Joneses’ cohesion is the glue for Trojans

After a few clicks and a short Google Maps search later, it’s easy to see how far Saginaw, Mich., is from Taft, Calif.

To measure it in miles (2,304), however, wouldn’t quite tell you how far USC men’s basketball’s newest and youngest starting backcourt — freshmen Bryce Jones and Maurice Jones — have come to form an on-court bond that is bound to raise eyebrows from naysayers and skeptics alike.

In September 2009, while headlines of a falling football dynasty were swirling around USC, first-year basketball coach and top-notch recruiter Kevin O’Neill was putting into motion what would become his first class of incoming freshmen.

Recruiting visits are typically mundane, standard and trite. When Taft High School standout Bryce Jones made the nearby trek to USC’s athletic facilities for the first time, he was greeted by the unfamiliar yet welcoming face of Midwest recruit Maurice Jones.

Maurice Jones, who played at Arthur Hill High School — the same high school as two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion Jason Richardson — is mild-mannered, reserved and lacks the vocal presence of the traditionally loud-mouthed, boisterous point guards in the Pac-10.

But though he might possess the subtle shyness that often accompanies an 18-year-old still trying to find himself thousands of miles away from home, it is on the court where Jones’ identity is most clearly defined.

A speedster and sensational distributor by nature, Maurice Jones’ cross-country trip to USC last September was not as clear-cut as his future running mate’s, who had already gained regional recognition for his high school exploits as an explosive offensive threat both on the perimeter and on the boards.

But encouraged by his high school coach Greg McMath — who just happened to be a close friend of O’Neill’s — the 5-foot-7 point guard was convinced into taking the recruiting trip for one reason: a chance to play in a big conference right away.

Although playing time was a motivating factor in the Midwesterner’s decision to start his collegiate career across the country, what ultimately drove his decision to don the cardinal and gold came from a sense of belonging that was fostered by his preliminary opportunity to bond with Bryce Jones and fellow newcomers Garrett Jackson and Curtis Washington.

“When I came on my initial visit, everybody on the team was cool, you know. We all hung out,” said Maurice Jones. “That was good for me to see who else was coming in with me if I decided to come here.”

For local-star Bryce Jones, the words “distributor” and “team player” were about as far from the 6-foot-5 shooting guard’s vernacular as Saginaw and Taft are in distance when he first met his future teammates. As an athlete who admitted last year that he was “selfish” and focused too often on competing for points with high school teammate DeAndre Daniels, a weekend with Maurice Jones, the Wolverine State’s premier, selfless floor general, seemed like a precarious situation on paper.

But just as championships are not won on paper, neither are the relationships.

From pickup games and taking in a USC football game to hanging out and sharing stories of future aspirations, it didn’t take long for Taft’s marquee talent to realize the two had a lot more in common than a surname.

“We all got along great,” Bryce Jones said. “During pickup games we played well together, so I kind of felt like we were all going to be here.”

Now, more than a year later, the gem of O’Neill’s 2010-2011 recruiting class isn’t just running the wing with his quickly forming partner in crime out on the hardwood — he’s living with him.

This summer the two freshmen trained together, played in tournaments together, ate pizza together, fawned over the formation of the Miami Heat’s new Big Three together, and, most importantly, matured together.

Their three months of unified growth is the type of bond that will instantly pay dividends between the black lines of the Galen Center, regardless of the academic year in which they are entering.

Although their biographies will tell a story of two separate individuals, raised in two separate backgrounds, driven on a court by two distinctly separate skill sets, it’s the component you can’t see which makes the pair an instant threat in the Pac-10.

Instinctive cohesion.

“It’s like no matter what, we always know where the other one is going to be on the floor,” Bryce Jones said.

With the influx of inexperienced players USC has seen prior to its 2010-2011 campaign, the No. 6 label that conference voters placed upon the unfazed Trojans’ last week is reasonable to say the least.

Although from an outsider’s point of view the upcoming season could result in a feast or famine-like outcome, the much-anticipated answer will likely be found in the youthful glue which holds together the Trojans’ continuous development: the Jones Boys.

Though even the most fortuitous prognosticator can’t be quite certain where this mixture of ability will be on the proverbial dance floor when the hands of time strike March, keeping up with the Joneses’ intangible connection might be a lot tougher for teams who make the mistake of measuring the Trojans’ backcourt simply by the numbers.

“For The Love Of The Game” runs Wednesdays. To comment on this article, visit dailytrojan.com or e-mail Dave at [email protected].