DUBLIN – Basketball coaches say it all the time —

"square up and shoot" – and every once in a while a high school

basketball player will do just that — 'square up and shoot.'

Most players have their own unique style which they learned when they were

growing up. They were six or seven years old and playing in a recreation league

and found an easy way to make their shots go into the basket. Nobody said to

them that it was the wrong way to shoot. All fans would asked at the end of the

game was: How many points did you score? The more one scored — the more family

and friends talked about it. Maybe the best jumper one took was really an

off-balanced shot... no big deal and so shooting a basketball in one's

comfortable stuck for years.

As players grew and got better, the competition also got better. More and more

players were turning to AAU were the competition is stiff and the rewards are

trips far away from home. With these trips far away from home on the weekend,

some players had to learn to shoot, rebound, play defense and offense at a

different level.

And yet others were ready to learn the proper way to 'square up and shoot' if

need be to be successful.

One of those players is junior Ambrose Jones.

"Everytime she shoots, she squares up. The shot may be off target from the

left or right corner the first time, the form is perfect. Why?

"I give credit to my AAU Coach Kenny Myers and to my mother (Patricia) and

my Dad (Quinton)," said Jones.

"Coach Myers taught me everything I know about the game. "He told me

to shoot the ball this way. I listened and followed it. When he told me to move

my feet on defense, I understood why. When he show me how to block out and get

rebounds, I understood the reasoning behind it," said Jones.

So she took those skills home and worked on them, but sometimes she wanted to

play one-on-one or 'horse' or 'Around-the-world' and there was good old mom

ready to pitch in and help that young daughter become a talented basketball.

"She would shoot with me. I know she was pretty good basketball player in

her day here at Pulaski County High School," said Jones. "She said she played for Coach

(Rod) Reedy."

Reedy, who is now the principal at PCHS, said he recalled Patricia Jones when

she played at PCHS.

"She was more of a true slasher to the basket. She could attack the hoop.

She was a good, natural athlete, " said Reedy.

So Jones, the daughter, worked on her game. After playing at Pulaski Middle

School, Jones player her freshman season on the jayvee level.

"I was a shooting guard that year and every year I have been here,"

said Jones. "Last year I moved up to the varsity, but I wasn't very

confident. I don't know exactly why. I guess it was a growing period to adjust

to Coach (Brenda) King. She didn't know me or any of the other players. So we

kind of learned about each other during the year.

This season Jones is more confident than ever.

"I don't know what it is," said Jones. "I'm not a senior, but

when my teammates passed the ball to me on the wing or corner, I feel very

confident that I will make the shot. If I hit that first basket, I can stroke it

from anywhere. My confidence grows and grows," said Jones.

Last week Jones had her best shooting games of her varsity career. She put in

what was then a personal best of 19 points against Carroll County as the Cougars

won 52-33.

Jones sank four two-point jumpers and three, three-pointers. She was two-of-two

from the foul line with three assists and two steals.

After that game heads turned. Nobody had ever seen Jones hit for more points. It

was a big time effort from a five-foot-eight young lady who is so polite and

quiet that you sometimes never know she's on the floor.

That performance came on a Monday night. The next game the Cougars opened

district play at home against Salem.

Seniors T.T. Webb and Shauna Thornton were expected to lead the team and they

did.

Jones, however, stepped her game up another notch. It's the type of game college

coaches want when they are recruiting high school basketball players.

Jones scored a career and game-high 31-points. It was a sensational effort. Her

teammates helped her out with good passes, but it was Jones, who worked free to

get her medium range jumpers or those three pointers from the left and right

wings.

Jones sank six-of-nine shots beyond the arc. She sank three jumpers and was a

perfect seven-of-seven at the foul line. She had six rebounds, six steals and

two assists.

It was the best effort any varsity boys or girls basketball player had turn in

this season.

"She simply amazed me," said Pulaski County Coach Brenda King.

"I told her and the kids in the lockerroom that whatever she was eating,

she better give it to the rest of us," said King.

"I knew she could score, but she gave us a whole new concept of whom

Ambrose Jones is," said King.

Jones kind of brushed it off like it was no big deal.

Name you best three varsity outings you have had," said this reporter.

"Thursday night's game against Salem and I remember scoring more points in

some other games, but not on the varsity level," said Jones, but she

couldn't remember where and when.

Jones says the confidence is flowing. I am more aggressive this year than last

year. I can't put my finger on it.

Maybe it's because she's playing at the Y more when she isn't studying or at

after school pracitce.

"Usually when I go to the 'Y' I play basketball with Demterious (Brown) and

Corey (Poindexter) when he's in town and some of the others who have played

varsity basketball at PCHS," said Jones.

Does she have any goals set for this year?

"I want to make more shots than I did last year. I want to have more

rebounds than last year. I don't know how many shots I made last year or

rebounds I got, but I know , it wasn't what I wanted," Jones said.

Jones said Coach King talks to her all the time.

"She tells me to never give up and to constantly move my feet. She repeats

it over and over. I guess I've been listening to my coaches and I'm setting an

example as I play the game," said Jones.

Click Here to view this Link.