Jones made the move from Severn to St. John’s (DC) for his senior season and joins a Cadets roster who has a real chance of making a run at the WCAC title and defending their DCSSA crown. Head coach Pat O’Connor has a stable of versatile wings/forwards who can leave their imprint on the game in a variety of ways, but the beauty with Jones is he’s just starting to figure out his identity. He’s a bouncy athlete in the open floor and will have his share of being on the receiving end of lobs in transition or half court sets this season. There won’t be a ton of expectations for him to operate off the bounce, but he’s thrived as an instinctual cutter with timing and good awareness to quickly finish after receiving the dimes. Jones will show his value this season with his defensive versatility and ability to blend in offensively depending on what is needed in the given lineup or in-game situation.

21p 11r 2a 3b vs Sandy Springs

-Jones’ activity level continues to impress as a wing prospect that is asked to handle forward responsibilities for an undersized but good Severn group that will need to replace the scoring production of several key graduating seniors. Jones’ handle has improved to take advantage of the long strides that he takes on the way to the rim and improved finishing footwork (up fake, euro step, reverse pivot, etc) is leading to improved shooting percentages from all 3 levels. He has the commensurate quickness to track guards on the perimeter, understands the value of initiating contact to bump cutters away from vulnerable spots in the defense, and does his work early to hold his ground on the block with bigs. Really interested to track his development over the next season, should be prioritized by local small colleges.

-Really liked the defensive activity that I saw from Jones in this one as an undersized wing that took pride in flying around defensively to make an impact for his Severn team. Jones played with a ton of energy on the glass, picked his spots offensively to attack the rim off the bounce, and rotated well to block or contest shots around the rim. Jones understands his role and plays within himself as a wing that will unselfishly do the dirty work that adds up to wins. Should be in for a bigger role for a Severn team that should make some noise in the MIAA thias season.