Grand Bahama has a lot to be proud of with the skyrocketing progress of Jonquel Jones! The 21 year old George Washington’s 6-foot-4 junior post player was just named by Atlantic 10 coaches, the league’s Player of the Year and its Defensive Player of the Year.
On the school's website, her coach wrote, “It’s a great honour that Jonquel was recognised as Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year because of the impact that she has on both ends of the court. I’m incredibly proud of her."
Colonials coach Jonathan Tsipis describes Jones as an 'unselfish superstar,' and said, “Whatever we need her to do, that’s what she does. She’s as willing to rebound and make a difference on the defensive end as she is to score.”
“My biggest role, I think, is just to be a leader,” said Jones. “I try to make sure that everything is moving smoothly. I try to make sure that everyone is doing what they need to do to get us a win.”
“That ‘W’ is the only thing that really counts — and it’s the only thing I want,” says Jones.
Jones ranks among the league’s top 10 in four statistical categories: rebounds (first, 12.5 rpg), blocked shots (fourth, 1.8 bpg), points (sixth, 15.3 ppg) and field goal percentage (eighth, .494).
Growing up in
Grand Bahama, and highly adept at any sport she participated in, Jones
also excelled in soccer and played on the Bahamas national team.
Believed to be just the 3rd Bahamian girls' basketball player ever to
earn a Division I scholarship straight out of high school, she led the
Bahamian National Team to fifth place at the Caribbean Basketball
Confederation (CBC) Senior Championship in 2014.
Last November
she returned home to a hero's welcome to play in the Junkanoo Jam, where
Team GW won and she was named the MVP of the tournament.
Jonquel is the daughter of Ettamae and Preston Jones. She has two brothers, David and Tino, and four sisters, Danielle, Niya, Juanita and Prestina. She is majoring in criminal justice.
