A year ago, the magazine published my cover story on Perry Jones III, then a freshman basketball star at Baylor University and a top N.B.A. prospect. That same week, the N.C.A.A. announced that it was suspending him for receiving improper benefits — primarily, modest sums of money lent by his summer-league coach to his mother so his impoverished family could stay in its home. Jones was not even aware of the loans, which had been paid back.
The penalty struck some as unduly harsh, if not cruel. Baylor lost its first-round game last season in the Big 12 tournament as Jones sat forlornly on the bench, in a shirt and tie, and the team did not qualify for the N.C.A.A. tournament the following week. Not long after that, Jones — predicted to be among the top picks in the N.B.A. draft — surprised nearly everyone by announcing he would postpone his N.B.A. millions and stay in school at least one more year. Among the reasons he gave: he wanted to play in an N.C.A.A. tournament.
Jones’s continued timidity on the court this season has furthered doubts that he will ever fully take advantage of his talent, and he may not be quite as high a draft pick if he decides to leave school this spring. Yesterday, however, he finally got to play in a Big 12 tournament game, and it looked like he converted a year’s worth of stored-up disappointment, and perhaps anger, into energy. He scored 31 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dominated in his team’s victory over Kansas State from start to finish.
No matter what happens in the rest of its conference tournament — tonight Baylor plays Kansas, ranked No. 3 in the nation — Baylor is a lock to qualify for this month’s N.C.A.A. tourney, unlike last year. (Baylor is ranked No. 12 right now.) To borrow a favorite phrase of Hubie Brown, the venerable N.B.A. commentator, I’m happy for the kid.