[Stardust]

Wednesday was Decision Day 2 for Terrence Jones.

The coveted 6-foot-9 forward from Portland, Ore., broke his mental deadlock between Washington and Kentucky, put pen to paper and reportedly signed a financial-aid offer — but not a national letter of intent — with the Cats.

My response: Smart move.

In a news conference nearly three weeks ago, he made a public commitment to Washington only to backpedal away from it as soon as he had completed the sentence, or as soon as he got on the phone to John Calipari.

Don't knock Jones for his indecision. He's a high school senior. Today's blue-chip recruits travel the country, if not the world, playing in AAU games, in meaningless All-Star extravaganzas, in star-studded shoe camps. Their frequent-flyer miles surpass their years. They're also still kids making the biggest decisions of their lives.

So why make it if you don't have to?

Why play a game rigged in favor of schools and put your name on a letter of intent?

Look at Brandon Knight. Jones must have.

I haven't seen enough of the Fort Lauderdale guard's game to judge his basketball IQ, but I know Knight is smart. Not from what he's done, but what he did not do.

He didn't sign a letter of intent. After committing to play for Calipari and Kentucky, Knight bypassed the traditional letter to instead ink a financial-aid agreement. That's a non-binding agreement. It means Kentucky must provide Knight with a full scholarship next season. It does not mean Knight has to attend UK.

Ditto for Jones.

"It was a precautionary measure," Tonya Knight, Brandon's mother, told Jerry Tipton of the Herald-Leader.



Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/05/20/12724...z0oh7D04Po