In the heart of the 2023-24 Patriot League season, the American University men’s basketball team found itself shorthanded on the road against Lafayette, the top team in the League at the time. Key players Colin Smalls and Geoff Sprouse were sidelined early in the game with injuries. Late in the first half, American nursed a six-point lead, scoreless for nearly three minutes and desperately searching for a source of points in the presence of the injuries.

Freshman Greg Jones was left alone on the wing. Averaging two points per game and making just 23 percent of his three-pointers at that point in the season, few expected the freshman to knock down a deep shot in that moment, but Jones buried a critical three to extend American’s lead before halftime. Senior Lincoln Ball was fired up as the team ran back down the court, pumping his fist and shouting in celebration of Jones’ big shot.

“As a freshman, you have confidence issues and you’re not always sure if you should shoot or what you should do in a certain situation,” Jones said, reflecting on the moment. “I think when (Ball) sees me make a shot or do something right, it brings him joy because he’s mentoring me. He feels he knows that what he’s doing—his encouragement is helping me.”

Ball, who graduated in May with a degree in Business Administration, is now a graduate student and will return for another year with Jones, who is now a sophomore. For Ball, this wasn’t just about a single play; it was the culmination of months of mentorship and encouragement.

“Greg’s a great shooter, and sometimes there’s a mental block where it’s harder to shoot than it really should be,” Ball said about Jones’ confidence in shooting from beyond the arc. “I know how hard he works at that shot and how much confidence it takes for him to line one up and shoot it. It was great to see him reap the benefits of all the hard work he put in.”

American went on to win the game at Lafayette, another emotional step in a mentor-mentee relationship that started for Ball and Jones long before that shot left Jones’ hands.

Jones first met Ball as a high school student visiting American while considering his college options.

“I remember talking to him and thinking he was just so down to earth,” Jones recalled. “Just because I was a young kid coming in, it didn’t take away from the fact that we could still be open with each other. He was easy to talk to, and I think that’s where it started. And then when I got here for that summer (before Jones’ freshman year in 2023), it was the same exact thing.”

Jones arrived on campus recovering from a back injury he suffered during his senior year of high school. The injury kept him off the court for the entirety of American’s summer workouts, including the team’s trip to Italy. 

“At practice, the coaches would tell me, ‘Watch Lincoln, we want you to be his backup,’ so I would ask him questions and pick up on things while he was giving me feedback,” Jones remembered. 

Jones still made the trip to Italy, and with he and Ball both playing the forward position on the court, it felt natural for the two to become roommates during the 10-day trip. That, Ball recalls, is where their friendship really started to grow.

“I feel like we try to solve all of the world’s problems when we’re hanging out,” Ball said of his friendship with Jones. “We talk about basketball all the time, and when we’re on these trips, it’s easier to talk about other stuff where you know you’re not focusing on basketball all the time. We can talk for days and days and days. Talking about things outside of basketball kind of gives us a little reset and refresh.”

Jones also feels that the simple conversations drive their friendship off the court.

“It’s just two personalities that connect with each other,” Jones said. “We’re always having fun, always laughing, always smiling. And on the court, we’re always looking out for each other, encouraging each other, rooting for each other.”

That encouragement was on full display from Ball after Jones made his three-point shot late in the first half at Lafayette. Their coaches love seeing the pair rooting for each other on the court.

“I get chills thinking about it because that’s literally the mountaintop of what you want your culture to look like,” said assistant coach Isaiah Tate. “When Greg makes a three, Lincoln feels like he’s making a three himself. It’s a byproduct of their time in the gym, working through ups and downs.”

For the first half of the season, Jones' minutes on the court were limited as he adjusted to the pace of college basketball. He scored nine points in 13 minutes during a conference matchup at Bucknell. In the following game against Boston University, he played for nearly half of the contest. When injuries struck during the Lafayette game, Jones was called upon to step up. From that point on, he became a more integral part of the rotation, starting in seven of the last nine games of the season.

“As much as I would love to take credit for his growth, he did a lot of it on his own,” Ball joked when reflecting on Jones’ season. “He spent a ton of time working out and doing extra stuff. He was so willing to learn. He came to me for help, for advice, for anything, and I feel like as a teammate or a mentor or a friend, I think I helped guide him in his growth, especially during our Patriot League season. It’s a little bit like he’s my little brother.”

Like brothers on and off the court, Ball and Jones joke around, give each other advice, and spend a lot of time together. That’s not the only way they act like brothers together.

“I would say we’re the most physical guys on the team,” Jones remarked. 

Jones remembered one practice incident in particular: Jones was boxing Ball out when Ball pulled Jones’ arm, causing Jones to fall to the floor. 

‘What are you doing?’ Jones shouted.

"You hit me first! You hit me first!’ Ball exclaimed in response.

‘I did not hit you first! You pulled me to the ground!’ Jones replied.

On the next play, Jones didn’t need to think about his next move. 

“The next time the ball went up, I didn’t even look to box out,” Jones remembered. “I just went straight to Lincoln and shoved him as hard as I could. He felt it. He won’t admit it, but he went back a few steps, like, I got him. It’s never a bad thing. We embrace it. We’re playing hard, but it’s all love at the end of the day. We want to make sure that nothing gets in the way of our relationship.”

Ball feels the same way about their brotherly competition in practice.

“We’re similar in the way that we play,” Ball said. “Every loose ball, I think we’re the first people on the floor every single time. It’s a super healthy form of competition. Once practice stops, we step up, give each other a hug, and say ‘great job.’ That’s just what brothers do. They fight, they still love each other, and they get over it, and that’s something I think we’re really good at.” 

After finishing the season in a tie for second place in the Patriot League, American looks forward to chasing a championship in the 2024-25 season. With Ball returning for his final year, and Jones returning as a sophomore, both aim to help take the team to the next level.

“Knowing how much Lincoln loves being here, around this team, everyone in this building, it means so much to him,” Jones said. “He gets one last go at winning a Patriot League championship. It means a lot to me that he could go out and start his life, but he’s taking another year to do this all over again. It gives me fuel to do this for him.”

Ball looks forward to seeing Jones turn that fuel into success on the basketball court.

“I think Greg is going to make a huge jump this year. Just as a leader, he grew so much last year,” Ball said. “He played so many minutes as a freshman, which is a huge luxury for our team. And to have another year with him, to see his growth again, not just as a teammate, but as one of my best friends, I’m super excited.

“We have to soak in every moment this season. He’s going to be my roommate on our trips again, and I think we’re going to look back at the end of this year and be thankful for the extra opportunity we had together.”