24. Tevian Jones (Old: 4-star/0.9423 – New: 3-star/0.8671)
I was excited about what Illinois was bringing in from the class of 2018. There seemed to be a solid haul of players who could help build this program back into an elite level. I believed Tevian Jones was going to be an important piece to the puzzle.
Jones was a 6-foot-6, 200-pound small forward coming out of Culver City High School and residing in Culver City, California. He was rated as a four-star recruit who was the No. 118 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 27 small forward in the nation. He also had a composite rating of 0.9423.
There were a ton of programs wanting Jones to come play for them. Illinois had a great pull from the west coast, though. Despite offers from Arizona and California, Jones picked the Illini as his landing spot.
In his first season with Illinois, Jones had a chance to play in 24 games and averaged 3.5 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. His athletic ability seemed to be there, so his sophomore season should have been even better. But Jones only had a chance to play in 14 games last season and averaged 0.9 points and 0.7 rebounds per game.
Jones decided to transfer out of the Illinois program this offseason. This was probably the best move for both parties. The time Jones spent with the Illini was marred by suspension and they just needed to part ways. He has now committed to Southern Utah to finish out his career.
Illinois snagged a four-star recruit with a rating of 0.9423 on paper, but Jones wasn’t that in the real world. I have him pegged more as a three-star recruit with a rating of 0.8671.