Belmont University women’s basketball player Tuti Jones was named as one of the recipients of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Good Neighbor Award for winter 2025-26, according to an April 24 announcement from the Missouri Valley Conference.
The award recognizes student-athletes who excel academically and athletically while also making positive contributions to their communities. Jones, a graduate guard set to complete her master’s degree in May, has been active in community service projects around Nashville and has maintained a perfect academic record during her time at Belmont.
Jones recently graduated from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association “So You Want To Be A Coach” program and was named the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2025-26. She is a three-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree and has volunteered with organizations such as Harvest Hands, Dream Streets Mobile Food, and Second Harvest Food Bank. Her participation extends to annual Bruins initiatives like “Shop with the Bruins,” which provides holiday gifts for children from economically disadvantaged families, and TAK PAK, which supports foster children in Nashville with backpacks and school supplies.
Athletically, Jones is noted as the only Belmont player in its NCAA era to achieve at least 1,500 points, 500 assists, and 700 rebounds. She holds multiple honors including being a three-time Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete Team selection and winning the DI-AAA ADA Postgraduate Scholarship award in 2024. On Jan. 15 she broke Belmont’s all-time steals record during a win at Indiana State and finished her career with a school-record of 449 steals.
To be eligible for this award, student-athletes must be in good academic standing while demonstrating good citizenship through sportsmanship and significant community service involvement during their season of recognition. The MVC selects eleven student-athletes each season—fall, winter, spring—for this honor.
