Odds Improving for Myreon Jones' Return at Iowa Saturday Afternoon

For Penn State head coach Patrick Chambers, six games have been, undoubtedly, enough.

Forced to play without Myreon Jones dating back to a 75-70 win at Michigan State on Feb. 4 due to an undisclosed illness, the Nittany Lions have managed a 4-2 record in the meantime.

Set to face Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Saturday (noon, BTN), with Big Ten Tournament seeding implications and, possibly a conference title still within reach, the Nittany Lions’ drought without their second-leading scorer could be coming to an end.

“He's getting closer, that's for sure,” Chambers said of Jones’ availability when asked Friday afternoon. “We're going to give him a good run-through tomorrow morning. I would say the likelihood is better than it was in the past. So I'll give you a 60-40.”

Having made the trip for Penn State’s most recent road game, a 68-60 loss at Indiana last Sunday, Jones warmed up but did not see action in the game. Again Wednesday in Penn State’s 65-64 win against Rutgers at the Bryce Jordan Center, Jones was with the team but did not see any action.

In his postgame press conference, Chambers acknowledged that the decision for Jones was reliant upon the determination of the team doctors.

“I’m just listening to the docs right now,” Chambers said. “So when they tell me he’s a go, we’ll be fired up.”

Should Jones return to action against the Hawkeyes, the version admittedly might not reflect that of the level the sophomore guard had been playing before his absence.

Last notching an electric 20-point performance in the win against the Spartans in East Lansing, Jones’ 13.2 points per game against Big Ten opponents still stands as Penn State’s second-best behind only Lamar Stevens (18.6). Averaging nearly 30 minutes per outing, Jones also holds the highest team 3-point field goal percentage for anyone taking more than three attempts per game.

And with his 30 assists to just 15 turnovers in league play, his ratio is second only to Jamari Wheeler, whose role has grown in Jones’ absence.

Should any version be available Saturday, Chambers said he would feel out his role through the course of the game and be cautious in his utilization.

“I gotta be smart with him,” Chambers said. “I'm gonna continue to talk to the doctors and Saz, our trainer, but I think it's important that I'm not gonna put him on a minutes restriction. I'm going to keep asking him how he's feeling and then just touch base with the trainer and see what he thinks and kind of come up with the best formula possible.”