Myreon Jones' shot now on point after healing from broken finger
Throughout the month of January, there seemed to be something wrong with Myreon Jones’ shot.
As it turns out, he couldn’t put a finger on it.
Florida coach Mike White revealed that the Penn State transfer has been playing with a broken finger for the past five weeks following Jones’ season-high 23 points Wednesday in UF’s 72-63 win over Georgia.
He suffered the injury against South Florida on Dec. 18, missed the next game against Stony Brook and returned to the lineup Jan. 5 in the SEC opener vs. Alabama.
Jones broke the index finger on his non-shooting hand, but the injury still affected his shot.
“Myreon Jones has just played the last 12 games with a broken finger,” White said. “He’s got a splint on his finger and he’s catching it gingerly. I’m sure he felt a little bit more comfortable tonight.”
Recovery for a broken finger typically takes 4-6 weeks, and Jones’ comfort level has improved since the calendar turned to February.
He had an 18-point breakout game in a comeback victory at Mizzou, then hit two huge 3-pointers in Florida’s overtime win over Ole Miss while playing through a minor ankle injury.
Jones had his best performance yet against Georgia, scoring 23 points with a career-high seven 3-pointers. He has shot 14-for-23 from 3-point range (.609) over the last three games.
“He’s shooting it well, man,” White said. “If he doesn’t go 7-for-11 from three, I don’t think we win this game. He was terrific. Shot it with confidence.”
Jones made his presence felt defensively, as well, recording his first career game with two blocked shots. He also made a steal and drew his team-high 12th charge of the season.
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“He was pretty solid defensively as well,” White said. “He’s taken as many charges as anyone on this team. I’m not sure he’s going to get us two blocks every night, but he’s flying around a little bit. He played really well. He was our best player tonight.”
Jones finally found his groove from downtown and said the basket has felt “huge” for him over the past three games.
“When I get in that groove, I’m just shooting. I don’t think about nothing else, I just shoot. That’s just the results,” Jones said. “It felt great. It felt even better that my teammates were actually just looking for me, telling me, ‘Run here, run there, I’ll look for you.’
“I think that’s the best feeling as a shooter, just going in and the team isn’t getting jealous. They’re actually looking for me. So, I think that was the best part.”
Jones’ recent success has not only boosted his confidence, but helped his teammates get better scoring opportunities on offense. White said the threat of Jones from beyond the arc extends defenses and prevents double teams on Colin Castleton.
“I know a lot of times when we throw it in to Colin, they’re going to trap right away,” Jones said. “If I’m hitting shots, they can’t trap Colin like that. [Tyree] Appleby can get downhill, Phlan [Fleming] can get to his spots, Wacie [Reeves] can get his shots. Everybody can find their spots if I’m hitting shots. It just opens up the offense.”
