All-American a special talent
Versatility makes center go-to player on the court
When 6-foot-2 center Nicole Blakes went down with a season-ending knee injury, Mitty coach Sue Phillips needed to find a fill-in. Fast.
Haley Jones quickly put up her hand.
“She relished the role of playing center, providing a back-to-the-basket threat and rim protection,” Phillips said.
When the Monarchs needed a big bucket, rebound, block, entry pass, defensive stop — Jones went into action. No fear. No hesitation. “No one in the country is more versatile or effective on different spots on the floor. … Or more valuable in various styles of play,” Phillips said.
That’s not just coachspeak. Certainly, Phillips, the 2017-18 Naismith Coach of the Year (a national honor), is partial, especially because the bright and friendly Jones is easy to like and a favorite among her team and classmates.
But when UConn’s Geno Auriemma, Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley come by the house for a visit, it’s obvious that the 6-1 Jones is a special talent.
Many believe she’s the best junior in the country. She also was the clear choice as The Chronicle’s 2017-18 Metro Player of the Year.
“There’s a lot of loose talk about kids who can play any position, one to five,” said MaxPreps girls basketball national editor Clay Kallam. “Haley can actually do it, and at the highest level.”
She backed up her reputation with superb numbers: 21.8 points, 10 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2 steals per game for the Monarchs (29-1), who were ranked No. 1 nationally most of the year.
“A coach’s daughter, she also plays the game the right way,” Kallam said. “She didn’t get those impressive numbers by going off on her own — everything came in the flow of the game.”
The only glitch in an otherwise perfect season for Jones was the finale, when she fouled out with 1:31 left in regulation of a 78-67 tripleovertime loss to Pinewood-Los Altos Hills in the NorCal Open final.
She picked up her fourth foul and left the game midway through the third quarter when her team led by 14 points.
Her fourth and fifth fouls were questioned by many Mitty backers. But immediately after the game, and two weeks later, Jones and the Monarchs took a wider view, choosing to focus on an impeccable season that included West Coast Athletic League, Central Coast Section Open Division, Nike Tournament of Champions and West Coast Jamboree titles.
Jones, voted the WCAL MVP and the top player at those two tournaments, last week was named a first-team AllAmerican by MaxPreps and USA Today. Gatorade picked her as the state’s top player.
And, despite the season-ending loss, Mitty finished as the national champion, according to USA Today, ESPN and MaxPreps’ computer rankings.
“Haley is arguably the most sought after 2019 recruit in the country,” Phillips said. “In my opinion, rightfully so.”