Jones Named WCC Player of the Week

Dec. 4, 2000

SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Santa Clara senior Brian Jones (Carson, Calif.) was named the West Coast Conference men's basketball Player of the Week today after scoring a season-high 32 points in the Bronco's thrilling 83-81 double-overtime victory over Chattanooga on Saturday.

Jones, who was a first-team all-WCC selection last season and as a sophomore in 1998, averaged 24.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists in Santa Clara's three games last week. He registered a team-high 25 points in a 71-56 win at San Jose State and followed that with 17 against Tulsa and 32 against Chattanooga. The last two games were at the Gazette Hawkeye Challenge, hosted by the University of Iowa.

Jones started the week with a 9-for-16 shooting performance against the Spartans, which included two key three-pointers late in the game. In addition to his 17 points against Tulsa, Jones grabbed eight rebounds and handed-out six assists in a narrow 65-59 loss to last year's NCAA quarterfinalists.

Against Chatannoga, Jones scored 27 of his 32 points in the second half and two overtimes, including the game winning basket with just under :01 left on the game clock. The Broncos trailed by as many as 19 points in the game, marking a tie for the biggest come-from-behind victory in school history. For his efforts in the two games, Jones was named to the event's all-tournament team.

Interestingly, Jones keyed the other biggest comeback in Santa Clara men's basketball history with a 34-point outing at Marquette in 1996. Then a freshman, Jones scored 21 of his game-high 34 points and netted four of his six steals over the final 12:58, helping rally the Broncos from 19 points down. His scoring output in that game is the school's single-game freshman record, eclipsing the mark of 25 points by Kurt Rambis and Londale Theus.

Santa Clara is off until December 13 when it takes on Fresno State in the first game in the newly-renovated Leavey Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and tickets remain available by calling the Bronco athletic ticket office at 408/554-4660 or by ordering online at www.SantaClaraBroncos.com.