Tyrique Jones (born May 3, 1997) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for Partizan Mozzart Bet of the

Basketball League of Serbia The Basketball League of Serbia (), commonly abbreviated as KLS, is a Serbian basketball league system, top-tier men's professional basketball Sports league, league in Serbia. Founded in 2006. It is currently not run by the Basketball Federation o ...

(KLS), the

ABA League The ABA League, renamed the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the top-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedoni ...

and the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Xavier Musketeers The Xavier Musketeers are the 19 teams representing Xavier University in intercollegiate athletics, including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. The Mus ...

Early life

Jones grew up playing

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

as a

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

and

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

and idolized

Dwight Freeney Dwight Jason Freeney (born February 18, 1980) is an American former professional football player who played as a defensive end and linebacker for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), most notably as a member of the Indianapolis Col ...

. However, while attending Bloomfield High School in

Bloomfield, Connecticut Bloomfield is a suburb of Hartford in the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, United States. The town's population was 21,535 at the 2020 census, Bloomfield's highest decennial census count ever. Bloomfield is best known as the headquarters of ...

, Freeney's alma mater, he began to focus on basketball instead. As a junior, he averaged 10.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game, leading his team to the Class S state semifinals and earning First Team All-State honors from the ''

Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is advertised as the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven and ...

''. He played

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

basketball for the New York Rens and Expressions Elite. For his senior season, Jones transferred to Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, Vermont, averaging 13.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He led his team to the Class AA

New England Preparatory School Athletic Council The New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) is an organization that serves as the governing body for sports in preparatory schools and leagues in New England. The organization has 169 full member schools as well as 24 associate ...

(NEPSAC) Finals and was named to the Class AA All-NEPSAC Second Team. Jones played a postgraduate season, averaging 19.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, 1.5 steals and 1.7 assists per game. He led Vermont Academy to its first ever NEPSAC title and was a Class AA All-NEPSAC First Team selection. Jones was considered a four-star recruit by

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

and

Rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

, and a three-star recruit by

247Sports 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on college recruiting, athletic recruitment in college football and college basketball, basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount Global, Paramount. The website hosts a large ...

. On June 29, 2015, he committed to play

for Xavier over offers from

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

and

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...

, among other high major programs.

College career

As a freshman, Jones started four games in the NCAA Tournament and helped Xavier reach the Elite Eight. He averaged 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. He struggled with leg soreness during his sophomore season, which he credited to not utilizing the training room enough, and he missed two games with a shoulder injury. Jones largely played behind

Kerem Kanter Kerem Kanter (born 29 April 1995) is a Turkish professional basketball who plays for Seoul Samsung Thunders of the Korean Basketball League. He played college basketball for Wisconsin–Green Bay and the Xavier Musketeers. Kanter is the younge ...

and Sean O'Mara as a sophomore, averaging seven points and 4.5 rebounds per contest. He focused on losing weight by eating a healthy diet as well as outside shooting and weight lifting going into his junior season. Coach Chris Mack praised his attitude and demeanor, calling him one of his favorite players. On November 10, 2018, Jones scored 19 points and had a career-high 20 rebounds in a 91–85 win over

Evansville Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 census, it is Indiana's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the most populous city in S ...

. He posted a career-high 22 points and had 11 rebounds in a 78–76 overtime loss to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in the second round of the NIT, but missed a layup to tie the game at the end. As a junior, Jones averaged 11.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Following the season he declared for the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible p ...

but ultimately returned to Xavier. On November 22, 2019, Jones posted 17 points with 11 rebounds in a 75–74 double overtime win over

UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

and blocked a potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation. In his final collegiate game on March 12, 2020, he tied his career-high with 22 points in a 71–67 loss to DePaul. Jones averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds, 1.1 steals and one block per game as a senior and had 20 double-doubles, the fourth-most for Division I players. He was named to the Second Team All-

Big East The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

Professional career

Early years

On September 21, 2020, Jones signed his first professional contract with

Wonju DB Promy The Wonju DB Promy is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), located in the city of Wonju. From its founding in 1996, the team has always been based in its home province of Gangwon. It has the rare distinction of b ...

of the

Korean Basketball League The Korean Basketball League () or simply KBL is a professional men's basketball league in South Korea which was established in 1997. The league consists of ten teams and each team plays a total of 54 games (27 home and 27 away) in the regular s ...

. On December 31, 2020, he signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

. In 2020–21 he was third in the Israel Basketball Premier League in blocked shots per game (1.4), 6th in offensive rebounds (2.6), and fifth in two-point field goal percentage (67.2 per cent). Jones joined the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

for the 2021 NBA Summer League. On August 21, 2021, he signed with

Victoria Libertas Pesaro Victoria Libertas (also known as "VL" or in Italian ''Vuelle''), full name Unione Sportiva Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro, is a professional basketball team that is based in Pesaro, Italy. The club competes in the top level Italian professiona ...

of the

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club (sport), club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball ...

. On July 23, 2022, Jones signed with

Türk Telekom Türk Telekomünikasyon A.Ş. () is a state-owned Turkish telecommunications company. Türk Telekom was separated from Turkish Post (PTT) in 1995. Türk Telekom Group provides integrated telecommunication services for PSTN, GSM, and wideband I ...

of the

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League (; TBSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replaced the former Turkish Bas ...

