Prospect Spotlight: La’Traveon Jones
La’traveon Jones might not be a name that you’ve heard of before, but the 5’9 Booker T. Washington guard wants to change that over the next year. He understands why you might not have heard of him, because despite being a part of the 2018 class, this past season was the first time that Jones has played since his 8th grade year. Because of transfer rules, he had to sit out until his junior year at Booker T. Washington, but he has burst onto the scene, averaging over 17ppg and 4 apg, as well as being named to the All City 2nd Team.
He feels like those years that he wasn’t able to play hurt him, but he is doing all that he can to work to make up for those. “I had so much to learn as a player in my opinion. I played the whole season more off of talent and not knowledge. I made the game harder than it had to be.”
However, if you watch his tape, you’d never notice it. He has a sweet left-handed stroke that he can get off from virtually anywhere on the court, and a quick release that defenses have to gameplan around. Despite his size, he can finish around the rim at an above average rate. Although he shoots his jumpshot with his left hand, his right hand is his dominant hand, so he is capable of finishing with either hand.
He is going to be spending this season playing with Xpress Sports, and he has gotten off to a hot start with them already. Over the weekend, he had multiple games where he scored over 25, and peaked the interest of a few college coaches in the building. However, he knows he has a long way to go over the next year. “I need to keep working on eliminating bad habits, such as keeping my shot the same every time, as well as staying focused on the court.” If he can play as well as he did this year after a three year hiatus from organized basketball, I am excited to see where he gets over the next year with constant coaching. He has a 2.6 GPA and took the ACT for the first time earlier this week.