Jones, Clemson Ready to ‘Bring the Juice’ in NCAA Tournament The freshman is ready to do his part in Providence
With Dillon Hunter out with a broken hand, the NCAA Tournament provides Del Jones the perfect opportunity to put an exclamation point on his freshman season.
Jones has shown plenty of promise in his first season with the Tigers, but at the same time, there have been a few freshman moments too. Look no further than his three turnovers in 11 minutes of action in Friday’s ACC Tournament loss to Louisville.
However, that last performance is now in the rearview mirror. As the fifth-seeded Tigers opening-round matchup with 12th-seeded McNeese draws near, Jones is brimming with confidence. Even though he’s about to play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time still feels a little surreal.
“It still feels a little unreal sometimes,” Jones told The Clemson Insider. “As a kid, you watch March Madness every year. It still feels a little unreal, but I feel like it will settle down once the game starts.”
With Hunter out, Jones knows his team needs him now more than at any other time this season. We are now at the point where it is win or go home, but this is something Jones has been dreaming about since he began watching March Madness as a kid on television.
Despite this being his first experience playing on this stage, Jones isn’t feeling the nerves.
“Not really, I have been playing basketball for years now,” Jones added. “It’s kind of like the new norm. You just got to kind of adapt out there.”
He’s also amped up over having a chance to elevate his game in the absence of Hunter.
“Just stay aggressive and bring the juice off the bench,” Jones said. “Creating shots, keeping the ball, no turnovers.
Jones has shown plenty of promise in his first season with the Tigers, but at the same time, there have been a few freshman moments too. Look no further than his three turnovers in 11 minutes of action in Friday’s ACC Tournament loss to Louisville.
However, that last performance is now in the rearview mirror. As the fifth-seeded Tigers opening-round matchup with 12th-seeded McNeese draws near, Jones is brimming with confidence. Even though he’s about to play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time still feels a little surreal.
“It still feels a little unreal sometimes,” Jones told The Clemson Insider. “As a kid, you watch March Madness every year. It still feels a little unreal, but I feel like it will settle down once the game starts.”
With Hunter out, Jones knows his team needs him now more than at any other time this season. We are now at the point where it is win or go home, but this is something Jones has been dreaming about since he began watching March Madness as a kid on television.
Despite this being his first experience playing on this stage, Jones isn’t feeling the nerves.
“Not really, I have been playing basketball for years now,” Jones added. “It’s kind of like the new norm. You just got to kind of adapt out there.”
He’s also amped up over having a chance to elevate his game in the absence of Hunter.
“Just stay aggressive and bring the juice off the bench,” Jones said. “Creating shots, keeping the ball, no turnovers.
“Just doing what I do. Bring the energy, set up shots for guys, play defense, be a pest.”
Jones is averaging four points per game while averaging 11 minutes per contest. With Dillon out, those minutes could go up. However, a lot of that will depend on him.
No matter his role, Jones is chomping at the bit to get out there and do his part and one of the reasons he’s feeling more confident than nervous is because he has veterans like Chase Hunter and Jaeden Zackery to lean on.
“They taught me a lot,” Jones said. “Too much to be said in this interview. They’ve just taught me placement. What reads to make. How coach wants me to do certain stuff. They were a big help, especially from the jump. They were open arms. Telling me what coach likes, how he wants it done.”
