Sayville boys basketball's Wesley Jones is Newsday's Athlete of the Week

Wesley Jones showed up when it mattered most.

When the game came down to free throws, the 6-5 forward went 4-for-4 at the charity stripe in the fourth quarter to lead the No. 7 Sayville boys basketball team to a 42-37 win over No. 2 Shoreham-Wading River in the quarterfinals of the Suffolk Class A playoffs.

The Newsday Athlete of the Week finished the game with 17 points and 11 rebounds, going a perfect 7-for-7 at the foul line.

"Sayville hasn't won a playoff game since 2016, so having that in the back of your mind is a driving force to make you want to make (free throws)," Jones said. "My parents were saying the crowd was loud, but I couldn't hear it because I was so focused."

Jones is used to getting double-doubles, averaging 14.7 points and 12.9 rebounds this season. He had 14 double-doubles this year, with his best game against Rocky Point on Jan.7, where he tallied 33 points and 18 rebounds.

"We have height everywhere," coach Kevin O'Halloran said. "To be able to do what he does, where he's seeing double and triple teams and still get that many rebounds, really speaks to his willingness to do whatever it takes."

Coming into this season more motivated than ever, Jones knew the Golden Flashes had a chance to make a playoff run this time around.

"We flew under everybody's radar," Jones said. "That lit a fire under us, and we still have that spark. It has been a motivating factor for us the entire season."

O'Halloran, who is a first-year coach, says Jones has really come into his own and has improved immensely this season.

"He embodies what we want from kids in the program," O’Halloran said. "He's an extremely talented kid, and he adds so much to our depth. If Wes goes, then the rest of the team goes."

In addition to his performances on the court, Jones maintains a 104 GPA and is considering majoring in economics and history.

"It's tough," Jones said. "It requires a lot of sacrifice and dedication. Having coaches who understand that academics come first helps with that."

During his junior year, Jones developed a biomedical project to minimize ankle injuries among basketball players. They created a brace design using 3D printing, and they presented the project to the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City.

"When I was on (junior varsity), I saw multiple varsity players go down with ankle injuries," Jones said. "I thought to myself, 'If I could prevent that and create a project that could do something about that, our team would be better off.' "

Sayville (14-7) will face No. 3 Kings Park in the semifinals, and Jones believes the Golden Flashes got the confidence boost needed to be Suffolk Class A champions.

"We are very confident in ourselves for this upcoming matchup against Kings Park," Jones said. "We like how well we match up against them. We have a ton of momentum going into the game."

By Jonathan Ruban

jonathan.ruban@newsday.com

Jonathan Ruban covers high school sports for Newsday after graduating from St. John’s.