WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: THE ROLE OF HER LIFE CLU'S HALEY JONES IS A LEADER ON AND OFF THE COURT.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

Haley Jones displays all the modesty you would expect from a young woman who will probably save lives one day.

Jones, the team captain and leading scorer on Cal Lutheran's SCIAC-champion women's basketball team, describes herself as ``a role player. I take whatever I can get.''

Jones, who had a 3.95 grade-point average last semester, says she hopes she ``can get into a good medical school, but if not it will be okay, and I will just try again next year.''

She might want to downplay her success on the court and in the classroom, but Jones' accomplishments are too great to ignore. The 6-foot guard has played in all 23 games, averaging 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds.

``She's just a very consistent player,'' coach Tim La Kose said. ``She's shooting 58 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free-throw line. She works to get herself a lot of quality shots and she's a great leader, not just on the court, but with a lot of community work.''

Jones, who is pre-med, would like to go into pediatrics, with an emphasis on helping children with cancer, and her choice is not by accident. Jones' father died of cancer when she was a child.

``And I've always loved children,'' Jones said. ``I've always wanted to be a doctor, but I narrowed it down because I like kids so much. Last summer I was able to help work at the Children's Hospital in Oakland and that confirmed for me what I really wanted to do.''

As a near-straight-A student, Jones doesn't need the added pressure of carving out time in her schedule for basketball.

Most student-athletes in her situation would choose one or the other, but Jones has been able to strike a balance between two important parts of her life. If nothing else, it will help to prepare her for a life in the medical field, where there is rarely time to rest.

``It's tough because a lot of the time I'll go from class to practice and then back to class,'' Jones said. ``But it has helped me with time management, and to learn how to push through exhaustion and just get things done.

``But I love basketball, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.''

Jones transferred to Cal Lutheran before last season from Solana Beach Junior College, one of the state's top JC programs. She made an instant impact, not only on the court but with her coaches and teammates.

This fall, after only one year with the team, Jones was named a co-captain, the ultimate signal of respect from her peers.

``It's difficult to come into a situation like that, where you're a newcomer,'' La Kose said. ``But she earned the respect of the team very quickly because she came in and worked hard day in and day out, and the players responded to that.

``We will do something real basic in practice, like some defensive drill, and she will go out there and just work at it. The other players feed off of that and they try to keep up with her.

``She's so intelligent and that carries over to the court. She has great habits and is able to stay in a great routine, whether it's in practice or during games, she's always at the top of her game.''

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo: (color) Haley Jones has a 3.95 GPA in pre-med and leads the Cal Lutheran basketball team by averaging nearly 13 points per game.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer