Jones Endures but Isn’t Hooked on Life as the Big Fish

For more than a year, Marcel Jones rode with his mother on a 62-mile, early-morning car trip from Northridge to Santa Ana just so he could play basketball for Mater Dei High.

“I used to get up at 4:30,” Jones said.

He had been a promising freshman forward at West Hills Chaminade, where many predicted he’d become one of the best players in the Mission League.

But he transferred to Mater Dei before his sophomore year after his mother got a job in Irvine. He knew the ramifications of his decision.

“You make a sacrifice of being a big fish [in a small pond],” he said.

Jones said he wanted to experience everything Mater Dei could offer: Playing in front of large crowds, playing on television, playing in prestigious tournaments, winning championships.

Jones still doesn’t know if he made the right decision because he has yet to crack Mater Dei’s regular starting lineup after two seasons.

He has started eight games this season and is considered a crucial player on a team favored to win the state Division II championship. Mater Dei defeated Lakewood Mayfair, 70-59, Thursday night to advance to the Southern California Regional final.

Jones’ failure to become a full-time starter has tested his patience.

“If I pout, I might not play,” he said. “I might as well play hard and work my way back into the lineup.”

Coach Gary McKnight said Jones’ absence from the starting lineup has nothing to do with his play.

“He’s had some big-time games for us,” McKnight said. “We’re kind of in a winning mode and I have to stick with what we’re doing. I think any kid wants to start. He understands there’s a pecking order going on, but he’s so vital to us. I can bring him in virtually for any of four spots.”

Jones’ versatility makes him a valuable commodity. He’s a 6-foot-7 junior averaging 10.9 points and 5.3 rebounds. He’s one of the team’s best three-point shooters and scored 17 points against Lakewood Mayfair in last week’s Southern Section Division II-A final at Arrowhead Pond.

“He’s a major Division I basketball prospect,” McKnight said. “He’s got the long arms, he’s athletic, he’s got a nice touch, he’s a sweetheart kid and a very good student.”

Jones has gained 20 pounds to increase his weight to 199. His work in the weight room is responsible for adding another dimension to his game.

“He’s looking around and seeing the arms and shoulders of some of our guys who got serious in the weight room,” McKnight said. “He needs to put on that chest and shoulders so he’ll be able to bang a little bit more inside.”

Jones, whose family moved from Northridge to Corona last fall, said playing for the Monarchs (33-2) is close to a college experience.

“It’s a serious atmosphere,” he said. “There’s no playing around. We practice and work hard. It’s going to prepare me so much for college.”

But Jones and others who wonder about playing for Mater Dei must understand what they are getting into when they try to earn a starting spot in a program that has won 17 section titles in 21 years under McKnight.

“I’ve had years where Marcel would be a starter easily,” McKnight said. “These last two years it’s been an adjustment for him. I think he came over and felt like, ‘I’ve been a star and can step right in.’

“He’s seen how far you have to go to be a starter at Mater Dei and play a lot, and he’s gotten to that point. When he’s on the floor, we don’t lose anything.”

There have been times Jones must have asked himself, “Is it worth it?”

“Next year will be his turn,” McKnight said.

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.