It was a familiar sight that had become all too uncommon for Lamont (Momo) Jones.
As the Harlem native walked off the court at Gauchos Gym on Tuesday night following the EBC Rucker Park semifinals he sat in the right bleachers surrounded by nearly a dozen family members. As Jones took off his sneakers and put a chain around his neck there were words of support and congratulations following the Bingo’s All-Stars win.
“When I’m home and they play at street tournaments they come all the time, whether it’s a little game, small game they are always there,” Jones said. “They never let me travel alone because they don’t get to see me play during the year. It’s very important to them to see me play.”
Being around his family more is a matter of great importance for the 6-foot, 196-pound guard who played his high school ball at Rice, American Christian and Oak Hill. Jones spent his first two college seasons at Arizona playing on the opposite coast from family. He said they only got to watch him play twice at the end of his freshman year. Last year he led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight and averaged 9.7 points per game.
Even so things didn’t feel right for Jones.
“He is so used to turning around and seeing his family in the stands,” famed Bingo’s All-Stars coach Bingo Cole said. “Being all the way in Arizona that kind of bothered him. … They have been in the stands all this time. For him to be turning around and not seeing them is kind of crazy.”
That will change.
Jones chose to leave Arizona to move to a school close to home, eventually picking Iona. His grandmother is battling Hepatitis C and his sister will be making the transition from eighth grade to high school. Jones, whose father was killed outside their apartment when he was 8, wants to be a father figure to his sister and be there at a time he believes his family needs him.
“A lot of people speculate why I left,” Jones said. “It was strictly family — that’s it.”
There was talk that he was leaving because his playing time might have been limited with high-profile recruit Josiah Turner coming in and the rise of sophomore Jordin Mayes.
Jones was rumored to be heading to St. John’s, something he said he expected because it seemed like the natural destination after leaving Arizona. He said he never talked to St. John’s. It likely could not have been a landing place because Jones played two seasons for Red Storm director of basketball operations Mo Hicks at Rice. A 2010 NCAA rule prevents a player from playing at a school where a former coach is employed for the first two seasons.
Again the decision came down to family – this time on the court.
Jones talked about Gaels star forward Mike Glover, who also plays for Bingo’s All-Stars, as a big brother to him and talked similarly of guard Trinity Fields, who played at Cardozo. He also knows soon-to-be backcourt mate Scott Machado well. Iona said in a press release early this week that it will apply to the NCAA for a hardship waiver to allow Jones to be eligible to compete for the 2011-12 season. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
“It was like leaving something so foreign to coming back home to play with a group of kids that I consider family that’s had my back for a long time,” Jones said.
The Gaels are coming off a resurgent season under first-year coach Tim Cluess. They won the MAAC regular season title, but lost a heartbreaker to St. Peter’s in the tournament final costing them a berth in the NCAA tournament. Jones feels he can bring the experience of playing in the NCAA tournament, toughness and a chip on his shoulder to improve. Cole believes the combination of him and Glover and their chemistry in the conference will be tough to defend.
“They are going to yell at each other,” Cole said. “They are going to spit at each other. In the end they are winners.”
Jones believes he found himself a winning situation. He will be surrounded by family on and off the court when he begins the next chapter of his life in both basketball and beyond.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Jones said. “I’ve known them since I was a little kid and I think we can do something special.”