MORAGA, CA – Even the folks in shirts with stripes were curious about the girl whose game they were about to officiate.
“Is she really the top player in the country” more than one of the refs asked.
Whether or not Haley Jones of Archbishop Mitty-San Jose is the best player in the nation is debatable. Dan Olson of ESPNW rates Jones as the No. 2 player overall and the No. 1 wing in the class of 2019 and she was one of two girls from California along with ESPN No. 6 ranked guard Charisma Osborne of Windward-Los Angeles to be chosen for the 16-member 2018 USA U17 National Team.
The debate will continue this summer and through the NCAA viewing period in July and then in the fall and into next season, but one thing was certain and that was the 6-1 Jones, who was playing for the San Jose Cagers, was far and away the best player at the St. Mary’s College Jamboree last weekend.
She was a smooth as ever and even though she hardly broke a sweat she dazzled the crowds that gathered to see her, and even turned a few of the refs’ heads as well.
The Cagers had all their girls there and Cagers and Mitty Coach Sue Phillips mixed Jones into several sets so all the girls on the roster got some minutes with her which is what summer ball is all about. We observed Jones in three games over the two-day event and no matter who was on the court with her she sparkled each time and made everyone’s game look better.
In an 83-46 win over a Sacramento Sting team that featured two outstanding Swedish players and a solid incoming freshman, Jones played a little over half the game and finished with 22 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks. In a 64-35 victory over a short-handed Salesian, she played around half the game and had 16 points, eight assists, five rebounds and two blocks. In this game she unveiled a new move, a triple-twist and twirl scoop
Against Carondelet, Jones was at her best again in a 60-38 victory. She dazzled the crowd with behind the back dribbling and spin moves. As the first half was coming to a close she took it right down to the end before slipping past two defenders to float it home at the buzzer. Jones had 13 points, all in the first half, but of her seven assists, six came in the second half when she was feeding some of the role players. She also had 11 rebounds, seven in the second half, five steals and two blocks.
Is she the No. 1 player in the nation? Maybe so, but it’s no coincidence that during last season at Mitty UConn Coach Geno Auriemma, Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, and national champion coach Muffet McGraw of Notre Dame, all came to see her play. Plus she’s also had home visits from Cal, Louisville, Oregon, Texas and UCLA.
Those nine schools are the ones Jones has narrowed it down to as she leaves on the Fourth of July to join the USA U17 team in Colorado Springs. For two weeks the girls will prepare for the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup that will be held July 21-29 in Minsk, Belarus.
“I’m very, very excited. It is definitely the biggest opportunity I’ve ever had to showcase my skills,” Jones said between helping Phillips at a camp this week at Mitty for around 100 younger girls.
The biggest question facing the USA coaches, led by head coach Carol Berube of Tufts and including Vanessa Nygaard of CIF Open Division champion Windward, is where to utilize a girl that can play any position on the court.
“I’m not exactly sure where the USA coaches will play her but because of her versatility, ability and style of Haley will greatly contribute pretty much wherever they play her,” said Phillips, and she knows a little about USA Basketball as a former coach on past teams.
Jones looked good last weekend but it was not against anywhere near the competition she will face in July, so trying to determine just how much her game has improved since March was not an exact science.
“In my opinion Haley is playing some of her best basketball in all my years of coaching her,” Phillips remarked.
“I feel like I’m playing pretty well right now,” Jones said. “Making the USA team boosted my game and my confidence, and gave me more motivation to work harder, but now is when it all really begins.”
The USA girls are in Group B in Belarus and open against Italy on Saturday, July 21 at 6:15 AM California time.
Jones was outstanding but several other Cagers played well including incoming senior Ania McNicholas, and incoming sophomores Hunter Hernandez, Marley Langi and Olivia Williams. They will be in another feature coming shortly.
The Jamboree continues with Jamboree 2 this weekend and Prep2Prep will cover the action on Saturday. The event mixes club and high school teams, although the Cagers are made up of all girls going to Mitty.
