Sutton Jones: Super sub

SUPER SUB

Sutton Jones fills some big shoes during NCAA Tournament run

When Sutton Jones was defending an opponent one on one during South Carolina’s SEC Tournament opener against Georgia on Nov. 5, she heard a familiar voice from the sideline advise her to apply a bit more pressure.

It was Tatumn Milazzo's. In a perfect world with no injuries, it would have been Milazzo, South Carolina’s senior outside back, on the field in the crucial postseason game. Instead, because Milazzo suffered a season-ending ACL tear with one game remaining in the regular season, it was Jones on the field at the time and Jones who started the team’s final eight games.

In those eight games, she had a goal and an assist and played 644 of 724 possible minutes (88.95 percent) during a stretch when the Gamecocks (19-2-3) posted seven straight shutouts, won the SEC Tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. “[Sutton’s] so good on the ball. She’s composed and can do things out of the back we want to see in our defenders where they get forward, can serve a good ball and can keep it for us,” head coach Shelley Smith said during the NCAA Tournament. “… Having her possess and control and not get flustered in the back is a big piece for us.

“… And she’s done a great job of tackling, when needed, and winning balls in the air.”

“She’s such a good player on the ball. Even though she’s not By Josh Hyber | Staff writer • Photos by Allen Sharpe the most vocal all the time, you can just tell by the way she plays that she knows exactly what she’s doing,” SC defensive midfielder Jyllissa Harris said.

Jones did not start at all before Milazzo’s injury but played considerable minutes in an outside back rotation with Sarah Eskew and Paige Mikula.

“Having to fill the shoes of Tatumn, she was such a great player, I just want to be able to [play well] for her and the team, because I know how hard we’ve worked all season,” Jones said.

But the sophomore was no stranger to suddenly being thrust into the starting lineup. Last season, after incumbent starter Jackie Schaefer suffered a careerending concussion with just one game to go in the regular season, Jones started the season’s final four games.

This season, like last, she did not miss a beat.

With three-time SEC Defender of the Year Grace Fisk, SEC Goalkeeper of the Year Mikayla Krzeczowski and two-time SEC Defender of the Week Anna Patten alongside her, Jones fit in seamlessly with one of the nation’s best defenses.

Jones said before the NCAA Tournament she was having “a lot of fun.”

“[But] it’s also pretty nerve wracking, honestly,” she admitted. “Stepping into such big shoes. But my team has been super helpful along the way. They’ve been confident in me, and that’s helped me be confident in myself. Definitely having so much experience back there, with Grace and Anna and Skew and Mik, has been super helpful.” Jones earned SEC All-Tournament honors after scoring to give the Gamecocks a first-half lead in the team’s semifinal matchup against Vanderbilt.

“… After I scored, honestly, I don’t remember much. I just remember feeling a feeling I’ve never felt before,” she said. “I was so happy and just proud I could do that for my team.”

She then assisted on Ryan Gareis’s game-winner in the championship game against Arkansas.

“She was great. … I think she’s really stepped into the role,” Fisk said. “Obviously, it’s a big responsibility filling Tatumn’s shoes, but she’s really stepped into it and done well.”

“She’s stepped it up, for sure,” Krzeczowski added. “And she understands the shoes she’s filling. … With the ball at her feet, she’s looking up and making sure she connects passes. And defensively, she has gotten tougher and better at reading the game. I feel like she can only get better from here.” Jones credits the players around her.

“Mik especially, she’s always talking and always looking to help me out and kind of guide me in the right direction,” Jones said. “And Anna and Grace, they’re such great leaders. They’re so calm on the ball and great with communication.

“That all just calms my nerves and helps me play.”

With Fisk and Milazzo set to graduate, Jones won’t have to wait for another injury to get her chance in the starting lineup. She’ll be there from day one next year.