University
of Florida women's basketball head coach Amanda
Butler announced that Jordan Jones,
the top three-point shooter in the Southeastern Conference last season, will transfer
into the Gator program from South Carolina.
She
is required to sit out the 2008-09 season per NCAA rules for transfers, but will
have three years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2009-10 campaign.
Jones,
a 5-foot-9 guard from Suwanee, Ga.,
led the Gamecocks in scoring with 13.1 points per game, to rank ninth in the
SEC, while her 3.03 made three-pointers per game led the league. Jones canned
97-of-243 from behind the arc during her rookie year to hit at a 39.3 percent
clip, the third best in the SEC and 31st nationally. Her 97
three-pointers was a South Carolina record for a freshman, while the nine
3-pointers she nailed during the WNIT first-round win over North Carolina
A&T tied the school record and broke the WNIT single-game mark, as her 31
points in that postseason game was a career-high.
"We
are thrilled to have Jordan Jones join our Gator family," Butler said. "She has the mentality of a
champion and already is a proven impact player in the SEC. Jordan is a
tireless worker, is passionate about being the best and loves challenges, which
is a great combination for a program that's pursing championships. I'm very
excited about coaching her and helping her become the
best player she can be."
Jones played her prep ball at CollinsHillHigh School
in Suwanee,
Ga., where she was coached by
Tracey Tipton. She rated as the No. 50 player in the nation by Sports Illustrated, RiseMagazine and hoopgurlz.com,
which also recognized her as one of the top long-range shooters in the country.
Jones was a McDonald’s All-America finalist her senior year, when she also
garnered first-team All-State by the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution and the Georgia Sportswriters Association her final
year season averaging 14 points per game playing for the No. 1 high school team
in the nation.