Junior college basketball is on the rise and is proving to be a valuable vehicle to gain experience, get more exposure and get things in order academically. Future Card Chris Jones has got everything he wanted and more from his time at Northwest Florida State College. He had a staff that had plenty of Division I experience, some of the best facilities in the country and national notoriety. In his first season Jones helped guide Northwest Florida State to a 29-1 regular-season record and a National Runner-Up finish in the NJCAA DI National Tournament. Along the way, he averaged 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game and garnered Florida Panhandle Conference Player of the Year honors.

The future Cards point guard was second in the nation in scoring this season averaging 22.7 points per game. He had another incredible year and led his NWF State team to its second straight trip to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas and earned his second Florida Panhandle Conference Player of the Year award. Jones led Northwest Florida State to a 62-6 record in his two years and he has won many accolades during his time on the Juco level including being unanimously chosen as the #1 overall Juco player in the country by jucorecruiting.com several months ago. Today he added another honor to those accolades by being named the 2012-13 NABC National Junior College Player of the Year.

NWF’s Head Coach Steve Forbes: “He is the ‘straw that stirs the drink”. “He’s been a facilitator for others and has made big baskets for our team throughout the year. His passion and his will to win has rubbed off on the rest of our team. It’s always a blessing when your best player is your hardest worker and he is our hardest worker.” “He never lost a home game while he was playing here. I think that pretty much sums up what kind of player he really is. He’s a winner.”

I wrote an article a few days ago about how I thought that Terry Rozier would play an important role on the team next year in their bid to repeat as National Champions. I don’t think he will be alone in those efforts as I look for Chris Jones to be a major contributor during his first year in a Cardinal uniform. This guy will have a huge impact on the already veteran Louisville team.