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Shooting woes mystify U of L's Jones

Jeff Greer
@jeffgreer_cj
Louisville's Chris Jones drives the ball up court against Ohio State. Dec. 2, 2014

Chris Jones leaned back in his locker-room stall and looked up at the walls.

The media scrum around the University of Louisville point guard had dissipated, and the 5-foot-10 senior who's missed 55 of the 77 shots he's taken this season wanted to know what time it was.

The clock read 12:30 a.m., and Louisville had just held off Ohio State 64-55 in an intense early-season nonconference matchup at the KFC Yum! Center.

"I'm going to head back to the gym after this and get some shots up," he said.

That was the only solution he could come up with after an exasperating 3-of-15 shooting night. After all, he insists he's already corrected the wayward mechanics that plagued his 8-of-26 slump to start the season.

He pored over film last month with U of L's coaches and diagnosed the issues. He no longer leans back when he shoots, and he doesn't kick his feet out, either.

And yet, the shots just won't fall.

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He's shooting 28.6 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from 3-point range. He's struggled at the free-throw line, too, making just 63 percent from the stripe.

The most frustrating of all: Jones is getting out on breaks and getting scoring chances, but he's still shooting just 28.6 percent on transition layups, according to Hoop-Math.com.

"Straight up, straight down now," he said of his shooting motion, shaking his head as he spoke.

"I don't know what it is. I'm shooting balanced shots … I guess defenses say, 'Leave him open, he's not a shooter,' and it kind of messes with me a little. It's just something I have to overcome. If that's all a defense has to say (for him to struggle), it's going to be a long year."

Despite that frustration, Jones has made up for it elsewhere, and it's not like he's the only U of L player with shooting issues.

The Cards are shooting 42 percent as a team and 26 percent from 3, but their defense has been stifling. And the clever Jones, who annoys opponents with his quickness and persistence, is a big reason for that.

He has 13 steals in six games. He also averages 4.7 rebounds a contest despite being U of L's shortest player.

On offense, he's still aggressive, attacking defenses off the dribble more in recent games than he was when his shooting slump began.

All that effort keeps Jones effective and upbeat despite his miserable shooting numbers. That he "knocks down those shots" in practice, he says, gives his teammates confidence that he'll come around.

"They don't care what outside people say," Jones said. "They don't care about what other people say. They know I knock those shots down in practice. I guess, in the current situation, they're just not falling. They'll fall sooner and later, and then everybody will be on my side again."

Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).