JONES GIVE ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM TO LADY TIGERS
The following is an article written by Rachel Whitacker of The Reveille:
Courtney Jones' father admits he initially underestimated his daughter's basketball abilities.
But the Midfield, Ala., native found her way into the gym on Saturday mornings with her father, Cleveland. She had a shot to learn the game in elementary school.
"She's always been a headstrong kid," Cleveland said. "I let her start doing the drills with me ... technique-wise, she just had it in her. She put down the debutante balls and stuck with it."
Jones, now a junior, came to LSU ranked as one of the top 20 forward prospects in the country by HoopGurlz.com. She has primarily come off the bench, starting 24 of 88 career games played, but the enthusiasm she brings to the court does not go unnoticed.
"Courtney is an energizer, a spark plug," said LSU senior guard Katherine Graham. "When she comes on the court, you see a tremendous energy boost with the team. That's a good formula for any team to have, a player we can look forward to coming in."
Jones stepped up in LSU's home game Feb. 10 against Auburn, recording her first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench.
Jones said she has a knack for "anticipating the flow" of the game, although she said her passing can be shaky.
"I'm not a big scorer, but I find other areas where I can help my team out, whether it's defending or rebounding or just getting players open," she said. "I do need to make better decisions on passing the ball. Sometimes they tend to get deflections on the ball, or I try to force the pass to where it's not open."
Cleveland said Courtney's major downfall is overanalyzing.
"She tries so hard and tries to do everything," he said. "She's unselfish. ... She'll make a pass when she should make a shot, and when she gets to the free throw line she gets so tense. I have to tell her to settle down and breathe or you'll have an aneurysm."
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