MASON JONES named a finalist for Jerry West award.
FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas guard Mason Jones has had a big week from an awards standpoint.
The 6-5 junior was named one of five finalists Tuesday for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Jones is joined by Butler’s Kamar Baldwin, Creighton’s Ty-Shon Alexander, Georgia’s Anthony Edwards and Seton Hall’s Myles Powell. Jones, of DeSoto, Texas, had not been on the previous West Award watch lists, but played his way onto it.
The West Award was created in 2014. It has been won by Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell, Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, Kentucky’s Malik Monk (Bentonville, Lepanto), Purdue’s Carsen Edwards and Duke’s RJ Barrett.
Jones is leading the SEC in scoring at 21.3 points per game. He is the reigning SEC co-player of the week with Kentucky’s Immanuel Quickley. His fourth selection this season as SEC player of the week tied him with Vanderbilt’s Shan Foster and Kentucky’s Jodie Meeks as the only players in conference history to win it four times in a season.
He has scored 40 points twice and 30 points seven times this season. Jones also leads the NCAA with 250 free throws attempted and 207 free throws made. Jones leads the Razorbacks in scoring, rebounding (5.7), assists (3.4) and steals (1.5), and is the only SEC player to hold that distinction and to rank in the top 20 in the league in all those categories.
Jones needs five made free throws to tie Sidney Moncrief (1978-79) for the school record with 212.
Last week, Jones became the eighth Razorback to score 1,000 career points in only two seasons on the Hill.