Giants Lock Up The Jones’s
Tagged in: NBL
Pete McNae, Nelson Mail
The Nelson Giants don’t believe in doing things by halves - why stop at one Jones when you can have two?
After securing the services of international guard Phill Jones, who was heavily courted by the Bay Hawks, Nelson have recruited Otago Nuggets swingman Darryl Jones for the 2009 National Basketball League season.
While Phill Jones is well-known to Trafalgar Centre patrons, the younger Jones (Darryl is 22 to Phill’s 34) will be an unfamiliar face.
A former national secondary schools champion with Hutt Valley High School, he has also been a Junior Tall Black but has laboured out of the limelight with the lowly Nuggets for the past four seasons. He went south after the chance to get regular court time in the NBL but has now decided he needs to leave Dunedin to improve his game.
“I’ve enjoyed my seasons down here and Dunedin is a good place to be a young guy playing sports, but I put my name out there in the off-season because I think my game wasn’t really going ahead as much as I’d hoped,” he said.
Although listed as a guard, at 1.93m and 110kg, Jones could easily pass for a forward - or a phone box.
“I’ve bounced around the 2, 3 and 4 spots down here so I know I can cover different positions on the court,” he said.
“My rebounding is pretty solid but really, my game is built on straight hustle and the physical stuff.”
Giants head coach Chris Tupu says that, at 22, Jones is primed to develop his talents.
“It must wear on you, losing as often as you do in Otago.
“They play hard but they don’t get a lot to show for it and Darryl is probably making his move at a good time if he wants to push himself a bit.
“He’s got an upside that we are interested in so we’ll bring him in, get him in shape and see what he can offer.”
Jones is looking forward to the challenge. “I’ve known a few of the Nelson guys through the years and they have always been well-prepared, fit, and those fans there are pretty intimidating to play in front of. It’s going to be a nice change to have them on my side.”
Meanwhile, Phill Jones has signed a letter of intent to return to the Giants after Hawke’s Bay almost pinched him from them.
A casual conversation between Jones and Hawks guard Paul Henare, in which Jones named an ambitious price - plus accommodation and a car for his services - prompted an affirmative reply from the Napier franchise.
“I just jokingly plucked a number out of the air and they agreed,” Jones said. “Then I had to give it some real consideration.”
In fairness to the team that introduced him to the NBL in 1993, Jones gave the Giants time to respond to the Hawks’ offer and the Nelson team were able to come up with a competitive package, including a Nelson Golf Club membership brokered by Jeff Rackley and the Haven Sports Trust.
“I’ve got a passion for golf but I hadn’t asked for anything like that. When Toops (Tupu) mentioned it, I knew Nelson was working as hard as it could to put something together, so I rang the Hawks and said `no, thanks’.
“I’m totally comfortable about coming back to Nelson. It’s something I have tried to do through my whole career and it has never been about the money for me - but when the Hawks threw that deal out there, I had to listen.
“Now the decision is made, I’m happy to be coming home to the Giants again.”
Tupu has one or two domestic players to add but his two import slots are wide open. He has been busy studying possible recruits, with the final decisions due in the New Year.
