Seton Hall basketball adds Del Jones, high-scoring transfer guard

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Seton Hall basketball adds Del Jones, high-scoring transfer guard

Jerry Carino, Asbury Park Press · App.com | Asbury Park Press

Sun, Apr 19, 2026 ·

3 min read

1. He was an 'everything guard' at Radford

As a sophomore this past season, the 6-foot-3 Maryland native averaged 17.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 turnovers in 31.7 minutes per game and was named second-team All-Big South. He shot 41.6 percent from the floor, 30.9 percent from 3-point range and 80.9 percent from the free-throw line. He's an explosive athlete who is more slasher than shooter, scoring off of attacking the rim, getting fouled and converting at the stripe.

Defensively, he's long and accustomed to a fast pace -- Radford's tempo ranked 26th nationally -- so he should be comfortable in the Hall's full-court pressure scheme.

At Radford Jones was a lead guard with a high usage rate, asked to both score and facilitate, which could account for his mixed-bag efficiency – think Tariq Francis at NJIT in 2024-25. Radford finished 16-16 overall and was 9-7 (third place) in the Big South.

Against the class of the conference, NCAA Tournament darling High Point, Jones lit it up in the first meeting – 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting (including 2-of-5 from deep), with four assists and three rebounds. In the second contest he scored eight on 2-of-9 shooting, with five assists, five rebounds, four fouls and four turnovers.

His other performances against high-majors in 2025-26:

At North Carolina: 22 points on 7-of-18 shooting (7-of-11 free throws), 2 rebounds, no assists, 3 turnovers.

At South Carolina: 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting (including 2-of-4 from deep), 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover.

At SMU: 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting (including 2-of-5 from deep), 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 turnovers.

2. Started at Clemson

After committing to Clemson as a three-star recruit, Jones was a role player on an NCAA Tournament squad as a freshman. He averaged 3.8 points and 1.0 assists in 11 minutes per game off the bench, shooting .403 from the field, .311 from deep and .765 from the stripe. His most notable performances were 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and five boards against Virginia Tech and 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting against Penn State.

3. A Budd Clark replacement?

Possibly, but whereas Clark clearly was a pure point, Jones profiles as more of a lead (score first, pass second) or combo guard. One tell for his projected role is whether point guard Trey Parker, currently the Pirates' lone holdover from last season's roster, enters the transfer portal now. The Hall also is scheduled to host other point guards on upcoming visits, although Holloway does like to have an abundance of ball-handling guards at his disposal. For the record, Jones has been on Holloway's radar before. Seton Hall looked at him coming out of high school in 2024 and last offseason as well.

He'll pair with the Pirates' first portal acquisition, former Texas and St. John's guard Simeon Wilcher, in what likely will be a backcourt that emphasizes depth and interchangeable parts. One thing they both have in common: They don't shy away from contact. These guys like to attack.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com .