In a sport in which height not only plays to one’s advantage but is also often considered a prerequisite, Londynn Jones – the 5-foot-3 number three for the Bruins – hasn’t let her stature stand in her way.

“When you’re 5’3” and been doubted on your whole life, there’s something inside you,” said coach Cori Close. “I love her confidence and her moxie, both as a human being as well as a basketball player.”

Each game she steps on the court, the freshman guard utilizes her speed, poise and determination to serve as the Bruins’ spark off the bench.

For Jones, her height is far from a disadvantage.

“I love my height because I’m really playing a big man’s game,” Jones said.

Jones – who has become the first player off the bench for UCLA women’s basketball – committed to the Bruins as a part of the highly anticipated No. 1 recruiting class in the country, and she herself was slotted as the No. 22 recruit in the class of 2022.

“We always say pressure is a privilege in our program. But Londynn really believes that,” Close said.

The guard has quickly proved she was deserving of the chatter and then some.

While she has yet to start a game in 30 appearances for the blue and gold, Jones averages just under 10 points per game and has led her team in scoring on three different occasions. However, Jones doesn’t just contribute on offense – she has picked up at least one steal in 11 of the Bruins’ last 13 contests. The left-handed guard additionally boasts a 37.4% shooting percentage from deep and has gone 61-of-68 from the charity stripe – good for first in the Pac-12.

Despite her assertiveness on and off the court, the guard’s transition to UCLA wasn’t necessarily seamless.

“When you come to a brand-new system, you learn a whole bunch of new things about yourself and about the new life situation that you’re in,” Jones said. “My biggest adjustment was coming in and trying to figure out how I can still be me, but implement me being the best version of myself for the team.”

Jones attributed her midseason confidence to the support of her teammates – specifically the words of wisdom from senior guard and UCLA leading scorer Charisma Osborne when the latter sat out of the Bruins’ Jan. 1 loss to Oregon State because of injury.

“She was like, ‘Londynn, don’t forget the player you were before you came here. You know what you can do,’” Jones said.

Prior to that moment, Jones had been garnering significant minutes and a fair amount of points, even managing to sneak in 16 points against Jackson State. However, Osborne’s inspirational words for her suspected scoring successor spurred a then-season-high 17 points that game – Jones’ most at that point in the season – while tallying five 3s on the night.

The performance in Corvallis inspired the unsuspecting guard’s prolific run, as Jones has scored in double digits 10 times since. She has led her team in points four times and has managed to make at least one 3-pointer in 11 of the Bruins’ last 15 contests. Her star-studded presentations led to the guard being selected to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team alongside fellow Bruin freshman guard Kiki Rice.

Osborne said Jones’ tenacious mindset is one of her strongest traits.

“She’s just a joy to be around,” Osborne said. “That’s what makes it so much easier on the court because you can be hard on her and tell her what to do, and of course she won’t hold it against you.”

Prior to her recent success in Pauley Pavilion and beyond, the guard’s tenure in the sport came to fruition much like any other great.

The rookie’s basketball career began before elementary school, training alongside her two older sisters, who also went on to play Division I basketball. One sister played for Cal State Bakersfield from 2016-2020, while her eldest sister competed at Long Island University from 2014-2017 followed by a redshirt senior season at UC Santa Barbara.

“I was always at the gym nonstop,” Jones said.

After playing on various teams throughout growing up, the Riverside native went on to have a successful high school career. In her first of two seasons at Santiago High School, she led her team to a California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section Division III title. Jones finished out her final two years at Centennial High School, averaging 23.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 steals per game across the two seasons.

Despite receiving offers from multiple other programs, including fellow Pac-12 powerhouses Stanford and Arizona, Jones said her selection of her dream school UCLA was a special moment. The guard noted that the selection ultimately came down to which school could offer her the most opportunities after graduation, so she decided to call Westwood home.

Close said she is honored to be able to watch Jones’ growth.

“I don’t usually like to use the word ‘chip on my shoulder,’ but hers is a healthy chip, like, ‘I’m just going to do all the little things other people aren’t going to do.’ I think that’s a really excellent view of her development,” Close said.

Despite Jones’ success thus far, the guard is just getting started at UCLA.

“I just hope to leave a legacy,” Jones said.