The recruits:
G Kevin Bulger – 6-3, 200 lbs – Glenbrook South HS (Glenview, IL)
Bulger’s lack of a shot probably was responsible for the relative lack of recruiting interest on the part of many schools. However, he does everything else well, even managing to score a bit for his high school team. A hard-nosed player at both ends of the court, Bulger may end up working his way to some serious playing time this season. He played in a very tough conference in high school, so that’s going to help in terms of preparation for the rigors of Division I basketball.

PG Patrick Foley – 6-2, 170 lbs – St. Anthony’s HS (Bluepoint, NY)
Foley comes to Columbia after a stellar prep career at St. Anthony’s that saw him being named All-State in New York his senior year. He has good size for an Ivy League point guard and can shoot like an off guard. It’s been a long time since Columbia has had an outstanding point guard, and the Lion faithful are hoping Foley reverses that trend. Coming out of high school he at least appears to be one of the better point guard recruits in the league.

PF Michael Gately – 6-8, 215 lbs – St. Mark’s School (Sudbury, MA)
The lone forward in the class, Gately led St. Mark’s to a 27-0 mark and a NEPSAC championship. His scoring wasn’t great (12 points per game), but he rebounded very well (11 per game). However, at just 215 pounds, Gately needs to add some more bulk to be effective on the glass in college.

SG Wesley Matthews – 6-3, 195 lbs – South Cobb HS (Atlanta, GA)
After taking his team to the 5A quarterfinals yet finding himself without a Division I basketball scholarship in late April, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution adopted Matthews as a cause célèbre. Joe Jones swooped in and he committed to Columbia in late May. But just how good is the late addition to the class? In the AJC piece, Justin Young of Rivals.com questioned his quickness and characterized Matthews as “an ideal [Division II] small forward.” However, Young is looking at him from the perspective of a high-major recruiting analyst, so there’s a chance Matthews could do well at the Ivy League level.

SG Niko Scott – 6-3, 200 lbs – Brewster Academy (New York, NY)
After failing to gain admission last year out of Christ the King, Scott prepped a year before re-committing to Columbia with surprisingly little fanfare. Perhaps it was the fact he was a role player on a talented team at Brewster this past season, though Richmond of the Atlantic 10 thought enough of Scott to offer him a scholarship. Or maybe everyone just assumed he was Columbia-bound all along. In any case, Scott is the centerpiece of Jones’s 2006 recruiting class. While there are questions about his quickness and defense, there are none about his shot. If Scott is as good as the national recruiting sites say he is, he could end up near the top of the school’s list of all-time three-point shooters and on some All-Ivy teams as well before his career is done.

The fit:
After watching his team shoot just 34.0 percent from the arc in league play — while allowing opponents to shoot a league-high 38.0 percent — and finish dead last in assists, steals, and turnovers, Jones knows he needs a much better backcourt to compete in the league. If there were any doubts as to the main culprit for Columbia’s second straight last-place finish, Jones removed them with this recruiting class — four of whose five members are guards.

Don’t be surprised if Foley, Bulger, and Scott all see playing time as freshmen. Jones seemed to lose faith in Brett Loscalzo and Kashif Sweet at the point as last season wore on, so Foley or even Bulger could lay claim to that job as a rookie. Mack Montgomery took a major step back last season, and with Dalen Cuff graduating, there are major minutes available on the wing. K.J. Matsui is a deadly outside shooter, but the other areas of his game need some serious refinement. If Scott is ready for prime time, he could also find himself in the starting lineup.

By bringing in a playmaker and some shooters, Jones addressed the offensive half of his backcourt woes. However, the defense was just as much of a problem, and for that reason Bulger may turn out to be the most important guard recruit. His defensive toughness has drawn raves from some other coaching staffs in the league, and he could prove to be a huge boost to the Lion defense.

The frontcourt is dominated by talented rising juniors John Baumann and Ben Nwachukwu, and with Jason Miller backing up the center position, Gately’s playing time may hinge on the health of Joe Bova, who missed his entire freshman season with a serious back injury. If Bova is healthy, Gately may not see minutes outside of garbage time in 2006-07.

All in all it appears to be a solid recruiting class for Columbia. As far as Jones goes, this group of players appears to be better than his 2005 class, but not quite at the same level as the previous year. This class could produce a starting three-guard backcourt of Foley, Scott, and Bulger down the road, with some future All-Ivy honors for one or more of them a possibility as well.