Talk about saving her best for last: Bradley University recruit and four-year starter Inia Jones leads the girl’s basketball team in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.
“I have a great team who believes in me,” Jones said. “Having great teammates and friends makes a difference in how I play and keeps me motivated.”
Jones is currently fourth in the state in points per game at 18.6, and she adds five rebounds, three assists and two steals per game.
“I am the leading scorer but that’s not something I think about, I want to get everyone involved,” Jones said. “Ten years from now they aren’t going to remember the records I broke, but they will remember if we win a state championship.”
Head Coach Michael Kroupa said Jones does a great job of not always focusing on herself but getting the team motivated as well.
“She’s a strong leader that knows how to step up in times we need her most,” Kroupa said. “She runs the offense perfectly and keeps the team motivated.”
Jones credits her success to the culture of the past teams. She says the seniors and juniors from her freshman season are the players who paved the way for her success.
“The class of 2022 helped me tremendously,” Jones said. “They taught me how to grow as a player and be a better leader as well as show me what a strong program looks like.”
Central made the state tournament Jones’ freshman and sophomore year but did not qualify last year after losing to Millard North in districts.
“Our ultimate goal is to prove the doubters wrong and make it to state and win it,” Jones said. “We need to play as a family and overcome the negative talk to do this.”
One of the mentors of Jones, Maurtice Ivy, won a state title in 1983 while at Central.
“She calls me after games and tells me what I need to work on and what I did well,” Jones said. “She always tells me how to get better and how I can help lead our team to a state title.”
Jones said she thinks the team will finish the season strong because the players are so close on and off the court. They are currently 16-6 and ranked 9th in class A.
“All five of the seniors play club together and the younger players also play together so we know what works for each other,” Jones said. “We have a sisterhood that most schools don’t have and that’s what makes us different.”
