Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Jay Spivey

For the Clemmons Courier

The Mary Garber Holiday Tip-Off Classic girls basketball tournament finished last week, and to those who witnessed some of the games they might’ve asked themselves who that new, tall player was at West Forsyth. 

That’s freshman Laila Jones, who burst on the scene last week and led No. 8-seed West Forsyth to a fifth-place finish in the Bell Davis Pitt Bracket of the Garber after pacing her teammates with 18 points in a 58-53 double-overtime win against No. 7 Forsyth Country Day last Wednesday at Atkins High School. 

Growing up in Clemmons and coming from Clemmons Middle School last year, Jones, who is listed as 6-feet, played basketball, volleyball, indoor and outdoor track and field, and softball. 

“I was always like really tall, so since I was like 5 years old, I always like in the gym and like just playing basketball all the time in different leagues,” Jones said.  

Just like the returning players for the Titans, it came as late news this past summer that former Coach Catrina Green resigned and Johnathan Gainey replaced her. 

“He’s like really chill,” Jones said of Gainey. “He doesn’t yell at all. So, like if he corrects you on something he’s not going to yell at you. He kind of going to give you like what to do better.” 

Jones, who worked out with the team all summer with Green as head coach, found out in an interesting way at Green had resigned.  

“I was at the library,” Jones said. “And I just get a text in the group chat and it’s like everybody’s say, ‘Oh, we miss you. Bye.’ So, I check, and it’s, ‘She’s gone.’  

“And it’s like a week after the team camp. So, it was kind of really surprising coming back from (UNC-Wilmington). We all went to the beach together and the next day she was gone.” 

Being new in a school she technically wasn’t a student yet it was hard for Jones to wrap her head around the news of Green’s leaving. 

“It was really hard because when you look for a school, that’s what you’re preparing for,” Jones said. “You’re preparing to be coached by her and with all the players. Then when she left, we lost a lot of players, too. So, like everything changed.” 

As an incoming freshman, Jones understood her place. 

“I just had to realize that we don’t have anybody else,” she said. “Like, this is the whole team and I Have to do like the best I can to make sure that we win and do what we’re supposed to do.” 

As for Gainey, not only was he new to West Forsyth, he only knew little bits and pieces about each of his players for the Titans. 

“I heard about her,” Gainey said of Jones. “I know she was a talent. It’s going to come down to learning the game, being a freshman, and learning how to finish around the basket. That’s her biggest thing. She’s got to learn how to finish around the basket.” 

Part of Jones’ game is just being young. 

“She’s used to being the biggest girl on campus,” Gainey said. “Now, she’s just a freshman. But now, she’s got to learn she can’t just turn and shoot. She’s got to turn and go hard.” 

West Forsyth, which is 2-1 as of Monday, lost to top-seed and eventual tournament champion, North Wilkes, 67-45 in the first round of the Garber. But even though that sent West Forsyth to the loser’s bracket, it rebounded and defeated East Wilkes 50-44 in a consolation game before upending FCD in the fifth-place game. 

“Right now, she’s rebounding,” Gainey said of being Jones’ biggest plus. “That’s her strength. She’s still learning what we’re trying to do defensively. She’s just go to learn to sprint to spots, and learning the speed of the game.” 

After dominating at Clemmons Middle School, jumping into top-notch competition at the varsity level is a tough transition. 

“At JV or middle-school you can kind of jog with you spot because the players might not be as quick,” Gainey said. “But high school, players are faster. So, she’s going to learn how to sprint to spots, not jog, and play hard. And that’s the biggest thing. She’s got to play hard consistently.” 

Another key element for Jones and the rest of the players for West Forsyth is depth. In the game against FCD, West Forsyth played with only seven players because Jordynn-Rai Koger and Victoria Guthrie were out with injury. 

“It’s kind of hard because they’re like my subs,” Jones said, “So, I have to stay composed and try not to get into a lot of foul trouble. I didn’t do as good last game (against East Wilkes), but (against FCD) I just tried to stay straight up.” 

Jones, although just a freshman and 14 years old, is already singing the praises of her teammates.  

