Rare Work Ethic Led To Rare Rise From Unknown to McD's All-American

CHICAGO – At this time about a year ago, Andrew Jones sat in a hotel room in Houston before playing in the Spring Icebreaker tournament to begin his final AAU season. He sat in that room pretty much an unknown hoops prospect that aspired to be not just good, but to be elite.

“It’s ironic because this time last year we were at the Icebreaker Tournament, and I remember we were in the hotel and I think at this point his only offer was like Western Kentucky,” said Tim Martin, Jones’ trainer and then an assistant coach for Nike Pro Skills Elite. “And we had a talk and he was like, ‘Coach, I want to be an All-American.’ To see him say it and it become a reality for him now is just remarkable to watch; the type of person he is… for him to go through the ups and downs and to actually come out on top, we call it the ‘beautiful struggle.”

The struggle was real, but so is this week for Jones.

The McDonald’s All-American Game, as usual, was filled with prospects that have been established, elite recruits for years. It’s rare for a relative unknown less than a year before the event to suddenly make the meteoric jump required to participate in the game, and earn the prestigious honor. But Jones, a product of Irving Macarthur High School, made that jump, and he did so thanks to a rare work ethic.

“I was always a late-bloomer,” said Jones. “I was always a smaller kid that was overlooked. I used to see all these kids get the recognition and publicity and I always used to think, ‘Why not me?’ I want to be that. I want to be that guy – the best to be able to play in my state. I always wanted to be the best. That’s what drives me.”

Now, Jones, a Texas commitment rated as the No. 38 prospect overall in the 2016 Rivals150, a ranking that will improve, is that guy. He’s one of the best, and he never doubted himself.

However, a player saying it and not doubting his ability is one thing, and putting in the work is another. Jones put in the work, and then some to the point he had to be told to stop putting in the work.

“He’s always been a confident kid in his ability. That’s just who he is as a person. He’s always believed in himself. He’s the type of person that whatever he says, he actually means it; he’s going to back it up with his work ethic and making sure he’s doing what he needs to do to stay on top,” Martin, who now is the head coach for the Mo Williams Academy Elite Nike EYBL team, stated about Jones. “For this generation, there’s a lot of talk with less being done. He’s one of those kids…. He’s probably one of the hardest workers I’ve ever dealt with in my career as a trainer/coach. Great attitude; very coachable; yes sir, no sir kind of kid; just a great spirit about him.”

When the spring/summer AAU circuit began last March, Jones, a 6-4 combo guard that will play a lot of point guard at the next level, was battling injuries, and was on a team with two of the best big men in the country. So, the team used its strength, and Jones fought through some issues to try to get healthy. However, Marques Bolden started to battle some injuries of his own, and Jones then realized it was time for him to make his move before time ran out.

“I think he was battling some knee injuries early in the April and May EYBL sessions, and a lot of people didn’t know that at the time. And with Marques (Bolden) and Schnider (Herard) at the time, we were so inside-out so when Marque went down, that whole month of June he (Jones) was doing three-a-days,” said Martin about Jones and his team. “We’d actually have four to five-hour practices where we were doing yoga, injury prevention stuff, and a lot of skill work and breaking down film. And he’d go on by himself also and get extra work on his jump shot. He knew that his window was kind of closing for that last live period in July. And he started off playing the Houston Hoops with 30 [at the Peach Jam], and that was against De’Aaron Fox. That right there, that kind of put him on the map, so to speak. We won the Great American Shootout and then went to Las Vegas and just did an amazing job. I think he averaged almost 28 points throughout that month.”

After that performance at the prestigious Peach Jam during the final live evaluation period, the offers immediately started to roll in. Texas, who had been recruiting Jones already, immediately offered and Jones soon became a household name. The rest is history, and for Jones, a dream come true.

“It’s like a dream come true. Growing up seeing my sister and how hard she worked to achieve the McDonald’s All-American goal motivated me to work hard and achieve as much as she did. Now that I’m here, it’s a blessing,” the Texas commitment said about being selected to the McDonald’s All-American Game.

Before Jones puts a ribbon and bow on his unforgettable high school season, he’ll participate in the Jordan Brand Classic too. Then, it’s off to Texas. While in Chicago, Jones is trying to work on bringing a big guy to the Longhorn program.

“Yeah, I’ve been working on Jarrett (Allen) a lot,” Jones said with a laugh about the five-star big man from St. Stephen’s (Austin). “I’ve been teaching him the ‘hook ‘em.’ He’s coming around slowly.”

When Jones does get to Austin, one thing he won’t be doing a ton of is playing slowly.

“It’s going to be showtime next year,” he said. “We have a lot of athletes there. It’s going to be crazy. Because ‘havoc’ … we’re all athletic. We just need a couple more bigs – that’s why I’m trying to get Jarrett - to come along with us. This new recruiting class I feel like coach is going to install ‘havoc’ a little more. I’m more athletic, and we’re going to have a lot of athletic wings and more athletic bigs, so we’re going to be able to get up-and-down the court a lot.”

Since his commitment to Texas in December, Jones has developed an ever tighter bond with Texas head coach Shaka Smart, who texted him with a message prior his week in Chicago. “Me and him are very close. He’s like a second father to me,” Jones said about his future head coach. “He always motivates me. He always looks for things that I can improve on. He’s there for me. He’s not always about basketball. He cares about me on a personal level. He told me three things that I control: my talking, how hard I play, and my focus. As long as I do those things, I should be good.”

In a few months, Jones will start another hoops journey at the next level to again prove himself, and one thing is for sure: the Texas coaching staff won’t have to worry about him being willing to do the extra work.

“I think the biggest thing for Andrew is his love for the game. He’s one of those kids that’s a definition of a gym rat. It’s almost like you have to pull him back and have him rest his body,” stated Martin. “I think with his ability to play faster and also on the defensive end, he’s done a great job of buying into the scheme. With his height, he’s grown a few inches over the course of time; his ability to always get up-and-down has always been a strength in terms of transition. And now his relationship with Shaka being a players’ coach, younger guy that can relate to the kids, I think it’s going to be not just great for him as an experience but also fun.”

Fresh off maybe the biggest rise a prospect made during this past high school season, Jones will arrive at Texas prepared to show what he’s capable of at the next level.

“I’m ready for it. I’m looking forward to coming in early and contributing,” he said.