Verdell Jones III - Champaign Fire Department (Illinois)

[Crimson and Cream]

UMMMMM...

 

Verdell just had his THIRD STRAIGHT GAME with at least 25 points, 5 rebounds and five assists in the D league.

 

Holy crap, call him up to the NBA.

Has he really developed that much from college?

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

From dleaguedigest.com

Verdell Jones Bounces Back From The Brink of Retirement

Sitting on an operating table four years ago, Verdell Jones pondered the thought of giving the game of basketball up for good. After a torn ACL took him out of one of the most important games of his college career, Jones was faced with a decision that would change the course of the rest of his life.

Coming off of a season in the NBA D-League in which he scored more than 16 points per game, it’s clear that the resiliency in working his way back to basketball is paying off. That trait is something that he’s managed to develop well over the years, dating all the way back to his days in college at Indiana.

Though the school had won 25 games in the year before his arrival, star guards Eric Gordon and Jordan Crawford both left the program and opened up an opportunity for Jones to start as a freshman. As he tells D-League Digest, it was a bit of an unexpected opportunity.

“Starting my freshman year was a big jump. When I first committed and the plan was to redshirt or maybe sit on the bench for a while, but when Jordan Crawford left I was put in and it was an eye-opening experience that forced me to grow and mature much quicker. The speed and physicality was so different and it definitely made me learn and shortened the learning curve,” Jones said.

Jones was one of ten freshman on a team that was led by a first-year head coach in Tom Crean. The collective lack of experience showed on the court, too, with only six wins throughout the course of the season.

It was a trying time and one of the most difficult challenges of Jones’ career, but he stayed the course. While still holding down his spot as the lead guard, Indiana jump to 10 wins, then 12, then 27 during his senior year.

“At the time it was tough and it was frustrating, but my dad always told me to not quit on things and just ride them out and in my senior it worked out. Beating all of these top teams that had been dominating us years before was such an extraordinary feeling.”

After overcoming so many obstacles and pushing through the adversity throughout his first few years with the program, Jones’ hard work was set to pay off as the Hoosiers entered the Big 10 Conference Tournament.

As they squared off with Penn State, Jones was riding a hot streak that was punctuated with a 15-point win over #5 Michigan State just a few weeks prior.

The clock rolled on and Indiana had control of the game, when Jones entered the game as a substitute. Six minutes into his time on the court, his career would substantially change.

With the Hoosiers on offense, Jones jump stopped like he had done so many times in his career to that point, but this time his right knee gave out from under him and he collapsed to the ground.

His worst fears were realized the following day when doctors determined that he had torn his ACL and would be forced to take a year off from basketball. If the four years at Indiana hadn’t tested him, the surgery and rehab from the injury certainly did.

“There were moments when I thought about walking away from basketball. I tore my ACL during a game that I had been working towards my entire career, so it was definitely one of the hardest experiences of my life. It just felt unfair and it was really discouraging and made me think about if I wanted to do it anymore.”

Once he had determined that he wanted to be able to go out on his own terms, Jones continued his rehabilitation and was able to return to the court eight months later. With that time from the game though, the NBA wasn’t going to be calling anytime soon so Jones made the jump to play in Greece.

“I loved Greece. I was playing in the top division in Greece and they weren’t sure that I could play a lot of minutes with my knee, but it was a great experience and I loved the passion that the fans have.”

With re-gained confidence, Jones moved on to Japan to play for the Oita HeatDevils and the Fukushima Firebonds. In his year with the Firebirds, he was the league’s sixth leading scorer and second in assists, all while helping the team reach the playoffs.

“The bj-league in Japan is a very underrated league in my opinion. My first year there it really gave me a chance to get back to my old playing ways now that my knee was finally at 100%. It was great to be able to lead the team there.”

His reputation around international basketball was growing and he had begun to receive offers from across the globe, but a connection to the NBA D-League was strong enough to reel him in.

“I had offers in Japan and Europe, but I decided to take the risk and go all in to play with the D-League. We had a connection with the Santa Cruz Warriors and they didn’t plan on keeping me, but I did enough to make the roster and get quite a bit of playing time.”

In his previous years as a professional he had done well against all of the top competition that was thrown at him, but entering the D-League he knew that he was in for a different beast.

“I had heard about the league before I came, but when you get there you see the speed and size of everybody; it’s by far the second best league behind the NBA. Playing as a guard, night in and night out you’re playing against the best players in the league so there’s no days off. It was definitely a mental and physical grind.”

