones recently narrowed down his list of schools to a manageable seven.

Iowa State, Xavier, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, Yale and Stanford made the cut.

“I just wanted to really focus on the schools that were prioritizing me,” he said. “So I could near my decision.”

Auburn, who hosted the talented guard on the first of June, made a really good impression during the visit, and it’s one of the reasons the Tigers made his shortlist.

“We got to hang out with the team, some of the players and the other recruits parents,” he said. “We had like a scavenger hunt touring campus, so it was really fun to do stuff outside of basketball with them.”

He’s scheduled to take an official visit to Xavier August 1st, and plans to take another to Stanford in late September. Soon after, a commitment is possible.

“After I take my visits, I’ll sit down with my family and my coaches,” he said. “If I’m feeling right at the time, then I’ll commit.”

Academics will be one of the main things he prioritizes with his final seven. Yale and Stanford made his list for a reason, and he’s taking them very seriously.

“I really pride myself on great academics,” he said. “Basketball is only going to last so long. So, I want to have a great backup plan and great preparation for that.”

Here is what he said about his final seven individually.

Iowa State: Just the relationship I have with coach [James] Kane. I’ve been talking to him since he was at Dayton. So just that close relationship that we have and the type of program they have—it just really appealed to me.

Xavier: They are really prioritizing me. I talk to all of the coaches like every other day and I talk to [Travis] Steele every day. They tell me that they want me and want me to be the center piece of that program and their recruiting class. So just to hear that is great.

Auburn: They had a great season last year. They offered me when I went on an unofficial with a lot of their top prospects, and to know that I’m one of their top prospects is just great.

Yale: They offered me back in January. Coach [James] Jones and coach [Tobe] Carberry they really have been recruiting me hard. Then when I went on my official there earlier this year in the spring, I just loved it. I bonded with some of the players really well, they’re an Ivy League school, great academic school and they made the tournament last year. So, it’s just a great, great place.

Stanford: Stanford is an elite academic school and an elite basketball school as well. Me and coach [Adam] Cohen have been talking for over a year and I really wanted that offer when they first started talking to me. So when they finally offered me, it was great to have that type of option out on the west coast.

Georgia: They were my first high major offer. Coach [Tom] Crean and coach [Joe] Scott they really been on me. They told me the opportunity to play would be there because next year they’ll probably be losing four or five guards. So, just for me to be able to come in and contribute right away, that’s what they’ve been saying.

Alabama: In-state school and coach [Antoine] Pettway—I’ve been talking to him for a couple of years. And when the coaching change happened, coach [Nate] Oats called me to offer me and said they were going to be on me really hard. I know a couple guys down there. I’ve been there a couple times and to a couple games, so I just wanted to continue to build my relationship with them and go down and visit a couple more times.