MoMo’s Diary #3 - Go Warriors

MoMo’s Diary #3 - Go Warriors
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[FONT=Georgia, Helvetica, Arial, Sans-Serif]By Lamont “MoMo” Jones (Player Profile)

Posted January 23rd, 2009 — Well, it has been a while since I last wrote due to school projects and all of our games and traveling over weekends & the holidays.

Since my last journal entry a lot has happened. We’ve traveled to NC, WV, KY and WI. We had an awesome trip and tournament championship in Hawaii and then a 3 week break from school.

So far our season has been great. We’ve gelled together as a team and are finally one. We’ve pulled off some close games, like Life Center where we probably should have lost but won by 1. And the semis in Hawaii where we beat LeFlore by 2. We had a double over-time thriller in the championship game in Hawaii that I’ll go over in more detail later.

Right now it is January 14th. We’re back in class and everything is hectic. However, my grades are good. I’ve always tried to do my best in the classroom and I’ve achieved academic success. Since I’m able to get my work done fairly easily every day, I’ve had time to clear my mind and think about all our achievements. Hard work really does pay off on the court and off. And I’m happy to say that it feels good to be back in school and with my other family-my teammates.

Everyone knows we just returned from our Christmas Break. We’ve had an exciting journey and some interesting games. Our highlight by far was our trip to Hawaii. I’ve always wanted to go there but never had the opportunity, but I finally got my wish. It was the greatest trip I’ve ever been on in my life. The weather and the people are beautiful. And everything there is just as you would expect it to be. But of course, we couldn’t take advantage of all that the island offers since we were there to take care of business.

Our first two games against Hawaiian teams were kind of easy, but then we had big challenges in LeFlore and Montrose. Making it through those games showed our team chemistry, character and depth. In the semis against LeFlore from Alabama, we had to face a team with the number one big man in the country. He gave us 39 points but we pulled it out with a 2 point win. That win sent us to the championship game that I know everyone wants to hear about.

In the finals we met Montrose Christian out of Maryland. They were ranked #9 in the nation at the time. The game was close the entire time and it was very physical. We led the whole game and fortunately I was on fire. Then about halfway through the 3rd quarter one of their players simply locked me down and I didn’t score the rest of that quarter or during the 4th quarter. We were forced into the 1st over-time where their defender continued to keep me locked down, but our team kept their composure and didn’t panic and never gave up. We knew what was on the line. With 7 seconds to go on the clock, Coach called a timeout and just told me to get the ball and make something happen. Right then and there I knew that my teammates and coaches trusted me.

Not looking at the clock and thinking we were down by two, I hit a deep three pointer. In my mind we had won. I thought the game was over and I jumped up and down only to hear Coach Smith yelling, “What are you doing?! We still have a game to win!!” Then I realized that we were actually down 3 and my shot had forced us to double over-time!

Then we pretty much dominated the 2nd over-time where we went on to win by 12 points. I had my career high (40 points) and went 8-13 from the 3 point line.

But those wins are the past. We can’t get caught up in how we started the season. We have to focus on how we’ll finish. Right now we stand 19-0 and are looking to stay undefeated and win a national championship. We have a tough road ahead starting with this weekend against two more nationally ranked teams. We don’t shy away from competition - that is for sure. We play at home tomorrow night and we’d love for everyone to come out and support us.
Thanks to all that do support us. We won’t disappoint you. Go Warriors!

October 15th, 2008 — I’ve been at Oak Hill for over a month and a half now, and so far my experience has been great. I’ve come across the most caring, loving, appreciative teachers in the world at Oak Hill. But the most exciting, overwhelming and interesting thing are my teammates and coaches.

In this first month alone our entire team and coaching staff has formed an unbreakable bond and we’ve created an unstoppable force. I feel that we can’t be stopped. Practice has been going great and smooth. Everybody has been working hard, and even harder as time has gone by.

It is just amazing to me that our coaches hardly scream. I’ve never had coaches like this in my life. And it’s actually cool having cool, calm and collected coaches.

I want to personally thank my teammates, the student body and coaching staff for accepting me into their lives, community and family. And I want to thank my teammate, Austin, and his Mom & Dad for flying me home this weekend so I wouldn’t miss my little sister’s 13th birthday. I appreciate them letting me stay at their home and treating me as if I was their own. And thank you to my Uncle Carl, Jackie & Rich for being there for me over the years & supporting me at every turn. I love you all.
Thank you.
MO MO
Coming to the Hill

October 5th, 2008 — It wasn’t until the actual day I left NYC to come to Oak Hill in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, that it hit me of how much my whole life was about to change. But this was a transition that had to be made. Even though I was giving up some of my freedom, leaving family behind, and not graduating high school from NY, I was doing this for something I love to do. I knew this new situation at Oak Hill could either make or break my life - depending on how I approach everything.

As I left my mother, little sister, grandmother, uncle, mentor (Keyon), and my girlfriend, I had little regret. They all supported my decision to leave even if they didn’t want to see me go. It was really hard leaving my little sister who is growing up and is almost a teenager. She is looking for guidance, and knowing that I’m not going to be there on her 13th birthday is killing me. But I made a choice and it will help me become a better person, and then someday maybe I can give my family a better life.

In conclusion for this time, I just want to thank my mother (Janeen), Uncle Jared, Wee, Keyon and my grandmother for supporting me through the years and never giving up and turning their backs on me. I also want to thank my father and God who are looking down on me and guiding me. And most of all I want to thank Coach Smith for giving me this opportunity to make something of myself at Oak Hill.
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