Player of the Week: Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Tara Jones is known for her soft-spoken personality, but this past week she let her performance on the basketball court do all the talking as she aided the Lady Royals to a 3-0 winning streak this week including a huge road win against the number one team in the ODAC.

Last week in Virginia Beach, against league-leading Virginia Wesleyan, the senior controlled the court as a guard with a team high eight rebounds leading the way with assists as well. This past weekend the Lady Royals' consecutive nights of play didn't slow Jones down. In those two contests against Randolph Macon Women's College and Lynchburg College, Tara Jones helped propel her team to back-to-back wins by averaging 14 points per game during the weekend. The three game winning streak places EMU fourth in conference play.

Tara's first year of college was not here at EMU but on the campus of Norfolk State University in Norfolk, VA where she did not participate in any collegiate athletics. At one of Richmond's powerhouse basketball schools, Chesterfield High School, Tara was a big time basketball player. It was not until she got a call from former coach Richard McElwee, asking her to come to EMU, that she made the change. "I made the hard decision to transfer to EMU for basketball and academics," said Jones.

Tara's first appearances as a Lady Royal were brief, her action on the floor was limited to about four minutes a game. This did not keep her down as she continued to work hard. Now she is one of the key reasons to the Lady Royals good year. Jones exudes determination and hard work on and off the hardwood court too as she is currently pursuing a degree in Art with a minor in Business Administration.