Jon Hood '09 6'6" SG/SF

[Coldstream]

Ht: 6-6 Wt: 180
Position: SF, SG
Year: Class of 2009
AAU Team: Nashville Celtics
High School: Madisonville North Hopkins HS
(Madisonville, KY)
2009 Scout.com HS Basketball Rankings (full list):
Pos: SF
Pos Rank: #8
Pos Rating:
Scout.com Link

[Blue_N_White]

Shooting guard
Madisonville (KY) Madisonville North Hopkins
AAU: Nashville Celtics
Ht: 6-foot-6
Wt: 185 lbs
Class: 2009 (High School)

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.c...=69479&Sport=2

Rivals.com Rating: 2009: Hoops Top 100 Rankings (19)
Position Ranking: 2009: Shooting Guards (7)

courtesy of Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting (http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/)

[Siafu_Snafu]

always good to see in state talent stick with us

[Coldstream]

More with Jon Hood

I had a great conversation with the newest member of the University of Kentucky program - Jon Hood - tonight after his commitment became official.

The 6-foot-7 Hood said he actually committed several weeks ago on a visit to Lexington, but wanted to try and keep it quiet until after the school year. He has prom this week and is getting ready for finals and didn't want to take away from the end of his school year.

But Hood said finally he had to start telling other coaches, which led to the news leaking out.

"It was hard (to keep a secret)," Hood said. "It just got to the point where I didn't feel comfortable still talking to other coaches, so I had to tell them."

Hood said the UK program was best for him for a few reasons:

"It was the best fit for me," he said. "The facilities are great. The coaching staff is super. It was just the best fit. I couldn't ask for a better opportunity to succeed than at Kentucky.

"I've always liked Kentucky. I went up to Tubby's father-son camp two or three years. But then I just kind of lost interest (in UK) but I've gained it all back now. It feels really good. I like the feeling of being able to say hey I am going to play at UK. The tradition behind that makes you feel really good and makes you feel happy and proud to say you are going to play there."

Hood said his broken wrist - suffered in the district final - is 95 percent healed but now he has a high ankle sprain on his left ankle. He's playing this spring and summer again for the Nashville Celtics but will miss this weekend because of prom.

His father, Brian, said the family was proud of the younger Hood for not rushing to a decision and also staying focused on everything else during the process.

"It's been a whirlwind 13 months," Brian Hood said. "Here's a kid who came from a no-star, nobody knew what his name was – at the end of sophomore year Murray State offered him a scholarship – to where we are today. It's pretty amazing. I remember how excited he was when Murray State wanted him to come there."

Now, Hood is headed to Kentucky.

Here is a video of an interview I did with Hood back in January:

Labels: Jon Hood

Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Watching some Hood

University of Kentucky fans across the state will get a number of chances to watch Madisonville's Jon Hood, the newest UK recruit, next season.

The Maroons are slated in the opening week of the season to play host Marshall County in the annual Marshall County HoopFest at 2:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Dec. 6.

Madisonville will travel to Louisville twice to play in the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic and the Louisville Invitational Tournament and they are also slated to play in the Lexington Catholic High School tournament around the holidays.

So, there will be plenty of chances to folks around the state to see the 2009 Mr. Basketball perform. Yes, I am calling the race now!

Labels: Jon Hood


Hood is a Wildcat

University of Kentucky men's basketball coach Billy Gillispie picked up his fifth commitment in eight days last night. This time, it's the best player in Kentucky.

Madisonville High School senior-to-be Jon Hood ended recent speculation that he would eventually be a Wildcat by giving the UK coaches a verbal commitment. He'll be able to sign a letter-of-intent in November.

The 6-foot-6 Hood is the heavy favorite for Kentucky's Mr. Basketball honors next season and was the lone junior on The Courier-Journal's first-team All-State team.

Hood burst onto the scene last summer on the AAU circuit with the Nashville Celtics and kept up his solid play this season. He averaged 23.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 2.1 blocked shots and 1.8 steals a game for the Maroons.

During the season, Hood had four triple-doubles with his season-high being 39 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists against Apollo. Hood also had 34 dunks in 25 games.

Hood was injured in the Seventh District championship game when he went up for a dunk and was fouled. He suffered a broken right wrist and missed the Second Region Tournament and only began playing against a few weeks ago.

Ranked by recruiting analysts as one of the top 100 players in the country, Hood checked in at No. 39 in the latest Rivals.com rankings. Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, Kansas and Duke were among the other schools he was looking at.

Hood's commitment is the latest in a run by the UK coaches. It started last Tuesday with the signing of junior college player Josh Harrellson, who will be eligible this coming season, and Indianapolis sophomore Dominique Ferguson.

On Thursday, California eighth-grader Michael Avery gave the UK coaches a commitment and Ohio freshman Vinny Zollo joined the program on Monday.



Labels: Jon Hood

[Blue_N_White]

Just noticed that Rivals has added a video for Jon Hood. It's nothing spectacular, but will kind of give everyone a little idea of his basic overall skill set.

On this link:

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.c...=69479&Sport=2

Just look to the right of his picture were you see the following:

Rivals.com Rating: NR (About)
Position Ranking: NR
2009: Hoops Top 100 Rankings (19)
2009: Shooting Guards (7)


HIGHLIGHT VIDEOSViewsJon Hood Highlights 1 - NEW


The "Jon Hood Highlights 1 - NEW" is where you can find the video. It WILL NOT work from the direct link above....you'll need to access the very first link I provided for it to work.

