CHARLESTON, S.C. - Marquette freshman guard Kam Jones stood in the corridor outside the locker room at TD Arena, dissecting why he feels so fearless at the college level.

Golden Eagles head coach Shaka Smart strolled by, offering a smile and a pat on the back after Jones scored 18 points off the bench in MU's 78-72 victory over Mississippi in MU's opening game at the Charleston Classic.

After continuing down the hallway, Smart stopped and then looked back at the 6-foot-4 guard.

"Hey, Kam, tell 'em how much better you can play," Smart said before walking away.

Smart has pushed the right buttons for the Golden Eagles (5-0) so far in his first season with the program. MU will play No. 22 St. Bonaventure (4-0) in the championship game of the Charleston Classic on Sunday.

In two games at the tournament, Jones has found a role as a microwave scorer off the bench. He heated up quickly, scoring 30 points on 10-for-22 shooting in 44 minutes. In MU's first three games, he had 15 total points.

Jones doesn't have blazing athleticism, but he's got an incredible knack for scoring. He's especially crafty around the basket, finding ways to maneuver around bigger opponents and spinning the ball off the glass on layups. That's always been part of the Memphis-area native's game.

"Just with my dad, I used to try to get creative with things," Jones said. "Started to add more wiggle to my game. That just kind of makes me the player I am."

The left-handed shooter isn't afraid to let it fly. He took 14 shots against Mississippi. Six of his eight attempts against West Virginia on Friday were from beyond the three-point line. He sank two sets of back-to-back triples in the second half as the Golden Eagles took control.

Jones wasn't intimidated by a loud, pro-West Virginia crowd.

"I love that type of environment," Jones said. "In the huddles, the team loved it, that type of environment. We feed off of all that. We're doing it for each other. That's what we're in it for. That's what we came here for. That's what we're going to do each and every night."

Jones' confidence in his shot-making ability has earned the guard the green light from Smart.

"I love that," Smart said. "I coached probably half a dozen guys like that. I'd love to see him get 15-20 shot attempts, if he takes some good ones. He knows I get on him.

"He had one in the first half (against West Virginia) when he tried to make a H-O-R-S-E shot. So those he needs to pass. But when he takes good shots, there's literally no one on our team I'd rather have shoot good shots than Kam Jones."

His teammates also love it.

"His spark's been great for us," MU guard Tyler Kolek said. "We need a guy to come off the bench and really help us score. We've been down almost every game. When he comes in, he gives us a boost right away when he gets in. Making shots, making plays, everything like that."

Jones committed to MU's previous coaching staff but stuck around when Smart was hired. The new coach praises Jones but always pushes for more from the young guard.

"I'm always on this guy," Smart said. "Because I know how good he can be. He's sitting here with a smile because he bombed in 4 threes. But he's as good a shooter as I've seen in a game situation."

That's why Smart sees a lot of buckets in Jones' future, though there is always another demand from the head coach.

"He's going to score a lot of points in a Marquette uniform," Smart said. "I ran into Jerel McNeal a couple weeks ago, I said 'Kam Jones might be coming for your number.' Jerel is second (on the MU scoring list) behind Markus (Howard). That's the type of confidence I have in him.

"But if he doesn't guard, then he's got to come off the court. He did better guarding (against West Virginia); that's why we had him in so long."

Jones knows he has to bring it on that end of the court.

"I really want to be good on defense for Coach Smart," Jones said. "And bring a lot of energy, which is what I try to do every game. And that's really just my focus every game. Try bring more energy, be a positive domino for my teammates and just do what goes into winning."

No doubt that is an answer Smart likes to hear.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette Golden Eagles' Kam Jones has confidence of Shaka Smart