Moon Township, Pa. - First-year head coach Mike Rice of the Robert Morris University men's basketball team announced today the signings of a pair of players to National Letters of Intent in the early signing period, as point guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, Pa. / Northeast Catholic) and combination guard Jason Burns (Clinton, Md. / Frederick Douglass) will join the Colonials for the 2008-09 campaign.

Jones, 6'0" and 170 pounds, averaged 14.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game as a junior in 2006-07 for Northeast Catholic. Jones participated this past summer in the Eastern Invitational All-Star Camp as well as the prestigious Eddie Griffin Challenge, which is a game that pits all-stars from New Jersey against Philadelphia. Entering the 2007-08 campaign, Jones was rated as the 12th best player in Philadelphia as well as the second best point guard in the city according to hoopscooponline.com.  

"Velton is your prototypical Philadelphia point guard," Rice said. "He's an aggressive and quick guard that thrives on making everyone around him better. Velton is tenacious and tough, and he'll have an opportunity to step in and contribute right away because of the competition that he faces night in and night out in the Philly Catholic League."

Burns, 6'3" and 175 pounds, is a combination guard that spent the past three years at Bishop O'Connell High School, a private prep school in Arlington, Va. In 2007-08 Burns will play basketball at Frederick Douglass High School in Clinton, Md. On the 2006-07 campaign for Bishop O'Connell Burns averaged 14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 3.2 steals per game while shooting 41 percent from the field, including 39 percent from beyond the arc. As a member of the AAU team Triple Threat out of Washington, D.C., Burns scored 41 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Reebok Summer East Classic and helped guide the club to the 17-and-under championship in the Reebok Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada.  

"Jason is a tremendous athlete who flourishes in the open court and also has the athletic ability to defend three positions," Rice said. "While he's an offensive-minded player, one of his biggest assets is his play on the defensive end. He is relentless in regard to ball pressure defense, and his feet are quick enough to get steals in the passing lanes. With added strength, he has an opportunity to become an All-Northeast Conference player for us and a major contributor."