Jones' Real Tenure Hasn't Started

Joe Jones didn’t want any visitors celebrating on his basketball court. When the buzzer sounded and the Quakers had clinched the 2004-2005 Ivy championship, the baskets were pulled up early so that Fran Dunphy’s team could not cut down the nets in celebration.

This season has left muchto be desired. Many, including myself, thought that this Columbia squad could contend seriously for a spot in the top half of the conference standings. Instead, the Lions have lost eight straight—and stand a chance to finish at the bottom of the League. We were all warned by Jones about jumping on the bandwagon too soon, but its hard not to cling dearly to any signs of success.

Now, it’s time to put this season behind them. The Lions, with two road games left, have to think about next year, and the critics will start to scrutinize Jones more carefully.

It’s tough to hold Jones accountable for the performance of a team primarily consisting of players recruited by Armond Hill. Seniors Matt Preston, Jeremiah Boswell, Matt Land, Colin Davis, Tito Hill and Allan MacQuarrie have been through a tough stretch for Columbia basketball. But they leave knowing there is potential for a bright future. It’s Jones’ job, now, to realize that potential. But now that the vast majority of Armond’s players have graduated, Jones can establish full ownership over the team.

His first recruiting class has developed nicely. Brett Loscalzo has done a solid job at the point. Mack Montgomery, while struggling as of late, showed flashes earlier in the season. Kashif Sweet, before injuring his leg, showed that he could be a true playmaker. Recently, Ben Nwachukwu has gained control of his body and become a solid presence down low. And, over the past three games, John Baumann has averaged just under 15 points per game Jones has challenged, and won, recruiting battles against Penn and Princeton, and seems to be on track this year to bring more talented players to Levien.

This year the Lions breezed through a rather easy non-conference schedule, but have struggled in the Ivy season. Against Princeton and Penn this weekend, the team played sold first halves, but struggled in the final 20 minutes.

“For whatever reason, we haven’t been able to finish games the way we did earlier in the year,” Jones said, “and it’s definitely something that’s frustrating for all of us.”

This season, the Lions have missed several opportunities during this streak to win program-defining, momentum-shifting games. Every game the team has played this season has been winnable. This weekend, the Tigers took control after halftime, and the Quakers used a 25-4 run in the first 10 minutes of play to effectively clinch the conference title.

Going 6-8 last year en route to a tie for fifth place in the conference drew more attention to this year’s Lions, leaving them without the advantage of flying under the radar.

Next year, Jones’ task becomes even harder. With his recruits developing, the team has to win some big games, especially against the Quakers and Tigers. Another losing Ivy record may have many fans once so excited by the energy and hope Jones brought in losing their faith. The rebuilding rationale he can give to prospective players will wear off and his efforts will come under the microscope.

With two games left, the team needs to perform, not only to stop a disastrous skid, but to end the year on a positive note. Last year’s season finale sweep of Yale and Brown gave the Lions energy until the first tipoff of the 2004-2005 season. This year, a Penn-Princeton home sweep would have given even more energy (regardless of the losing streak), but two wins on the road over the Bulldogs and Bears would also be respectable.

Regardless of the rest of this season, Jones’ turnaround efforts need to start showing results next season, when he has two recruiting classes loaded with talent to rival the Killer P’s. A relatively young Quakers team won the conference championship with a solid combination of youth and veteran leadership.

The Lions will need similar chemistry next year and should follow Penn’s lead.