Q&A With Jeff Jones

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Jeff Jones, a sophomore guard from Chester, Pa., has started the Virginia men’s basketball team’s recent games at North Carolina (Feb. 7) and Florida State (Feb. 10). The starts were the first of the season for Jones who started 25 games as a freshman in 2007-08. He scored a season-high 19 points and had a career-high five assists in a career-high 37 minutes in the 76-61 loss to the Tar Heels. In the Cavaliers’ 68-57 loss at Florida State, Jones scored eight points and had four rebounds in 31 minutes of playing time. For the season, Jones has played in 18 games and is averaging 5.7 points and 2.2 rebounds a game. Last season, Jones played in all 33 of Virginia’s games and averaged 4.8 points and 1.8 rebounds a game. He had a career-high 26 points in the Cavaliers’ final game of 2007-08 against Bradley in the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational. Don’t be surprised to see Jones in the starting lineup when the Cavaliers host Clemson at John Paul Jones Arena on Sunday (Feb. 15) at 1 p.m.

This interview was conducted prior to Virginia’s game at Florida State on Feb. 10.

Question: Why did you change your uniform number to No. 23 this season?
Jones: It was my high school number and I wanted to go back to that number.

Question: You scored a season-high 19 points, had a career-high five assists and four rebounds against North Carolina on Feb. 7. How do you view that performance?
Jones: Unfortunately, the team lost. For me, it was good to show everybody that’s what I can do. I had an opportunity and made the best of my opportunity. I played hard. Unfortunately we came up short and lost. I thought everybody worked hard and it was a good team effort.

Question: What does a game like the one you had against North Carolina where you shoot the ball well and distribute it well do for you?
Jones: I think that game was definitely good for me and I want to build from it.

Question: What has been the difference for you in the games against Boston College (10 points on Feb. 4) and North Carolina (Feb. 7).
Jones: I think I’ve been more aggressive and my teammates are finding me a little bit more. Just being aggressive and feeling comfortable with the more minutes I get.

Question: Last year you started a lot of games and this year you’ve been used off the bench until starting against North Carolina (Feb. 7). What’s the difference for you between starting a game and coming off the bench?
Jones: There’s really no difference. You just have to have the same mindset to go out and play hard. Coming off the bench this year, I just had to wait until my name was called. I don’t think there’s really any difference, you just have to get in a rhythm.

Question: You just mentioned getting in a rhythm and Coach Leitao has talked about the importance of getting in a rhythm. Why is it important for a player to get in a rhythm?
Jones: Getting in a rhythm is something that happens over time. The more time you get, the more of a rhythm you’re going to get in. The last four games I’ve been getting it and that’s a big part of my game, just being in a rhythm.

Question: Can you tell when you’re in it?
Jones: Definitely, I start to dribble more, get in the lane, and mix up my game. I find some people don’t know that I can put the ball on the floor.

Question: There’s a saying about having a shooter’s mentality, that even if a shooter misses a couple he always feels like the next one is going in. Do you feel that way?
Jones: I definitely feel that way. I feel that every shot is going in. If you miss a shot, you have to have confidence that everybody on the team knows you can shoot because they see it in practice every day. So you just have to have the confidence that the team needs it, not only that you need to make this basket, and then be aggressive.

Question: When you weren’t playing as many minutes, did you do anything different between games and during practices to get ready for games?
Jones: I was working a lot harder when I wasn’t getting as many minutes. After games, if I didn’t get a lot of minutes, I just went right in the gym that night or the next morning. I just kept working because at some point the opportunity is going to come. When the opportunity is there you just have to take advantage of it. I didn’t feel sorry for myself. I just kept working hard waiting for my opportunity to come.

Question: Do you have a set routine between games? You seem to take a lot of shots on your own. Do you practice a lot on your own?
Jones: The day before a game I get a lot of shots up. Just to get a rhythm. It’s hard before away games because you’re not in the gym, you’re in a different environment and you’re in a hotel. Before going on the road I try to get a lot of shots up in practice. If we’re at home, I try to get in the gym two hours early to get a lot of shots up. The repetition is definitely the key to success.

Question: This has been a difficult stretch for the team. How do you personally and as part of the team, work to get this turned around?
Jones: You just have to treat every day as a new day and keep working hard. You definitely have to have a short memory in this game.

Question: How did you find the transition from high school to college basketball? Was it more difficult than what you expected?
Jones: I think it shows how much you love the game because there are going to be down days and there are up days. A lot of it is mental. It shows you how much you love the game and how much you want to get in there and keep working hard. There are going to be days when you are so down and your love for the game is going to keep you coming back.

Question: When you were growing up, did you play sports other than basketball?
Jones: When I was nine, 10, 11 years old I played football. I was a wide receiver.

Question: At some point did you make the decision to just focus on basketball?
Jones: I was still playing basketball and all of my friends were playing football too, so I wanted to try. My dad played football when he was younger, so I wanted to go out there and try. He wanted me to play baseball, but I didn’t want to play baseball. I wanted the contact so I played football.

Question: So you didn’t play football in high school?
Jones: No, I stopped playing when I was probably 12 years old.

Question: Do you have other interests outside of basketball?
Jones: Just spending time with my family. Right now my parents are in Washington, D.C., because my brother Deon is a sophomore in high school and plays basketball at Paul VI in Northern Virginia. It’s easier for them because they are also close to me at Virginia. They travel back and forth for the games. That’s what they love to do and what they’ve been doing since I was five years old.

Question: So they see a lot of basketball?
Jones: Oh yes, they definitely know the game. My dad has always known the game, but my mom has been watching games for so long she really knows the game now. That shows how much they’ve been in the gym watching us.