William M. "Bill" Jones, Men's Basketball (1934, 1937-38)
Before the term "point guard" was used in college basketball, that was Bill Jones' role on the UT squad. The 1937 team started the season with a 10-0 record and Jones was a key member, supplying outstanding passing, ball handling, and long-range shooting. He was the player responsible for feeding the ball inside to two-time All-American Chuck Chuckovits. If assists had been kept in those days, Jones would certainly be among UT leaders in that catagory. In a time when reserve tickets to UT basketball games were 75 cents and general admission tickets were 50 cents, Jones was a "ticket seller", in today's terms. His long-range shooting ability often ignited Rocket rallies, as an excerpt from the March 7, 1938, Toledo Times explained. "Jones opened the scoring with a long range basket, and then, with the score knotted 8-8, he broke the tie with another shot which put the Toledoans ahead." Jones' shots were usually taken from outside 25 feet, making him one of the early long-range specialists. He averaged eight points a game and "quarterbacked" the Rockets to an 18-4 record in 1936-37 and a 14-6 mark in 1937-38.
