|
Read it to me
 |
BASKETBALL NEWS:
Alabama’s stat sheet filler Jones helps lead renaissance
Herb Jones was draining pipes 3-pointers – 3 in all – throughout the very first half of Alabama’s video game versus Georgia.
For a sharp-shooting group like the eighth-ranked Crimson Tide, that may not appear significant. However, Jones made just one 3 all of last season.
Jones is no longer primarily simply a rebounder and protective stopper, like Alabama is no longer simply a middle-of-the-pack group in the Southeastern Conference. The shared improvement is barely coincidental heading into Saturday’s video game versus Vanderbilt.
“I still go out and try to do my job on the defensive end,” Jones stated. “I don’t too much worry about the offense, really. I just try to get open shots for my teammates and create for my teammates. If it’s my time to score, I take that opportunity and score.”
Even if that suggests shooting the periodic 3-pointer. Jones has actually made 19 of 36 threes, a 52.8% clip. He doesn’t need to elaborate on the significant enhancement because regard.
“Everyone can see it,” Jones stated.
In his very first 3 seasons, he made 14 shots from beyond the arc, striking on a paltry 22.9% of his efforts. Last season, when he had elbow and wrist injuries, Jones was simply 1 of 14.
He is balancing 11.9 points, quickly a profession best, this season and a team-leading 5.9 rebounds per video game. The 6-foot-8, 210-pound senior likewise is tops on the group in helps, takes and obstructed shots.
He is coming off a career-best 21-point video game versus the Bulldogs.
John Petty Jr. gets more attention as one of the SEC’s leading shooters. Jahvon Quinerly and Josh Primo are previous first-class potential customers and Jaden Shackelford is Alabama’s leading scorer.
However no one on the Tide’s finest group in years fills a stat sheet like Jones. He has added scoring to his repertoire even while dealing with a lower back injury that has limited practice time.
One thing hasn’t changed: Jones‘ defense.
“I think he’s the best defensive player in the country,” Alabama guard Keon Ellis said. “He just does so much. He can guard from 1 through 5s (positions).
“Just seeing that alone, he sets the standard for our defense. He’s always talking. He knows what spot everyone’s supposed to be in, and he’s always helping our guys. I think he just motivates everyone to play better on defense.”
After coach Nate Oats had just taken over the program, a staffer suggested Jones as an option for much-needed point guard depth. Based on his limited film study at the time, Oats was skeptical.
“His defense is unbelievable, but how he’s playing this year?” he said. “No, I didn’t see that before I got here. Now once we started practicing that summer, then I could start to see it a little bit. I thought he was going to be dynamite, like an all-league player. Then he just couldn’t stay healthy his junior year.”
The left-hander injured his left elbow in the season opener. Then he fractured his left wrist, missing three games and playing the rest of the season in a cast.
Upon his return, Jones played only seven minutes against Auburn as a defensive specialist, but his impact persuaded Oats to play him more even essentially one-handed.
Jones responded with 17 rebounds against LSU in his next outing, making two key free throws (one-handed, of course) late in the game.
Now that Jones is healthier, Oats is hoping his versatile player can attain at least one more individual milestone.
“I’d still love to see him get a triple-double,” the Tide coach said. “I think he’s that good of a player and I think he should get one. Assists, rebounds, deflections, steals, blocks.
“Even when he’s not doing anything that shows up on a stat sheet, he’s just kind of mucking things up for the other team’s offense when we’re on defense. He’s so valuable to have out there on the floor.”
The improved shooting is a nice bonus.
___
More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/College-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Herb Jones was draining pipes 3-pointers – 3 in all – throughout the very first half of Alabama’s video game versus Georgia.
For a sharp-shooting group like the eighth-ranked Crimson Tide, that may not appear significant. However, Jones made just one 3 all of last season.
Jones is no longer primarily simply a rebounder and protective stopper, like Alabama is no longer simply a middle-of-the-pack group in the Southeastern Conference. The shared improvement is barely coincidental heading into Saturday’s video game versus Vanderbilt.
“I still go out and try to do my job on the defensive end,” Jones stated. “I don’t too much worry about the offense, really. I just try to get open shots for my teammates and create for my teammates. If it’s my time to score, I take that opportunity and score.”
Even if that suggests shooting the periodic 3-pointer. Jones has actually made 19 of 36 threes, a 52.8% clip. He doesn’t need to elaborate on the significant enhancement because regard.
“Everyone can see it,” Jones stated.
In his very first 3 seasons, he made 14 shots from beyond the arc, striking on a paltry 22.9% of his efforts. Last season, when he had elbow and wrist injuries, Jones was simply 1 of 14.
He is balancing 11.9 points, quickly a profession best, this season and a team-leading 5.9 rebounds per video game. The 6-foot-8, 210-pound senior likewise is tops on the group in helps, takes and obstructed shots.
He is coming off a career-best 21-point video game versus the Bulldogs.
John Petty Jr. gets more attention as one of the SEC’s leading shooters. Jahvon Quinerly and Josh Primo are previous first-class potential customers and Jaden Shackelford is Alabama’s leading scorer.
However no one on the Tide’s finest group in years fills a stat sheet like Jones. He has added scoring to his repertoire even while dealing with a lower back injury that has limited practice time.
One thing hasn’t changed: Jones‘ defense.
“I think he’s the best defensive player in the country,” Alabama guard Keon Ellis said. “He just does so much. He can guard from 1 through 5s (positions).
“Just seeing that alone, he sets the standard for our defense. He’s always talking. He knows what spot everyone’s supposed to be in, and he’s always helping our guys. I think he just motivates everyone to play better on defense.”
After coach Nate Oats had just taken over the program, a staffer suggested Jones as an option for much-needed point guard depth. Based on his limited film study at the time, Oats was skeptical.
“His defense is unbelievable, but how he’s playing this year?” he said. “No, I didn’t see that before I got here. Now once we started practicing that summer, then I could start to see it a little bit. I thought he was going to be dynamite, like an all-league player. Then he just couldn’t stay healthy his junior year.”
The left-hander injured his left elbow in the season opener. Then he fractured his left wrist, missing three games and playing the rest of the season in a cast.
Upon his return, Jones played only seven minutes against Auburn as a defensive specialist, but his impact persuaded Oats to play him more even essentially one-handed.
Jones responded with 17 rebounds against LSU in his next outing, making two key free throws (one-handed, of course) late in the game.
Now that Jones is healthier, Oats is hoping his versatile player can attain at least one more individual milestone.
“I’d still love to see him get a triple-double,” the Tide coach said. “I think he’s that good of a player and I think he should get one. Assists, rebounds, deflections, steals, blocks.
“Even when he’s not doing anything that shows up on a stat sheet, he’s just kind of mucking things up for the other team’s offense when we’re on defense. He’s so valuable to have out there on the floor.”
The improved shooting is a nice bonus.
___
More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/College-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Read Original – Click Here
question, you know it's been at least
15 years since I've been following the news, no 10 my folks do that, hmm. what was the question again !?
where you read about this ?
of course I can, it was here
on U-S-NEWS.COM
