ATLANTA – A college freshman nearly 2,400 miles from home, Terrence Jones looked down the University of Kentucky basketball roster, noticed Darius Miller was one of the Wildcats’ most experienced players and decided he needed to get to know him better.
“Darius had a car; he was from Kentucky. I went to him right away,” Jones, now a sophomore, said of his first days as a Wildcat last year.
“I asked him, ‘What do you do around here? Where do you go to eat?’ I didn’t have a car. I didn’t know anybody. I needed help.”
Everybody needs a little help. Even potential NBA lottery picks such as Jones, who’s averaging close to a double-double (14 points, nine rebounds) in NCAA tournament play heading into this afternoon’s South Regional final against Baylor at the Georgia Dome.
“We all look to Darius for experience; he’s been through all of this a few times,” said Jones, who’s from Portland, Ore. “Darius and I room together now. He’s like my big brother.”