Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Basketball: 2018-19 Illini season wrap-up for Tevian Jones

ByRees Woodcock|
CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 05: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Tevian Jones (5) and Illinois Fighting Illini guard Da'Monte Williams (20) high five fans in the tunnel that leads to the locker room at the conclusion of the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 5, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 05: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Tevian Jones (5) and Illinois Fighting Illini guard Da'Monte Williams (20) high five fans in the tunnel that leads to the locker room at the conclusion of the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Michigan State Spartans and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 5, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Illinois basketball class of 2018 brought in some talented players who could do some special things in the future.

One of those talented players was Tevian Jones. Here is the 2018-2019 season wrap-up for Jones.

Expectations

The expectations for Jones entering this past season were decently high. I wasn’t expecting double-digit scoring, but I was expecting him to get solid minutes off the bench and, potentially, take the starting job by mid-season.

If I had to put numbers to what my expectations were for Jones, I would say I wanted something like 7 points and 4 rebounds per game. Those are fair for a four-star recruit coming into a team that only had four returning players.

Reality

In the case of Jones, the reality was nowhere near the expectations I set for him. This was some of his own doing but also some of the coaching staff’s inability to see that he was one of the best options we had on the bench.

Jones finished the season averaging 3.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per game. Let’s project out what type of numbers he could have put up if he was getting 25 minutes per game. His averages would look something like 9.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Those would have been solid numbers.

The reality is, the suspension at the beginning of the season hurt Jones. This put him in the doghouse with Brad Underwood. But, Jones did his time and had a few great games after the suspension. I am still not sure why he wasn’t playing more toward the end of the season.

Future

The future is so bright for Jones. This kid could end up being one of the best players on the team if Underwood starts playing him more next season and if he sticks around.

Jones is one of the most athletic players on the team. He has a shot that is extremely underrated as well. He has the ability to do just about everything on the court. His defense needs to improve, though.

Next. 2018-19 Illini season wrap-up for Kipper Nichols. dark

I see a bright future for Jones. I can’t wait to see what this kid can do with more time. Hopefully, we can keep him around for a while.

Home/Illinois Basketball