Jones and Ross thankful for second chance with Clinton

Clinton College’s initial mission in the late 19th century was to offer higher education to a group of people – African Americans – who didn’t take their opportunity for granted.

It’s still doing that now. Wednesday night in the school’s tiny gymnasium two of the latest to get that opportunity joked around, shooting half court shots and trying trick dunks.

Clenzo Ross and Jamel Jones never expected to play basketball for Clinton, but here they are. Both sophomores are crossing fingers for the opportunity to continue their careers next year at a four-year school, but seem thankful for the chance to stretch their basketball lives two more years.

Junior college is not the desired landing spot for any high school athlete. The juco level is often generalized as a destination for the academically unable or disinterested, but Ross and Jones’ cases offer two of the other common reasons high school kids end up at two-year schools.

“I did want to continue playing but I didn’t have any looks out of high school,” said Ross.

He landed at Clinton after being invited to tryout for the team in August 2014. Tall with an even taller haircut, Ross walked in the gym, tucked away in the bottom of the main building and joined the Golden Bears’ practice.

“I was surprised by how good he could play,” said Clinton assistant coach Ray Walford.

Ross only played one season of AAU during high school, which in the modern college basketball recruiting landscape basically precluded him from any recruiting interest. Ross bumped into Clinton volunteer assistant coach Phillip Harris at the YMCA, and he steered him toward the two-year school in Rock Hill.

“It’s an opportunity,” said Ross, a 6-foot-4 point guard. “Take it and run with it. This was the last option so I’m just glad I’m here.”

As a senior at Rock Hill High, Jones was a 6-foot-5 two-sport star with a bright future. He had basketball scholarship offers or interest from Winthrop, USC Upstate, Newberry as well as a number of bigger schools. East Carolina wanted him to play both football and basketball.

Jones blew out his knee – nearly every ligament except his lateral cruciate ligament was torn – during a Rock Hill football game against Dutch Fork in 2012. The ensuing mental recovery was more difficult than the physical one.

“I lost passion for everything,” he said. After graduating, he moped around for a year. “And then my mom was like, ‘you gotta’ do something. Go to school, do something.’”

Walford knew Jones – his son played AAU with Jones – and sought him out.

“We wouldn’t have got J.J. if he wouldn’t have had that injury,” said Walford. “He had so many options. When we found out he wanted to play again, it was easy.”

Out of shape and stiff in the knees, Jones couldn’t make it through the first workout. But he stuck with it and got a scholarship from the Clinton coaching staff.

“I would ride past Clinton every day just going around town,” said Jones. “Never thought I’d be here, but I’m here looking at it as an opportunity to get my school paid for and if God blesses me with some offers, I can go to a higher level.”

“I just kept working and I love playing again,” said Jones. “I got the passion back.”

He compared junior college basketball to AAU. Clinton’s gym was built in 1951, though it doesn’t have a fairly new wooden court. Travel isn’t easy and Ross said a key is to get into the back two rows of one of the 12-passenger vans the team uses to commute to games. Otherwise, you’re sharing a row with another basketball-length human.

Spreading out is crucial for Jones, who still struggles with his left knee. He missed the first nine games of the season but returned for the last two. Remember that LCL he didn’t tear? He sprained it early in the season.

“It’s just like a little child you’ve got to take care of,” said Jones. “It’s the price I’ve got to pay.”

Both players averaged double digit scoring last season as freshmen, and Ross has advanced his game by moving from the wing to point guard. His scoring has dipped a bit, but he’s still posting 12 points per outing, to go with 4.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds. Walford said both players are receiving recruiting interest – Winston-Salem State is a big fan of Jones – but it’s unclear what will happen next year.

“I’d love to get a scholarship,” said Ross. “If I had to walk-on I would.”

It’s easy to believe him when he says that.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 12:50 PM with the headline "Jones and Ross thankful for second chance with Clinton."