It took him a few weeks to get into the swing of things, but by the end of the season Jones was playing a key role for the Warriors. Scoring 20 points per game throughout the back half of the season, Jones was able to prove that he had come a long way since his college days.

“You can sometimes get away with being more athletic and bigger than everyone overseas, but in the D-League you have to be more cerebral if you want to score. Everyone here is athletic, so you have to outthink your opponents so as far as making moves and countermoves to get around players and I used that a bit more this year.”

With the outstanding finish to his season in mind, Jones has once again popped up on the radar from teams around the world. Just a few years after he was sitting on the operating table and contemplating calling it a career, he never could have imagined being in the position that he’s in today.

“I didn’t I’d be where I am now. I was on the line of not wanting to play basketball anymore and I was down and out about it. Now I’m possibly one call away from a life changing experience and I’m working out in front NBA GM’s and scouts and teams overseas. I never doubted myself along the way, but I still never thought that it would come this quick.”

Playing in the D-League Elite Mini Camp recently, Jones had the opportunity to show teams around the league the type of player that he is, and the type of player that he can become. Just one step away from the NBA, Verdell Jones is ready for the call.

“It would mean everything. With all of the sacrifices, time, money and effort that me and my parents have made, it would be a goal that is reached not just me but by my whole community. It would truly be a blessing.”

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Verdell is also playing in the Las Vegas Summer League for the D-League Select team.  They finished 2 - 2 and play today at 4:30 E.T. in the consolation round.  Game will be televised on NBATV.

Verdell Jones - NBA D-League Select				2016 NBA Summer League
Date	Pts.	FGM	FGA	3PM	3PA	FTM	FTA	Reb	Assts.	TO's	Stls.	Blks.	Min.
7/8	12	4	5	1	1	3	4	3	3	3	0	0	18:53
7/10	2	0	0	0	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	5:32
7/11				DNP - Coach's Decision
7/13	2	1	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	14:42

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Won their final summer league game beating the Pelicans 88 - 76.   Not the greatest 5 games for Verdell.

Verdell Jones - NBA D-League Select				2016 NBA Summer League
Date	Pts.	FGM	FGA	3PM	3PA	FTM	FTA	Reb	Assts.	TO's	Stls.	Blks.	Min.
7/8	12	4	5	1	1	3	4	3	3	3	0	0	18:53
7/10	2	0	0	0	0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	5:32
7/11				DNP - Coach's Decision
7/13	2	1	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	14:42
7/15	5	2	3	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	2	0	6:02

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Announced today on Instagram he's headed overseas to play in France.

vj_3I've given up on trying to predict and understand what God has planned for me and my future..just when I thought I knew the path I wanted to go..he said "not yet"...I'm excited to announce that I will be leaving tomorrow for Orleans, France to play in the top division there and continue my pro career for a 5th year..this year/summer has been full of ups and downs..but my support system has not! Thank you to everyone that has held me down especially my parents! If only u knew what these two have done to keep me going! I don't know what this journey holds..but as always I will rep the 217 and try to make yal proud!! - V

[mamasa]

 

 

Marketing Director

KetoSports

Dates EmployedJun 2017 – Present

LocationUrbana-Champaign, Illinois Area

Bringing this cutting edge ketone supplement from the health nutrition world, into the sports industry. Allowing players to turn back the clocks on their careers, and giving their bodies Exogenous Ketones to continue performing at an optimal level before or after injuries.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Feel good story on Verdell after retiring from basketball.

https://indiana.rivals.com/news/serving-community-becoming-real-life-superhero-up-next-for-verdell-jones

[Hovadipo]

Pre-Hovadipo I gave Verdell a pretty hard time when he played here, but he seems like a genuinely great dude. Hope he enjoys retirement after a seemingly solid pro career. 

[Stuhoo]

I met Verdell after an IU game. An incredibly gracious, classy young man.

 

[LamarCheeks]

VJIII had probably the No. 2 assist in the history of IU basketball -- only behind Daryl Thomas' dish to Keith Smart against the 'Cuse in 1987 at the Superdome. 
 

 

[Josh]

 

[Hovadipo]

3 minutes ago, Josh said:

 

The guy to his left could’ve probably helped out in Verdell’s first couple years here. 

[WayneFleekHoosier]

[/url]  

Awesome. Much respect!


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[Alford Bailey]

Cool

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

https://www.wcia.com/news/on-fire-on-the-basketball-court-to-fighting-fires-in-his-hometown/