There aren’t many players Sophie Cunningham backs down from. She’s built her career on being scrappy — hitting shots when needed and throwing herself into defensive assignments. Still, she knows when the odds are stacked against her.
The player she doesn’t want any part of? Jonquel Jones.
On her Show Me Something podcast, Cunningham didn’t hesitate when asked about her toughest matchup.
“When I think of people of who I just feel hopeless against, I would have to say Jonquel Jones from New York,” Cunningham said. “She is just so strong and tall… I just get put into that position of like a small forward to be maybe sometimes guard her and it’s just never good.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpeyhf42u48
It’s not hard to see why. Jones is 6-foot-6 with the frame of a big and the mobility of a guard. Smaller forwards like Cunningham usually end up getting punished either inside or out on the arc.
Jones is averaging 14.4 points this season, knocking down over half her shots from the field and an impressive 44% from three. Add in 8.4 rebounds and over a block a night, and it’s clear why defenders feel like they’re stuck in quicksand against her.
Sophie Cunningham’s Setback Hurts Fever’s Push
That’s not the only challenge Sophie Cunningham has been dealing with. Her season came to an early end after tearing her right MCL in a collision with Bria Hartley. The timing couldn’t have been worse for Indiana.
The Fever were already limping through the second half of the year. Caitlin Clark, Aari McDonald, and Sydney Colson all missed time. Cunningham had stepped up into the starting group and gave the team a needed boost — especially with Clark sidelined.
Now Indiana has three games left, sitting at eighth in the standings. Two wins might be enough to hold off the Sparks for a playoff spot, but without Cunningham, that task just got tougher.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
