Jordan Jones has played three games since returning from a concussion, but her shooting touch has yet to reappear.
Florida’s go-to scorer is just 6 of 26 from the field and 3 of 14 from beyond the arc since reentering the lineup in a win against Ole Miss on Feb. 5.
Despite her struggles, coach Amanda Butler said Jones is healthy and expects her to keep shooting.
“You don’t come out of a slump by not taking shots,” Butler said. “[Jones’] coaches and her teammates still expect her to pull the trigger every time she’s open.”
Jones’ recent slump distracts from an otherwise strong offensive season.
She is averaging 11.5 points per game while shooting at a 37.2 percent clip, her highest marks in those categories since her freshman season at South Carolina.
However, Jones’ performance at the 3-point line has been disappointing compared to previous years and a major factor in her recent cold streak.
She has a 33.6 percentage from beyond the arc — 5.1 percent lower than her mark during the 2010-11 campaign.
“Obviously, I’ve been struggling,” Jones said. “It’s something that people go through and it’s something I take that responsibility on my shoulders.”
Jones’ recent slide is not the first of her career.
Last February, she went through a five-game stretch where she was 8 of 32 from the field, including 4 of 20 from 3-point range.
The next two contests — wins on the road against Vanderbilt and at home against Georgia — saw Jones score 34 points on 11-of-22 shooting.
She hopes to experience a similar turnaround in an almost identical scenario this week, playing tonight at Vanderbilt at 9 and against No. 18 Georgia at home Sunday.
“The worst thing you can do is let it get mental,” Jones said. “The worst thing that can happen is to just keep thinking about it, worrying what I’m doing wrong or hoping that the next shot goes in.”
Working to keep a positive mentality after a slow start can be a battle for Jones, according to assistant coach Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick.
Jones is shooting 20 percent in the first half in the last two games, including an 0-of-4 effort in the first 20 minutes of last Sunday’s 62-58 road loss to No. 25 South Carolina.
“If she hits that first one, she’s going to hit the rest of them,” Kirkpatrick said. “When that first one’s not going in for her, she gets a little shaky with her confidence.”
While Jones brings more to the table than just her scoring ability, it is understood among the team and the coaching staff that scoring is her top contribution.
Butler has faith in her veteran guard and believes it is only a matter of time before Jones returns to form.
“Confidence is knowing that the next thing that happens is going to be good or going to be in your favor, and that’s the way we want Jordan to think,” Butler said. “She’s mature enough at this point to know that any great shooter is going to miss shots.”
With just four games left to play in the regular season and with a potential NCAA Tournament berth on the line, Jones has been doing one thing to prepare: shooting.
“You can’t hope,” Jones said. “You have to be confident, and that comes with reps.”
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
Florida senior guard Jordan Jones is setting career-highs in points per game and shooting percentage, but she has been slumping of late.
