Columbia Academy senior Morgan Jones signed a letter of intent Wednesday to play college basketball at the University of Southern Mississippi.
The 6-foot-2-inch center is excited to continue her education and extend her time on the court in Division I after being recruited by schools from Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Texas, Colorado, California, Louisiana, New York and Florida.
“It’s like a lifetime dream,” she said. “I’ve worked for this since I was little bitty. It’s incredible. A few years ago I never would have dreamed this.”
Jones said she’s looking forward to being on the court with USM head coach Joy Lee-McNellis.
“She’s a great woman,” Jones said. “Since the first time I met her she’s been like a motherly figure. We clicked. She always made me feel like I was at home.”
Jones said she has mixed feelings about her senior season under coach Dale Watts as her high school career comes to an end.
“I’m sad, but then again, I’m hoping to finish it up with my team with a state championship,” she said. “Hopefully it will end the way I want it to, but we have something special. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Jones said her coaches have had a huge impact on her career and her future. That goes from Coach Watts, who told her when he quit yelling that meant he had given up on her — he hasn’t stopped — to Charlie Domino, an AAU coach, who comes out to her house weekend after weekend helping hone her game. Eddie Fisher, her current AAU coach, played a big part in her college recruiting this summer, and the late Tommy Sumrall, who passed away this summer from a brain tumor, was a “great coach and a great man,” she said. Reid McCay, former CA girls basketball coach, coached her during junior high, and Brett Rutland was really encouraging, she said.
“They’ve all been great. My teammates are unbelievable. It makes me cry that I’m not going to be playing with them next year,” she said.
Watts said it was a big day for Jones as well as Columbia Academy.
“It’s a big honor for her and a big honor for the school and for our basketball program,” he said. “Morgan’s a hard worker. She’s got out and played against all kinds of competition, and it’s really paid off for her. For me, I’m extremely proud of her.”
Watts then spoke of Jones’ abilities on the court.
“She’s got the physical talent and size,” he said. “She is really quick and has good mobility. She’s real tough around the basket. Probably her biggest strength is that she can face the basket and hit from 15-18 feet. She’s a very pure shooter from there. She leads by example; that’s the best thing I can say right there.”
Fisher, who has coached her in AAU basketball in Louisiana, agreed that Jones has Division I skills.
“Morgan came to me late,” he said. “She was a 2019 player and I had room for and needed one 2019 player on the team. She came in and she did excellent. She wants to learn and she wants to get better. She was looking for a fast-paced program and that’s what I run. We run a fast-paced transition program. She said she wanted to play college ball so she had to get with someone to be able to run transition like we run. She did very well because she’s a 6-foot player and she did very well on the wing and can make shots and hustle back on defense. She fit in well.”
Pictured Above: Morgan Jones was surrounded by her family and coach Wednesday as she signed her letter of intent to play at the University of Southern Mississippi next year. In front, from left, are her father, Steve Jones, Jones, and her mother, Lisa Jones. In back, from left, are CA coach Dale Watts, Macey Jones and Jackson Jones. | Photo by Mark Rogers
