Potential is written all over Kelsey Jones.
At 6-foot-2, the Starkville High School sophomore center has nimble footwork, a good shooting touch around the basket, and a solid understanding of angles and how to position herself to give her the best chance to make a shot.
But Jones is a work in progress when it comes to another part of her game: Leadership. On most teams, it is uncommon for sophomores to be the one who sets the tone for their teams. In the case of Jones, she is working with a young group of Yellow Jackets that is showing success can be had in life after Blair Schaefer and Imane Montgomery.
On Saturday, Jones had a game-high 19 points to lead Starkville to a 60-32 victory against West Lowndes at the 18th-annual Joe Horne Columbus Christmas Invitational at Columbus High. The victory helped Starkville (9-2) rebound from a 48-43 loss to Jackson Jim Hill on Friday in its first game at the two-day event.
“Everybody realizes that sometimes when you have super stars on your team, you tend to zone in right on that player, and Kelsey is rising to be that super star,” Starkville coach Kristie Williams said. “But we do have other players that can step up and make shots, and we don’t mind sharing the ball. Kelsey can get her 19 points, but we can also have someone pick up 10 or 12 in that game, too, which is great to see.”
Williams praised the play of post players Taylor Price, Tanita Thompson, and Alexus McKorkle, who worked well with Jones to help the Lady Yellow Jackets erase an early 10-4 deficit in the first quarter. Starkville built its lead to 26-21 at halftime and then outscored West Lowndes 19-7 in the third quarter to pull away.
Jones, who didn’t score in the second quarter after picking up her second foul, did most of the damage, scoring 10 of her points. Four of the baskets came off assists, while the other came on an offensive rebound putback. The Yellow Jackets’ willingness to stay patient and look for Jones in the post allowed them to be more efficient in their half-court sets. Against Jim Hill, Starkville didn’t involve Jones as much and didn’t share the basketball as well as it did against Class 1A West Lowndes.
On Friday, Williams said Jones has to realize she has a role to play in whether she gets the ball from the guards because she is going to attract a lot of attention from defenses. Jim Hill moved to neutralize her by using two players to sandwich her on the low blocks. Still, Jones had 18 points. Starkville hurt itself by going 9 of 25 from the free-throw line.
“She is a big presence, and she is going to gain a lot of attention in that half-court offense,” Williams said. “She just has to be hungrier for it. A lot of times we come down and we are not looking inside like we should and she’ll drop her head and get a little frustrated going back down the floor. She has to understand we do want to work the inside-outside game, but it can’t happen every possession, but you keep wanting the ball and keep fighting because the attention you draw will open opportunities for someone else. When that happens, it is hard to guard inside and out.”
After the victory against West Lowndes, Jones said she is learning how to handle the responsibility of being a go-to player. She said Williams made sure she realized there would be high expectations on her this season, especially due to the graduation losses of Schaefer, who is playing basketball at Mississippi State, and Montgomery, who signed to play basketball at Holmes Community College in Goodman. Both guards fueled Starkville’s attack and helped them be a team few opponents tried to trap with pressure defenses. This season, Starkville’s inexperienced backcourt has seen a lot of defenses designed to make it tough for them to advance the ball up the court. Williams said turnovers have been a “nemesis” this season, but she also said the guards are improving and learning how to navigate the travails of pressure defense and to maintain their poise.
Jones understands she can be a calming effect, even if she isn’t a primary ballhandler and is only a sophomore. That’s because she said she has high expectations for herself, too, and she wants to help the team get back to the playoffs and make a run to get to the state tournament.
The ability to share the basketball can make that journey a little easier.
“Today (against West Lowndes) we had more hustle, more defense,” Jones said. “(Against Jim Hill), we didn’t have any hustle.”
Jones set the tone in the first quarter by blocking two shots, making a steal, and turnaround jump shot and on an offensive rebound putback. She returned in the third quarter and remained active to help Starkville bounce back. She said the team talks to each other and encourages each other to share the ball. She feels that is just another part of a maturation for a team that has a lot of potential.
Scouts would say the same thing about Jones, who said she needs to “keep her grades up and stay in school” to stay on the path to realize a dream to play basketball in college. As for showing coaches she is ready, she said she needs to “be a leader and show leadership on the court.” The ability for a sophomore to recognize she needs to do more is another thing coaches will look for. Even though she says it quietly, Jones said she is trying to be a bigger and better leader.
“I am trying to do that a lot because we are trying to get to the championship this year,” Jones said. “Sometimes I shut down instead of just keep concentrating.”
Williams said Jones is handling the increased attention and responsibility about as well as a sophomore can.
“It comes and it goes, but she is really starting to understand that I have the makings of being a really great player,” Williams said. “She still has a lot left to learn in her skill set. To be where she is now as a sophomore, she gets it. That is really great to see. I am so proud of her effort. She is a leader on the floor. The girls all love her. She is one who has a great personality, so that lends itself to her being great on the floor and off the court.”
Improved free throwing shooting could help Starkville go from good to great. In both games, Starkville had issues with turnovers, but its inability to cash in at the foul line doomed it against Jim Hill. It was the second time this season the team’s struggles from the free-throw line cost it a game. Williams said the team missed 16 free throws on Nov. 22 in a 52-47 loss to Newton.
“It is that double-edged sword,” Williams said. “We get better at one part of the game and we keep losing ourselves at the other part. If we can start putting everything together — each piece of the puzzle — I think we will get better. Hopefully we can learn from them and continue to get better.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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