If you don't already know about the Courier-Journal's Jody Demling and his recruiting blog, check it out. He always has good info and always is one of the first to break the big story. Today on the blog he mentions Rick Bolus' new Kentucky state rankings, placing Jon Hood at #1 and Louisville Manual's Jacob Jenkins at #2. Above is a video of Hood, below is one of Jenkins, both provided by Demling and the C-J. Enjoy. 

Madisonville North Hopkins High School - Madisonville, KY - 6'6" , 190 lbs. - AAU: Nashville Celtics - Verbally committed to the University of Kentucky

ESPN Evaluation: ESPN has Hood rated as the #25 shooting guard in the nation, giving him a scout's grade of 78. According to their grading scale, Hood's grade of 78 classifies him as a major/mid-major product, meaning he is worthy of a scholarship from a top D-I program or could go mid-major and start right away. Their most recent evaluation from June 2008 was this:

"Jon is a talented and skilled wing. He has good size for a combo wing. He can play either wing forward or scoring guard. Jon is talented, he has range on his jumper to 20 feet. He can also do some things off the bounce like slashing to the basket or creating his own shot. He will need to get stronger to be effective at the next level but he has the talent. He can sometimes be passive and unaggressive but that should change with added strength. He is a below average defender but hopefully more strength and a concerted effort should help alleviate that issue. He is an above average rebounder for his position."

Rivals Evaluation: Rivals gives Jon 4-stars, ranking him as the number seven shooting guard and number 32 overall in the Rivals150. Here is the evaluation from Jerry Meyer:

"Versatility is Hood's greatest attribute. Lanky and athletic, he has the all around skill base to effectively play every perimeter position. Very good at making plays off the bounc, Hood mainly needs to gain strength to improve his game." 

Outlook for 08-09: Hood is going into his senior season as the consensus preseason Mr. Basketball favorite. After a great junior season which ended just short of a trip to the Sweet 16 with a loss in the regional finals to Christian Co., a state championship and Mr. Basketball award are both realistic goals for Jon in his final season of high school ball. Expect lots of coverage of Mr. Hood and his Madisonville squad this season from Bluegrass Hoops Report.