Sports

Iona star Jones faces off against Ohio State’s Craft

Iona senior Lamont “Momo” Jones is one of the nation’s most explosive scorers, a lethal shooter and slasher who averaged 23 points per game. Ohio State junior Aaron Craft is regarded as one of the nation’s top perimeter defenders, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the opposition’s top player.

Tomorrow, something has to give, and the winner of the highly anticipated matchup between the two star guards could determine the NCAA Tournament West Region second-round contest between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 15 Iona in Dayton, Ohio.

“It’s going to be a heck of a matchup,” Iona coach Tim Cluess said. “It’s two great players going after each other.”

The ultra-confident Jones had yet to see film of Craft’s defensive prowess before the Gaels headed to Dayton following a pep rally at the school yesterday. He knows Craft’s reputation as a physical, lockdown defender who twice bottled up Michigan star Trey Burke this season. Yet Jones has a supreme belief in himself, a J.R. Smith-like confidence that every shot he takes will go in.

“I’ve heard it, I’ve listened to it, I’ll embrace it, but at the same time with my mentality, I don’t feel like there’s anybody that can stop me,” said Jones, a 6-foot Harlem product. “That’s just how I go into every game. That’s no knock on what he does. I haven’t seen him. I don’t know the guy, just like he doesn’t know me.

“I’m going to go out and play to the best of my ability,” he added. “If he happens to be one of the best defensive players in the country, we’ll see. If not, we’ll see that, too.”

After watching the selection show, Iona forward Taaj Ridley jokingly told Jones, “We’ll see if you can score now.”

Jones smiled and shook his head.

“He’s up to the challenge,” Ridley said. “I hope Craft is up to the challenge.”

The quick, instinctive and smart 6-foot-2 Craft was the 2012 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and had a huge NCAA Tournament, making 16 steals in five games to fuel the Buckeyes’ run to the Final Four. He had a big junior year, setting the school’s all-time steals record with 236, though he failed to repeat as the rugged conference’s top defender, which Ohio State coach Thad Matta vehemently disagreed with.

Cluess plans to use Jones on the ball and off of it, run him off screens and let him create for himself off the dribble. The coach said Jones needs to be patient.

“It also depends how much the referees let go,” Cluess said. “The kid [Craft] plays a lot with his hands, pushes and shoves a lot. If they allow that to happen, we have to figure [something] out that it won’t affect us.”

All eyes will be on the two, Jones and Craft, the prolific scorer and the dogged defender. Though Craft may have a bigger name, Jones has never backed down from a challenge.

“He’s played against top players around the country his whole life,” Cluess said. “He’s not going to take a back seat to anyone.”