Alabama’s stat sheet filler Jones helps lead renaissance

<p>Herb Jones was draining 3-pointers — three in all — during the first half of Alabama’s game against Georgia.</p>
<p>For a sharp-shooting team like the eighth-ranked Crimson Tide, that might not seem notable. Then again, Jones made only one 3 all of last season.</p>
<p>Jones is no longer mostly just a rebounder and defensive stopper, like Alabama is no longer just a middle-of-the-pack team in the Southeastern Conference. The mutual transformation is hardly coincidental heading into Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>“I still go out and try to do my job on the defensive end,” Jones said. “I don’t too much worry about the offense, really. I just try to get open shots for my teammates and create for my teammates. If it’s my time to score, I take that opportunity and score.”</p>
<p>Even if that means shooting the occasional 3-pointer. Jones has made 19 of 36 3s, a 52.8% clip. He doesn’t have to elaborate on the dramatic improvement in that regard.</p>
<p>“Everyone can see it,” Jones said.</p>
<p>In his first three seasons, he made 14 shots from beyond the arc, hitting on a paltry 22.9% of his attempts. Last season, when he had elbow and wrist injuries, Jones was just 1 of 14.</p>
<p>He is averaging 11.9 points, easily a career best, this season and a team-leading 5.9 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-8, 210-pound senior also is tops on the team in assists, steals and blocked shots.</p>
<p>He is coming off a career-best <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-georgia-alabama-crimson-tide-mens-basketball-kd-johnson-georgia-bulldogs-mens-basketball-36fd9cc96edf75a390a67d0f32a54567"> 21-point game against the Bulldogs</a>.</p>
<p>John Petty Jr. gets more attention as one of the SEC’s top shooters. Jahvon Quinerly and Josh Primo are former five-star prospects and Jaden Shackelford is Alabama’s leading scorer.</p>
<p>But nobody on the Tide’s best team in years fills up a stat sheet like Jones. He has added scoring to his repertoire even while dealing with a lower back injury that has limited practice time.</p>
<p>One thing hasn’t changed: Jones’ defense.</p>
<p>“I think he’s the best defensive player in the country,” Alabama guard Keon Ellis said. "He just does so much. He can guard from 1 through 5s (positions). </p>
<p>“Just seeing that alone, he sets the standard for our defense. He’s always talking. He knows what spot everyone’s supposed to be in, and he’s always helping our guys. I think he just motivates everyone to play better on defense."</p>
<p>After coach Nate Oats had just taken over the program, a staffer suggested Jones as an option for much-needed point guard depth. Based on his limited film study at the time, Oats was skeptical.</p>
<p>“His defense is unbelievable, but how he’s playing this year?” he said. “No, I didn’t see that before I got here. Now once we started practicing that summer, then I could start to see it a little bit. I thought he was going to be dynamite, like an all-league player. Then he just couldn’t stay healthy his junior year.”</p>
<p>The left-hander injured his left elbow in the season opener. Then he fractured his left wrist, missing three games and playing the rest of the season in a cast.</p>
<p>Upon his return, Jones played only seven minutes against Auburn as a defensive specialist, but his impact persuaded Oats to play him more even essentially one-handed.</p>
<p>Jones <a href="https://apnews.com/article/69651a36e1ee500b853be274c8f8c4f4">responded with 17 rebounds against LSU</a> in his next outing, making two key free throws (one-handed, of course) late in the game.</p>
<p>Now that Jones is healthier, Oats is hoping his versatile player can attain at least one more individual milestone.</p>
<p>“I’d still love to see him get a triple-double,” the Tide coach said. "I think he’s that good of a player and I think he should get one. Assists, rebounds, deflections, steals, blocks. </p>
<p>“Even when he’s not doing anything that shows up on a stat sheet, he’s just kind of mucking things up for the other team’s offense when we’re on defense. He’s so valuable to have out there on the floor.”</p>
<p>The improved shooting is a nice bonus.</p>
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