DeVante’ Jones: Frankie Collins is next great Michigan point guard
Former Michigan guard DeVante’ Jones tore it up at the Portsmouth Invitational recently, a showcase for college players preparing for the NBA Draft. He scored 36 points in three games — that after going scoreless in the first contest in which he grabbed 11 rebounds and dished four assists — and went 14-for-25 from the field.
When his coaches asked him to score more in the next game, he went 8-for-10 from the floor, 2-for-2 from long range, and also added 12 rebounds, six assists and six steals in victory. The former Michigan standout notched another 18 points in game three, adding seven rebounds and five assists.
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Jones averaged a double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds per game and notched 15 assists with only five turnovers. He played well at the G-League combine last summer, but he raised his game this year.
“Last year, I didn’t know what to expect. I was new to the process,” he said this week on the Defend the Block podcast with Brian Boesch, Michigan basketball’s play-by-play man. “I’m a way better player. I’m more explosive than I was last year. I shoot the ball a lot better. IQ for the game has risen.”
That improvement was evident down the stretch at Michigan, when he averaged 13.2 points and nearly six assists per game, along with 5.0 rebounds in his last dozen games.
Now he’s ready to pass the torch at Michigan, and he has someone in mind. While a few were debating whether or not freshman point guard Frankie Collins should have played over him this year, Jones never let that bother him. He spent his time trying to groom his roommate for the future, and it showed.
Collins scored 14 points in an NCAA Tournament win over Colorado State when Jones was sidelined with a head injury.
“Man, I’ve been trying to tell people the whole year that he was a great player,” Jones said. “Even early in the season when they were trying to put me and Frankie apart. Me and him always stayed close. We were roommates, so we’d always see each other every day. We still talk to this day — actually had a talk yesterday.
“The sky is the limit, for sure. He worked extra hard, was always in the gym before and after practice. He was always texting or calling me trying to get in the gym. I don’t want him to have pressure, but excited that he got to show his talents on probably the biggest stage in college basketball. So, the sky is the limit.”
He became an outstanding practice defender, Jones continued, to the point that their battles at Michigan sometimes got bloody.
“Me and him used to go to war all the time,” he said. “We used to have bloody noses, bruises on our faces. His defense is amazing. He’s a ball hawk. He has great feet, and he’s got quick hands … athletic, fast. Got nice size, a nice body. He’s got all the intangibles of being a really good defender.
“That’s somewhere he’s going to excel a lot especially this upcoming year, because he told me he wanted to prove to everybody he’s one of the best defenders in the country. I think he is, honestly. Probably one of the best in the Big Ten, if not the best.”
He’s still working on his shot, and he’s got a long way to go there. But getting to the rim has been a forte, and he’s working at it before his second year at Michigan.
“Him playing both sides is going to be really great,” Jones said of the Michigan sophomore to be. “He’s definitely going to have a lot of eyes on him this year. And I guarantee he’s going to take care of Michigan basketball for years to come.”
