PRCC''s Jones signs with Troy basketball

POPLARVILLE Pearl River Community College sophomore basketball standout Emil Jones has signed on to play for head coach Don Maestri Troy University Trojans next season. Jones, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound forward who prepped at North Forrest High School, is averaging 18.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists a game for head coach Richard Mathis defending MACJC state champion Wildcat squad. In addition, he hitting at a 50 percent clip in both field goals and three-pointers for the 2010-2011 season. Emil has blossomed as an offensive and defensive player over the last year, said Mathis. And hell be heading to a great program that plays in a great basketball (Sun Belt) conference. He been our most consistent player this year and is a key cog in our undefeated (10-0) record so far. Jones arrived on the PRCC campus in the fall of 2008 as a member of the Wildcat football squad and he was the team starting quarterback for two straight years. He joined the basketball team following the conclusion of the 2009 gridiron season. As a first-year hoops player, he averaged 7 points and 6 rebounds a game. Jones best career effort on the hardcourt was this past Dec. 6 when he scored 31 points and hauled in 19 boards in the Wildcats 82-72 overtime victory over Copiah-Lincoln in PRCC MACJC South Division opener. He accounted for 11 of The River 20 points in the OT period. On the gridiron, Jones led the Wildcats to a berth in the MACJC state championship game as a freshman only to see PRCC fall to Mississippi Gulf Coast 52-7. In his two years as The River starting quarterback, he completed 56.4 percent (372 of 659) of his passes for 4,738 yards. He threw for 38 touchdowns, while haveing 24 of his throws intercepted. In addition, Jones rushed for 10 TDs over that span. Eighth-ranked Pearl River entered its 2010-2011 hoops campaign ranked No. 25 in the NJCAA preseason poll before moving as high as No. 7 in the regular season balloting.