Growing up in Ewing Township, Troy Jones knows all about the Moody Park Summer Basketball League and what it means to area players.
So when Jones’ Notre Dame team lost to Bordentown, 55-35, in this year’s Boys High School Division championship game, it had to hurt, right? Wrong.
As it turns out, beating the team from his own backyard was more important to Jones than winning a title against a non-Colonial Valley Conference team.
“We already beat Ewing,” Jones said with a grin. “So I can just say to my friends ‘We beat you guys in the semis.’ I don’t really see those guys from Bordentown. They’re down there in another league.”
Just the fact Notre Dame made it to the finals was impressive, since they were without star player and leading scorer Manny Dixon (broken wrist) all season. But with Dixon out, it gave other Irish players a chance to step up, and Jones did just that.
“Troy has taken full control of this team,” ND coach Bob Turco said. “He’s going to help us have a special year.”
Turco did not see Jones much in the Moody League, as he was handling Notre Dame’s freshman players in Monroe. But he got to see the point guard at team camps and got constant updates from assistant coach Rashaan Thompson, who ran the varsity team at Moody Park.
“His ability to get to the hole has improved tremendously,” Thompson said. “I don’t think there’s too many guards that can stay in front of him. He has long arms so he’s able to kind of slither in there and get between the defense.”
Jones’ ability to penetrate will be key, as the Irish have one of the best outside shooters in the CVC in Mike Walley. If the defense collapses on Jones, he can kick to Walley for a 3-pointer. But his progress did not stop there.
“His shot has improved tremendously,” Thompson said. “He’s added that dimension to his game, which will only make him that more formidable.”
Jones was happy to hear that, since it was one of the things he concentrated on this summer, along with running the offense more smoothly.
“I wanted to work on my shot and work on my decision making,” he said. “I wanted to make better decisions because I had a lot of turnovers during the regular season. I definitely wanted to cut back the turnovers.”
Jones has paid his dues since entering a Notre Dame program that has been loaded with talent since the day he arrived. As a 9th-grader, he played on the freshman team. He played JV as a sophomore and also sat the bench on varsity.
Last winter, he was fulltime varsity for the first time, and he began to emerge as the season went along.
“Troy came off the bench and provided us with a sound team in a sense that he was able to bring us balance and control,” Thompson said. “After Ryan Turco got hurt, he really stepped up and took control of the team and made sure he was running it the way coach Turco wanted it to be run.”
In 27 games, Jones averaged 9.7 points, 2.2 assists, 2.2 rebounds and had 34 steals. In a Mercer County Tournament win over Trenton, which is known for its tenacious defense, Jones had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
Turco wanted Jones to build on that season this summer and hone his skills in running the team.
“I just played my role like coach Turco told me to play,” Jones said. “He wanted me to step up, help this team and be a leader so I did that. And I worked on my shot and looked to pass the ball better. I know colleges are looking for point guards so that’s what I want to show I can do.”
Thompson said Notre Dame was Jones’ “team to run,” starting at the second half of last year.
“This summer he pretty much wanted to fine tune everything, making sure he got everyone else involved and taking advantage of what the defense gave him,” Thompson said.
Another thing that jumps out about Jones is his tenacity and non-stop hustle. Against Bordentown in the Moody final, with the game out of reach, he was still flying around the court, trying for steals, looking to set up teammates. You’d have thought it was the state title game in March at the RAC rather than the end of a summer league.
“You always have to play hard,” Jones said. “It doesn’t matter the score, if you’re out there you have to play hard.”
And that means more than just running around. Jones also sacrifices his body. “He takes the most charges of anyone on our team,” Thompson said. “He’s out there taking charges. When you have somebody out here taking charges on concrete, that’s rare. Most players really don’t do that. Troy is a guy that does. He always steps up, makes the big play, gets the big steal, and gets the big charge. That’s just the type of person he is.”
Sounds like the type of person ready to step up big in his senior season.
