Red-hot Jones says he wants to 'boost' USF before he leaves

USF junior Dominique Jones has gone from being virtually unknown nationally a month ago to one of the most talked about players in college basketball.

Jones appeared live on ESPN2 on Wednesday and was featured in a story on SportsIllustrated.com.

All the publicity has fueled the million-dollar question: Will Jones leave USF early and enter the NBA draft?

Jones' play of late - he has averaged 27.5 points over the last 10 games and is ranked 11th nationally in scoring - has elevated his status among NBA draft analysts. A 6-foot-4 shooting guard, Jones isn't considered a lottery pick, but at least one mock draft has him as a first-round pick.

Jones addressed questions about his future plans on Thursday.

"I won't leave South Florida if I'm a loser,'' Jones said. "I want to leave here a winner. I want this program to be something that I look at 10 years later, like, 'Oh yeah, we made it to the tournament. Oh, we're in the Top 16 -- something like that.'

"I feel like I owe this school that. As of now, we haven't won enough. Some people think that the NCAA Tournament is enough, maybe it might be. That might be the thing that we need to boost this program up, or maybe we might need the Sweet 16.

"Those options are just something that is open to me after the season,'' Jones said.

USF coach Stan Heath obviously wants Jones to return, not only for the program, but because Jones still hasn't reached his full potential as a college player.

As the Bulls attracted more national attention recently, Heath tried to provide perspective to his players.

"I do give them a reality check,'' he said. "Just because somebody wants to talk to you on ESPN, doesn't mean you have arrived.''

His advice to Jones: "Finish the mission. Stay right here; stay glued to what you need to be doing, because those things take care of themselves.

"He's just got to stay here, and he will. His dad does a great job of keeping him grounded. I know he blurts out once in a while, but he always gets that conversation after that blurt that keeps him grounded.''