Student Athlete Spotlight: Trailblazer John Jones
John Jones has led MCLA to a solid 9-3 mark in MASCAC play heading into Thursday's semifinal round game.
Student Athlete Spotlight by Jaclyn Candelet
John Jones isn't new to the MCLA campus, but he is a new face on the Trailblazer Men's basketball team. To say he's made an immediate impact would be an understatement. Jones transferred into MCLA in the fall of 2011 from Quinsigamond Community College where he played on their basketball team for two years; averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Growing up watching his brother play sports and noticing how good he was and how everyone would mention him around town made Jones want to be just like him. At the age of ten, Jones picked up a ball himself and started playing basketball. "At a young age I had the potential to be a great player because I was so athletic, which encouraged me to never give up," said Jones.
If Jones ever had free time he would spend time it in the gym working hard. "I knew there was another kid out there working just as hard as me," said Jones. His hard work has paid off as he is one of the preeminent players in the conference. He is averaging 14.2 points per game and 10.1 rebounds playing in all 25 regular season games. Just last week he shared the honors of being named MASCAC player of the week. That honor was shared with Westfield States Lee Vasquez. Jones stated that it was a great honor to receive the award.
According to Jones the best part of playing in front of Trailblazers fans is when they don't expect him to go up for a dunk and he does. "They go crazy with their loud cheers and it brings momentum into the game," said Jones.
Jones has a relentless passion on the court. He is constantly diving all over the floor and more importantly he is doing whatever it takes to win. If head coach Jamie Morrison needs Jones to score, the junior is versatile enough to get to the basket. If the focus is on the defensive end, Jones can guard any position on the floor and is a solid rebounder for a player lacking size.
MCLA has used that energy to turn around a season that started off on the wrong foot. The Trailblazers were 3-9 early on, but worse than that, the team was statistically one of the worst defensive teams in the country. Jones' tenacity and a change of style from coach Morrison has turned the Trailblazers into one of the best defensive clubs in the MASCAC. It has been reflected in their recent run. MCLA went 10-3 the rest of the season after the commitment to the defensive end. The highlight of that run was holding MASCAC regular season champion Westfield State to just 43 points in a victory in January.
To continue watching John Jones and the MCLA men's basketball team succeed attend their semi-final game Thursday as they take on the winner of Worcester State and Salem State. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00.