July 7, 2009

TUCSON, Ariz. - University of Arizona men's basketball coach Sean Miller announced Tuesday that two student-athletes have signed papers to attend the school and play basketball. The duo will report to the school in the fall of 2009.

Lamont "MoMo" Jones and Derrick Williams each signed an offer of financial aid during the spring signing period. Both players are ranked among the top 25 nationally at his position.

Jones, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound guard from Harlem, N.Y., is ranked as the No. 68 overall prospect in the country and the No. 11 point guard by rivals.com to go with a scout grade of 88 by ESPN. Jones, who prepped at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., averaged 21.3 points and 8.0 assists per game as a senior in leading Oak Hill Academy to a 41-1 record and national runner-up finish for coach Steve Smith.

He was named to the inaugural ESPN RISE all-tournament team and earned MVP honors of the Iolani Classic in Hawaii after pouring in 40 points in the double-overtime championship-game win. A 2009 Jordan Brand All-American and a McDonald's High School All-America nominee, Jones averaged 25.4 points and 3.0 assists per game as a junior at American Christian School in Aston, Pa.

Jones is the first Oak Hill product to play at Arizona since Ben Davis (1994-96).

Williams, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound forward from La Mirada, Calif., is rated as the No. 72 overall prospect in the country and the No. 25 power forward by rivals.com to go with a scout grade of 92 by ESPN. Williams, who attended LaMirada High School, averaged 25.0 points and 12.0 rebounds per game and shot 40 percent from three-point range as a senior for coach Larry Kaupang. He helped the Matadors to a 21-9 record and a berth in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

A second-team "Best-of-the-West" pick by the Long Beach Press-Telegram, Williams earned Player-of-the-Year honors from the Los Angeles Daily News all-area squad and was the 2009 Suburban League Player of the Year. A first-team all-state selection and the CIF 2A Player of the Year, Williams scored 39, 41 and 33 (37.7 ppg) points in three games against high school teams with top-30 recruits.

With the addition of Jones and Williams, Miller now has a total of five student-athletes in his initial recruiting class at Arizona. That five-man class now is ranked No. 12 nationally by both rivals.com and scout.com, a feat accomplished in just 91 days since his introduction as the UA head coach on April 7. The previous signees include Solomon Hill, Kyryl Natazhko and Kevin Parrom.