Siena guard fights back from misfortune

Loudonville

The Siena women's basketball team plays an occasional home game downtown at Times Union Center, instead of on campus. When that happens, it always brings back back fond memories for senior point guard Aaliyah Jones.

The TU Center is where Jones led Bishop Ford of Brooklyn to the Class AA Federation title as a junior almost five years ago. She had 25 points, seven assists and eight steals in the victory over Ossining, a performance that earned her MVP honors.

"It was one of the best moments of my basketball career,'' Jones said. "When we play there, I can not forget it."

The intervening years have brought Jones a lot of pain and frustration. She tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee in a summer-league game before her senior year of high school, then tore the left one during her freshman season at Fordham.

Jones, a former New York Daily News and MSG Varsity Player of the Year, transferred to Siena last year to try to rejuvenate her career.

"Just staying level-headed (is the hardest part) because some days are good, some days are bad,'' she said. "Some days, I don't remember I had surgeries and some days, I could barely get up. It's basically staying level-headed and reminding myself that maybe tomorrow's going to be a better day."

The outlook is brighter for Jones after she averaged 14 points in a pair of games last week. She scored 13 in a 70-60 victory at Hofstra, followed by a career-high 15 in a 78-63 loss to the University at Albany at TU Center last Saturday.

The Saints will play host to Sacred Heart on Sunday at Alumni Recreation Center. Tip-off is at 2 p.m.

"What I'm seeing from Aaliyah is the desire and the want to be in as large a role as she possibly can,'' Siena head coach Ali Jaques said. "That might sound strange, but with a player who's coming off a redshirt year and coming off some disappointment early in her career, (it's important) for her to be able to step in here and earn the respect for her teammates, and a senior, have leadership moments on the court."

Jones sat out last year under NCAA transfer rules. She played in only 23 games in two seasons at Fordham, interrupted by her second ACL injury.

"Things didn't really work out,'' Jones explained. "I wasn't seeing a lot of time on the court at that point and it was just me speaking to my parents, I felt I needed a change in environment." With that mind, Jones reached out to Siena. The Saints had recruited her heavily out of high school, but at that time, Jones wanted to stay in New York City so her family could attend her games more easily.

Jones also had a Siena connection in Saints senior guard Joella Gibson, a former high school teammate. The two had spent a year together at Murry Bergtraum High in Lower Manhattan.

"I reached out to (Gibson) asking her how was the atmosphere,'' Jones said. "She said I'd like it."

She had another surgery to repair a torn meniscus before sitting out at Siena last year.

Jones got off to a slow start this season. She said her knees sometimes ache when it snows or the temperature drops. Jones said her coaches and teammates urged her to be patient.

"I think Aaliyah gives us a lot of confidence,'' sophomore forward Maddie Sims said. "She gives us a lot of leadership. I think she brings a lot of communication to the floor. When we're playing with her, we know someone has our back and we can go to her whenever we need her."

Jones, who wears a green-and-gold brace on her right knee, said she thought about quitting after both ACL surgeries. Her father helped talk her out of it and insisted she had something left.

"I'm just a fighter, so I kept pushing through it," said Jones, who is thinking about a career in guidance counseling or social work. "Especially playing how I've been playing at Siena, it opened up my vision more with my future in basketball."

msingelais@timesunion.com • 518-454-5509 • @MarkSingelais