Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Jones takes coach’s challenge to heart
FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas men’s basketball Coach Eric Musselman challenged junior guard Mason Jones in the days after a subpar showing in the team’s first exhibition Sunday.
On Thursday, Musselman said Jones responded with the best week of practice in his six-plus months on the job and hoped it would carry over into Friday night’s exhibition game against Southwestern Oklahoma State.
Musselman was not disappointed
Jones stole the show in Arkansas’ final preseason tuneup in Walton Arena, scoring a game-high 22 points in the Razorbacks’ 78-51 victory before an announced crowd of 3,509. He had fouled out against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with four points and three turnovers in less than 20 minutes in his first exhibition game.
“He earned a start tonight by the way that he practiced,”
Musselman said. “I thought he carried his work ethic and his focus from the last few practices onto the court tonight.
“I thought he played unselfish. He’s obviously a big-time offensive weapon with his ability to make the three, and he can play off the bounce as well.”
Jones said he took his performance against the Trojans personally. He finished 1 of 6 from the floor, and his three turnovers were all because of player-control fouls.
“Coach told me that a lot of people were disappointed in my performance against Little Rock,” Jones said. “Knowing that last year a lot of people said I was inconsistent, I wanted to go a little harder. They have been on me harder, so I know I’ve got to respond.”
Starting in place of graduate transfer Jeantal Cylla, Jones scored 13 of his 22 points in the first half on an efficient 5 of 6 from the floor and 3 of 4 from three-point range. With Arkansas ahead 35-27, Jones scored five points to close the first half to extend the Razorbacks’ lead to 40-27.
He then scored seven of Arkansas’ first 10 points of the second half to balloon the Hogs’ advantage to 18
points. The Razorbacks led by as many as 30 after halftime.
“It felt kind of good knowing that Coach Musselman was growing that trust back in me and was moving me back into the starting lineup,” Jones said. “In practice, I was really struggling [last week], not knowing who I was, but my teammates being there for me and always pushing me in practice, and the coaches telling me they loved me and stuff like that meant a lot to me.”
Razorbacks senior forward Adrio Bailey pitched in 15 points in 16 minutes. He did not miss a shot from the floor in the two exhibition games, finishing 9 of 9. Six of his seven scores against the Bulldogs came at the rim, and he also knocked down a mid-range jumper.
Musselman commended Bailey for gaining a better understanding of what is and isn’t a good shot for
him over the past six months.
“I think he knows what we want from him,” Musselman said. “He’s been really good hitting the offensive glass. He’s done a great job of dribble handoffs when he’s the trail big. He’s a good passer for us out there.
“Then I think defensively, understanding our game plan, he’s got the ability to switch on pick-and-rolls.”
Outside of Jones, who made four three-pointers, the Razorbacks struggled beyond the arc. Isaiah Joe, Desi Sills, Jalen Harris and Cylla combined to make 1 of 16 attempts. And Joe — who starred in the victory over UALR with 25 points on 7 of 16 from deep — was held scoreless, missing all five of his shot attempts.
Musselman said the sophomore did not take a bad shot, letting the game come to him. He finished with three assists and came away
with a pair of steals.
“Defensively, they did a good job of crowding Isaiah, and they chased him really hard off screens,” Musselman said. “He let his teammates do offensive damage. A lot of times he drew two defenders, and sometimes you see guys try to shoot through the double teams and they get a little antsy.
“I thought he did a great job of saying, ‘All right, well, the game’s going to turn into a 3-on-4 game if two defenders are focused on me.’ That’s what you want from an unselfish scorer.”
Three other Razorbacks reached double figures. Reggie Chaney scored 12 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Jimmy Whitt and Sills, who handed out five assists, pitched in 10 points apiece on a combined 9-of20 shooting.