UPEI Panther Jenna Jones nabs major AUS basketball award
UPEI women's basketball player Jenna Jones was named the 2013-14 Atlantic University Sport recipient of the Tracy MacLeod Award at tonight's Subway AUS Women's Basketball Championship awards banquet at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel. Championship play gets underway on Friday, March 6 at UPEI's Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. Championship Website
A fourth-year kinesiology student, Jones received the award for demonstrating determination, perseverance and unwavering spirit to continue playing the game of basketball. The five-foot-eight guard from Riverview, NB, played in an impressive 16 regular season games this year, despite facing multiple injuries, averaging 15.1 minutes per game.
Jones has battled patella tendon tears in both knees throughout her four-year career with the Panthers. This past summer, she underwent experimental platelet rich plasma injections in both knees. She then repeated the procedure during the season break in December. Initially expected to miss the first half of the season, Jones put the second procedure off until the season break and was cleared to play in the fall.
She contributed an average of 4.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, shooting 32.3 per cent from the floor and 22.2 from three-point range.
'I am so pleased that Jenna has been honoured as this year's recipient of the Tracy MacLeod Award,' said Panthers head coach Greg Gould. 'I can't think of anyone more deserving of this award. Despite the excruciating pain, Jenna has done everything humanly possible to be able to practice and play this season. Although restricted in her activities because of pain, she never complains. Her love of the game and her desire to help her team in whatever role possible makes her one of the toughest, most dedicated and unselfish players I have ever coached.'
Jones is now the AUS conference nominee for the CIS Tracy MacLeod award. The only two AUS players to take home the national honour have been Memorial's Brittany Dalton (2010-11) and Dalhousie's Janet Wells (1999-00).
Other major awards such as the AUS most valuable player, rookie of the year, coach of the year, and those named to first and second All-Star teams were also announced at the awards banquet. AUS News Release
Six teams are vying for the AUS title with the winner moving on to the CIS women's basketball championship at the University of Windsor, March 14-16. Live webcasts of all five games of the AUS championship are available at www.AUStv.ca.
