Ball State University Athletics
Jones Named MAC Freshman Of The Year
March 12, 2009 | Men's Basketball
“This a tremendous honor for Jarrod and our team as a whole,” head coach Billy Taylor said. “This honor speaks to the impact that he has had on our program this year, both offensively and defensively. He has been able to score in a variety of way including low post scoring, perimeter shots and second chance points. We are excited about Jarrod's future with the Ball State program.”
Jones, an Honorable Mention All-MAC selection, was the first Cardinal freshman since the 1979-80 season to earn All-MAC accolades (Ray McCallum) as he led BSU to a share of the MAC West Division title. He leads the Cardinals in scoring at 11.0 points per game and in rebounding at 7.4 boards per game. He ranks fifth all-time in Ball State history for freshman scoring and third all-time among freshman rebounding.
Jones, who was also named the MACReportonline.com Newcomer of the Year this week, has reached double figures in scoring 17 times this season while posting three double-doubles. He has led the team in scoring 12 times this year and the Cardinals are 9-3 in those games. He opened his career in brilliant fashion with a 21-point, 12-rebound effort in the season opener. He also was named the MAC West Player of the Week after averaging 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds against Bowling Green and Ohio.
Miami's Michael Bramos was named the MAC Player of the Year, Akron's Nate Linhart was the MAC Defensive Player of the Year and Brett McKnight was named the MAC's Sixth Man of the Year.
The Cardinals enter the 2009 MAC Tournament as the number two seed and receive a bye in the first round. Ball State opens play in the quarterfinals against #7 Central Michigan, which downed #10 Eastern Michigan in the first round. Game time is set for 12 p.m. at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
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