COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M guard Jamal Jones, a junior from Wynne who took a recruiting visit to Arkansas last year before signing with the Aggies, helped put the hurt on the Razorbacks on Wednesday night in Reed Arena.
Jones, a 6-8 transfer from Lee College in Baytown, Texas, and a former Searcy High School standout, had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists as Texas A&M beat Arkansas 69-53.
Jones’ roommates, freshman forward Davonte Fitzgerald and senior guard Fabyon Harris, didn’t do too badly, either. Fitzgerald scored a game-high 17 points and Harris had 15, but they said the victory carried extra significance for Jones.
“Jamal was going all around the house saying, ‘I can’t wait to play these guys, man. It’s my home state. I’ve got to have a good game,’ ” Harris said. “He was very aggressive.
“He was trash-talking because they were trash talking to him. He was just focused. It was a very important game for Jamal because Arkansas is his state.”
Texas A&M Coach Billy Kennedy said he could tell it meant a lot to Jones to play the Razorbacks.
“He knows those guys,” Kennedy said. “You could see him talking to them back and forth, and they had fun within the game. That was good to see, and I’m thankful we were able to get the win for him.”
Fitzgerald said he was impressed by Jones’ all-around play.
“He came out ready to go,” Fitzgerald said. “I thought he kept us in the game.”
Arkansas junior guard Ky Madden, who is from Lepanto and played at East Poinsett County High School, said he grew up playing with Jones.
“Jamal’s like my brother, but there wasn’t any trashtalking,” Madden said. “Me and him are good.
“He had a good game. He’s from Arkansas, and I’m sure he wanted to come out and do that.”
Sports, Pages 24 on 01/10/2014