Jones leads Texas A&M's resurgence
by DICK "HOOPS" WEISS, Special to FOXSports.com
"When I was in high school, they weren't that good of a basketball team,'' he said. "A lot of times, when they were recruiting me, I didn't actually go to see them, I would go to watch other teams like Oklahoma and Texas that were at the top of the Big 12.''
Jones has helped the Aggies turn that corner in a big way and become a Big 12 power, emerging as a first-team preseason all-conference selection and one of the top 15 seniors in the country. The Aggies advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament two years ago before losing to LSU and made it all the way to the Sweet 16 before getting beat by Memphis in San Antonio last season, both in the final seconds.
"I've lost two NCAA games by a point," he said. "This year, I want to eliminate the whole thing and keep winning."
Jones — arguably the strongest player in the conference — has started 100 games for the Aggies and offers raw power inside and double-figure rebounding if he can stay out of foul trouble. The Aggies are an experienced team with three close-knit, upperclass starters — Jones, senior guard Dominique Kirk and junior 6-7 wing shooter deluxe Josh Carter — that has a chance to make a run at the Big 12 title and advance deep into March.
To do that, they'll have to adjust to new coach Mark Turgeon's up-and-down style that features more movement, develop 7-0, 255-pound freshman center DeAndre Jordan into more than just a dunking machine and find a suitable replacement for clutch All-America guard Acie Law, who constantly made plays for former coach Billy Gillispie's more simplified offense.
"At this point, we might be a little overrated," Turgeon said.
Like the Aggies of the last few years, Jones came out of nowhere to become a high school star.
"There are more people in the lobby of the Marriott than my hometown," he said, referring to Normangee's meager population of 800. "Two blinking lights, a post office, a grocery store and three gas stations."
Jones played in the state's smallest classification. He had all the makings of a great tight end and actually played football in junior high.
"I developed pretty good hands catching the ball," he said. "I played tackle football inside the house and everything."
But Jones dislocated his knee the summer after eighth grade and had to sit out his entire ninth-grade season. When he came back, he focused only on basketball, leading his team to a state championship as a senior. He signed to play for Melvin Watkins at A&M, close to where his mother works.
"I wanted to come in and make a difference," Jones said. "I didn't want to go to a program where you might get to play, might not get to play."
By the time he arrived on campus, Watkins was gone, replaced by Gillispie, who ignited a fire in this program, recruiting the Dallas and Houston market effectively enough for in-state stars to challenge Texas and Kansas.
After Gillispie left for Kentucky last spring, the school began a search that turned up Turgeon, a Larry Brown disciple who played for Kansas and coached Wichita State to a Sweet 16 two years ago.
Turgeon had a good life at Wichita, but he got an itch to coach at a bigger-budget program and accepted the A&M job for $1.2 million annually
"I had opportunities to leave, but nothing excited me like this," he said. "I chose a place where I knew the president really well, I knew a lot of the players because we recruited Texas a lot and I knew exactly what I was getting into."
With football struggling, A&M basketball has received an increased amount of attention. But the two sports still have different levels of pressure. A&M's hoops program is in the honeymoon stage, but there are still expectations to make a run in the Big 12.
Turgeon initially didn't know who would be on the roster. Jordan, the best big man prospect in the state, toyed with the idea of trying to get out of his letter and accompanying Gillispie to Kentucky, but stayed put. Jones actually declared for the NBA draft to test the water but never signed with an agent.
Jones worked out for several teams the day after the Orlando pre-draft camp ended and specifically for the Houston Rockets. But after he discovered he would not be a first-round draft pick, he returned to school for one final year.
Jones has never lost those small town roots, though. Someone asked him recently where he wanted to live if he made it in the NBA.
"I'd build a house in Normangee," he replied. "That's where I want to live."
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