Basketball: Jones up for Italian job

Nelson shooting star Phill Jones has snapped up a contract with a major European basketball club, confirming he will play for Cantu in the Italian league.

Jones said that Cantu, near Milan, had approached him in Europe, where the Tall Blacks impressed by beating world champions Yugoslavia during a buildup tour for the world championships.

He has signed for the Italians and leaves to join them as soon as the world championship campaign finishes in Indianapolis next month.

Jones would not talk about the specifics of his contract.

But he said the money was "pretty good" and that he hoped to impress enough during his first season with them "to get a lot more money down the line."