Ambitious Jones ready to work this offseason
Antwann Jones held up his left arm to show the eightletter word tattooed across his forearm. “Ambition,” it read in cursive lettering. After the Memphis basketball team lost its secondround NIT game to Creighton on Friday, that tattoo would serve as a reminder for why he made it to Memphis in the first place and what he needs to do as he enters the offseason before his sophomore year.
“It doesn’t feel real right now,” Jones said while still seated at his locker after the game. “But with me being real ambitious – I have it tatted on me – I know it’s all about going harder now.”
Like almost any freshman, Jones’ first season with the Tigers was filled with peaks and valleys.
Jones began the year in a limited role but showcased what he can do with a strong performance against Tennessee that kick-started a 10-game stretch during which he played at least 18 minutes per contest.
From there, the freshman guard’s minutes took a dip while he battled plantar fasciitis, a heel injury. But he returned to his old self in late February through the end of the season.
He averaged 7.7 points and 2.3 assists in games in which he played more than 20 minutes.
“My future is super bright,” Jones said. “Because I’m not going to do anything but get better.”
The Memphis coaching staff agreed. Jones led the Tigers several times this season with his court vision and scoring ability. At 6-foot-6, the guard also appears as if he has the potential to become one of the team’s best perimeter defenders as well.
In fact, Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said in February that Jones was going to be a critical part of the Tigers’ success the rest of the season.
“Look, the NIT was something,” Jones said. “We were glad to be in it, but we all want to go to the NCAA Tournament.” So now it’s “wait til next year” for Hardaway’s bunch, and that means there’s nothing Jones can do but continue to rely on that ambition as he waits.
“I’ll be in the gym every day,” Jones said Friday. “I’ll be in there tomorrow. I’m going to hit the wait room, get treatment, put up 1,000 shots, then work on ball-handling. Then after that, I’m going to repeat it.”
With Memphis still hot on the recruiting trail – something Hardaway pointed out immediately after the NIT loss – questions have risen about whether the Tigers have scholarships available for potential signees on the roster next season.
Five players from this season’s team will graduate, and four recruits already have signed for next year. In addition, Hardaway said previously that redshirt freshman Ryan Boyce would be put on scholarship before the beginning of his sophomore season.
That means a few players potentially could transfer to make space, but Jones made it clear Friday that his eyes are still set on Memphis.
“I have no plans of leaving,” Jones said. “I love the city of Memphis. I love my basketball team. I love the coaching staff. I love my teammates. I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else in the world but here.”