It seems distant now, but a few months ago, Xavier's men's basketball team walked off the floor of Madison Square Garden after winning the National Invitation Tournament, and the next day when they arrived back in Cincinnati, the future became a lot more real.

Many things changed during that postseason run – Travis Steele was no longer the head coach, Jonas Hayes was named the interim head coach, and Sean Miller agreed to return as Xavier's next head coach.

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With those changes, many decisions hovered over the program like a cloud.

One of those decisions centered around Colby Jones, Xavier's 6-foot-6 wing, who had just been named the NIT's most valuable player.

"The next day I'm thinking like all this is over with now," Jones told The Enquirer recently. "I gotta figure out what I want to do with my future."

There were conversations with his parents, his AAU coach, and the coaches at Xavier.

Some of the most impactful conversations, though, were with his teammates.

"Talking with all the other guys, hearing that they're coming back," said Jones.

Jack Nunge and Adam Kunkel both informed Jones that they were returning to Xavier.

"That's when I was like, yeah, we can really do something special if we're all together still," said Jones, who announced on social media his decision to return to Xavier.

When Jones sat down and talked to Miller, he said they discussed how Miller wants to use him in the offense and end-of-game scenarios.

"Hearing him say all that was really what I wanted, I want to be the focal point of the offense," said Jones. "And just the guys he's gotten to the league already, he's gotten a lot of wings to the league."

Summer's nearly over, offseason workouts are nearing an end, and real practices start in August. Jones said it's been exciting getting to know all the new pieces and playing for a new coach.

"He's been chill so far," Jones said of Miller. "But you can tell these last couple of practices ... he's really starting to do what he wants us to do."

As for what Jones has been working on with his game, that boils down to two areas: 3-point shooting and ball-handling.

Jones shot 27% from beyond the arc last season, a stat he'd like to drastically improve upon next season.

"I've really been working on my 3-point shot, just getting that confidence in there and I feel like I've done that so far," Jones said. "I'm shooting three, four, five hundred 3's a day ... just really working on my shot and my ball-handling. I know (Miller's) gonna want me to have the ball in my hands more, so just being more comfortable with that."

The changes aren't limited to the coaching staff. Xavier has three new scholarship players in UTEP transfer Souley Boum, and freshmen Kam Craft and Desmond Claude.

Jones has seen firsthand what they can bring to the team next season.

"Kam, he can really shoot the ball," said Jones. "Every time he misses in practice I'm surprised because he just doesn't miss that much. He has a really nice mid (range) game for his age, but I feel like as he gets bigger and stronger he'll just be a whole lot better player.

"I really like Des. People on the team say we look alike. I feel like we play a lot alike. But he's surprised me because coming in, I didn't really hear that much talk about Des. I think he can be a great player for us this year. He has a firm grasp on a lot of things. He's really mature basketball-wise for his age and he's really well-rounded.

"And Souley, I watched his highlights when I saw he committed and he's been everything that I've seen so far. He can really shoot the ball. He's really an underrated playmaker. He play-makes a lot. So I'm really excited about those three."

There was a point last season in late January and into February when Jones hit a bit of a wall that led to a noticeable dip in his production. He was able to work out of that and finished the season by scoring in double figures in Xavier's last 11 games.

That's another area that's occupied his time this offseason – the mental side, dealing with a slump.

"You're gonna hit a wall at some point," said Jones. "... I feel like every player goes through it. That's another thing I've been working on, my mental aspect, just trying to get mentally stronger so that one or two games like that don't turn into three or four."

His approach has been to read more books. Currently, he's working his way through "Chameleon Aura," by Billy Chapata, which uses poetry and prose to offer advice and reminds readers of their resilience and worth.

Jones also spends his time outside of training with his dog, Marley, a 1-year-old Double Doodle.

"He's getting big," Jones smiled.

The upcoming season is important for a lot of reasons. It's been four seasons since Xavier made it to the NCAA Tournament, and for Jones, it's an opportunity to step up into a prominent leadership role, and really be a star for the Musketeers.

Which is exactly why he wanted to return to Xavier.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Colby Jones on returning to Xavier, playing for Sean Miller