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During Darrick Jones Jr.’s freshman year at Towson, he was nearly forced to retire from basketball. Jones Jr. suffered from an irregular heartbeat months after contracting COVID-19 in the 2020-21 season.

Balancing the scales of basketball career and lifelong health, Jones Jr. and his family elected to sit the former three-star recruit for roughly three months during his freshman year, which Jones Jr. said set his trajectory behind.

“From a medical perspective, we didn’t even know if he would be able to play basketball again,” Wynnda Jones, Jones Jr.’s mother said.

Now, Jones Jr. is about to embark on his fifth college basketball season. After spending 2020-22 at Towson, the guard transferred to Le Moyne. He averaged 8.5 points per game while shooting 40.4% on 3-pointers in his second year with the Dolphins, earning him a spot on the 2024-25 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team.

As one of three players remaining from Le Moyne’s Division II era, Jones Jr. is now tasked with leading the Dolphins to a successful second Division I season, which begins against Syracuse Monday.

“Now that I’m healthy and in full throttle, I’m excited. It pushes me to know where I was before and where I am now,” Jones Jr. said.

Before rejuvenating his career at Le Moyne, Jones Jr. described his return to play at Towson as a slow process while recovering. After realizing his opportunity at Towson was fading, he entered the transfer portal.

“We always told Darrick, go to where people love you and not where people like you,” Darrick Jones Sr., his father, said.

Jones Jr. received interest from numerous Division I programs around the country, but he decided to venture into D-II — Le Moyne’s classification at the time.

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Dolphins head coach Nate Champion repeatedly emphasized Jones Jr. would immediately contribute because of his “simple brand of basketball.” The left-handed marksman did, establishing himself as Le Moyne’s third option behind Luke Sutherland and Kaiyem Cleary — both of whom have since graduated. Jones Jr.’s performance closely resembled that of his high school self.

At Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, he won the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions dunk contest twice. Jones Jr. said dunking has been a natural skill of his for over 10 years, which helped him stand out while playing alongside future National Basketball Association player Cam Thomas.

Currently, Jones Jr. says he and Thomas still call each other almost daily about decision-making with the ball in their hands. It’s helped Jones Jr. thrive in Le Moyne’s offense. Assistant coach Ben Swank explained the Dolphins like to play five-out, clearing the lane to “create more drives and kick-outs for 3s.”

“It’s a modern style of basketball,” Champion said. “Lots of points hopefully scored and you know it’s fast-paced.”

Jones Jr. also maintains close contact with Derrick Jones Jr., an NBA veteran who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers. Because of their similar names, the two connected through social media. Since then, the Le Moyne guard has taken advice from his veteran counterpart about “leveraging” offensive strengths such as his left-handedness or his off-the-dribble movement.

Additionally, Jones Jr. uses Synergy Sports Technology to dissect film of himself paired side-by-side with NBA players like Derrick Jones Jr. and Thomas. He primarily looks at help-side reads from the point of view of a perimeter player.

Just when he was “getting comfortable”, the then-21-year-old’s collegiate basketball career hit another fork in the road. About seven months after Jones Jr. transferred into Le Moyne, its athletics program announced it was going D-I.

For Dolphins players, the 2023 transition into the NEC offered a chance at national recognition. Jones Jr. unexpectedly found himself back in the spotlight, scoring Le Moyne’s first D-I points with a 3-pointer against Georgetown on Nov. 7, 2023.

“It’s pretty unique, not many people get that full circle moment, but it’s a neat opportunity for sure,” Champion said.

Jones Jr. started 17 of his 28 games last season, leading the team in 3-point percentage. Champion and Swank say his production should increase this year as a result of his familiarity with the offense.

As a fifth-year player and being named to the Preseason All-NEC First-Team, Swank believes Jones Jr. has a target on his back. But after everything Jones Jr. has overcome, he’s ready for the moment.

“He’s definitely very resilient,” Jones Sr. said. “He’s always got a big smile on his face, he’s always gonna have fun and live in the moment.”

Published on November 3, 2024 at 10:08 pm