<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">LOS ANGELES -- In this city of rude-awakening real estate prices, there's a new listing on the market: 4YR UW STARTER. Central heating. All new appliances. NBA view. Best offer. This is the House of Jones. This is a four-year development project put together by an astute Washington basketball player from Compton, Calif., someone who understands investment value. Bobby Jones realized up front if he wanted a major return on his game, serious renovations had to be made. In order, he knocked down a couple of walls, redid the master bedroom and put in a new kitchen. As the Huskies' 6-foot-7 senior swingman wanders through Staples Center, a glitzy place built for NBA teams and host to the Pac-10 men's basketball tournament, he understands pro basketball eyes will be watching. He also knows he has something to offer that isn't available in many places. "I know what I can and can't do," Jones said. "I know if I keep playing the way I play, I'll make it. I play hard. A lot of dudes in the NBA don't play hard. They don't know how." It is no coincidence the UW basketball program was a chronic loser before his arrival, and has flourished since. The Huskies didn't know how to be successful. According to teammates, the industrious, hard-working Jones showed them how. "People give me a lot of credit for being a team guy, but Bobby brought us a winning attitude," Huskies guard Brandon Roy said. "I never won a state championship." Jones captured three titles at Dominguez High School, just down the freeway from Staples. While that was impressive, he quickly realized titles would take him only so far in the complex basketball world. Jones took a wrecking ball to his talents and revamped them. He could play defense and rebound when he turned up as a UW freshman, but people complained he didn't have a jump shot. He came back with one for his sophomore season. That's fine, they noted, but he still couldn't hit a 3-pointer. He showed up for his junior season having crafted a long-range shot. OK, the ball goes in from everywhere, they conceded, but he can't dribble with his left hand. He is a full-service player now. "You see guys who are passionate and want to be great, but they're not very tough mentally or physically, not in tune with what the body can do," UW coach Lorenzo Romar said. "That's not the case with Bobby." </div> Source
