(Courtesy of SMU Athletics)

A new face on the SMU men’s basketball team, Jalen Jones has shown fans that he is right where he should be.

Between school, practice and tearing up the hardwood, the six feet six inches freshman has a lot on his plate.

But his impressive numbers have already proved that he is more than able to keep up with a demanding schedule.

Jones has played a total of 141 minutes with the Mustangs, averaging 23.5 points a game.

After a look at his high school career, it’s no surprise Jones has a total of 19 rebounds after only six games played, with a career-high of 10 rebounds that he collected during the Mustangs victory over Georgia Southern.

Jones was rated as high as No. 28 in Texas during his senior year at Dallas’s Kimball High School.

The shooting guard helped Kimball win the Texas Class 4A State Championship with 19 points and nine rebounds.

Jones also had success at the free throw line after shooting 13-14 in the title game.

It wasn’t until the middle of the final season of his high school career that Jones decided to join the Mustang stampede at SMU.

“I feel like it’s the right place for me to be,” Jones said. “With good teammates and a nice coaching staff I just felt like I needed to be here.”

It’s evident that he is devoted to basketball and his teammates. Jones has been playing basketball since he was only 5-years-old and has many more years to go.

With many goals in mind for himself and the team this year, there is one in particular that really stands out to the Mustang.

“With the type of players we have on the team we should make it to the (NCAA) tournament,” Jones said.

The Mustangs have started the season with an overall record of 3-3. With many more games ahead of them, the Mustangs and Jones are constantly working toward success.

“Everyday in practice we’re striving to get better and better,” Jones said.

According to Jones, when the SMU basketball team isn’t at practice or playing games, they still spend all of their time together.

Jones’ favorite part about being a Mustang is being able to hang out with his teammates in a more relaxed setting so that they can just have fun.

Over the holiday break the SMU men’s basketball team will be playing in new settings, taking on Jackson State at Ellis Davis Fieldhouse on Dec. 15 and Oklahoma State at the American Airlines Center on Dec. 28.