If you watch a Brighton Lady Cardinal basketball game, you can’t not notice Sylvia Jones for two reasons: her energetic style and her hair. Pretty much every game, the senior guard, who leads the team at 14.5 points per game, will be sporting a new, long, flowing hairstyle with some very vibrant colors. She’s also got a really cool nickname. I sat down with her recently to ask her about hair, hoops and why everyone calls her Bugg.
Q: How did you get your nickname?
A: I got it in the sixth grade at basketball tryouts. They said I looked like I was scared and I had bug eyes. Gabby (Crawford) just starting calling me Bugg and it stuck.
Q: Do you like it?
A: I’ve never had a problem with it. I like the nickname.
Q: Your hair is pretty unique. What can you tell me about that? How do you decide what color to go with?
A: I just like to be different. I like a bunch of different colors. Every now and then I just put different colors in my hair, just because.
Q: What colors have you used?
A: I have literally had every color. I’ve had gray, yellow, orange, red, pink, white, blonde, maroon, purple, this color you see (green), rainbow.
Q: What kind of feedback do you get from people about it?
A: Compliments. They usually say, “You’re the one person I know who can put all these colors in your hair.”
Q: Do you model your game after another player?
A: I’ve always been told that I kind of play like (WNBA player) Diamond DeShields.
Q: What’s something you think the average person does not understand about what it takes to play at the high school level?
A: It’s way different than middle school and rec ball. Nobody’s going to take it easy on you just because of your grade. You actually have to work because there are going to be some players who are more talented than you or been there longer than you. You have to work so you can get to the level they’re on.
Q: How many hours a day do you spend on your phone?
A: Maybe eight, nine.
Q: What’s your favorite social media?
A: Snapchat. I like taking pictures.
Q: Do you think social media is more positive or negative?
A: Both. Positive because you can use it to promote positive things, like trying to reach out to schools or promote a business. Just positive messages for people to see throughout the day. But it can be negative because some people just don’t care what they post and it can be offensive to somebody. Then somebody else makes a post and it starts a whole bunch of stuff.
Q: What’s a food you can’t stand?
A: Eww, onions.
Q: What’s your favorite food?
A: Pizza
Q. I know you hit the 1,000-point mark for your career recently. What did that mean to you?
A: It was a goal I set that I did not think I was going to reach because I’m more of a passive guard. My sophomore year was a bad year for me. I barely got to play in any games. My junior year I came in and scored more than 500. It was a big accomplishment for me and I was proud of myself. I was excited because I wasn’t chasing it.
Q: Who’s the funniest or goofiest player on the team?
A: Me or Albanie (Dunn). She’s the funniest to me. She makes me laugh the most. All of us as a whole are goofy.
Q: Tell me about Albanie.
A: She just does weird stuff. I don’t know, she’s just funny. We laugh at dumb stuff.
Q: What’s the last movie you saw?
A: “A Fall From Grace”
Q: If you could have any car, what would it be?
A: A Jeep Wrangler four-door hardcover
Q: You up for a little word association?
A: Sure.
Q: Covington?
A: Chargers
Q: Munford?
A: Cougars
Q: Dyer County?
A: Choctaws
Q: Murfreesboro?
A: State tournament
Q: What’s a word or phrase that Coach (Stan) Gatlin says a lot?
A: “Sorry, sucker” or “That’s trash.”
Q: What’s the team’s goal this year?
A: To win out, be district champions, to make a run in the region tournament, try to win two and make it to sub-state.
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: I plan to further my basketball career at school and study to become a physical therapist.
