For one, Jones is closer to home. He lives in Katy with his wife Jada Jones, an assistant basketball coach at Katy Taylor, and was commuting the 45 minutes every day to Klein Collins High in Spring. The previous five years, Jones was an assistant coach for the Tigers.
Second, and perhaps most enticing, Jones felt the pressure of success.
Fulshear is coming off a 33-6 Class 5A state semifinalist season. Before she left to lead the Atascocita girls program, coach D’Shanna Brown compiled a 106-82 record at Fulshear, winning 21 or more games three of the last four seasons. The Chargers already have nine playoff wins in just six years of varsity play.
All of that made the job attractive, Jones said. But it also made it a little scary.
“There’s pressure to get things rolling early,” Jones said. “They’re disappointed they couldn’t make it to the state final last year and play for a state championship. But they also understand the target on their back. Fulshear is now a hot topic.
“There are expectations, and now it’s about how we prepare. Do we prepare like we’ve been there before, or do we prepare like we just expect to win because of what we did last year? We can’t come in and make lackadaisical mistakes, because they will come back to haunt you in the end when you don’t want them to.”
Aside from his handful of years at Klein Collins, Jones also has college coaching experience at LeTourneau and Houston Baptist (now Houston Christian).
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He favors a fast-paced style of play. Five-out sets on offense, with high ball screens to get guards going downhill to attack the rim or drive and kick to open shooters. A fullcourt, man-to-man defense to create more possessions.
“I want to play up tempo,” Jones said. “I think we have the individuals to play up tempo, get after it defensively. Create turnovers that put us in transition to finish.”
Jones has a feel for what kind of team he has after watching the Chargers compete in the fall league over the last six weeks.
Six players return from last year’s team. Fulshear lost quality talent to graduation, and talented, versatile forward Kimora Lopez (9.7 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game, 2.2 steals per game) transferred.
But the main core of last year’s Region III-5A champion is back.
“I think we’re going to be really talented,” Jones said. “Now it’s kind of just working in the system I want. These young ladies kind of know each other already, so I hope it will be an easy transition with that chemistry in a new system.”
Junior guard Ruke Ogbevire is the face of this year’s Chargers.
Ogbevire averaged 13.4 points, 4.4 assists, 3.9 steals and 3.4 rebounds per game last year. But with older sister Ese now playing at the University of Pennsylvania and Lopez gone, Ogbevire figures to be the primary focus of opposing game plans.
Her skills pit her up for the challenge. Ogbevire can score at all three levels. She has deep 3-point range, can get to the basket with ease and can get a bucket one-on-one or coming off a screen.
“Ruke is that kid,” Jones said. “You put the ball in her hands, she’ll give you everything you need. Right now, I’m putting a lot of pressure on her to guard some of the other team’s better offensive threats. Watching film, I noticed she can get handsy a little bit, so I’m challenging her to play with her feet and not with her hands. We’re going to need her on the floor. She will make everything go, and we’ll go as far as she takes us.”
Ogbevire will have plenty of help.
Junior forward Sophia Semmler averaged 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds last year. Junior guard Kinzie Searcy averaged 5.5 points and made 38 3-pointers. Senior post Jada Morgan averaged 5.2 points and 8.7 rebounds, including 4.4 on the offensive glass.
But an emerging standout, Jones said, is junior guard Campbell Hill, who averaged 5.8 points and made 30 3s last season.
“Everybody knows Ruke, Sophia, Jada. But the one really surprising me is Campbell,” Jones said. “She’s part of this huge junior class and is a really good kid. She’s already exceeded some of the expectations, as far as leadership and availability during the summer for workouts, and just being in the right places at the right time defensively. She communicates very well. She can shoot the ball very well. She’s going to help propel this group forward.”
Jones said senior backup point guard Hikmat Oladejo and sophomore scoring guard Brenda Arreaza are newcomers who have impressed and could see quality playing time this year.
Talent, experience and depth are in place for Jones. He admitted it is a tricky balance meshing his philosophy and culture with expectations and habits derived from last year’s breakout campaign.
“Right now, it’s just getting them to buy in to how I want to do things,” Jones said. “It could be totally different from what they’re used to hearing. Once we get comfortable and aren’t second-guessing anything, it will all play a part in... Click here to read full article
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