Box Score CHARLESTON, S.C. – Jordan Jones has a multitude of interests. Charleston Southern's soft-spoken 6-foot-8 sophomore forward is a voracious reader, enjoys what he describes as "weird music" and has changed his major six times since arriving on campus. He embraces all of it, including an increasingly central role for the suddenly surging Bucs.
"Really, I've always been weird my whole life," Jones said, laughing. "I kinda used to hate it and try to be like other people but when I got to high school, I just started being myself (in general) and being myself on the basketball court and that's how I've been since."
While Jones is steadfast in the person he's become, on the floor, he's looked like a different person of late. After scoring in double figures once in his first 54 career games, Jones has done so four times in CSU's last five. First, there was the 10-point performance in the Bucs' win at Longwood. Then, a career-high 16 in an overtime thriller against first-place UNC Asheville. Then, another career high with 18 in a win over Campbell. He followed with eight points in the win over Winthrop and 12 more in Tuesday's victory against Presbyterian. Overall, Jones – who hit 15 shots in a row at one point – is 25-for-32 from the field and has scored nearly 42 percent of his points this season over the last five games.
"To be honest, I don't know where it came from," Jones said. "I've just been hooping lately."
"The hard road"
Jones did his share of hooping to lead Baltimore's Poly High School to a city championship – no small deal in a basketball-rich town – as a senior in 2016. At 6-8 and 205 pounds, Jones was an attractive college prospect and also considered Loyola (Md.), UNCG and Wright State before ultimately deciding on CSU. Once in Charleston, like most freshmen, Jones experienced growing pains. He played about nine minutes per game off the bench last season and earned a starting spot at the beginning of this year before going back to a reserve role just after the new year.
Jones showed glimpses of his excellent leaping ability, shot-blocking and deft touch around the rim, but struggled to stay out of foul trouble and exert a consistent impact on the game. That has changed in the last two weeks, with Jones's production helping CSU enter today's Big South Championship Quarterfinals as the league's hottest team.
"I just think it's been great from a coach's perspective because he had to learn the hard way," said associate head coach Ahmad Smith, who works closely with the Bucs' post players. "Sometimes when you're trying to grow a player, you gotta go through the hard road where he really wasn't playing well at times. I think the good thing about it is we were patient with him and because of that, he's starting to get more comfortable and make some good plays for us now."
Smith and CSU head coach Barclay Radebaugh first saw Jones play in a Las Vegas AAU tournament in 2015. Former assistant coach Joey Murdock, on the recommendation of his friend and Jones's high school coach, Sam Brand, suggested the two scout him. What they saw was an ideal fit for the Bucs' up-tempo playing style – a long, wiry, raw athlete. While they did not necessarily foresee the rapid development Jones has experienced lately, they believed in his ability to be a difference-maker.
"I thought he always had glimpses of being really good in our league just because of his athleticism and all the things that he can do," Smith said. "Now, he's starting to become more consistent and he's seeing the things we've been talking about this last year and a half."
Jones is also making his presence felt defensively, ranking fourth in the Big South in blocked shots. Knowing Jones is behind them as a rim protector, CSU's guards have been able to pressure more aggressively, helping the Bucs force a Big South-best 15.9 turnovers per game (17th nationally).
Radebaugh knows just how valuable Jones has been to his young squad's significant growth.
"I love our ability to affect shots and score around the rim," Radebaugh said of Jones and freshman Ty Jones, a talented 1-on-1 scorer who tallied a career-high 17 points Tuesday against Presbyterian. "We haven't had that. We've relied so many years on three-point shooting and it's such a luxury to be able to throw it inside and score and then on the other end, defend with tenacity."
Basketball and much more
Jones, now a Business Management major after forays into Economics, Computer Science, Graphic Design and Math, is enjoying basketball and everything that comes with it. Although he hasn't pinpointed his future career path, he wants to play professionally and pursue some of his many interests.
"There's a lot of stuff I want to do," Jones said. "I really want to get into the arts – write, make music, fashion, stuff like that. I also want to go back to Baltimore, change the city for the better and show people there's more to Baltimore than just the violence and what people see on TV and the news."
For now, though, Jones's focus is on the present.
"We're all just out there to hoop, honestly," Jones said. "We love playing basketball. Confidence is real high and it's way different than this time last season. We've just gotta go in there and feel like we can win it."
