Jones is Estancia’s heart and soul

The heart and soul of the Estancia High boys’ basketball team is once again Kohl Jones.

Agustin Heredia first tagged Jones with the honor when he returned to his alma mater to be the head coach two seasons ago.

“He does all the other things that make him a good player,” said Heredia, who during his playing days was the epitome of a player doing whatever it took to win.

Jones, a guard, competes with the same attitude on the court. The result is the Eagles are winning more than they’re losing, giving Heredia his best start in three years at the helm.

Jones went into Thursday’s game at the Fairmont Prep Tournament averaging 15.8 points per game, tops at Estancia (6-4). In each game this season, the senior has scored in double figures.

The consistent play is the difference in Jones compared to the previous two seasons.

“He’s got a great understanding for what I need him to do,” Heredia said. “We need him to score, but when he doesn’t score, he’s still a very effective player.

“He’s progressed in the three years he’s been on varsity.”

During that time, Estancia has improved as well. The team is on pace to surpass the 14 games Heredia won in his first season with the Eagles.

Jones has helped Heredia bring respect back to the Eagles’ program. Before the start of the New Year, both like Estancia’s chances of contending for an Orange Coast League championship.

That’s how far the Eagles have come since Jones and Heredia joined the varsity team for the 2007-08 season. The season before, winning a game was rare. The Eagles were coming off a season in which they won two games.

This season, the Eagles have picked up two victories in a week. They started 5-0, winning the John Glenn Tournament in Norwalk along the way.

“We know that we have the potential to be a very good team as long as we work hard,” Jones said. “It feels good to start off this way, but we have to keep up the hard work.”

Heredia doesn’t let the Eagles slack off. When he’s not around, Jones is the one who leads.

With this being his final season, Jones has assumed more of a captain role. He’s a lot more vocal, getting on teammates when they mess around.

How things ended last season is a big reason why. Estancia finished in a three-way tie for second place in league, but still almost found itself out of the CIF Southern Section Division IV-A playoffs.

Dropping back-to-back league playoff games didn’t guarantee anything.

One night, the Eagles played for the league’s No. 2 playoff berth and lost to rival Costa Mesa. The next night, Estancia failed to earn the league’s third and final guaranteed postseason berth after losing to Calvary Chapel.

The two losses by a combined seven points stung Estancia, as Jones and Heredia believed the season had come to an end.

“It was tough,” Jones said after losing and having to rely on getting into the playoffs with an at-large berth, which the Eagles received.

Estancia almost went on to upset host Lawndale in the first round before losing, 72-71. Jones finished with 19 points in the game and he and his teammates learned from how the season ended with three close losses.

“It just taught us that we need to stay focused for the entire course of the game and not have any let ups,” Jones said. “We plan on working hard, giving our best every game, and seeing where this season takes us.”