Carmen Jones
2024 Finalist
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame
Basketball, 1982-90
McMain HS/Tulane
Photo Courtesy of Tulane Athletics.
Carmen Jones was a sensational high school athlete at McMain High School in the mid-1980s. A two-time Times-Picayune/States-Item Female Prep Athlete of the Year (1985 & 1986), she was a two-time all-state selection in basketball, a two-time state champion in track, an all-district selection in volleyball, and a National Honor Society student. She then went on to become one of the top players in Tulane women’s basketball history from 1986-90.
As a senior at McMain (1985-86), she averaged 29 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists while leading McMain to an 18-2 record. She was the Class 2A state MVP, the Metro Small Schools MVP, the District 11-AA MVP, and she played in the LHSAA All-Star Game. In track and field, she won the district and regional championship and finished third in the state in the 100-meter hurdles. She also ran a leg of the state champion 4x400 relay. She mixed in volleyball and earned All-District 11-AA honors. As a junior (1984-85), Jones earned all-state honors in basketball after averaging 21.6 points per game and leading McMain to a 26-2 record and the state quarterfinals. She also led McMain to the Class 2A state title in track and field by winning the state championship in the 400-meter dash and running on the district and regional championship 4x400 team.
At Tulane, she was a four-year letterwinner at guard for the Green Wave women's basketball squad from 1986-90 and was a first-team All-Metro Conference selection in 1990. She still holds the Tulane records for career steals and for single-season scoring average (24.6 ppg in 1989-90), field goals, and steals. Her 43 points versus Alabama in 1990 are a single-game record and she remains the only Green Wave women’s basketball player to score 40 points in a game. For her career, Jones played in 111 games and scored 1,876 points (16.9 ppg) to go with 367 assists and 307 steals. Her career point total stands fourth all-time at Tulane. Over 30 years after the career ended, she still ranks in the top 10 in 11 career categories and eight single-season categories for the Green Wave.
