A wise man once said, if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.

The question still remains of whether or not junior forward/center Damon Jones is serious enough about basketball to put his mind to it.

Jones possesses all the skills needed to be a quality basketball player. He is big, strong, intimidating, and unusually quick for a big man. He can shoot the fade-away jumper, set up in the post, rebound and run the floor in transition.

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To say the least, Jones is everything the Salukis are missing:He’s the big man inside on offense, a defensive threat and a weapon for setting screens and picks.

He has proven he can score with his 14-point performance against Nebraska-Kearney Dec. 30, and rebound with his eight boards Dec. 29 against Hawaii-Hilo.

The question still remains is Damon Jones serious enough about basketball to put his mind to it?

If Jones would put forth the all-out effort red-shirt freshman forward James Watts has this season, the Salukis would undoubtedly be atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings.

Watts played so hard Jan. 20 against Wichita State he had to take himself out of the game due to exhaustion. In only 19 minutes of play, Watts grabbed seven boards and scored four points; compared to Jones’ three rebounds and zero points.

SIUC coach Rich Herrin was so impressed by the play of Watts against WSU that he made special mention of Watts effort during the post-game press conference.

That is what you’ve got to do, Herrin said. You’ve got to play so hard in that position. We’ve got one or two guys who can get by trotting down the floor, but we don’t have many guys.

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You better deliver all the time.

Jones played well at Utah State Jan. 11, but has played passively since.

In SIUC’s romp over Wichita State Jan. 20, Jones played with the aggressiveness of a three-toed sloth. He frolicked down the court on defense, shot zero-for-six from the floor, and collected only three rebounds against players who should not possibly be able to compete with his size.

If the Salukis are going to make any kind of run at post-season play, Jones is going to have to learn how to use his strength quickly. He possesses the rarity of quickness which makes every big man in the country jealous, and could become the player for SIUC that Robert Tractor Traylor has become for Michigan.

Like Traylor, what Jones does best is clear the lane and make his presence known underneath the hoop.

His one main downfall seems to be his confidence in guarding people, and I think he lets this affect him on the offensive side of the ball. After he collects three fouls, Jones is almost timid in going to the hoop afraid of drawing the foul by attacking the rim.

If there was two defenders standing between him and the end zone, I would think that Jones would not hesitate to bull them over for the score.

No amount of criticism should go without due recognition of improvement, though. Jones has adjusted well to the team, worked hard to learn the offense and has considerably improved his shooting stroke since the end of the football season.

But, this does not take the place of hustle.

Should Jones decide that it is indeed time to play basketball, the Salukis could become a feared team in the Missouri Valley Conference. No team in the MVC could compete with the balanced attack the Salukis could offer.

Is Damon Jones serious enough about basketball to put his mind to it?