It's basically a half dozen or so clips of him taking some shots and showing some versatility, both inside and out. He does appear to have pretty nice range on his jumper. A lot of people are comparing him to Mike Dunleavy a little, and from what I've seen I can see where they would draw that comparison.....

[Hendo/Atlanta Cat Fan]

I am from Western KY so great to see a WKY player on UK's squad!

[Bleeding_blue_80]

*shivers* I love his Jump shot. I can't wait.

[crazzedcats22]

Up to a 5 star now, after Rivals released their new rankings.
http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.c...09&ra_key=1642

[DTBrand]

Has the Kentucky highschool schedules came out yet? Be nice to see Madisonville-NH schedule on here.

[Blue_N_White]

Originally Posted by crazzedcats22

Up to a 5 star now, after Rivals released their new rankings.
http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.c...09&ra_key=1642

Thanks for the heads up. Time to update the stars and overall rankings in my posts for him now

[Blue Heaven]

Originally Posted by DTBrand

Has the Kentucky highschool schedules came out yet? Be nice to see Madisonville-NH schedule on here.

I know he's playing in the KOB at Fairdale. I'll definitely be there to watch him. After all it is my Alma Mater.

[countrycat]

Originally Posted by DTBrand

Has the Kentucky highschool schedules came out yet? Be nice to see Madisonville-NH schedule on here.

I visited there web site and there is nothing there about there scedule yet.

[DTBrand]

Thanks guys. I was too lazy to look.

[teamchemistry09]

Could we possibly be looking at another Jeff Sheppard?

[crazzedcats22]

Originally Posted by teamchemistry09

Could we possibly be looking at another Jeff Sheppard?

Yes, but better. Well, at least more talented. We'll have to wait and see what he does with that talent.

[SevenTimeChamps]

Its good to be getting a tall sharpshooter that we used to lose to schools like vandy, UT, and Louisville.

[freethrow]

Vaught article on Hood.

By LARRY VAUGHT
larry@amnews.com

Since Jon Hood made his verbal commitment to Kentucky earlier this month and will sign with the Wildcats in November, it might have seemed tempting for him to cut back on his summer workouts.

However, the Madisonville-North Hopkins standout never considered it.

"I am going to Las Vegas, Memphis and Cincinnati. I am going to North Carolina State for the Bob Gibbons Tournament. I would never consider not playing as much this summer. I always want to play, especially with the guys on my summer team," said Hood, who has already played in AAU events in Akron, Ohio, and Fayetteville, Ark., since his high school season ended.

"I can always get better, and the competition is so good that it makes you get better."

Hood will also attend the elite camp at Kentucky this summer and also hopes to find another day or two to spend in Lexington working out with future teammates.

That's the work ethic coach Billy Gillispie made clear during his first season at Kentucky that he's going to demand from his players.

"He expects you to work extremely hard, but that's fine with me. He just wants you to come and do your best all the time," Hood said.

Hood said his family clicked with Gillispie quickly when Gillispie started recruiting him.

"My parents really liked him. When he says stuff, he means it. He wouldn't feed you any lies or any stuff that is not true," Hood said. "He is a straight shooter. He will let you know what it takes to play, and I can't wait for him to coach me."

The 6-6 Hood is a versatile player who averaged 21 points and eight rebounds per game last year. He's already considered the front-runner for Mr. Basketball honors in Kentucky next season.

Quick recovery

Hood broke his wrist in a fall during Madisonville's district tournament in March. However, he made it back on the court much quicker than expected to start his offseason workouts and tournaments.

"I wasn't expected back so quick. But I have always believed in what my father said about there being a difference between pain and being injured. Once it gets under control, you can play with the pain. It's pretty much the same with coach Gillispie's philosophy," Hood said.

Hood is known for his shooting and scoring ability. Yet he intends to work on his shot along with the rest of his game this summer while playing with the Nashville Celtics, the same AAU team he played for last year.

"My defense and ball-handling can get better. I need a more consistent shot, too," he said. "My shot can always be better. I know that. Scoring the ball is what I do best, but my shooting can improve.

"My dad and a bunch of coaches I have had have really put that task (scoring) on me. But I like it. It is fun. Everybody wants to put the ball in the basket, but you can always become better at doing that."

Hood says the interest in his decision to play for Kentucky has waned some in recent days, but he knows the spotlight will be on him for most of his senior season now that he has committed to UK.

"The first couple of days there were a bunch of questions about Kentucky, and it is still like that some. It has kind of died down, but not very much in some ways," he said. "I expected it would be coming. I knew Kentucky basketball fans would be excited. I knew all the attention would come, but that's just part of it."

Hood says he follows the other recruiting that Gillispie does, and he likes what he sees and hears.

"I have a lot of faith in him. Coach knows how to recruit and recruits very, very well," Hood said. "He just seems like he works all the time and outworks everybody else. He'll call, text or do whatever he's allowed to do.

"I am not one to get into calling other recruits myself, but if another player asked me about him I would tell the truth and let him know what a great guy coach Gillispie is."

http://www.amnews.com/public_html/?m...63&format=html

[countrycat]

Thanks for posting this. His attitude seems to be great.

[Blue Heaven]

Think Jeff Shepard with more upside.

[WildcatRick]

Jon Hood, fresh off his wrist injury, took the floor with a chipped bone in his tibia Friday night and still went for 14 points in the first half despite not having much lift, according to Rivals.