While the Shippensburg University women’s basketball team has struggled in the first half of its season, it is hard to not be impressed with the play of guard Ariel Jones. Even as a freshman, Jones has led the Raiders in points, with 393, for an average of 20.7 points per game. 

Despite her inexperience, Jones has not been intimidated by playing key minutes, and is also quick to credit those around her in helping her succeed.

“I think I have my teammates and my coaches to thank for pushing me,” Jones said. “They let me know it’s OK to be a freshman and that we all need to step up.”

Success on the court is nothing new to Jones. At Cedar Crest High School, she earned three varsity letters and received an All-State Second Team honors in 2017 as well as leading the Falcons to an undefeated regular season and the Lancaster – Lebanon League title.

Jones has not skipped a beat in her first season with the Raiders. Not only is she leading the team in scoring, she is the team leader in steals with 32 and is fourth on the team in blocks, with seven so far this season. Her best scoring performance of the season came at Charleston on Nov. 26, where she scored 34 points and led SU to a thrilling 73-70 overtime victory.

Jones’ play has been noticed by the league office at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Jones has won the PSAC East Freshman of the Week Award six times this season. She also was the recipient of the PSAC Eastern Division Athlete of the Week on November 13. 

The acknowledgements have helped the freshman guard continue to grow her confidence as she gains more experience.

“It feels good, it definitely boosts my confidence,” Jones said. “Coming in here I was a little nervous knowing it was such a great program and knowing that we have a lot of incoming freshmen, but I think it boosted my confidence a lot.”

While all of the individual accomplishments are nice, Jones still carries a team-first mentality. The women’s basketball team has not had the season that it wanted, but Jones is still hopeful that they can turn it around, as the Raiders fight for a playoff spot in the PSAC East.

“A team goal is to have a winning record. I know we got off to a slow start, but I believe in us and I think that if we keep working hard like we’ve been doing wins will come,” Jones said.

While there is still a month of the season left to play, the contributions by the freshman has caught the attention of the conference. Despite the team’s record, Jones is the clear favorite for Freshman of the Year honors and may be considered for Player of the Year come season’s end.

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