Scouting video: NC State senior signee Zamareya Jones
NC State senior point guard signee Zamareya Jones put on a show at the John Wall Holiday Invitational.
Jones helped lead Bethel (N.C.) North Pitt to wins over Rolesville (N.C.) High and Charlotte (N.C.) Catholic, before falling 68-52 to Denville (N.J.) Morris Catholic in the title game Dec. 30 at Raleigh Broughton High.
Statistics
Jones went 15 of 28 from the field, 3 of 11 on three-pointers and made all four free throws en route to 37 points. She added nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two turnovers in the 68-52 loss.
Video
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Observations
1. Jones can stop and pop from the mid-range with the best of them and got a big chunk of her 37 points with jumpers. She has solid form on her three-point shot, but is more of a rhythm shooter from deep. When she drives hard and pulls up for the mid-range jumper, she rarely seems to miss.
Jones also never gets tired, despite the heavy load she carries. With freshman Jordan Speller’s arrival, Jones is playing off the ball much more than in years past. She didn’t get much scoring help against Morris Catholic — the rest of the team had 15 points — but she’s a gifted passer.
2. What makes Jones unique is that she has a gift for angles and squeezing her way to the rim, despite being around 5-6 or 5-7. She made several layups and once she gets downhill, is tough to slow down. She understands how to finish around the rim, and that usually dictates how good a player will be in college.
The Wolfpack Central has watched Jones play in three games over three years, and her leadership has improved and the fact that she had just three turnovers against a quick Morris Catholic squad — with all the usage rate she has — is impressive. She set a new John Wall Holiday Invitational scoring record with 112 points for her three games.
3. Jones is a little shorter than the listed 5-10 of current NC State freshman point guard Zoe Brooks, who is averaging 10.2 points and 4.2 assists per game, but it would be a lot of fun to see them play together. Jones’ size isn’t going to change, but to put it in perspective, Notre Dame star freshman point guard Hannah Hidalgo is listed at 5-6 and she is averaging a gaudy 23.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. UConn freshman guard KK Arnold is listed at 5-9 and is averarging 9.7 points per game.
Jones has quick hands on defense and she’s intense. She had to go against small, but quick guards in junior twin sisters Mya Pauldo and Mia Pauldo of Morris Catholic. Mia is ranked No. 7 by HoopGurlz and Mya is No 46 in the class of 2025. Jones battled as best she could, but two proved to be better than one that game.
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