It was just two points at the end of a 78-59 home loss to then-No. 2 Wheaton. The crowd erupted when sophomore
Nick Jones caught a lob from senior
Eric Paradoski over a Thunder defender. But, it was still a nearly 20-point home loss.
Jones sat nearly all of the first 35 minutes situated on the bench with his long sleeves navy blue shooting shirt. He made a two-minute cameo midway through the second half, but it was the final three minutes that possibly led the his positive transformation. He was fouled on the dunk and on an athletic lay-in in the waning moments of the game – Nick Jones was finally being aggressive.
Webster head coach Chris Bunch said so after the game. That was the Jones that the team needed. The Gorloks needed the 6-5 forward to use his athletic ability, and not be content with just floating through the game. That was the Jones that WU thought was ready to take the step from little-used freshman to starting forward as a sophomore. However, he contributed just five points in 30 minutes in starting the first two games of the season.
Jones was in danger of falling out of the rotation entirely, playing just 13 minutes – scoring two points – in the three games leading to the Wheaton contest. He was playing just eight minutes per contest, scoring just 1.6 points and grabbing less than a rebound a game. The after shocks of the Wheaton dunk weren’t immediately fell as he played just five minutes in the next game.
Attempting to get his struggling team going, Bunch re-inserted Jones into the starting lineup. He responded by hitting 4-of-9 from behind the arc in reaching double figures for the first time in his career at 14 points. But, it wasn’t quite the time of attack he was looking for from Jones. Wanting the Jones that attacked the rim relentlessly, he got the Jones that was content with taking jump shots. While the points were there, it didn’t come in the manner in which the Gorloks needed Jones to be effective.
“Although Nick is a good shooter, we need to drive to the basket,” said Bunch. “He needs to get around the rim, score in the paint and draw fouls. Get in the lane to use his athleticism to grab offensive rebounds.
Message taken.
Over the next four games, Jones has only attempted five three-pointers – hitting on four of them. He scored half of his point total in two of the four games, scoring a career-high 20 points twice – both St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victories.
In addition to scoring 40 points in the Gorloks’ SLIAC wins, Jones has been the leading rebounder in both contests. In the last five games, he is averaging 13.0 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting 52.2 percent from the field.
With 11 of its final 12 games against SLIAC opponents, Jones could be the most important player on the Gorlok roster. He could be the team’s second scorer, a much needed complement to leading scorer,
Ryan Turk. Jones ability to attack the basket has seemed to rub off on the rest of his teammates as well. The Gorloks have paraded to the free throw line 58 times in the last two games. A stark contrast to the 55 attempted in the five games prior.
The next two games are pivotal for the Gorloks in their run to the SLIAC tournament. With already one home SLIAC loss in its ledger, Webster wants to prevent a second home setback in the first trip through its conference slate.
Maryville, in its final SLIAC season, visit Grant Gymnasium 8 p.m. Wednesday, then Eureka comes calling 5 p.m. Saturday.
