Kai Jones

Kai Martinez Jones (born January 19, 2001) is a Bahamian college basketball player for the Texas Longhorns of the Big 12 Conference. He finished his high school career with Brewster Academy and was considered a four-star recruit.

Kai Jones
Jones with Texas in 2020
No. 22 – Texas Longhorns
PositionCenter
LeagueBig 12 Conference
Personal information
Born (2001-01-19) January 19, 2001
Nassau, Bahamas
NationalityBahamian
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeTexas (2019–present)

Early life

Born in Nassau, Bahamas, Jones moved to the United States when he was 11 years old. Before high school, he returned to his home country hoping to pursue a career as a long jumper. At age 15, Jones played organized basketball for his first time, being drawn to the sport after having a growth spurt.[1]

High school career

In the summer of 2017, Jones took part in a Basketball Without Borders Americas camp held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) in Nassau.[2][3] That year, he worked out with and took advice from top high school recruit Deandre Ayton in their hometown of Nassau. As a result, Jones was inspired to play basketball in the United States.[4] For the 2017–18 season, he enrolled at Orlando Christian Prep in Orlando, Florida, as a high school senior. He was teammates with five-star recruits Nassir Little and C. J. Walker and helped win the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 3A state championship.[5][6] In high school, Jones woke up at 4:45 a.m. every day to train and played basketball after school.[7] At the same time, he saw academic success, graduating with a 4.2 grade point average and summa cum laude honors.[1]

In the summer of 2018, Jones attended the NBA Global Camp in Treviso, Italy.[3] Following his senior year, he played a postgraduate season at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.[8] On February 4, 2019, Jones was named to the National Prep Invitational all-tournament team.[9] In March, he helped Brewster Academy win the USA National Prep Championship.[10]

Recruiting

On October 15, 2018, Jones committed to play college basketball for Texas. He chose to join the Longhorns over offers from several other NCAA Division I programs, including Arizona, Kansas, and Oregon.[11]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kai Jones
C		 Nassau, Bahamas Brewster Academy (NH) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Oct 15, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 59  247Sports: 49  ESPN: 53
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Texas 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  • "2019 Texas Longhorns Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 15, 2019.

    College career

    Coach Shaka Smart said that Jones had the best work ethic of any big man he coached. Despite this, Jones struggled to get playing time early in his freshman season. He gradually saw more playing time as the season progressed, finishing with eight points on 4–5 shooting from the field in just 10 minutes of the Longhorns’ 73–71 win over McNeese State on November 30.[12] As a freshman, Jones averaged 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.[13]

    National team career

    Jones was a member of the Bahamian junior national team at the 2017 Centrobasket Under-17 Championship in the Dominican Republic. His team finished seventh place out of eight teams.[14]

    Career statistics
    Legend
      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

    College
    Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
    2019–20 Texas 271016.7.500.292.6363.2.4.51.13.6

    References
    1. Daniels, Evan (June 5, 2018). "Kai Jones shows well at Global Academy, as interest picks up". 247Sports. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    2. "BWB Americas come to an end in The Bahamas". The Nassau Guardian. July 11, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    3. Givony, Jonathan (June 7, 2018). "Scouting the most interesting draft prospects at the NBA Global Camp". ESPN. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    4. McMullen, Ryan (October 15, 2018). "Texas lands Bahamian big man Kai Jones, who worked out with Deandre Ayton". Zagsblog. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
    5. Perper, Jake (June 5, 2018). "2019 F Kai Jones talks OCP state title, recruitment and more". Prep Hoops. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
    6. Kemp, Bill (March 7, 2018). "Canterbury falls in Class 3A state championship game". The News-Press. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
    7. Dorsett, Renaldo (October 16, 2018). "Kai Jones Commits To The University Of Texas Longhorns". The Tribune. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    8. Snow, Brian (January 2, 2019). "Kai Jones shows major potential and is ready to make impact". 247Sports. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    9. Dorsett, Renaldo (February 6, 2019). "Jones Named In Tournament Team". The Tribune. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    10. French, Simba (March 12, 2019). "Jones, Brewster Academy win National Prep Championships". The Nassau Guardian. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    11. Holland, EJ (October 15, 2018). "Four-star big man Kai Jones commits to Texas". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
    12. Dorsett, Renaldo (December 16, 2019). "Kai Jones Wants More Playing Time With Texas Longhorns". Bahamas Tribune. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
    13. Davis, Brian (March 11, 2020). "Big 12 tournament men's preview: No. 4 seed Texas vs. No. 5 seed Texas Tech". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
    14. French, Simba (May 4, 2019). "Groups for 2019 Centrobasket U-17 Championships revealed". The Nassau Guardian. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
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