University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bulldog Spotlight: LJ Thorpe & Tajion Jones
09.14.2020 | Men's Basketball
The world of college basketball is always changing. Player and coach movement across the country has the potential to lead to instability in even the most tradition-rich programs. Two current members of the UNC Asheville men's basketball team LJ Thorpe and Tajion Jones, have seen their fair share of change during their time in Asheville. Still, both have put in the work and developed into key players for the team as it enters the 2020-21 season.
Both Thorpe and Jones came to Asheville prior to the 2017-18 season, and they were redshirted for that campaign. With Thorpe and Jones on the sidelines learning, the Bulldogs went on to win the Big South Regular Season Championship and made an appearance in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) for the second time in school history. Â
With the team's success, change soon followed as Head Coach Nick McDevitt departed to lead the Middle Tennessee State program, so both Thorpe and Jones had a level of uncertainty as the Bulldogs held a search to find a new leader. Â
"When it first happened, I thought about leaving," said Jones. "But when I heard about the new coach, I looked at it like an opportunity because a lot of guys left the program. I looked at it as a chance to get more playing time."
On April 11, 2018, UNC Asheville announced that Mike Morrell was taking the men's basketball program's reins. Soon after taking the job with the Bulldogs, Morrell reached out to both Thorpe and Jones about his coaching style and plan for the program moving forward.
"I was in class when Coach Morrell came to campus, so I didn't get to meet him," said Thorpe. "I already had it in mind that I was going to leave, but he called me, and then when he arrived on campus, we met again in-person. I liked everything he was saying about what he was about and who he was as a person, so I stayed."Â
Even with Thorpe and Jones still in Bulldog Blue, Morrell's first season was a rebuilding one as the team won four games. However, eight freshman combined for 109 starts and 4,764 minutes to heavily help in the team's development. During the rebuilding season, both Jones and Thorpe showed flashes of becoming stellar players. Jones finished second on the team averaging 10.2 points per contest with 16 games in double figures to go with three 20-plus point outings. Meanwhile, Thorpe was limited to 16 games because of injury but still tied for the team-lead in rebounding average (3.5) and posted six double-digit scoring outings in his first season of on-court action.Â
Year two came with more optimism around the program, and it proved to be accurate. Despite being the 12th-youngest team in the country, the Bulldogs boosted their win total by 11 games, which was the second-largest in Division I men's basketball. Furthermore, the younger players were vital in the team's success as 97.2 percent of the team's points were scored by either freshmen or sophomores. The growth of players like Thorpe and Jones in Morrell's system was vital in the team's turnaround in 2019-20.
Jones started all 31 games for the team and led the squad in minutes played (1,034). The Oak Ridge, Tenn. native, finished third on the team averaging 13.7 points per game, ranked 12th in the Big South. His field goal (.403 to .508) and three-point shooting percentages (.278 to .419) both increased by over 100 percentage points. Furthermore, Jones finished the season with a team-best nine 20-plus point outings in 2019-20, including a 22-point outing at Wake Forest early in the season. Looking ahead to 2020-21, only one returning Big South player had more 20-plus point outings than Jones.
"I think the coaching staff helped me most by allowing me to make mistakes," Jones said. "They give us the freedom to try stuff on our own, but if we mess up, they are there to pick us up and get us back on track."
Thorpe, meanwhile, also started all 31 games for Asheville and earned Big South Honorable Mention Honors. The West Palm Beach, Florida native started the season with a bang with a 22-point outburst at Tennessee in the season opener and that performance landed him Big South Player of the Week honors. He also made some program history on February 10 at Hampton as he became just the second Bulldog ever to achieve a triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Â Additionally, he increased his scoring average to 13.9, which ranked second on the team and 11th in the league. He scored in double digits in 26 of 31 games, including four 20-plus point outings. Much like Jones, Thorpe improved his accuracy from the field (.385 to .486) and from beyond the arc (.268 to .404) improving by over 100 percentage points in each category, while also improving his rebounding average by more than three rebounds per contest.
"The biggest difference for me was the coaches believing in me," Thorpe said. "I dealt with a lot of confidence issues because I was not shooting the ball well, but they encouraged me to keep shooting. Because they pushed me and worked with me a lot, I had a good season."
As the 2020-21 season draws closer, the Bulldogs' expectations continue to grow as they return all five starters from a season ago, five others that logged minutes off the bench, and five promising newcomers. The starting five of Thorpe, Jones, DeVon Baker, Lavar Batts, Jr. and Coty Jude is one of just two lineups in the country to start every one of their team's games last season.
"Our goal is to win the Big South," said Thorpe. "If we do, everything else should fall into place."
Both players see some similarities with this team and the 2017-18 Bulldogs that ultimately won a regular-season championship. But unlike that season, Thorpe and Jones find themselves as focal points because they chose to remain in Asheville and continue the rich tradition of excellence.
"I think the biggest similarity is the leadership and holding everyone accountable," said Jones. "As a leader on the team now, I'm helping guys out when they don't know stuff and keep pushing guys to put in the work."
