Romance, roundball mix
Love and basketball isn’t just a story cooked up in a Hollywood movie studio.
What may be developing into the most important saga of James Jones’ young life began four years ago in the land of rolling wheat fields and towering grain silos. No, not the Palouse. Try Leavenworth, Kan.
Jones, 23, left his native England to pursue his higher education and develop his basketball skills in the United States. After one year of high school in Oklahoma, where he has relatives, Jones played basketball for two years at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, just west of Kansas City, Mo., and the Missouri-Kansas border.
His stint in America’s heartland proved to be less than fruitful on the basketball court, but his personal life was enjoying a noted positive upswing. It was in Kansas that Jones met girlfriend Sara Ridings, a Spokane native and former Shadle Park standout playing on Saint Mary’s women’s basketball team. By the end of her sophomore year, however, Ridings had elected to focus on her pre-med education and gave up her hardwood dreams.
Ridings subsequently decided to return home and transfer to Whitworth. Frustrated with losing at Saint Mary, Jones turned down a chance to play at Iowa Wesleyan and honed in on transferring to Whitworth. Of course, Ridings played a role in the decision.
“You can write that I chased the girl if you want,” Jones said, fearing the ribbing he suspects he’ll get from friends and teammates. “But I knew I was making a smart basketball decision. Basketball-wise, I was ready to get out of a losing program. I did some research and saw (Whitworth was) doing good things.”
Already nervous visiting Spokane with Ridings for the first time during spring break, Jones met with Pirates coach Jim Hayford. Just one problem – Hayford had never heard of James Jones. Hayford only saw a spindly legged, 6-foot-4 kid who didn’t have a tape with game footage to provide evidence of what he could offer the Pirates.
“When you recruit a guy, you get to know him a bit,” Hayford said. “You have some prior knowledge, you know his previous coaches. But not with James. That didn’t happen by the nature of how he got to Whitworth.”
Unable to work out in front of Hayford because of NCAA bylaws, Jones participated in an open gym environment playing with Whitworth players and gym rats. The players gave Hayford a positive review, and Hayford opened up a roster spot for him. It didn’t hurt that a certain someone had Jones’ ear, too.
“Sara,” Hayford said, “was my most important recruiter.”
Jones struggled initially coming off the bench for the Pirates last year, but he was a key component in Whitworth’s run of 11 victories in 12 games to end the season. His potential was surfacing, and Hayford told him after the final game that he believed Jones would lead the team in scoring as a senior.
Averaging 16.6 points per game this year, Jones has lived up to his coach’s expectations.
“We had a lot of meetings and discussed what they wanted from me and what I wanted from the system,” Jones said. “I think I worked hard on my game because I knew this was going to be a special season.”
When his collegiate career ends, Jones has the ability – and connections through his father – to play professionally in Europe. He said he’d like to entertain the option and see where it leads. Hayford wants to keep him around and offered him an assistant coaching position next year.
Ridings, 22, will graduate next winter, and she said she’ll follow Jones overseas. She’s looked into medical schools in Europe.
“I think he should do what he loves doing,” she said. “He came here for me. Now it’s time for him to do what he wants.”