Dear Old U.Va.

Wahoo in review - Jeff Jones

Thursday, April 30 2009 by Ben

Each week we'll be taking a look at one player on the Virginia basketball roster: how they did, where they were good, and where they were bad.  Today's featured player is... Jeff Jones.

Coming out of high school, I'm sure Jeff Jones expected to be the BMOC at Virginia.  After all, he was a big name recruit that de-committed to Gary Williams to come to Charlottesville with high hopes of dominating the ACC. 

The result?  Two mostly frustrating seasons.

Last year, Jones averaged 7 points a game, not bad, but not what you'd expect from a guy coming in with all that pomp and circumstance.  Those 7 points, though, came at a steep price: Jones shot 41% from 2 and 29% from 3.  Clearly, he wasn't the most efficient scorer.

He just never seemed in tune with the offense. When he was on the court, Jones often played like he was on his own island: he'd jack-up jumpers when you'd least expect it but then pass on open looks that didn't appear to be part of the set. 

Much like Calvin Baker, Jones never developed into the slasher that Leitao wanted (and needed) him to be.  In a back court that often featured the smaller Baker and Sammy Zeglinski, Jones' 6-4 frame could've been a boon to both the offense and defense.  In reality, he just wasn't that much of a help.

Part of his failure to mature in his second season can be placed with Leitao, who played him inconsistently throughout the season, but I suspect that the majority of it is on Jones.  On several occasions, he just looked disinterested in the game.  I'm not sure if his indifference was reflective of Jones' unhappiness with Leitao in particular or a lack of effort.

To be sure, Jones represents the biggest challenge to Tony Bennett's coaching mettle.  What happens to Jones will say loads about Bennett.  Can Bennett coax out all the talent and effort that the once-promising Jones displayed as a starry-eyed freshman? 

He's halfway through his collegiate career and probably a tad bit bitter about having the rug pulled from under him, making motivation a key determinant to his success.  It will take time and patience to get his confidence back.

And what will the payoff be?  Can a talented, re-energized Jones step into a starting spot and shoot 50% from 2 and 40% from 3?  What's the air-speed velocity of laden swallow?

I don't know the answer to those questions. 

Jones could be a classic diamond in the rough. 

Or not.

Past Wahoos in Review

Calvin Baker

Solomon Tat

Jamil Tucker