Senior guard Lajae Jones scored 20 points in FSU's 101-64 win over Alabama State. He credits trust in preparation and teammates over forcing shots, and says the team's low external expectations motivate them to shock the world. Jones is excited for an upcoming matchup against the reigning national champion Florida.
Chapters
Jaylon, a night like that where you start off shooting so hot, is that something you could tell right away or is it— is every night different?
I mean, you can't guarantee it's going to be a hot night or a cold night. It's just trusting the work you put in and just trusting your teammates to find you to help create those open shots with a drive and kick swing or just playing fast in transition.
How do you not kind of fall for just jacking up a bunch of shots? Because you were very conservative in terms of, you know, you only shot 5 in the night.
It was just letting other guys show what they can do as well. It's a team sport. It's not just a one-man show. So we win as a team, we lose as a team too.
What was Coach's general message to you guys at the half? He seemed a little fiery when he left the court.
We need to play harder.
Do you think opponents Do you think teams underestimate your athleticism?
It just depends on what I— it just goes by game by game. It just depends on how I show my athleticism or not. Sometimes you're not going to dunk everything. Sometimes you got to play off 2 feet and just use your body more.
Back-to-back games with poster dunks down the lane. What's encouraging you to get so physical when you drive?
The more physical you are, The higher chance you have to go to the free throw line and being able to create 3-point plays too if you do get fouled.
Is it difficult to stay focused when you guys are up by 30-plus?
Yes and no. It's just discipline. We just got to stay humble and bring everyone together and just remember the end goal.
What was it about Coach's message when he got hired that kind of made you think that this would be the right, right place for you to spend your senior year?
Whole new team, whole new coaching staff. Everyone has a goal of making it to the NBA, and Coach just came from there. So I know playing for him will put me in the spotlight to be able to do that.
Is there anything specific you're working on for your game at the next level?
Just trusting what Coach says, working on what they need from me, and also just doing extra to have more of a complete game.
After these 2 games here, I guess, how excited are you? How excited do you think the team is for the measuring stick game going to Florida and kind of seeing how that goes?
I mean, they're reigning national champions, so who wouldn't be pumped to play them? They're also top 25. That's a Quad 1 game too. So just being able to compete against top-level teams is something to always be excited about. Honestly, just any game is a dub. Just be excited about it.
Did you guys— the fact that nobody really knows what to expect from this team, first-year coach, whole new roster, so you guys aren't picked to finish high, is that a motivation or do you guys not pay attention?
It's motivation. If you're in last place, there's no expectations. The only thing you can do is shock the world or just fall to the expectations. But our plan is to shock the world and just believe in ourselves.
