Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Arkansas transfer C.J. Jones joins Blue Raider hoops
5/11/2018 10:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Will sit one year and play two in Murfreesboro
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Another highly-touted transfer from a Division I program has joined the fold for head men's basketball coach Nick McDevitt as it was announced Friday that former Arkansas Razorback C.J. Jones has signed his grant-in-aid to become a Blue Raider.
Middle Tennessee welcomes the 6-foot-5 guard after two seasons in Fayetteville in which Jones saw significant playing time off the bench. With action in all 35 games as a sophomore, Jones saw the floor an average of 14.8 minutes per game and was head coach Mike Anderson's fifth-leading scorer at 6.3 points per outing.
"C.J. will add a lot of size and athleticism to our backcourt," McDevitt said. "He has the ability to score the ball in a variety of ways and we're looking forward to him being a part of our program and having him eligible for the 2019-20 season."
After sitting one season in Murfreesboro due to NCAA transfer rules, Jones will have two seasons to play in blue and white.
"This redshirt year will be the biggest year of my life, I'll have no days off," Jones said. "I have to be in the gym each and every day and work on every aspect of my game to be the best player I can be."
Jones was a 42.3 percent shooter and hit 37.1 percent from behind the arc as a sophomore, ranking third on the team in 3-pointers made last season with 43 trifectas. In limited time during his freshman season he shot 47.2 percent from the field and 50 percent from three and is a career 77.4 percent free throw shooter.
The Birmingham native and three-star recruit was ranked the No. 6 player in the state of Alabama out of Central Park Christian where he averaged 28 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals as a senior.
Jones' path so far will sound eerily familiar to Blue Raider fans as he follows the footsteps of fellow Birmingham native and Central Park Christian alumnus JaCorey Williams, who spent three seasons at Arkansas before finishing his career at Middle Tennessee while earning Conference USA Player of the Year honors.
"I chose Middle Tennessee because I know it's going to be a great fit for me and I will be able to produce and show my talents at all levels and Coach McDevitt has the confidence in me to do just that," Jones added. "He is a very cool, laid back guy and I really like that he can relate so well to us as a younger coach, but he also has a lot of experience and knows what he's doing."
Middle Tennessee welcomes the 6-foot-5 guard after two seasons in Fayetteville in which Jones saw significant playing time off the bench. With action in all 35 games as a sophomore, Jones saw the floor an average of 14.8 minutes per game and was head coach Mike Anderson's fifth-leading scorer at 6.3 points per outing.
"C.J. will add a lot of size and athleticism to our backcourt," McDevitt said. "He has the ability to score the ball in a variety of ways and we're looking forward to him being a part of our program and having him eligible for the 2019-20 season."
After sitting one season in Murfreesboro due to NCAA transfer rules, Jones will have two seasons to play in blue and white.
"This redshirt year will be the biggest year of my life, I'll have no days off," Jones said. "I have to be in the gym each and every day and work on every aspect of my game to be the best player I can be."
Jones was a 42.3 percent shooter and hit 37.1 percent from behind the arc as a sophomore, ranking third on the team in 3-pointers made last season with 43 trifectas. In limited time during his freshman season he shot 47.2 percent from the field and 50 percent from three and is a career 77.4 percent free throw shooter.
The Birmingham native and three-star recruit was ranked the No. 6 player in the state of Alabama out of Central Park Christian where he averaged 28 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals as a senior.
Jones' path so far will sound eerily familiar to Blue Raider fans as he follows the footsteps of fellow Birmingham native and Central Park Christian alumnus JaCorey Williams, who spent three seasons at Arkansas before finishing his career at Middle Tennessee while earning Conference USA Player of the Year honors.
"I chose Middle Tennessee because I know it's going to be a great fit for me and I will be able to produce and show my talents at all levels and Coach McDevitt has the confidence in me to do just that," Jones added. "He is a very cool, laid back guy and I really like that he can relate so well to us as a younger coach, but he also has a lot of experience and knows what he's doing."
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