Sam Jones shines for Penn basketball

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Penn basketball found very little success offensively Saturday against Columbia and what offense the Quakers did have came in the form of Sam Jones. The freshman forward scored a career-high 23 points while making seven three-pointers.

His performance was even better when one considers the fact that he played with torn ligaments in his left elbow, something coach Jerome Allen revealed after the game.

“I think all the shots he hit were contested," Allen said of Jones. "He made tough shots. But to his credit, he stepped up and made some plays for us. I think it’s documented what he brings to the table in terms of being a legitimate threat on the perimeter. I wasn’t shocked how he shot the ball."

Allen also praised the freshman's work as a whole this season

“He’s a Penn guy. He's a Penn Quaker," Allen said. "He’s great in the locker room. He’s part of the fraternity. He’s a part of campus; he has a ton of friends and he mixes and mingles. Couple that with basketball, he’s patient. He’s waited his turn. Whenever he was called on, he’s tried to give us what we’ve asked for and as his career furthers, he’ll be better and better.

"You’re talking 18 games under his belt in terms of collegiate experience. Certain things they have, certain things they don’t have. But his vision, his strength, his overall pace, all of that stuff will get better. The attributes he does have right now will allow us to win basketball games."

While his coach praised him after the game, Jones was quick to give credit to both coach and his teammates for his recent success.

"Coach has helped me out a lot, making me be more patient reading screens and stuff," Jones said. "The best thing is that my teammates have been really supportive even though I haven't shooting the ball [well]. I had a stretch where I didn't hit a shot for a four or five games but they kept telling me to shoot the ball, kept giving me the ball in great spots."

While the torn ligament would normally hurt a lot of players, Jones joked that it has helped him out this weekend.

“I think it’s been helping me out," Jones said. "Since I did have it, I’ve been making everything. I don’t know what to say about that. It doesn’t bother me too much so it’s not that big of a deal.”