Lebanon Valley hoop standout Jones to finish college career at LHU

By John Lipez

ANNVILLE, PA – Lebanon Valley College senior Collin Jones has confirmed he’ll finish his collegiate basketball career at Lock Haven University. Jones, an all-star player at both Lebanon Valley and Central Mountain High School, finished his fourth season of hoops this past winter at the Middle Atlantic Conference school.

Jones was a 3-time first team MAC Commonwealth League all-star, averaging 18.7 points per game his senior year, along with 10 rebounds a game. He was a Heartland Conference all-star in both basketball and football at Central Mountain.

Because of the COVID pandemic, college athletes from that time have been granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA. Jones will use that extra year with the Bald Eagles program.

He is the son of Leigh Miller Jones and Albert Jones. He this week responded to a question-and-answer from The Record:

What prompted you to use your fifth year at LHU? 

After spending four valuable and incredible years at LVC, I’ve felt as though I can play at a higher level when it comes to basketball, and when I got an extra year of eligibility because of the 2020 covid year, I felt if there was any time to play at a higher level, now is the time. I’ve always followed LHU since my high school years and always wondered what it would be like to play there. 

Where do you see yourself as a player at LHU? Where is your game today as opposed to when you started college ball?

Honestly, I could see myself doing whatever (Head coach Mike) Nestor needs from me. But from conversations with Coach Nestor, I see myself as a wing player, with an inside presence if a mismatch is created. Being 6’4, I think I can contribute to the team by being a good wing player who can also play inside. It will take a lot of work over the summer but that’s not something I wasn’t ready to do.

Today, I feel as though I have become a better outside scorer, all while still working on my inside game. From mid-range to mid-post, to some 3-point shooting, I feel as though the past four years of college under Coach McAlester, Coach Karli, and Coach Cabrera, and the work over the off seasons with (Central Mountain ) Coach Bardo has paid off and helped me become the player I am today. 

Are you excited to be a Bald Eagle?    To be there with your sister, Kiahna who will be at LHU and playing basketball this next season?

I would say I am excited to be a Bald Eagle. I’ve essentially lived in the school’s backyard for almost my entire life and always had wondered what it would be like to go to school at Lock Haven.

I graduated the year before Kiahna joined central mountain as a freshman and I’ve always wondered what it would’ve been like to go to the same school as her, so I am excited to be there with her. I’ll be able to help with academics, and athletics, or just be there to hang out with her. 

What are you majoring in? Will you get a degree from Lebanon Valley? What will you take at LHU?

I am a senior and I’ll be finishing my Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Communications at LVC. So I will be graduating in about a month (May 14th). At LHU I plan on pursuing a master’s degree in Sports Administration. 

What are your long-term plans? And what are you doing this summer? Any hoops?

If the opportunity presents itself, I would like to try basketball professionally somewhere. Whether it be here in America, or somewhere overseas. I’ll be working out a bunch over the summer and might be working locally at Weis Markets or Walmart or something like that. 

If basketball doesn’t work out, I would like to be a Digital Marketing Analyst, or Digital Advertising Specialist, or Social Media Manager, or something in that field.  In a perfect world, I work with a sports team as I have been involved with sports my entire life and if possible, I would like to do so. 

And on a lighter note, do you have to live at home? Will your dad charge rent?

My dad and I have not talked about it a lot, but if possible, I would like to get my own apartment. But if that didn’t work out, I wouldn’t mind living at home for the season and semester.

If I were to live at home, my form of payment for rent would be me being his son haha.