Former Gonzaga forward Jeremy Jones finds his footing in G League after years overseas

FRISCO, Texas – Jeremy Jones took the long road home.

After seeing action for Gonzaga basketball from 2016 to 2019, Jones ventured abroad, spending five seasons playing professionally in Austria, Germany and Japan.

Now 28, he’s back home in Texas with Rio Grande Valley, the Houston Rockets’ affiliate in the NBA G League. Through 14 games, he’s averaging 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

The San Antonio native is relishing his first chance to play with a Texas-based team since his freshman year of college, when he played at Rice.

“For sure, it’s awesome,” Jones said of landing with the Vipers and being back in Texas. “Great opportunity, definitely don’t take it for granted, especially to be with such a great organization like the Vipers. Just truly blessed.”

After roaming the hardwood in Europe and Asia, he says he’s gained invaluable experience overseas as a new pro still learning the landscape, while also getting paid to see various exotic locales, a definite win-win for the affable Texan.

“Yeah, (my time abroad was productive),” Jones said.

“Just with the limited role, limited playing time at Gonzaga playing behind so many NBA guys, I feel like it was better for me to go overseas and explore, be able to make mistakes for my development. Learned a lot in the different places.”

After starting his college career at Rice and appearing in 24 games for the Owls – and also being a redshirt quarterback for the football team – he transferred to Gonzaga and took a redshirt for the 2015-16 season before becoming a contributor off the bench for his final three seasons as a Zag.

“I was there for four years and learned a ton at Gonzaga. I feel like that’s the place I truly learned basketball playing for Mark Few, Tommy Lloyd, and those guys,” Jones said. “… I’ve been super blessed to have great coaches and to learn so much from college to my pro career.”

Like everyone who has played for Few, there are several bits of sage advice from the successful GU coach that he continues to draw upon, even now in his sixth season as a pro.

“For me, it was always just (bring) the energy. That was always my role at Gonzaga,” Jones said.

“That was something we always saw eye to eye on. He always knew (what) he was going to get from me coming in, checking boxes, doing things that some of those NBA guys weren’t doing. Just checking a bunch of boxes to be able to get on the floor.”

Jones is one of several ex-Zags plying his trade in the G League.

He said it’s always great to meet a fellow Zag whether they were teammates in Spokane or not.

“It’s always good to play against different Zags, to be in the midst of different Zags,” he said. “It’s good to see those guys. Whether we played together or not, it seems like we did. It’s definitely a special group.”

Jones has not only taken bits and pieces from every great coach, including Few and everyone he played for abroad, but he’s doing the same with RGV head coach Joseph Blair, who starred at Arizona and played several years in Europe and later with the Harlem Globetrotters.

After his playing days, he became a G League and NBA assistant before landing the Vipers’ job this season.

Several fellow GU alums and other pros who previously played for Blair told Jones what he could expect of his new coach.

“I love JB. Great coach, even better person,” Jones said. “A lot of my Zag people, Jerrod (Davis), (Joel) Ajayi, Corey Kispert, Rui Hachimura and (current Dallas Maverick) Spencer Dinwiddie played for him, so when I knew he was going to be my coach, I called him. Everyone had nothing but good things to say about him.”

Jones was asked what he brings to the Vipers, a team which has six players with NBA experience, including two former first-round draft picks in Thon Maker (2016) and Cam Whitmore (2023). He said he brings RGV exactly what he’s brought every team he’s played for – a spark.

“It’s the same thing, really, just the energy, doing the detail things like boxing out defensively whether that’d be going to the offensive glass every time (or whatever),” Jones said. “I think playing in the G League, a lot of time when NBA organizations are looking at guys, they’re not looking at you to come in and be the next Steph Curry or any of those guys. I just do my best to do here at what I would see myself doing at that next level. That’s bring energy, be detailed, and not be a weak link.”

Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.