Andrew Jones (basketball)
Andrew Jones (born December 9, 1997) is an American college basketball player for the Texas Longhorns of the Big 12 Conference.
Jones at the 2016 McDonald's All-American Game | |
No. 1 – Texas Longhorns | |
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Position | Shooting guard |
League | Big 12 Conference |
Personal information | |
Born | Midland, Texas | December 9, 1997
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | MacArthur (Irving, Texas) |
College | Texas (2016–present) |
Career highlights and awards | |
Early life and high school career
Jones was born in Midland, Texas and moved with his family to Irving, Texas at age seven. When Jones was in second grade, he suffered minor bruises in a car accident near Sweetwater, Texas that left his sister, Alexis, with a broken wrist and his father, David, paralyzed from his chest down.[1] Due to his father's disability, Jones learned to cook and care for his father.[2] He played basketball for MacArthur High School in Irving, where as a senior he averaged 30 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists per game and led his team to a 22–7 record.[3] Jones played in the McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic.[4] A four-star recruit, he committed to Texas on December 14, 2015 over Arizona, Baylor, Louisville, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M, among others. He credited his commitment to a strong relationship with coach Shaka Smart.[5]
College career
On February 25, 2017, Jones scored a freshman season-high 18 points in a 77–67 loss to third-ranked Kansas.[6] As a freshman, he started in 23 games and averaged 11.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. At the end of the season, Jones took part in the NBA Draft Combine and team workouts before ultimately withdrawing from the 2017 NBA draft.[7]
On December 5, 2017, as a sophomore, Jones scored a season-high 19 points in a 71–67 win over VCU but left with a right wrist injury in the final minutes.[8] In his next two games, he played limited minutes because he felt tired, prompting Texas to send him for tests. On January 10, 2018, it was announced that Jones was diagnosed for leukemia.[9] He was honored by several other schools and received more than $130,000 in donations for his medical expenses from a fundraising website set up by the Texas athletic department.[10] Jones went to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for treatment, and after being released in late February, he finished outpatient treatment in August.[11] While recovering, Jones missed the second half of his sophomore season and was granted medical redshirts for both the 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons.[12] On October 13, 2018, he suffered a fractured toe in practice, shortly after his return to the team.[12] He returned to action on November 6, scoring one point in nine minutes in a 71–59 victory over Eastern Illinois, one of his two appearances in the season.[11]
Jones made his redshirt sophomore season debut on November 5, 2019, scoring a then-career-high 20 points in a 69–45 win over Northern Colorado.[13] He established a new career high on February 19, 2020, after recording 21 points in a 70–56 victory over TCU.[14] On March 2, Jones was named Big 12 Conference Co-Player of the Week after scoring a career-high 22 points twice in wins over West Virginia and Texas Tech.[15] By the end of the season, he was averaging 11.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game and was named All-Big 12 honorable mention. He reached double figures in scoring 15 times on the season.[16]
Career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Personal life
Jones' older sister, Alexis, plays in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). A decorated basketball player at MacArthur High School, she played for Duke and Baylor at the collegiate level, before winning a WNBA championship with the Minnesota Lynx.[17] His favorite subject in high school was mathematics, and he said “I like dealing with numbers and money,” adding that it would help him with the business side of basketball.[2]
References
- Canizales, Nick (May 1, 2017). "Bouncing Back: Alexis and Andrew Jones make their mark". KCEN-TV. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
- Torres, Aaron (May 25, 2016). "Texas' Andrew Jones had to grow up early before basketball stardom". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
- "Andrew Jones Doing Big Things For Irving MacArthur Basketball". KTVT. February 29, 2016. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Hummer, Chris (January 17, 2016). "Texas commit Andrew Jones named McDonald's All-American". 247Sports. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Nathan, Alec (December 14, 2015). "Andrew Jones to Texas: Longhorns Land 4-Star Guard Prospect". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Deutsch, Jonathan; Rosner, Mark (February 25, 2017). "Kansas clinches 13th straight Big 12 title outright". WIBW (AM). Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Medcalf, Myron (May 22, 2017). "Longhorns guard Andrew Jones withdraws name from NBA draft". ESPN. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Davis, Brian (December 5, 2017). "Texas 71, VCU 67: Longhorns survive harrowing trip to Shaka Smart's old stomping grounds". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- "Texas guard Andrew Jones diagnosed with leukemia". USA Today. Associated Press. January 10, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Fuller, Marcus (January 19, 2018). "Texas' Andrew Jones getting widespread support after leukemia diagnosis". Star Tribune. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Grathoff, Pete (November 7, 2018). "Texas' Andrew Jones, who is battling leukemia, gets nice ovation in first game back". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Davis, Brian (October 13, 2018). "On his journey back, Texas G Andrew Jones suffers fractured toe". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- "Texas guard Andrew Jones scores career-high 20 points as Longhorns defeat Northern Colorado 69-45". The Dallas Morning News. Associated Press. November 5, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- "Freshman Baker's 20 points helps lead Texas over TCU". USA Today. Associated Press. February 19, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- "Andrew Jones named Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week". University of Texas Athletics. March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Howe, Jeff (March 8, 2020). "Matt Coleman headlines Texas basketball All-Big 12 honorees". 247Sports. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Hatfield, Jenn (December 7, 2019). "Having a sister in the WNBA inspires not one, but two Texas men's basketball players". High Post Hoops. Retrieved March 16, 2020.