“I don’t think we should’ve been the eighth seed,” she said. “I don’t think that’s the type of team we are. I think we should’ve been a higher seed. I mean, we went 2-1. So, it started off with like the hardest game, like your first game, I mean of course it’s going to like a lot of nerves. But I definitely think we should’ve been seeded higher.” 

West Forsyth was scheduled to have played at home this past Tuesday night against Western Guilford and were scheduled to have played at Southern Guilford this past Wednesday night in two nonconference games. 

“I think I might play a little more on the outside of the perimeter because I can play 4 or 5,” Jones said. “So, once our subs come back in then it opens me back up to a lot more opportunities on the court.” 

But Jones feels her skill-set allows her to be flexible, depending on what the team needs. 

“I can do both,” she said. “I’m just saying I have like variety.” 

Jones, although she’s played in just three games, has learned from some players like senior Emma Staples, and juniors Brooklyn King and Isabel Gil, who have been through the grind of a high-school season and going through the rigors of playing in the Central Piedmont 4-A. 

“Brooklyn, she’s inspired me a lot because she’ll like talk faith into me on the court about defense,” Jones said. “She’ll be like, ‘Don’t foul. Just keep your hands straight up. Don’t do too much.’ 

“And then, Emma. She leads by example. So, like we’re just kind of like you have to follow her and do what she does.” 

In the game against FCD, each of the four players – Jones, Gil, Staples, and King – scored in double figures. 

“I feel like there’s a lot of respect for me and like everybody, we all have a lot of respect for each other,” Jones said. “So, if I say something they’re going to listen. If they say something I’m going to listen because that’s just how you have to work as a team.” 

Jones knows there is still plenty to build off as she continues this season and beyond. 

“I’m going to have to improve my footwork. I’m going to have to improve my boxing out and my rebounding, and my positioning on the block, especially like on defense. I have to front the people better. Posting up, I have to sit down more. I’m standing too straight up. So, it’s just like a lot of small, technical things I have to fix to see a better outcome.” 

The first conference game is scheduled for Tue., Dec. 10, at Glenn, followed by another game on Dec. 13 at home against Parkland. 

“I want to win the CPC,” Jones said. “I don’t know about them, but I want to win the CPC. Me, personally, I want to box out better, get back on defense more. And for the team, I want to see like better shots in range in rhythm.  

“You know, sometimes, I think we just jack up a lot of threes that are not needed, if we like take our time and really shoot how I know we can shoot I think we’ll do really good.” 

Not only is Jones playing basketball, she’s simultaneously on the indoor track-and-field team throwing the shot put with Coach Nathan Newsome. 

“He tells me to come whenever I can because he knows I have a tight schedule,” Jones said of Newsome. “So, I just try to come to as many (meets and practices) as possible, especially because we have like 12 meets. So, it gives me a lot of flexibility. 

This spring, Jones, who played JV volleyball this past fall, plans on doing discus and shot put on the girls outdoor track-and-field team.  

“One day I was rolling the shot puts back and they were like, ‘You shouldn’t be able to do that. You’re 6 years old, right.’ So, then they (track team) got me into it. So, in my second year, I was 6 years old. My second year, I won the championship. And the year after that, I broke the world record.” 

She’s a relatively skinny 6-footer, so Jones has to push off as hard as she can with the shot put and discus. “I try to use a lot of my explosion,” she said. “That’s my thing. I use a lot of explosion because I play sports like year-round. Right after volleyball, it’s basketball. Right after basketball, it’s track. After track, it’s softball. So, I have to incorporate all of that. So, like my body type may not be specifically as a shot-putter because I do so many other things.” 

And despite her prowess on the basketball court, track and field is her favorite sport. Also, she enjoys playing softball, but she’s leaning toward not playing softball at West Forsyth this spring because of track and field. 

“I think I have the discus record and the shot-put record for middle-school adidas,” Jones said. “Then, I won shot put (middle-school) this year, AAU, and just like many other stuff.” 

With nearly four seasons left for the Titans’ basketball team, Jones has many goals she wants to set. 

“Conference player of the year,” she said. “I want a state championship, eventually.”