Inquirer Southeastern Pa. player of the year: Derrick Jones, Archbishop Carroll

Forward

With the dynamic, high-leaping, hard-dunking force leading the way, the Patriots posted a 23-7 record, advanced to the Catholic League semifinals, and came within a win of their first PIAA Class AAA state championship since 2009.

Jones, a 6-foot-7 senior forward and four-star recruit, according to ESPN.com, averaged 19.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 assists. He earned first-team all-Catholic League honors for the second consecutive year.

The UNLV recruit was terrific in the state playoffs, averaging 24.6 points, 14.2 rebounds, and 5 blocks. He produced 30 points, 18 rebounds (13 on offense), and 6 rejections in the title-game loss to Neumann-Goretti.

"He had a great sense of urgency to finish his senior season as best he could," Carroll coach Paul Romanczuk said.

"Opposing teams had to worry about game-planning for him on the offensive and defensive end."

Jones totaled a school-record 1,645 points, 1,029 rebounds, and 268 blocks in his career.

"He played a major role in lifting our program into the spotlight not only in the Philadelphia area but on the national scene," Romanczuk said.

Jones committed to UNLV in mid-November, making his announcement live on ESPNU. The country's 22d-ranked recruit in the Class of 2015 chose the Runnin' Rebels over Auburn and Connecticut. He also had scholarship offers from Kansas and Kentucky.

"In my opinion, Derrick has no ceiling," Romanczuk said. "There are still things he can greatly improve on, and he knows that and will not be complacent."

Jones, who shined last summer on the AAU circuit with WE-R1, was selected for the Jordan Brand Classic regional game on April 17 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

"Everyone takes note of his unparalleled athleticism, but what I enjoyed most was his unselfishness, his versatility, and his intelligence on the court," Romanczuk said.

Over his four seasons at Carroll, the Patriots went 89-27 overall (.767 winning percentage) and 43-9 in Catholic League regular-season action.