Jones, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound swingman, committed to Missouri State recently over interest from schools like Southeast Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Illinois State, Murray State and Saint Louis University.
He said he didn't want to wait any longer and risk losing his scholarship offer in Springfield.
"I didn't want that to get away," he said.
The Class of 2009 prospect was being recruited by former Bears coach Barry Hinson and that carried over when Purdue assistant Cuonzo Martin was named as Missouri State's coach in late March.
Also a big part of the recruiting process for Jones was MSU assistant coach Jon Harris, who had been recruiting the Miller Career Academy swingman while he was coaching at Wisconsin-Green Bay.
A big, explosive guard who excels on attacking the basket but needs to work on his perimeter game, Jones averaged a team-high 17.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game during his junior season and averaged 13.9 points and 8.1 rebounds as a sophomore.
Jerome Jones Profile