Stepping Up And Bringing The Energy
February 08, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Joel Coleman
Shawn Jones Jr. and KeShawn Murphy ready to help State even more while Dawgs work their way back to full strength.
STARKVILLE – In the summer of 2022, when Mississippi State's Shawn Jones Jr. first arrived in Starkville, the then-true freshman didn't really know any of his Bulldog teammates. He was adjusting. He was finding his way. But as Jones recalls it, it wasn't too long until he made a connection.
"When I met [D.J. Jeffries], he was all like, 'If you listen to me, I've got you. I'm going to make sure I get you where you need to be,'" Jones remembered.
Jump ahead to the present and it's fitting Jones and Jeffries developed such a quick bond. Because as Jeffries misses action and works his way back to the court from a knee injury suffered last Saturday at Alabama, Jones is one of the key Dawgs being counted on to help State absorb the blow.
It's a responsibility Jones isn't taking lightly, especially given his relationship with Jeffries.
"I look up to DJ a lot," Jones said. "He's like a big brother to me [and] a mentor to me in basketball and outside of basketball. He's going to make sure you keep your head straight and stay in the gym and make sure things are the way they're supposed to be.
"DJ is definitely a guy I've learned a lot from. Knowing I've learned a lot from him and to be able to step up when he's out, it's big shoes to fill. And I feel like he got me prepared for that. Every day in practice, me and DJ [have went] at it. We've made each other better. So, I feel like I'm prepared for this position because of him."
It sure looked like Jones was ready for the moment Wednesday. He made his second career start and helped give MSU a much-needed 75-62 win over Georgia. Jones scored seven points, collected five rebounds, dished out two assists and blocked a couple of shots in the contest. None of that is too shabby by itself, but head coach Chris Jans said Jones was so much more valuable than just the numbers.
"You could look at Shawn Jones' box score and say that he didn't shoot it very well, he didn't play great, etcetera, but I thought he played with a great mentality," Jones said. "I thought he had a great approach. I thought he was flying around, defending and running around the court."
One number that did illustrate Jones' Wednesday-night impact could be found in the plus-minus column. Jones was at plus-nine, meaning in the moments when he was on the floor, MSU outscored Georgia by nine.
It illustrated that Jones did what he does best. He gave the Maroon and White an energy and a spark in his minutes. He takes pride in doing that.
"We preach every day that you don't want to be an energy vampire," Jones said. "You want to give out all the positive energy you can. If you do that, you've got a brotherhood that's going to be ready to go to battle every day behind you because you trust each other and work hard with each other, and all have the same mindset and energy when on the court."
Making the Dawgs even more dangerous on Wednesday, and perhaps going forward, is they received a double-dose of exuberance. Not only did Jones' energy help lift State, but forward KeShawn Murphy excitedly returned to action after missing a full month.
It's another big addition for MSU given the current absence of Jeffries, as well as Trey Fort, who's out with injury as well.
"I thought KeShawn, obviously, gave us a big boost on the offensive end," Jans said. "He made four of our 25 baskets. Obviously, he's very talented…Given the D.J. situation, it was nice to have another guy to throw out there that had some size."
Murphy scored 10 points, had four rebounds and an assist. Among his highlights, he drained a pair of big 3-pointers, but the biggest thing for Murphy was just that he was so happy to be back battling with his Bulldog brothers.
"It means a lot to me," Murphy said. "I really didn't look at the numbers. I'm just trying to be there for my teammates and where I fit myself in and [knew] everything would take care of itself."
Maybe the most exciting thing about Murphy's showing is the best is surely yet to come for him. Given his long layoff, there remains some rust to knock off, but when he's on the floor, it's apparent how big a piece he can be for State's push toward March Madness.
"He's just so versatile," Jans said of Murphy. "He can score it anywhere on the court with the three, backing down and driving it. His passing is overshadowed. He's an excellent passer. He makes passes like, 'Who's he throwing it to?' And he's just got a feel."
With guys like Jones and Murphy stepping up, State can move forward with confidence as they seek to continue constructing an NCAA Tournament-worthy resume. Sure, the Dawgs are eagerly anticipating the returns of Jeffries and Fort, but in the meantime, they'll count on Jones, Murphy – and everyone else – to pull their share of the load.
"We just all need to play better," Jans said. "I think if we look at it as if, 'Hey, I've got to do my part. If I can play four to six percent better…,' and we all have that attitude, that would be a big positive if you add it all up.
"That's probably going to be part of the message going forward is that we don't need one guy to go from playing at a C to be playing at an A+. We need everybody to just pull their weight."
