UNION, N.J. (2/18/11) – Senior Jonathan Jones was recently honored with the Chris Zusi Memorial Award as the Outstanding Male Athlete of Union County at the 75th Annual Hot Stove League Dinner hosted by the Union County Baseball Association on Sunday, February 13.
Jones, a senior forward on the Kean University men's basketball team and a graduate of nearby Linden High School, has guided the Cougars to one of the program's best seasons since 1994-95. Kean has posted an 18-7 record and recently clinched the New Jersey Athletic Conference South Division and a first-round bye in the upcoming NJAC playoffs.
A four-year letterwinner, Jones currently leads the nation in both rebounding (14.2 per game) and double-doubles (24), while ranking third in scoring (24.9 points per game).
This season, Jones has led the team in scoring and rebounding in all 25 games, recording a double-double in all but one game this season. Jones was also featured in Faces in the Crowd in the January 24th issue of Sports Illustrated after opening the season with 15 straight double-doubles.
A six-time NJAC Player of the Week, three-time D3hoops.com Team of the Week honoree and two-time ECAC Division III Metro Player of the Week, Jones became the 30th player in program history to score 1,000 career points and currently ranks sixth in program history with 1,359 career points.
Also a four-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Jones currently serves as the group's vice president and has been active in SAAC's toy drive and canned food drive this past fall.
A therapeutic recreation major, Jones earned Dean's List honors in Fall 2010.
The 75th Annual Hot Stove League Dinner is sponsored by the Union County Baseball Association, in cooperation with the County of Union Department of Parks and Community Renewal. The event is held annually to raise money to operate the Union County Youth Baseball Leagues.