Jones Tries to Avoid Harm While Skewering Her Foes

Marion Jones of Thousand Oaks High relived one of her worst nightmares last week during the championship game of the Santa Barbara girls’ basketball tournament.

Undercut on a second-quarter fast break, Jones recalled the game in Simi Valley last January when she suffered a broken left wrist on a similar play.

“It definitely flashed through my mind when I got undercut,” Jones said. “At Simi Valley, I put my hand out to break my fall and I fell so hard I broke my wrist. This time, I decided to keep my hands back and all I ended up with was a scratch on my elbow.”

Shaken by the incident, Jones stayed on the floor for several moments as Thousand Oaks players, coaches and fans held their collective breath. But she brushed herself off and then dusted Brea-Olinda, scoring 38 points to go along with her 12 rebounds, eight blocked shots and three steals in the Lancers’ 59-51 victory.

Such incidents have prompted track observers to wonder if Jones, a world-class sprinter, is jeopardizing a promising career.

“(But) I only live once,” she said. “I’m a kid and I want to play basketball. I love the sport.”

Though she is a national junior sprint champion, Jones also has excelled on the basketball court. The two-time Times’ All-Ventura County selection averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds last season to help Thousand Oaks to the Southern Section Division I-A title.

Some friends have said that Jones actually enjoys basketball more than track. But she claims she doesn’t play favorites.

“I’m 100% basketball player right now,” Jones said. “I’m not even thinking about track. During basketball season, I love basketball, and during track, I’m track all the way.”

University of North Carolina coaches found Jones serious enough to offer her an athletic scholarship that will allow her to compete in both sports.

But academics played a bigger role in Jones’ college decision than the Tar Heels’ rising programs in basketball and track. Jones, who carries a 3.5 grade-point average at Thousand Oaks, said she chose North Carolina because of its strong journalism program and its high minority-graduation rate.

“I’ve wanted to study journalism since I started high school,” she said. “Being able to express yourself in a different way is something I really like.”

Jones has little trouble expressing herself on the basketball court. The 5-foot-10 senior forward averaged 24.4 points, 15 rebounds, four steals and 2.5 blocked shots in leading Thousand Oaks to a 10-0 start.

Her worth to the Lancers, however, exceeds statistics. More comfortable a year after her transfer from Rio Mesa, Jones has accepted an expanded role.

“She’s taken on a big leadership role on the team,” Thousand Oaks Coach Chuck Brown said. “She didn’t assert herself that much last year. This year, she knows her responsibility.”

Disappointed with the Lancers’ intensity in one early-season game, Jones convened a mandatory players’ meeting at lunch the next day. Thousand Oaks won impressively that night and the meetings have become part of the game-day agenda.

Jones also leads by example, Brown said. Jones caught the eye of Thousand Oaks boys’ Coach Ed Chevalier, who was wandering through the gym during a recent girls’ practice.

Watching Jones dive for loose balls and hustle up and down the floor, Chevalier asked: “Does she practice like this all the time? I’m going to have her come to one of my practices and give my guys an example.”

Despite the success Jones has attained in basketball, she doesn’t always appreciate the limelight.

“Everyone on the team is playing great games,” Jones said. “The fact we are working hard in practice is really paying off for us.

“The reason I’m getting points is because I’m getting good screens and passes. I don’t worry about statistics as long as my team is doing well.”