Phillip Jones Joins Sam Men's Basketball
5/17/2016 3:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Phillip Jones, a 6-6, 200 pound forward who has played the past three years for UTSA, is transferring to Sam Houston to play his senior season for head coach Jason Hooten's Bearkat men's basketball team.
After earning his bachelor's degree, Jones is immediately eligible for the Kats as a graduate student. He has played in 62 games the past three years in San Antonio, scoring 342 points and pulling down 297 rebounds.
“Phillip is an extremely explosive athlete who can play above the rim,” Hooten said. “He can really rebound the ball and will be a nice fit for our team next season as a power forward.”
The Freeport, Bahamas product came to UTSA as an honorable mention all-state performer at Piney Woods High School in Mississippi, where he averaged 27 points and 12 rebounds as a senior. He helped lead his team to the state championship as a junior and was a two-time state triple jump champion in track.
His freshman season at UTSA, Jones started 23 games, averaging 7.2 points and 6.2 rebounds and blocking 20 shots. During an injury-shortened sophomore season he appeared in 15 games but came back as a junior to play in 20 contests. He closed out the 2016 season with double figure points and rebounds in each of the Roadrunners' last three games.
“Phillip is a guy who had an up and down career battling injuries his sophomore and junior seasons,” Hooten said. “But he is healthy now and is excited about starting a new chapter in his career at Sam Houston, joining a team that is built to compete for a championship next year.”
Sam Houston returns all its starters and top reserves from a team that rolled up 18 wins, reached the Southland tournament semifinals and made its third consecutive appearance in the CollegeInsider.com post-season tournament.
