By Matthew DeGeorge
There are certain things you don’t have to tell Derrick Jones.
The Archbishop Carroll senior doesn’t need an endorsement of his own talent or that of his Patriot teammates, a group which boasts two Division I commits and as many as five players garnering serious Division I interest.
Jones, who last month announced his verbal commitment to UNLV with the live-on-ESPN, trip-to-Bristol treatment, also doesn’t need a reminder about what hasn’t been accomplished at Carroll: 0-for-3 in Catholic League titles, and 0-for-3 in PIAA Class AAA titles.
At a school where coach Paul Romanczuk has elevated the standard of excellence that high, this year’s goals remain the same. So, too, does the process.
“There’s no pressure,’ Jones said. “I know at the end of the day, we’re going to play hard, and hard work pays off. So hopefully we’ll win at the end of the day.’
The weapons are there for Carroll, which lost in the Catholic League title game and PIAA Class AAA semifinals last season. The senior class is the one that captures the headlines thanks to Jones, one of the top 30 players in the nation, and center Ernest Aflakpui, a Temple signee. Guard Samir Taylor is also a vital cog in the Patriots’ rotation.
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