The Loyola Maryland men's basketball team has played its past seven games without junior Jarred Jones, and the 6-foot-7, 188-pound forward is not expected to return soon, according to coach G.G. Smith.
"He has the knee, and he also has a wrist issue," Smith said Thursday of the John Carroll graduate. "So we don't know yet. He's still out indefinitely for now, and we don't know his timetable for coming back. It could be a couple weeks, it could be a couple months. We're not sure right now. He's going to go to the doctor on Monday. So he'll get re-evaluated on Monday, and we'll see where he is. But for a guy like him, some time off is always great."
Jones, who was the team's leading returning scorer (8.6 points per game) and leading rebounder (4.5 per game) last season, had averaged 6.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two starts for the Greyhounds (3-6). But his absence has been filled capably by 6-8, 202-pound freshman Cam Gregory, who has 6.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in seven starts.
“He’s just tenacious on the boards,” Smith said. “We need his athleticism, we need his craftiness inside. He just attacks the basket and had a couple dunks against St. Joe’s [in a 68-42 loss Tuesday] where he got the offensive rebound. He’s been doing great. We need his energy, which has been great for us. … He’s going to start for us for a while, and we’ve been really impressed with him.”
Another freshman who has made his way into the starting lineup is point guard Andre Walker. After scoring in double digits in five games coming off the bench, the 6-foot, 165-pound rookie scored 12 points while replacing senior Denzel Brito in his first career start against Saint Joseph's.
"I thought he played well," Smith said of Walker. "He made a couple 3s, got to the free-throw line. He's a New York kid and has that New York swag. He won't back down from anybody. Really, really tough, hard-nosed, great to coach, takes criticism really well. What he needs to work on is trying to be a leader as a point guard, knowing when to score and knowing to facilitate. That comes with time, experience, and he's getting better at it. He's starting to understand what we want from him as far as the point guard position. But it's been real enjoyable having him out here. Our coaching staff feels very confident that he can run the show."