Position: Guard
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 175 lbs
Myreon Jones showed slashes of what earned him the nickname “buckets” in high-school last year. When the offense was stagnant Jones wasn’t afraid to take a shot, or create a shot when it looked like nothing was available. At times this lead to the freshman playing out of control and turning the ball over, but at his best it resulted in a 7-for-11 shooting night with 18 points in Penn State’s upset win over (#13)Virginia Tech.
What He Did Last Year
Myreon Jones’ freshman year went about as you’d expect. His performance was up-and-down, and he was mostly relied on late in games and when foul trouble forced Chambers to go deeper into the bench rotation. Most importantly however, Jones showed the potential to become a versatile offensive weapon. MJ is capable of leading a fastbreak, stepping out for a three-pointer, or finishing above the rim; and I think that will make him a prime catalyst for the offense when they fall into their habitual mid-game slumps.
What We Need This Year
Last year Jones shot 31% from the field and 27% from 3-pt range. It’s nice to have seen his potential at times during his freshman season, but this year he’s going to need to improve upon those shooting numbers and become a more reliable piece of the rotation for Pat Chambers.
With Josh Reaves graduating and Rasir Bolton transferring, Myreon Jones has an opportunity in front of him to be one of the first players off the bench, but he’ll be competing against two players in Curtis Jones and Izaiah Brockington who have more in-game experience than him, albeit at different schools. Their ability to defend could give them the nod over Myreon in the rotation.
The clearest path to a bigger role may be if MJ can become the primary ball handler and leader of the offense when Jamari Wheeler is off the court. Again the departure of Reaves and Bolton leaves an opening in the rotation, and Myreon showed both willingness and ability to coordinate the offense in limited sequences last year.
Penn State won’t necessarily have to rely on Jones to be a major contributor this year, but as a player who’s showed the ability to score double-digits against quality opponents, Jones taking a step forward and averaging 8-10 points per game would go a long way towards the team’s NCAA tournament hopes.