The VandySports 100: No. 34, Damian Jones

Vanderbilt basketball star Damian Jones checks in at 34th on our countdown of the 100 greatest Commodores we've covered. Follow our countdown to No. 1 here.

Honors and awards: 2013-14 Freshman All-Southeastern Conference

2014 SEC Freshman of the Week

2014-15 first-team All-SEC

2014-15 SEC All-Defensive Team

2015-16 first-team All-SEC (AP second team)

2016 SEC Player of the Week

In the VU record book: Single-game field goal percentage (92.3 vs. Florida in 2016)

Single-season blocked shots: sixth, seventh (70 in 2014-15, 54 in 2015-16)

Single-season blocks per game: tied-sixth, 10th (2.0 in 2014-15, 1.64 in 2015-16)

Career scoring: 26th (1,313)

Career blocked shots: third (167)

Career blocked shots per game: tied-first (1.69)

Career field-goal percentage: third (56.6)

Before VU: Averaged 15.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 blocks, and 2.0 assists in his senior season at Louisiana's Scotlandville Magnet. Won state titles in junior and senior years and was Louisiana 5A Player of the Year as a senior. Team won its district four times.

Freshman (2013-14): Played in all 31 games and started 28, averaging 11.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. Team went 15-16 (7-11 SEC). Started all 18 SEC games, averaging 11.7 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 51.3 percent from the field. Scored in double-figures in 20 games, had five double-doubles (Kentucky, Ole Miss twice, South Carolina and Texas A&M) and scored a season--high 19 points on two occasions (Georgia State and Missouri). Won SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in games against Missouri and Auburn. Blocked seven shots at South Carolina. Scored 16 at Alabama in his first SEC game.

Sophomore (2014-15): Played in 35 games and started 34, averaging 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game for a 21-14 (9-9 ) team that won two NIT games. Scored 506 points, second on Vanderbilt’s all-time single season sophomore list. Led SEC in field goal percentage (56.2) finished 10th in scoring, and third in blocks. Posted double-figure points in 28 games and had two double-doubles (24 points and 12 rebounds against Trevecca, and against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament, when he tallied 20 points and 15 rebounds). Had a season-high six blocks in win over Missouri.

Junior (2015-16): Started all 33 games for a 19-14 (11-7) team that lost in the NCAA Tournament First Four. Scored in double figures in 26 games and posted seven double-doubles. Was SEC Player of the Week on Feb. 29 after averaging 21 points and 7.5 rebounds in wins over Florida and Kentucky. Set a new single-game field-goal record with at least 10 field goals made (92.3 percent) when he went 12-for-13 against Florida. His 16 rebounds vs. Georgia was the most by a VU player since Lance Goulbourne’s 16 rebounds at Marquette on December 29, 2011. Scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds at Arkansas. Scored 26 points at Texas. Tallied 20 points and 12 rebounds in win over Florida. Had 17-point and 10-rebound performances vs. Wake Forest and Kansas in the Maui Invitational.

Post-VU: Jones went pro after his junior year, and Golden State took him with the 30th pick of the first round. Jones has played 104 career games and was having his best season yet as a part-time starter for Atlanta when the coronavirus halted play this spring.

Final thoughts, and why I ranked him where I did: Per 40 minutes in his career, Jones averaged 19.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, a level of performance rarely duplicated at Vanderbilt. Jones's biggest weakness was foul shooting (he missed 228 of his 524 career attempts) and ball-handling (71 assists, 197 turnovers) but neither are uncommon for big men, and Jones improved markedly in the latter (38 assists, 65 turnovers as a junior). He was a special player who played at an all-star level for three years and though his teams didn't accomplish a whole lot, it's hard not to put him somewhere in the top 40.