The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Former U Conn stars rave about Sun’s Jones
Normally post-game handshakes are nothing but a mere formality, an occasional word of praise and perhaps a hug between former teammates.
However, there was something different taking place when the upstart Connecticut Sun went into New York and returned with a rare victory at Madison Square Garden. Former U Conn and Connecticut Sun star Tina Charles approached the Sun’s newest frontcourt phenom and the two exchanged more than just the typical, “good game.”
Fast forward to Friday and Charles, a former WNBA MVP, did not mince words when asked about what she was most looking forward to during Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game.
“I’m excited to play with Jonquel Jones,” Charles said. “I think she’s a fantastic player. With everything she’s been able to do for the Connecticut Sun organization, her being in her second year and finding her niche in this league, you don’t really see that happen that fast. She’s dominant in what she does. She has a lot of confidence and that’s all you can ask for. It’s going to inspire a lot of young players when they get into the league and are thinking when they are going to turn the corner. They can look to someone like Jonquel Jones.”
Jones scored a game-high 24 points and hit three 3-pointers and brought roars from the crowd with a late dunk.
After the game it didn’t take much prodding for more U Conn legends to rave about the second-year star who is the only WNBA player currently averaging a double-double.
“She’s somebody that is fun to watch kind of come into her own, except when they’re playing us,” said Maya Moore, who was named the MVP of the WNBA All-Star Game after leading the West to a 130121 victory. “She’s gifted. She’s got height, athleticism and really her confidence is just increased with her finishing ability. She knows where she likes the ball. She poses that threat as a post that can shoot from the outside. (She can score on) the pick-and-pop, similar to Stewie (Breanna Stewart). But also she’s mainly a problem on the offensive boards because she’s so long and she gets off the floor pretty quickly. When you can score inside and outside for your team, and she’s not afraid to block a shot, so definitely one of those up-andcoming players that is more coming than up-and-coming, and she’s proving that this season.”
Jones has six 20-point games this season, not counting the WNBA All-Star Game, tripling the total she had as a rookie.
Jones gave a glimpse into the future as she was 16 for 20 from the field including 4 for 5 from 3-point range in the final three regular-season games in 2016. She averaged 18 points and 5.7 rebounds in just 15.7 minutes per game.
Jones went from playing 14.1 minutes per game as a rookie to 28.5 in the first 21 games this season. Jones is averaging 15.8 points and leads the WNBA averaging 11.2 rebounds per game. Her breakout performance on Saturday was not merely a case of finding her rhythm in a game with little or no defense being played.
“Jonquel Jones is going to be a problem in this league for a long time,” said former U Conn star Diana Taurasi who is the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer. “With her stature, the way she can handle the ball, shoot the ball, she works so easy on the court and I just think she’s got a really bright future.”
Taurasi and fellow former Husky Sue Bird made sure to stop Jones and chat a little after the game.
It gave Jones a chance to apologize to Bird for missing the party on Friday night, but also gave Taurasi the opportunity to offer words of encouragement to the 23-yearold native of the Bahamas.
“I just said, keep the wave going,” Taurasi said. “Use this momentum because it’s moments like this that for a young kid can go a long way. She just has a certain ability that not many people have, so if she puts herself in the right positions as far as playing basketball and taking it serious and really wants to be one of the best to ever play, not everyone has that set of skills. I just told her to keep the wave going.”
Jones has been a major reason why the Sun, picked to finish out of the playoffs for the fifth year in a row, currently hold down the No. 3 position in the playoff bracket. Along with fellow first time all-stars, Jones is eager to return the Sun to the playoffs for the first time since Charles was the franchise’s resident superstar.
“I just wanted to go out, have fun, be safe, but still play hard,” said Jones, who broke Alex Bentley’s franchise record of 23 points scored in the WNBA All-Star Game. “It was great to be able to go out there, play against some players that I’ve watched growing up and looking up to. Now I’m on the same court as them. With it being my second season in the league I didn’t expect this to happen to quickly, so I just wanted to go out there and take advantage of the opportunity.”
Jones and the Sun return to action on Tuesday when the red-hot Chicago Sky come to Mohegan Sun Arena. After leading all teams with 13 road games played in the first half of the season, Connecticut will play nine of its 11 games in July and August at home.