By Steve DiMiceli
I didn't expect anything from Jeremiah Jones coming into this season. I saw a pretty selfish player in the Pro-Am who I figured would take some time to adjust to the college game. He proved me wrong when he jumped into the starting lineup almost immediately and was one of our better players the entire season.
While he didn't turn up much on the scoring sheet, his value came at the other end of the floor. Jeremiah was easily Duquesne's best defender and he quietly shut down a few very good players this season. He proved to be a fairly reliable scoring option in the middle of the A-10 season. Not a criticism, but Jeremiah seemed to the be the only member of the freshman class to truly "hit the wall" but while his scoring did taper off, he was pound for pound the best rebounder on the team since the GW debacle averaging 5.5 per game. Unfortunately, it seemed like an either/or situation with he and Quevyn
Winters. One but rarely both seemed to be on at the same time.Neither could really complement the other to become the third or fourth weapon.
What I Liked
I've touched on his defense and rebounding, but I loved his work rate and toughness. There is a direct correlation between the two. He has a decent three point shot and can really get hot. He's not afraid to drive and make the lay up. He seems a lot more patient than I originally expected and he is fairly strong on the ball. He doesn't turn it over a lot and he plays within himself. Overall, I'd call him a smart player.
What I Didn't Like
As aggressive as he was on defense, I thought he was at times passive on offense. He seemed cautious when bringing the ball up court and never seemed to take any risks. Of course, caution is a double edged sword and can also be a good attribute in the correct situation. In transition, he almost always seemed to head to the corner for a three point shot even on 2-1 breaks. His FT shooting was inconsistent.
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It's worth noting that Jeremiah is still a very young player having graduated high school at 17 before prepping. He's about the same age as a lot of players coming directly from high school. In my opinion his ceiling is higher than a lot of people might think right now but he needs to become a more active ball handler, shooter and finisher if he hopes to reach it. The range of possibilities for his career is wide and varied. He could get recruited over and become a good 6th man or he could become a member of the all league defensive team and a fringe all conference player ala Jordair Jett. The defense is good enough that he will play even if the offense doesn't get much better. However, the offense will need to get better for him to continue to start. I expect the starting 2 to be his to lose moving forward.
