Maryland Record Breakers: Mike Jones

Looking back, the Maryland men’s basketball team’s Dec. 16, 2006 blowout victory over UMKC was as routine as it could get for an early season non-conference matchup.

But those fans fortunate enough to be in attendance that fateful night at XFINITY Center were treated to an absolute shooting clinic.

That’s the beauty of sports. On any given night one can witness something never before seen.

And on this particular night it was senior Mike Jones who stole the show, connecting on a Maryland single-game record nine 3-pointers.

Say it with us: “Who? MIKE JONES.”

In an era of basketball that has become heavily reliant on the 3-point shot, Jones’ record continues to stand 14 years later.

Of course, when asked for his initial recollections of the game it wasn’t the record he recalled, but the ire he drew from hall of fame coach Gary Williams after a missed defensive assignment that maybe lit the fire under him he needed.

“I saw a clip recently from the game where I looked a little angry,” said Jones. “I know Gary said something that got under my skin probably for missing a defensive assignment, but that just added more fuel to the fire for me because I think I performed better under pressure. That was Gary - he wanted us to stay focused throughout the game whether it was UNC and Duke or UMKC.”

The game actually had an inauspicious start for Jones, who missed his first three 3-point attempts in the opening three minutes of action.

“As a shooter, regardless of how many shots you may miss, you are going to make shots, too,” said Jones, who has since passed on that wisdom as a coach at his alma mater, Thayer Academy. “I had to stay self-disciplined and trust my training, but it also helped to have the support of my teammates to give me that confidence.”

From that point forward, Jones lit up the scoreboard unlike any player Maryland before or after, burying his next nine consecutive 3-point attempts.

Midway through the first half, Jones had made five 3-point attempts. By halftime, he had made six and was one away from breaking Walt Williams’ record of seven.

“It was one of those things where it just felt good coming off my fingertips whether the defense was there or not,” Jones said. “When you’re in that rhythm and everything feels good, it feels like everything you put up is going to go in.”

After a halftime break in which Jones probably would have rather stayed on the court, he tied Williams’ record just 38 seconds into the second half. He recalls somebody whispering in his ear that he had tied the record.

“Honestly after that point I wanted to not only win the game, but make a statement,” Jones said.

The punctuation mark came quickly. On the very next possession - just 28 seconds later - Jones drilled his program-record eighth 3-pointer of the game.

And just for good measure, Jones added his ninth and final 3-pointer with 16:19 remaining.. He would take one more shot the rest of the game - a missed 3 with 16:05 left - before likely taking a backseat as the Terps led by nearly 50 points.

“Looking back, I should have shot the ball more because I think I could have had more than nine,” said Jones with a smile. “But we had a great game. Coach put in the proper assignments and my teammates found me in my spots and in rhythm.”

As for the longevity of the record, Jones is surprised it has stood as long as it has considering the prevalence of the 3-point shot in the current game.

“Considering some of the guys that have come through Maryland and their overall work ethic, I am quite surprised it is still holding,” Jones said. “Does a part of me hope and pray that it stays? Absolutely. But I also hope somebody will come and surpass it. Until that day comes, I am happy to stay at the top.”

MORE FROM MIKE JONES:

On his connection to the rapper Mike Jones and Maryland fans yelling “Who” after he made shots:

“First off, it was surprising because I had no idea about this whole Mike Jones rapper guy. So that summer coming in I heard a little a bit about it and there were a few guys on the team that were playing a lot of Texas rap. They were listening to some of the music and they came across Paul Wall and of course Paul Wall was doing music with Mike Jones and Swishahouse and all this stuff. So coming in that summer I was pretty much introduced to the rapper Mike Jones and I didn’t think much of it.

“We had our Red-White scrimmage and when I scored our first basket, my heart literally dropped to the ground because it was amazing that me as a freshman coming in from the inner city of Dorchester - to be able to play at that level with the amount of fans who where there with students and outside folks - to hear them chant “Mike Jones,” whether they were talking about me or the rapper was something special. To know that every player after that whenI scored that was going to be a thing, that was an adrenaline rush. It was one of those things where I know I had to score because it’s something you look forward to and you know that it not only drives you, but it gets the team going as well. So coming in it was very surprising, but I still now, 14 years later, get that. People yelling, “Who? Mike Jones,” and it brings back a lot of memories. I get questions and little jokes now about being the best rapper alive and other stuff like that. It was definitely fun.”

On the feeling of being locked in as a shooter:

“It’s like if you’re a video game player and you play your favorite video game you know you are going to win no matter who comes, it’s almost the same feeling where it doesn’t matter who steps in front of you or what shot you take as long as you have the right form and technique. You can pretty much make anything. And that’s what it seemed like that night. I made three straight and after the fourth one I was like alright, it’s going to be one of those nights. Everything just felt good. It was one of those things where it seemed like anything I put up was going to go in whether it was a half court shot or what. And it’s a great feeling and I think a lot of shooters can attest to that.”

On earning his scholarship to Maryland and what it meant:

“Coming from the inner city of Dorcherster, Mass., I started out at a public school and transferred after my freshman year to Thayer Academy. Just to get the opportunity at Maryland was more than a blessing. My parents didn’t have to pay for school. I think they understood that I had to do a lot in order to get that. So it showed my work ethic at the time. I know I worked extremely hard in high school with my peers and the coaches at the time just to get the opportunity. The guys I played against were fuel to the fire for me to get better and try to get to the best college I could. It meant a lot to me. Just to get the offer from Maryland - doing my research beforehand and knowing its history and what the Terrapin tradition was all about. I wanted to be a part of that. As I went through Maryland my four years, where it helped me in my life today was dealing with different adversity whether it was on the court or in the classroom. So just dealing with different adversity now in a regular 9-5 job or in coaching. Right now I’m coaching and I can relate to the players in a sense, but also I can relate to Gary Williams and his coaching philosophies. I took some of that from all the coaches I came across. The main thing I took from my four years and I still to this day carry is how to deal with adversity. I never gave up on myself. I was able to push through and look at the brighter side of things. Yea, I wasn’t playing much early, but I knew I could learn a lot from Chris McCray and watch tendencies and defensive schemes.”