There were 3.1 seconds left in his team’s season. Mookie Jones wanted the ball.

In the 2007 New York State Class A Federation Championship, Jones’ Peekskill (N.Y.) team trailed, 42-41, and had the ball underneath Cardinal Hayes’ basket. During a preceding timeout, the typically quiet Jones repeatedly told his coach, Lou Panzanaro, to put the ball in his hands.

One problem.

‘He wasn’t listening to me,’ Jones said. ‘He wasn’t even listening to me at all.’

Panzanaro settled on an inbounds play that had beaten Uniondale at the buzzer earlier in the season. The primary option on the play is a backdoor pass, but Jones had other plans. He told the team’s two big men to set screens, and told the inbounds passer, Michael Smythe, to look his way. And Panzanaro gave Jones the green light.

Game over, Jones told himself. The three-time state champion curled around the screens, caught Smythe’s pass in the right corner and nailed the trey as time expired. A placid Jones backpedaled, slowly extended his thin, elongated wingspan into the air and was mobbed by teammates at center court.

The shot was the pinnacle of Syracuse recruit Mookie Jones’ illustrious career – a game-winner in lieu of three Class A state championships. It was his first buzzer-beater dagger. His first signature, end-of-game pose. The shot was affirmation that Jones, the No. 58 ranked recruit in the nation by Scout.com, had finally reached his goal of being more assertive.

The 6-foot-7, 190-pound Jones is a far cry from the self-labeled ‘Clumsy Mookie’ of five years ago (‘I was always tripping over my untied shoes. I was goofy.’)

And, naturally, his penchant for big-time shots caught the eye of Orange head coach Jim Boeheim. The 32-year coach was intrigued by Jones’ unique blend: A quiet, unselfish player with a killer’s instinct.

‘Mookie makes big plays,’ Boeheim said. ‘I’ve seen him play many times, and he has the ability to make big plays. He’s very unselfish too – a very good team player. He’s a great kid and will fit in well with this team. He’ll play next year.’

Jones’ confidence ‘grew leaps and bounds,’ as he gradually filled into his frame, Panzanaro said. As a junior, Jones averaged 22.6 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks per game, driven by a prove-people-wrong attitude in crunch time. He made multiple shots at the buzzer to send games to overtime but missed a game-winner in the final four of his AAU league.

‘The more we relied on him, the more mentally tough he became,’ Panzanaro said. ‘He wanted the ball in every situation.’

Even from his recliner. One month ago, Jones watched Syracuse’s 82-77 collapse to Pittsburgh from his house with a group of his friends. With 1.5 seconds left, SU freshman Scoop Jardine missed a potential game-winner from the corner – Jones’ sweet spot.

His friends, never shy in taunting Jones about SU’s woes, erupted into laughter. Jones just grinned.

‘I believe I’m a person who can knock down that shot,’ Jones said. ‘I believe so. I just can’t wait to get up to Syracuse and work with them. Guys always had something to say to me about the team, but I see us winning a lot of games next year.’

That persona Jones developed through three state titles at Peekskill never blurred the line of confidence and selfishness. In fact, during his senior season, Jones drastically changed his game. His points per game average dropped by five. He took 10 shots per game instead of 17. Four Red Devils players averaged in double-figures with a fifth averaging nine a game. And Peekskill won 25 straight before losing in the state semifinals.

In their state regional win over Oneonta that season, the Red Devils led, 36-6, in the first half. Jones had zero of the 36. Instead, he had six assists, and Peekskill cruised, 89-32.

‘Mookie sacrificed himself this year,’ Panzanaro said. ‘His character is impeccable. He recognized that there were a couple guys on the team that really needed the ball. Without that, they kind of moped and pouted a little bit. So, he went out of his way to get them the ball in good situations so they could score. He’s so aware of what’s going on and so unselfish.’

Still, Panzanaro, who has coached Los Angeles Clippers’ forward Elton Brand and New Orleans Hornets’ center Hilton Armstrong at Peekskill, noted Jones must improve his ball-handling at the next level.

‘He handles the ball very well and can attack you off the dribble, but I think he really needs to work on that,’ Panzanaro said.

That doesn’t prevent the soft-spoken Jones from stuttering in excitement at what’s next. The versatile swingman is willing to fill any role at Syracuse. Jones had interest from Big East schools Marquette, DePaul, St. John’s and Rutgers, and spoke highly of them when he returned to Peekskill. But when Jones visited Syracuse, his decision was made. He called Panzanaro from campus – something he didn’t do anywhere else.

‘Whatever they ask me to do, I’ll be doing,’ Jones said. ‘I’m just a baby coming in. If they want me to be the water boy, I’ll do it.’

Then again, like many, Jones started as the awkward little brother. Day after day, he humbly clung to his brother, Brandon Jackson, following him to basketball courts at a local apartment complex. Jackson, a former Peekskill standout and current United States Marine, and his friends were six years older than Jones. The gangly middle-schooler was bullied, verbally and physically, and only played if someone was injured or needed a sub. When he was lucky, Jones played alone.

When Jones made varsity, he immediately told Panzanaro his goal was to prove the older kids wrong. He never forgot the upperclassmen mocking his wiry build. It’s the source of his cold-blooded attitude in crunch time.

‘People picked on me left and right,’ Jones said. ‘I got pushed around and beat up. It was very depressing, very depressing. But it was a motivation. I wanted to be better than all of them.’

Jones was two wins away from becoming only the second player in state history to win four state championships, according to The Journal-News (N.Y.). He took no satisfaction in defying his bullies. ‘Proud’ and ‘appreciative,’ but never satisfied, he said.

After all, he’s just getting started. Draining a walk-off 3-pointer at the Glens Falls Civic Center was memorable. But a game-winner inside the Carrier Dome?

Jones sighed, chuckled and his voice vanished for five seconds. He couldn’t explain the possible feeling.

‘I can’t even remember how many fans were at the (Civic Center),’ Jones said. ‘Someone told me that would be just one section of the Dome. I can’t wait to play in front of that crowd. … If Coach Boeheim gives me the chance to make that last shot, I’ll be willing to knock it down.’

thdunne@syr.edu

Published on April 1, 2008 at 12:00 pm