In another life, Jones was a 6-foot-3, 160-pound shooting guard out of the Twin Cities who had zero Division I or Division II offers. Sure, he was blessed with a silky-smooth jumper (Jones says he could shoot since he came out of the womb), but guys with that type of build are a dime a dozen in the high school ranks.

West Virginia’s Javon Small stopped his dribble nearly at the 3-point line, closely guarded by Iowa State’s Curtis Jones. With the shot clock winding down early in the second half, Small moved in a circle on his pivot foot looking to pass to a teammate,