So, what exactly did Dominique Jones say?

Posted Jul 30, 2010 by Scott Carter

Updated Jul 30, 2010 at 12:06 AM

More than one person has asked about what Dominique Jones said when he called up recently out of the blue to offer his support for Myrtice Landers, the former USF academic counselor who filed racial discrimination charges Thursday against the university over her recent termination.

Jones became the first USF player drafted in the first round of the NBA draft in June, and he recently signed a two-year, $1.9 million contract with the Dallas Mavericks, making his decision to leave school after his junior season look like a pretty smart one despite critics who doubted he would be drafted as high as he was.

Jones called from Las Vegas, where he was participating in the NBA Summer League and obviously not hanging out on the strip every waking hour from the court. You could tell Jones was genuinely upset about Landers, whom he credited with helping him survive academically during his time at USF.

Personally, I gained more respect for Jones for simply taking the time to call myself and another reporter who covers USF with his concerns. Let’s face the facts; an NBA rookie sticking up for an academic counselor is not exactly the image that most of us have of professional athletes these days.

Plus, Jones likely risked his relationship with some USF officials by voicing his support for Landers. Now that he is the most decorated player in USF men’s basketball history – at least by NBA draft standards – you’ve got to wonder if school officials will be as inclined to bring him back to campus for perhaps a Dominique Jones Day at the Sun Dome or other such events in the future.

We’ll have to wait to find out those answers, but for now, here is a Q&A from my conversation with Jones that day:

Q: Can you tell me more about Landers’ role with the team?

A: Basically, she works a lot with the basketball team. I can tell you from me being there and just looking at different situations around me, she stopped at least 10 basketball players from flunking off the team. I would have flunked off my freshman year and my sophomore year. I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. She did certain things and made certain ways where we could go and make up our work. She did more than what she had to do. She was somebody who really cared about the kids. They got rid of that. I jus think that’s the worst mistake USF could make, at least from the academic side.

Q: What’s you understanding of why she is being terminated?

A: They said that there was a girl, a walk-on, but Ms. Myrtice was unaware she was a walk-on and gave her books. The girl didn’t say anything about being a walk-on and Ms. Myrtice was unaware of it. They fired her because of that. I just think that’s so unfair because she did so many good things, that she is bound to make a mistake every once in a while. She is still human.

Q: How did she help you personally?

A: I was behind on a lot of work. I concentrated so much on basketball, I would dig myself a big hole and by the time the end of the semester, she would contact teachers, set up different meetings. I’d be in study hall for three days, four days straight even though I didn’t like it. She was somebody who just did more than her job. She would stay late, making sure we were taking care of things. That’s the kind of person you need around your program, somebody who cares about the kids. Ms. Myrtice is the best things the students had.

Q: Did she impact other players as much as you?

A: Everybody ain’t going to be an NBA player. Everybody ain’t going to go overseas to play. You need your education. Ms. Myrtice, she helped Mike Mercer, Chris Howard, Jesus Verdejo, Kentrell Gransberry, most of them got their degrees early. I feel like it is USF’s loss by losing her.

Q: Anything else you want to say?

A: I mean, if my voice can influence anything, I will hire her as soon as I can. She is just a wonderful person. She just cared about the kids and cared about the kids getting an education. That’s what you need.

So, there is what Jones had to say about Landers. In Part II – I’ll post on the blog in next couple of days – I’ll let you know what Jones had to say about Mavs owner Mark Cuban, getting his first taste of the NBA, and what kind of place he hopes to buy in Dallas.