The Belgian Cat team opened their European Championship campaign on Thursday with a match in and against Bosnia. Anyone who watched the previous European Championships last summer knows that this match will not be a gift to the cats. Reason? Jonquel Jones, an imported producer from the Bahamas, is Emma Meesseman’s teammate and perhaps the best player in the world at the moment.
While the Belgian cats have tried unsuccessfully for years to grant US citizenship to Celeste Trahan Davis, who lives and plays in Belgium, in 2019, Bosnia had far fewer administrative objections to granting Jonkel Jones a Bosnian passport.
The Bahamas-born midfielder has been defending the colors of Bosnia for two years now, which, thanks to Jones’ row, has grown from a mid-range player into a serious client in European basketball.
Junkel Jones has been playing with Bosnia since 2019.
amazing EC
Belgian basketball fans were able to get a feel for the qualities of the 1.98-meter Jones last summer, when Bosnia surprised the Belgian cats in their opening game: 70-55.
Jones started modestly against Belgium, with “only” 13 points as well as 16 rebounds. She finished the European Championship as top scorer (24.3 ppm), best raider (16.8 rpm) and second best blocker (1.5 bpm).
For those great personalities and Bosnia’s fifth place in the European Championship, Jones earned a spot on the European Championship team, along with Emma Messman and Julie Allemand, among others.
Unique in the WNBA
Jones’ current dominance goes a long way. She moved from the Bahamas to the United States when she was 14, where her high school coach became her guardian. She later made an impression in college basketball with Clemson, and in 2016, she was named sixth in the WNBA draft.
Jones ended up at the Connecticut Sun and has worked steadily her way to the top in recent years. In her second season, she was voted Most Improved Player (MIP), the player who made the most progress.
A year later, she went one step further and took home her sixth Woman of the Year trophy, Best Alternative. With Connecticut, Jones lost the WNBA Final that same season to Washington, Team Emma Messman and Kim Tadgha.
Jones then finished the Corona season and returned this year with Brio: 19.4 points per game and 11.2 rebounds per game.
She was recently voted WNBA MVP almost unanimously. She also earned a spot on the Team of the Year and Defensive Team of the Year. She is also the first player to win the MVP Cup, the MIP Cup, and the 6th Women’s Cup.
Jones and Maysman share a dressing room in Russia
As one of the best players in the world, Jonquel Jones also took her place in the star group of the top Russian club Yekaterinburg, sharing the dressing room with Emma Meesseman, among others.
Yekaterinburg is once again the favorite for the Russian title and Euroleague this season. Averaged around 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, Jones is also a rock in the surf.
There is no doubt that shelling Jones as much as possible will be key for the Belgian Cats to victory over Bosnia on Thursday. Will Belgium avenge the losing match in the European Championship? You will see him on Thursday evening in Sporza.
The Belgian Cats are trying to stop Jonkel Jones during the last European Championships.
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