The Victoria Shamrocks have turned to a family steeped in lacrosse tradition in adding Mitch Jones to their lineup for the 2013 Western Lacrosse Association season.
鈥淚 played against his dad,鈥� Shamrocks head coach Bob Heyes said of Randy Jones, a former two-time Western Lacrosse Association scoring champion, four-time first or second-team all-star and five-time Mann Cup finalist while playing with the New Westminster Salmonbellies and Vancouver Burrards. 鈥淗e was a great, honest two-way player.
鈥淗e was a star when I played and definitely a guy we had to watch out for. He鈥檚 scored a few goals on me. I stopped a few, too,鈥� Heyes added with a chuckle.
And then there鈥檚 Randy鈥檚 brother, Paul, the WLA鈥檚 unsung hero award winner in 1984 and an equally talented player, who along with his Randy remains in sa国际传媒鈥檚 senior or major lacrosse Top 50 in all-time total assists in regular and post-season play.
Mitch鈥檚 older brother Jason also toils with the Coquitlam Adanacs of the WLA.
鈥淛ust look at the lineage, he comes by being a lacrosse player honestly with the bloodlines that are there,鈥� Heyes said of his newest recruit. 鈥淚f we can get him to do here what his dad did, we鈥檝e got a keeper, thats for sure.鈥�
A tall order for Mitch, whose six-foot-three, 205-pound frame is an imposing sight.
鈥淒ad was a hell of a player,鈥� said Mitch, who joined the Shamrocks this week. 鈥淗e actually told me one of his regrets was he never came to Victoria. He had a chance to play here. He was part of the process, too, in selecting Victoria as a place for me to play. He told me to come here.鈥�
What the Shamrocks receive in Mitch is an all-round athlete who also plays hockey at the University of Northern Michigan.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a pretty amazing specimen and he鈥檚 only 21,鈥� said Shamrocks general manager Chris Welch. 鈥淚n fact, he won鈥檛 be 22 until December. The youngest player on our team, by quite a ways.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a big athletic kid. An NCAA hockey player with the Northern Michigan Wildcats. He鈥檚 a pretty special athete and a pedigree, too. Jason Jones, as you鈥檒l remember, took [Victoria goaltender] Matt Flindell out in the playoffs last year,鈥� said Welch.
Mitch Jones, who got into town on Monday, is also a Minto Cup winner (like his brother) and this weekend will be off to Langley 鈥� which was also in te running for his WLA services 鈥� as a member of the Washington Stealth as they face the Rochester Knighthawks in the championship final of the National Lacrosse League.
His assistat coach there, Art Webster, is also an assistant with the Shamrocks and helped sway the young man to Vancouver Island.
鈥淚鈥檓 really looking forward to it,鈥� said Jones, who won the Minto Cup last season in Orangeville, Ont. 鈥淚t was a pretty easy decision. I had a couple of teams calling and Victoria seemed like the best place to be. Everyone I talked to, I didn鈥檛 hear a bad thing about Victoria.
鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going to be a real strong team. I鈥檓 coming here to work hard and hope for the best,鈥� added Jones who will get a chance to open the season against his brother Jason and the Adanacs on May 17 at Bear Mountain Arena.
鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to that,鈥� Mitch said with a grin. 鈥淭hat will be pretty cool. I鈥檝e never played against him before and I鈥檓 looking forward to the first time.鈥�
