Brogan Jones’ recruiting journey lasted about half an hour. The Three Rivers freshman recently committed to play for Central Baptist College in Arkansas next sea- son, which is nearby where she grew up.
“It feels pretty good. It is sort of bittersweet to be leaving Three Rivers,” said Jones, who will study counseling at CBC.
Jones texted a friend who was a senior at CBC, inquiring about the possibility of playing at CBC after Jones finished her freshmen season with the Lady Raiders. Maybe 30 minutes later, CBC coach Lyle Middleton was calling Jones.
“I was really set at staying at Three Rivers. I was thinking about staying there and then getting recruited to go somewhere else,” said Jones, who thought about the decision for a few days. “I was really stressed about calling (Three Rivers) coach (Alex) Wiggs to tell him. But he was just great. I was worried about letting him down.”
Added Wiggs, “She got an opportunity to go to Central Baptist and she needed to jump on that opportunity ... Super excited for her and happy for her for getting that opportunity.” Jones believes Middleton saw some of the same traits and potential in the 6-foot, 3-inch post player that Three Rivers coaches Jeff Walk, who retired following this past season, and Wiggs saw.
She was the 15th-ranked post player in the nation by ESPN and a McDonald’s All-American coming out of high school. “A 6-3 kid doesn’t come around every day,” Wiggs said. “I think it is a great fit and a great job by those coaches (at CBC).”
Jones signed with Tulane before taking a medical red- shirt because of mental and physical problems that can be read about online in the Feb. 21 edition of the Daily American Republic or at semoball.com.
After taking time away from basketball, Jones landed at Three Rivers in a similar fashion to how she got recruited to CBC, through the kindness of a friend.
Camdyn McDaniel, a former Raider and high school teammate of Jones, mentioned to Walk that Jones was looking for a place to play. “When I saw (Jones) play back in the day at North Little Rock, I knew there was no chance that we’d ever see her wear a Lady Raider shirt,” Walk said in a February inter- view. “She scored every time she caught the ball, she ran up and down the floor like we do now. You could tell she could play at a high, high level.”
Added Wiggs in the same interview, “The footwork, the hands, the moves in there. It may be a little slower now compared to what they were, but there are some moves in there you can’t teach kids.”
She averaged 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 8 min- utes per game and was planning on boosting those in her freshman campaign, but CBC was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.
“The coach seems really nice and says they have a great group of girls. He seems like a straight forward guy from what I can tell. I feel like I can trust him,” Jones said. “I’ m in a place I want to be at. I wasn’t happy not playing basketball. Working out every day is what I love to do, being a part of a team, and having people there for me. It’s really nice. It helps a lot.”
Added Wiggs, “I can see her being a dominant force in that conference and in that league.”
Scott Borkgren - Daily American Republic