Young Hoops Star on the Rise in Central Florida

Remember the name Ashley Jones.

Yes, the senior is the all-time leading scorer at Lake Howell High School (Winter Park, Fla.). Yes, she led the Silver Hawks to a 29-2 mark this past season (despite missing time with a severe liver infection), capping it with their first ever 5A girls basketball state title, topping Davie Nova 50-39 in the championship game on Feb. 27. And yes, she was recently named the Florida girls basketball Gatorade Player of the Year.

After a state title her senior season, Ashley Jones will attend Mississippi State in the fall of 2009.

But Jones has things in perspective. She is a woman of faith, she is a caring aunt to her sister's two young children and she is a consummate team player. After scoring just 12 points in the state final, 10 points below her season average, Jones was quick to dismiss any concerns about her individual stats.

"I'm the type of player who doesn't have to score," Jones told the Orlando Sentinel. "As long as our team comes out with a win, that is all I was thinking about."

And despite all of the honors in her past, Jones is far from finished. There are likely more state basketball awards in her immediate future and the 5'11" guard has already signed with Mississippi State University for the 2009-2010 school year.

FANAwards.com spoke recently to Jones in hopes of getting to know the rising hoops star and to get her take on being a talented young athlete in the Orlando area.

FAN: Congratulations, Ashley, on your state championship and on all of the recent accolades. How did you get your start playing basketball? How were you introduced to the game?

Jones: I started when I was nine years old. My brother played before me and I started after watching him play.

But, to be honest, I used to hate basketball. I just thought it was boring. I was into soccer and other stuff. But then I started playing basketball, and I wasn't very good at first and I wanted to get better. From there, it just progressed into an obsession… like it is now. And thankfully I got better and better.

FAN: As a youngster, did you play any other sports as well?

Jones: Yeah, I guess I was more or less a "neighborhood kid." You know? When I got home from school, I would usually head right outside to play with the other kids the rest of the afternoon until it got dark out. We played volleyball and I ran track for a while, but they got old after a while.

FAN: So when did basketball really become your favorite?

Jones: Like I said, it definitely wasn’t my favorite at first. But it became my favorite when I got a lot better at it than I was at the other sports.

FAN: At some point, you must have made the realization of "Hey, I'm pretty good at this sport! Maybe I could play in college." When did you get beyond just the casual enjoyment of the game?

Jones: In middle school, I was part of an advanced academic program at school, so I'd always planned on going for an academic scholarship when it came to college. I liked basketball then, but it wasn't that serious. Not until I was a freshman in high school did I actually think about playing ball in college.

I woke up one morning thinking, "How can I get better?" and spent most of the day figuring out what I had to do to improve on the court. And from that point on, I was obsessed.

FAN: What was it like growing up in the Orlando area? Is the girls' hoops scene there pretty serious?

Jones: Yeah, it's pretty serious. But I guess it partly depends on the school you go to and the conference you play in. At Lake Howell, it's taken very seriously among the girls I played with.

At 5'11" , Jones knows that improving her footwork and ball-handling will be priorities when she takes a step up to the college game.

FAN: So your high school team won the state 5A championship, you were named the Gatorade Florida player of the year and you're finishing up your senior year at Lake Howell. And you're planning on heading to Mississippi State in the fall. Even with all of your success, how do you feel about stepping up to play at MSU against big-time competition in the SEC? Do you think that transition will be a difficult one?

Jones: Oh, it'll be a challenge. But almost nothing worth having is easy to achieve. It won't be an easy transition, but I'm not scared.

FAN: What drew you to Mississippi State? What made their program stick out to you?

Jones: From my experience, Mississippi State has a great coaching staff. They're great people and they have great character. You don't find that too often these days. A lot of people in this business say one thing and do another. Sticking to your word means a lot. I saw how the people at Mississippi State treated people and I just got a feeling that I wanted to be a part of their program. You want to play for people like this. I hope their quality will rub off on me so that I can grow and be a better person.

It's also in a really nice little town and I feel like I'll be comfortable there.

FAN: You've been training with former NBA player and slam-dunk champ Dee Brown -- who played for your hometown Magic for a while -- to prepare yourself for the college game. What's that like? What is Dee like as a person and a trainer and how has he helped you out so far?

Jones: I think Dee is just a gifted individual. He's one of those people that you meet and you almost immediately know that they're special. He has an amazing ability to convey basketball knowledge in a way that I can understand it. And he does a great job of combining flashy "street play" with basic fundamentals. He's just a great trainer.

FAN: Is there anything in particular that you've been working on – on the court – to prepare for the move up to the collegiate level?

Jones: I've been doing a lot of weightlifting. I've always been skinny and have usually had a smaller frame than most of the players I've been competing against. So to excel at the next level with everything from rebounding to ball-handling, I know I'm going to need to get stronger physically.

On the court, in terms of skills, I'm focusing most of all on my ball-handling and my footwork. Ever since I started playing basketball, I've been a good shooter. And because I'm usually taller than the players guarding me, I've usually been able to shoot over them.  So now that I'm going to be going against players who are bigger and probably quicker too, I really need to work on my ball-handling and footwork so that I can open up other aspects of my game. I need to become a more versatile player.  I'm listed as 5'9" everywhere, but I'm really 5'11". And at that height in the college game, I'll have to be able to do a little bit of everything.

FAN: What do you think will be the biggest adjustment in going to college and having to balance being a student with being a big-time Division I basketball player?

Jones: I think the biggest adjustment for me will be not having my family there with me. I've lived with them all for 17 years, so it'll be weird not being with them. I think that'll be hard. We're a really close family.

FAN: You talked earlier about your brother and his influence on you as a basketball player. How old are your siblings?

Jones: My brother goes to Florida State and he's 20. My sister is 23 and married, but I see her just about every day. She just had her second child, too, so maybe the hardest part for me going away to college is knowing that for four years, I'm not going to be an everyday part of those kids' lives. That makes me kind of sad.

FAN: So have you thought about life beyond college? Is the WNBA a goal of yours?

Jones: The WNBA is awesome and I really look up to players like Candice Wiggins, Candace Parker, Katie Douglas and Lauren Jackson. In the future if the door is open and the opportunity presents itself, I'm sure that's something I'd be highly interested in.

FAN: If you had a message for other female basketball players who are growing up and want sports to be a part of their lives moving forward, what would it be? Do you have any words of wisdom?

Jones: Work hard every day so that when a great opportunity comes, you can seize it.