Brent Jones is finally in total control of his game — and his team’s destiny.
The St. Francis College point guard and former Bedford Academy star is in the midst of his best season in a Terriers uniform as he hopes to propel the program to his first NCAA tournament appearance.
He couldn’t be better equipped to do so, with his experience and matured game. Jones has his unquenchable desire to win to thank for it, according to his coach.
“His work ethic made him a very good player,” said St. Francis College skipper Glenn Braica.
The coach says Jones no longer tries too hard, but rather has gotten more efficient in everything he does. His highly competitive spirit would push him to try to do more than he could to get the Terriers the win, Braica said, but Jones has now found balance in his game.
“I think he’s tempered that in the last few years,” Braica said. “He’s gotten a better feel of when to go and when not to go, and not try to force the action too much.”
Jones’s game is the most complete it has ever been. The fifth-year senior is averaging 15 points and five assists. That is double his scoring average from a year ago. Jones recently became the program’s all-time leader in assists when he broke Gregg Nunn’s 14-year-old record, and is near to becoming the first player in program history to have 500 assists and 1,000 points.
The Terriers squad, led by Jones and senior forward Jalen Cannon, is 13–9 overall and 7–2 in conference play. It is one of the favorites to claim an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Jones led Bedford to a Class A city title as a senior, and he’d love to repeat the feat in Brooklyn Heights.
“That would be a milestone for me in my career,” Jones said.
Jones is more confident in his jumper to make the shots St. Francis needs to win — something Jones owes to hours in the gym and the weight room, according to his coach.
“He has taken it a lot further this year,” Braica said. “He spent a lot of time in the gym in the off season. He’s getting payback for it now.”
Braica’s first impression of 6-foot Jones as a high schooler was that he needed to get bigger and stronger. That happened quickly as Jones sat out his first year at the school due to NCAA academic requirements, and he used the time to mature physically.
His game came along more gradually. Jones realized after his freshman year how much his jump shot needed to improve if he was going to be a star at the college level. Braica said we started to see the fruits of his labor last season. It is more apparent now, and is leading to more wins and hopefully something greater come March. The hours, the shots, and the hard work are paying off.
“I’m a Brooklyn guy,” Jones said. “Where I’m from, we have that tough mentality — rain, sleet, or snow, I am always going to work hard, play hard — work hard and smile at the end of the day because that is just who I am.”
