Rylan Jones named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week
It's safe to say that Utah's losing streak would've stayed intact last weekend had it not been for the play of freshman Rylan Jones.
After late game heroics in victories over Washington (67-66) and Washington State (76-64), Jones has been named the Pac-12's Freshman of the Week, as announced by the conference on Monday afternoon.
Against Washington, it was a combination of Jones' defense and free throw shooting that allowed the Utes to come from behind and stun the Huskies. He finished the game with 13 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, including a 9-of-10 showing from the free throw line.
“He's one of the best there is,” Utah forward Mikael Jantunen said of Jones. “Sometimes, you'll stop and watch too, which is probably not a good thing to say. But he's a great player."
It was a different type of Jones that showed up in the end against Washington State. He scored on four consecutive possessions after the Cougars cut the Utah lead to single digits with less than six to play, while finishing with 11 of the team's final 14 points. He ended the game with 24 points, four steals and three assists.
On the season, Jones is averaging 11.1 points per game, is fourth in the Pac-12 in assists at 4.9 per game, second in free-throw percentage at 87.9% and sixth in 3-point shooting at 41.7%.
“Rylan has a mentality of pass first, he looks for the open guy,” said Utah center Branden Carlson. “He’s not trying to get his or anything like that. Rylan is one of my favorite point guards I’ve ever played with. He’s a team player, always doing what’s best for the team.”
This is the first time Jones has received an all-Pac-12 honor, and the third time the Utes have been recognized — sophomore Timmy Allen was named Pac-12 player of the week twice in December.
The Utes return to action on Thursday when it travels to Los Angeles to face USC — tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.