Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, Nate Jones: Both sides now

Barry Faulkner

Though he was a teenager before he began his basketball career,

Costa Mesa High senior Nate Jones has already played all the angles.

He experienced the euphoria of sharing the Pacific Coast League

championship as a freshman, then endured losing 20 straight league games

the last two varsity campaigns.

He knows what its like to play in the paint, though somewhat undersized

at 6-foot-3, but has also savored the freedom which comes with playing on

the perimeter.

It is no surprise, then, that resiliency joins quickness, leaping ability

and an innate knack for scoring, among the attributes which have shaped

his on-court success.

“I take things easily,” said the Mustangs’ versatile wing, who scored 54

points in three games (Dec. 20-22) to earn Daily Pilot Athlete of the

Week recognition.

Bob Serven, the fiery first-year Mesa coach who has orchestrated the 12-4

record the Mustangs take into the new millennium, recognizes and

appreciates Jones’ willingness to accept the sharp-tongued criticism his

intensity often generates.

“I know he’s not happy about getting chewed out, but one of the things

he’s very good about is not showing that frustration and just responding

with his play,” Serven said. “I got on him at halftime the other day,

when he only had four points against Trabuco Hills and he scored 19 in

the second half.”

Jones, who averaged 7.4 points as a sophomore and led the Mustangs in

scoring a year ago (15.4 ppg), said he has welcomed Serven’s high-decibel

harangues.

“(Serven) has made a big difference,” Jones explained. “The biggest thing

he’s given us is discipline.”

Jones and his teammates have given plenty in return, already posting the

program’s best win total in 17 seasons.

Jones’ contributions include inside-outside scoring punch, tenacious

rebounding and improved defense.

“He plays hard and he’s been pretty consistent,” said Serven, who was

responsible for liberating Jones from the post position. It was a move

Jones had hoped for since joining the varsity.

“I played inside, because that was where the team needed me,” Jones said.

“But I like the perimeter better. I wasn’t going to go anywhere as a 6-3

inside player, but playing outside really helps my chances to play in

college.”

Jones has done nothing to discourage prospective college coaches about

his ability to contribute facing the basket.

“He’s more of a driver and slasher, but he has a good intermediate game

and he’s a good rebounder,” Serven said. “He’s got a good 15-foot jumper

and he’s becoming a good free-throw shooter. One thing he needs to work

on is being more consistent from the three-point line.”

Jones is no stranger to hard work. Since embracing the game as a

seventh-grader, he has thrown himself into developing his ample skills.

“When I started playing, I was a little mad at myself for never having

played before,” Jones said. “I always liked watching basketball on TV,

but I never got into it. I was just into other things.”

Jones is usually in the middle of the action for the Mustangs, running

the lane in transition, creating in the half-court offense, or patrolling

the more active side of Serven’s aggressive zone defense.

“When our offense is dead, I like to drive in and get it going,” Jones

said.

“He takes the ball strong to the basket,” Serven said.

Jones scored 21 points in a Dec. 20 tournament loss to Carson, which

ended a five-game Mustang winning streak. He then had 23 points and eight

rebounds in a 63-59 win over Trabuco Hills and collected 10 points, all

in the second half, in a Dec. 23 nonleague triumph over Sunny Hills.

He also hit 15 of 16 foul shots in those three games.

Jones is averaging 15 points and seven rebounds per game, despite sharing

marquee status with senior teammate Ryan Naff. But any individual success

is secondary to the huge team turnaround.

“We’re on a roll,” he said. “Hopefully, we can keep it going in league

(which opens Friday against visiting cross-town rival Estancia).”