Back on the court, Jones adds depth to M-P rotation

By Jeff Yoder
Posted 1/5/22

Watching basketball season from the bench last year was tough for Justice Jones, who was unable to play his junior season with a back injury. 

The Mid-Prairie boys had their best season in a …

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Back on the court, Jones adds depth to M-P rotation

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Watching basketball season from the bench last year was tough for Justice Jones, who was unable to play his junior season with a back injury. 

The Mid-Prairie boys had their best season in a decade. They won 15 games, competed for a conference championship, and played in the district final.

Jones enjoyed the wins along with the rest of the team, but as a competitor, he wanted to be on the court. 

“It was definitely obvious to us that he missed basketball last year,” said his mother, Jessica Jones. “Discovering the injury was a big blow for him and really, our whole family. Sports and this group of boys mean the world to him and to us.”

The coaching staff kept Justice involved even when he couldn’t contribute on the court.  

“He kept shot charts and he lifted and biked when he could,” Jessica said. “They included him in all team activities, and he cheered his heart out for the boys.”

He was grateful to be involved, but it was still a big adjustment for someone who is usually in the middle of the action. Justice led the Golden Hawk football team in tackles in each of the last three seasons. Last year he stepped in mid-season to fill a need at goalkeeper for the Mid-Prairie soccer team. He kept a clean sheet through two overtimes in a susbstate semifinal as the Golden Hawks defeated Albia in a shootout to advance. 

He has always been a competitor. 

“It didn’t matter what we were playing: board games, HORSE or hockey in the driveway, soccer or pass interception in the backyard —he wanted to win and wasn’t going to cut anyone a break,” Jessica said. “He hated when he was little if he thought we ‘let him win’ at things, so we rarely let our kids win at anything. Although they didn’t want to be allowed to win, they also hated losing.”

Back on the court as a senior, Justice and the Golden Hawks made it through 2021 without losing a game. The winning is fun, and so is being back in the mix with his teammates. 

“We’ve been playing together a long time and I love these guys,” Justice said. “We all enjoy it. We know how to play well together and it shows.”

He’s been dealing with the back injury since the seventh grade. At the end of his junior football season, he found out that three of his vertebrae were out of alignment, and two were cracked. So he had to sit out the basketball season. 

“It was long,” Jones said about the rehab process. “It took a lot of patience, and I’m not always great at being patient. But we eventually got there.”

Despite losing a pair of seniors from the rotation, the Mid-Prairie bench is even deeper this year, which has been key to the 7-0 start. 

Coach Daren Lambert has gone to his bench early in key games to keep his starters fresh. During Mid-Prairie’s win over Raytown South, Jones, Shawn Dodds, and Camron Pickard came off the bench less than four minutes into the game with a 9-5 lead. Dodds blocked a shot and then got an easy layup on a pass from Pickard. Mid-Prairie continued to rotate through the quarter as the lead grew to 15-10.

“We’ve got guys sitting on the bench that are starting for a lot of teams,” Lambert said. “ It’s great to have those three: Camron, Shawn, and Justice.”

After scoring just four points in 13 games last year, Pickard has 31 through seven contests and also has six assists and six steals. 

“I have all the confidence in the world in him,” Lambert said. “He’s a junior that I’m glad I get to have for the next two years.”

Ethan Kos has moved into the starting lineup this year to replace Aidan Rath, an RVC South all-conference selection a year ago. The 6-foot-5 Dodds backs up Kos in the post, while Jones can play several positions. 

Jones hit a 3-pointer and finished 2-for-3 for a season-high five points in a win at Cascade on December 16, but his contributions to the team are a lot more than just scoring. 

“We put him in about every position on the floor,” Lambert said. Tonight he was in the post, he was out on the wing. 

“He’s an all-state linebacker and he kind of plays basketball like an all-state linebacker which is exactly what you need coming off the bench. He defends well, he rebounds, he does all the tough things that you want guys coming in and doing.”

Even with limited minutes, Jones is tied for second on the team with nine steals, tied for third with 10 assists and has the third-most rebounds as well with 22. 

“I think the biggest thing with him is he’s fearless,” Lambert said. “He’s not going to back down from anything. And he’s going to go after every single ball. 

“So, when you ask me ‘what does he bring?’ It’s that toughness. He’s going to take shots if he’s open, he’s going to go in and get rebounds and he’s going to defend anyone he’s told to defend. And when you play with that attitude in basketball, you can find success.”