AMES, Iowa — Curtis Jones didn't have a great start to the season. In the ESPN Events Invitational, Jones shot just 7-30 from the field. In the first four Big 12 games, Jones was 5-19.
But ever since Iowa State's Jan. 20 win at TCU, without Tamin Lipsey, Jones has scored in double figures in every game. In that stretch, the Cyclones are 5-1.
"My teammates continued to believe in me," the senior guard said. "[My teammates have] seen me since the summer [and] in the fall, you know, make a lot of shots. Sometimes it doesn't show up in the game, but now it has, so you just trust your work. And it pays off."
Even when shots weren't falling, he still found a way to stay on the floor and carve out a role.
"I was just trying to make sure I was still doing my job on defense and things like that," Jones said. "Because if you don't play defense, you won't play, so if I'm not making shots, I have to be defending at a high level."
Grinding on defense to stay on the floor wasn't something he necessarily had to do at his previous school.
"At Buffalo, I kind of was probably going to play regardless, you know what I'm saying?" Jones said. "So, coming here, they really, really emphasize defense."
Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger has seen Jones buy in.
"If you want to develop and be the best player you can be, you should want to be challenged, you should want to have all those things be demanded, because Curt's capable of a lot," Otzelberger said. "It's my job to continue to remind him all the greatness that he has in all these different aspects and be demanding and make sure that it shows up for him every single day."
That standard isn't just for Jones, it's for the whole team. The effort and intensity when things aren't going right is noticed by one of the team's starters.
"There was a stretch when, you know, he wasn't making shots, but I mean, he was still working and defending and doing other stuff to help us win," said senior forward Tre King. "Now that, you know, he is making shots and it's all coming together. I couldn't be more proud of him."
The Cyclones continue their pursuit of a Big 12 regular season title on Feb. 12 on the road against Cincinnati at 6 p.m.