Jones Prepared And Ready For His Moment
February 10, 2023 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE – Shawn Jones Jr. never knows when or if his number will be called from game-to-game.
That is why it is imperative for the walk-on freshman for Mississippi State to stay locked in and prepared to play at a moment's notice.
On Wednesday night, that moment came with 4:10 remaining in the first half with the Bulldogs trailing LSU by four points. Jones subbed into the game for the first time and helped hold the Tigers scoreless for the remainder of the half while MSU went on a 7-0 run.
"You just have to stay ready and stay focused," Jones said. "I knew if I came out and played hard it could change the whole momentum of the game and that's what I did. Coach (Chris Jans) said that I played hard and changed the game a lot."
Jones closed out the first half with an acrobatic layup with six seconds remaining and finished through contact to draw a foul on LSU's 7-foot, 245-pound center Shawn Phillips Jr.
"That was big and a good way to go out so you can have some momentum going into the second half," Jones said. "I just went in there and tried to finish strong because they were blocking a lot of our shots. My mindset was just finish strong and take the contact and don't shy away from it."
But Jones was not done. He logged nine more minutes during the second half and finished the game with six points on 3 of 4 shooting while also adding a pair of rebounds. Jones' point total matched his season-high and his 13 total minutes was only one shy of his career best.
Midway through the second half, the 6-foot-5, 200-pound guard added another circus-style layup that even impressed his veteran head coach.
"He looked good," Jans said. "He makes those plays where you go 'oh wow, that was a heck of a finish!'. He's just so lanky and long and moves so well out there. He's just one of those guys when you watch him run where you're like "he's a hooper'. He had some great finishes and played with more confidence."
Jones came to Mississippi State as a three-star prospect and turned down nine scholarship offers – including a pair of Power 5 offers from LSU and TCU – to walk on with the Bulldogs. Scholarship or not, the Houston, Texas native is finding ways to help MSU in his first season.
"I'm not too worried about being on scholarship or not being on scholarship," Jones said. "I just want coach Jans to trust me and give me the opportunity to play my game. I just want to play hard and contribute to this team."
Jones is averaging 10.1 minutes in the 14 games in which he has appeared and is producing 2.4 points and 1.4 rebounds. He has also provided 10 steals, eight assists and four blocks while also understanding his role on this year's roster.
"I look at this team more as a family, they're my brothers," Jones said. "Once you have that family/brother connection, you can't really break that. It's something different than just basketball and once you've got that, you can bring that onto the court. It's not going to be just one person going off every night. We know that everybody has to come in and play hard and see who is going to contribute. That's how we're going to get the W's."
Mississippi State will be vying for its fifth consecutive victory on Saturday as it travels to Arkansas for a 5 p.m. tip on ESPNU. The Bulldogs are currently 48th in the NCAA NET Rankings while the Razorbacks are ranked 24th in the NET which creates a Quadrant 1 opportunity.
"It's going to be a big game," Jones said. "We're coming in with our heads high and very focused. (Arkansas) is one of the top teams so we just have to come in, stay together and try and get the W."
