Joseph Jones (basketball) facts for kids

Joseph CostelloReshawn Jones (born March 21, 1986) is an American college basketball coach and former player. He played college basketball at Texas A&M from 2004 to 2008. After college, he spent 14 years playing basketball professionally in other countries. Today, he is an assistant coach for the UTSA Roadrunners team in the AAC.

Early Life and High School Basketball

Joseph Jones was born on March 21, 1986, in Normangee, Texas. His parents are D.C. Nealey and Betty Jones.

During his sophomore, junior, and senior years at Normangee High School, Joseph was chosen as a first-team All-State player. In his senior year, he was amazing, averaging 22.4 points and 15.1 rebounds per game. He helped his team achieve a fantastic 37–2 record, winning their last 23 games in a row.

Joseph led his high school team to the Class A Division I championship game. He was named the most valuable player (MVP) in that title game. He scored 21 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and blocked 5 shots. Experts like HoopScoop and Rivals.Com ranked him as one of the top basketball prospects in the country.

Many big universities wanted Joseph to play for them, including Kansas, Texas, University of Arkansas, and Texas Tech. However, he decided to sign with Texas A&M University to play for coach Melvin Watkins.

College Basketball Journey

Freshman Year at Texas A&M

Before Joseph arrived at College Station, the Texas A&M coach, Melvin Watkins, left the team. Billy Gillispie then became the new coach. Joseph decided to stick with his commitment to Texas A&M. He made a big impact right away in his first college game, scoring 10 points and getting 10 rebounds.

Joseph started in all 31 games during his freshman year. He was second on the team in scoring with 12.7 points per game. He also led the team in rebounds (7.3 per game), field goal percentage (.577), and blocked shots (39). He achieved seven "double-doubles" (scoring double digits in two categories, like points and rebounds), which was the most for any freshman in the Big 12 conference.

His great performance earned him honors like All-Big 12 and a spot on the Big-12 All-Freshman team. CollegeInsider.Com also named him to their Freshman All-America team. Joseph helped the Aggies win against Clemson in the first round of the NIT, scoring a career-high 25 points.

Sophomore Year Highlights

As a sophomore, Joseph continued to start in every game. He averaged 15.3 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds. One of his most impressive games was when he scored 31 points against the University of Texas. This was the most points an Aggie player had scored in Austin since 1963! In that game, he tied two Big 12 records for shooting.

Joseph also made the game-winning shot against Oklahoma State, scoring an 8-foot jumper with just one second left. Later, against North Texas, he scored a career-high 35 points and had a career-high 13 rebounds.

He was ranked among the top 10 players in the conference for both scoring and rebounding. His excellent play earned him second-team All-Big 12 honors. He was also recognized for his good grades, being named to the second-team Academic All-Big 12.

The Aggies made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1987. They won their first game against Syracuse. In a close second-round game against LSU, the Aggies were ahead by two points with 18 seconds left. But LSU won with a last-second three-point shot.

Junior Year Success

Before his junior season, Joseph was named to the John R. Wooden pre-season All-American watch list. The team started the season ranked Number 13 in the AP poll, and later reached Number 6, which was the highest rank the school had ever achieved.

Even with some knee problems, Joseph was a key player in the Aggies' successful 2006-2007 season. He averaged 13.2 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds per game. He was known for being an aggressive player, which sometimes led to him getting fouls.

The Aggies were often ranked in the top 10 this season. On February 3, 2007, Joseph's team made history by being the first Big 12 South team to beat the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. Two days later, they beat their rivals, Texas, in a big 100–82 victory. This made them the sole leader of the Big 12 conference.

The Aggies earned a Number 3 seed in the South region for the 2007 NCAA Tournament. In their first game against Penn, Joseph had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He helped energize the team in the second half. The Aggies won 68–52.

In a tough second-round game against Louisville, Joseph scored 12 points, had 8 rebounds, and 3 steals. The Aggies won 72–69, which sent them to the "Sweet 16" for the first time since 1980.

Senior Year and Graduation

During his senior year, Joseph Jones was featured on the front cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. He graduated from Texas A&M a semester early.

Playing Professional Basketball

After finishing college, Joseph Jones joined the Houston Rockets for their 2008 Summer League. He then began his professional basketball career overseas.

From 2008 to 2009, he played for Oyak Renaul Bursa in the Turkish Basketball League. He was the team's second-highest scorer, averaging 13.9 points per game.

He spent two years playing in France with STB Le Havre and one year in Israel with Hapoel Gilboa Galil. In 2012, he signed with the Spanish team CAI Zaragoza. He also played for Cangrejeros de Santurce in 2013.

In September 2014, Joseph signed with Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel. He later played for Canarias (Spain), Azad University Tehran (Iran), and Limoges CSP (France). His professional playing career lasted 14 years, ending with Santeros de Aguada in Puerto Rico in 2020.

Becoming a Coach

In January 2021, Joseph Jones became an assistant coach at Tarleton State University. He worked under his former Texas A&M coach, Billy Gillispie.

In November 2023, when Coach Gillispie took a break for medical reasons, Joseph was named the acting head coach for the Texans. He is now an assistant coach for the UTSA Roadrunners.

Personal Life

Joseph Jones got married in 2012. He and his wife have two children together.

See also

In Spanish: Joseph Jones (baloncestista) para niños