Texas Basketball: What does Andrew Jones mean for the Longhorns success in 2018-19?
By Chris Kern
Positive signs continue to show for Andrew Jones and his return to Texas Basketball this upcoming season. How much is his value on the court for the Longhorns?
Andrew Jones is a fan favorite, everyone is going to be rooting for him. He has battled back after being diagnosed with Leukemia and is expected to be ready for the season opener. He is a talented player who will be key to the Longhorn’s success as they compete for an NCAA tournament berth.
His First Two Seasons
Andrew Jones averaged 11.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in the 43 games he played in his first two years. He was a starter in 31 of those games.
The key difference between the first two seasons was his improvement on his three-point shooting. His percentage went from 32.8% his freshman year up to 46.3% in the 10 games he played in this past season. That isn’t a large sample size but that much of a percentage jump probably isn’t a fluke.
He’s an athletic player who can get up and finish at the rim. He had his fair share of highlight dunks during his time on the court.
Jones has been a really good player for the Longhorns. If he can stay on the court he will be a game changer and be one of the better guards in the Big 12 conference.
What To Expect This Season?
Andrew Jones is a talented player who needs to play well if Texas wants to make it back to the big dance. This team has some other skilled guards in the backcourt with the likes of Matt Coleman and Kerwin Roach. Jericho Sims and Dylan Osetkowski are two quality big guys to have inside. While this team has other guys who will contribute those are the core guys returning from last season.
Andrew Jones, after everything he’s been through, is going to be asked to lead this team. He won’t have to do it on his own though. Senior big man Dylan Osetkowski will be one of the key players on the team this season. He had a big year averaging 13.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game which was enough to lead the team in scoring.
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The Longhorns did lose Jacob Young via transfer as he left the program to go play at Rutgers. He was very inconsistent last season but he did have a breakout game against Texas Tech in the Big 12 tournament. He scored a season-high 29 points including making six of seven three-pointers.
Jones and Osetkowski will be asked to lead this offense. The game of basketball is a short mans’ game know though so Jones will likely be the number one option. Expect him to have big numbers to lead a Texas team that is a sleeper in the Big 12 conference.
Next. Preseason Big 12 Rankings for 2018-19. dark
Andrew Jones is gonna have a big year. He should average somewhere in the range of 16 points and four assists per game. If the Longhorns can win enough games Jones will have a shot at an All-Big 12 nod. Expect him to be selected to the All-Big 12 second or third team if Texas has a successful season.