Whatever form the 2020-21 men's basketball season takes in the coming months, the Bulldogs will be aiming for the top of the conference once again. With the experiences and growth of players like Jones, Thorpe and the other Bulldogs, they might just cut the nets down once again.
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Both Thorpe and Jones came to Asheville prior to the 2017-18 season, and they were redshirted for that campaign. With Thorpe and Jones on the sidelines learning, the Bulldogs went on to win the Big South Regular Season Championship and made an appearance in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) for the second time in school history. Â
With the team's success, change soon followed as Head Coach Nick McDevitt departed to lead the Middle Tennessee State program, so both Thorpe and Jones had a level of uncertainty as the Bulldogs held a search to find a new leader. Â
"When it first happened, I thought about leaving," said Jones. "But when I heard about the new coach, I looked at it like an opportunity because a lot of guys left the program. I looked at it as a chance to get more playing time."
On April 11, 2018, UNC Asheville announced that Mike Morrell was taking the men's basketball program's reins. Soon after taking the job with the Bulldogs, Morrell reached out to both Thorpe and Jones about his coaching style and plan for the program moving forward.
"I was in class when Coach Morrell came to campus, so I didn't get to meet him," said Thorpe. "I already had it in mind that I was going to leave, but he called me, and then when he arrived on campus, we met again in-person. I liked everything he was saying about what he was about and who he was as a person, so I stayed."Â
Even with Thorpe and Jones still in Bulldog Blue, Morrell's first season was a rebuilding one as the team won four games. However, eight freshman combined for 109 starts and 4,764 minutes to heavily help in the team's development. During the rebuilding season, both Jones and Thorpe showed flashes of becoming stellar players. Jones finished second on the team averaging 10.2 points per contest with 16 games in double figures to go with three 20-plus point outings. Meanwhile, Thorpe was limited to 16 games because of injury but still tied for the team-lead in rebounding average (3.5) and posted six double-digit scoring outings in his first season of on-court action.Â
Year two came with more optimism around the program, and it proved to be accurate. Despite being the 12th-youngest team in the country, the Bulldogs boosted their win total by 11 games, which was the second-largest in Division I men's basketball. Furthermore, the younger players were vital in the team's success as 97.2 percent of the team's points were scored by either freshmen or sophomores. The growth of players like Thorpe and Jones in Morrell's system was vital in the team's turnaround in 2019-20.
Jones started all 31 games for the team and led the squad in minutes played (1,034). The Oak Ridge, Tenn. native, finished third on the team averaging 13.7 points per game, ranked 12th in the Big South. His field goal (.403 to .508) and three-point shooting percentages (.278 to .419) both increased by over 100 percentage points. Furthermore, Jones finished the season with a team-best nine 20-plus point outings in 2019-20, including a 22-point outing at Wake Forest early in the season. Looking ahead to 2020-21, only one returning Big South player had more 20-plus point outings than Jones.
"I think the coaching staff helped me most by allowing me to make mistakes," Jones said. "They give us the freedom to try stuff on our own, but if we mess up, they are there to pick us up and get us back on track."
Thorpe, meanwhile, also started all 31 games for Asheville and earned Big South Honorable Mention Honors. The West Palm Beach, Florida native started the season with a bang with a 22-point outburst at Tennessee in the season opener and that performance landed him Big South Player of the Week honors. He also made some program history on February 10 at Hampton as he became just the second Bulldog ever to achieve a triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Â Additionally, he increased his scoring average to 13.9, which ranked second on the team and 11th in the league. He scored in double digits in 26 of 31 games, including four 20-plus point outings. Much like Jones, Thorpe improved his accuracy from the field (.385 to .486) and from beyond the arc (.268 to .404) improving by over 100 percentage points in each category, while also improving his rebounding average by more than three rebounds per contest.
"The biggest difference for me was the coaches believing in me," Thorpe said. "I dealt with a lot of confidence issues because I was not shooting the ball well, but they encouraged me to keep shooting. Because they pushed me and worked with me a lot, I had a good season."
As the 2020-21 season draws closer, the Bulldogs' expectations continue to grow as they return all five starters from a season ago, five others that logged minutes off the bench, and five promising newcomers. The starting five of Thorpe, Jones, DeVon Baker, Lavar Batts, Jr. and Coty Jude is one of just two lineups in the country to start every one of their team's games last season.
"Our goal is to win the Big South," said Thorpe. "If we do, everything else should fall into place."
Both players see some similarities with this team and the 2017-18 Bulldogs that ultimately won a regular-season championship. But unlike that season, Thorpe and Jones find themselves as focal points because they chose to remain in Asheville and continue the rich tradition of excellence.
"I think the biggest similarity is the leadership and holding everyone accountable," said Jones. "As a leader on the team now, I'm helping guys out when they don't know stuff and keep pushing guys to put in the work."
Whatever form the 2020-21 men's basketball season takes in the coming months, the Bulldogs will be aiming for the top of the conference once again. With the experiences and growth of players like Jones, Thorpe and the other Bulldogs, they might just cut the nets down once again.
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Players Mentioned
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