Student athlete spotlight: End of the Road for TJ Jones
February 26, 2024
By Nathaniel Smith, Sports Writer
They say everything must come to an end. Well, that is the case for Terrance “TJ” Jones’ college basketball career this semester. The Opelousas, La. native is nearing his last home game as a part of the Xavier Gold Rush Men’s Basketball team. Jones is a graduate student using his final year of eligibility.
“I feel excited man. It’s definitely been a long time coming.” Jones said. The 5’8 point guard has been starting for the Gold Rush since he was a freshman.
During his first year, he led the team in assists and free throw percentage. His 130 assists were the most by a Gold Rush freshman in the last 35 years. This also helped him win Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year award.
That same year, the team automatically qualified for the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) national tournament after winning the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) tournament thanks to Jones’ game winning layup with 14 seconds left to beat Tougaloo College. It was Xavier’s first tournament championship win since 1996. Unfortunately, the tournament was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the team finished #10 on the final NAIA division I coaches poll, Xavier’s highest since February 2011.
Assistant head coach Tyrone Mitchell, who had a significant role in signing Jones before he even stepped foot on campus, thinks that TJ has been nothing but a leader for the Gold Rush.
“TJ is a pure leader and winner for the program from day one. I think he may be a top 5 PG in Xavier history,” Mitchell said.
Head coach Alfred “AJ” Williams thought Jones was the one from day one.
“Through the highs and the lows, [TJ] is one of my favorite players. As a high schooler, TJ won 3 high school championships, so we hoped that we would be able to bring in a guy who understood what winning looked like and would bring that to us,” Williams said.
“Fast forward 4 years later, TJ is directly responsible for, along with so many others, for winning us three championships in 4 years. He’s been an unbelievable spokesman for Men’s Basketball and it will be extremely difficult to replace him,” Williams added.
Throughout his career, Jones has averaged just over eight points and four assists a game. He has had his fair share of great games. Scoring 28 versus Dillard University in the first game of this season, and 26 versus Southwest University in January. Even with all of those signature games, there is always that favorite memory, no matter what it is.
Jones, Mitchell, and Williams all agreed when asked about their favorite memories together, which was bringing Xavier their first basketball conference tournament championship since 1996. Additionally, Coach Williams’ favorite memory went a little deeper.
“My favorite memory of TJ is when he made the game winning layup to win our first tournament championship” Mitchell said.
Williams added: “Besides helping us win our first championship in 24 years, helping [TJ] walk across the stage as a first-generation [college] graduate. His impact is felt across the whole university, and he has been a great ambassador for Men’s Basketball, Xavier Athletics, and Xavier University of Louisiana as a whole.”
Jones has been nothing but a pillar for the athletic community of Xavier, his peers said. His next chapter is near, and he is excited to explore it.
“My favorite memory is winning the conference championship my freshman year; it was at Xavier. It was the first time winning the tournament in 20+ years,” Jones said.