(BSL). On June 21, 2023, he mutually parted ways with the Turkish club.

Andaolu Efes (2023–2024)

On June 24, 2023, Jones signed a two-year contract with Turkish powerhouse

Anadolu Efes Anadolu Efes Spor Kulübü, commonly referred to as Anadolu Efes or simply Efes, is a Turkish professional basketball team based in Istanbul. Founded in 1976, the club was formerly known as Efes Pilsen until 2011. Efes is the 2021–22 EuroLeagu ...

, following his Türk Telekom coach Erdem Can.

Partizan (2024–present)

On August 20, 2024, Jones signed with Partizan Mozzart Bet of the

(KLS) and the

. In his debut season with Partizan, Jones averaged career-high 11.6 points and 6 rebounds over 32 EuroLeague games. During the 2024–25 season, Partizan managed to lift the record eighth

championship, and the

Serbian League The Serbian League () is the third level football league in Serbia. It consists of four groups, namely Belgrade, East, Vojvodina, and West. The winner of each group earns promotion to the Serbian First League. History 1992–1995 In the summer o ...

championship, the first one after 11 seasons.

Career statistics

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 8 , , 17.5 , , .634 , , , , .667 , , 4.3 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , .4 , , 7.2 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2024–25 , style="text-align:left;", Partizan , 32 , , 10 , , 22.6 , , .632 , , , , .664 , , 6.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , 11.6 , , 16.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 66 , , 18 , , 20.0 , , .633 , , , , .665 , , 5.1 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , .5 , , 9.3 , , 12.7

EuroCup

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , style="text-align:left;",

, 20 , , 19 , , 27.3 , , .673 , , .000 , , .603 , , 8.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , 12.7 , , 19.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 20 , , 19 , , 27.3 , , .673 , , .000 , , .603 , , 8.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.3 , , .9 , , 12.7 , , 19.0

Domestic leagues

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:100%; text-align:right;" ! Year ! Team ! League ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", KBL , , 24 , , 14.0 , , .529 , , , , .577 , , 6.6 , , .5 , , .8 , , .2 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , , style="text-align:left;", Hapoel Tel Aviv , , style="text-align:center;", Ligat HaAl , , 16 , , 28.3 , , .669 , , , , .755 , , 7.7 , , 1.3 , , 1.1 , , 1.4 , , 12.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , , style="text-align:left;", Victoria Libertas , , style="text-align:center;", LBA , , 33 , , 29.5 , , .652 , , .000 , , .567 , , 9.7 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , .9 , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2022–23 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", TBSL , , 34 , , 27.5 , , .707 , , .000 , , .617 , , 8.7 , , 1.9 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , 14.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , , style="text-align:left;",

, , style="text-align:center;", TBSL , , 16 , , 26.2 , , .589 , , , , .611 , , 6.4 , , 1.7 , , .4 , , .6 , , 10.5

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", Xavier , 37 , , 13 , , 11.0 , , .602 , , , , .488 , , 3.1 , , .3 , , .2 , , .4 , , 4.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", Xavier , 32 , , 19 , , 15.0 , , .627 , , , , .589 , , 4.5 , , .5 , , .6 , , .6 , , 7.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;", Xavier , 34 , , 31 , , 24.8 , , .624 , , , , .641 , , 7.7 , , .8 , , .8 , , .9 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;", Xavier , 32 , , 32 , , 28.2 , , .557 , , , , .592 , , 11.0 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , 14.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 135 , , 95 , , 19.5 , , .595 , , , , .596 , , 6.5 , , .7 , , .6 , , .7 , , 9.0

Personal life

Jones' mother, Petronia "Winnie" Bailey, emigrated with her brother from Jamaica to

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

at age 11. His father, Lester, was born in

The Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of ...

to Jamaican parents. On May 1, 2002, when Jones was four years old, his father jumped into

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...

and died by

drowning Drowning is a type of Asphyxia, suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Submersion injury refers to both drowning and near-miss incidents. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where othe ...

, following an encounter with the police. Jones was nicknamed "Eighty-Eight" by his father because his

birth weight Birth weight is the body weight of a baby at their birth. The average birth weight in babies of European and African descent is , with the normative range between . 15% of babies born in 2012 had a low birth weight and 14.7% in 2020. It is pro ...

was eight pounds and eight ounces. The number was

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing processes ...

ed on Jones' right bicep when he was 16 years old; it was his first tattoo. He has a tattoo of the number 32 on his right shoulder and upper arm to honor his father's high school basketball jersey number at Weaver High School.

References

External links

Xavier Musketeers bio

Tyrique Jones
at aba-liga.com
Tyrique Jones
at euroleaguebasketball.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Tyrique 1997 births Living people ABA League players American men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Serbia American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American sportspeople of Jamaican descent American people of Bahamian descent Anadolu Efes S.K. players Basketball players from Hartford, Connecticut Bloomfield High School (Connecticut) alumni Centers (basketball) Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. players KK Partizan players Power forwards Vermont Academy alumni Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro players Xavier Musketeers men's basketball players 21st-century American sportsmen