Texas Guard Andrew Jones Cleared For Basketball Activities
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Shaka Smart announced on Wednesday that guard Andrew Jones has been cleared for basketball activities and that Jones plans to play at some point this year.
It was another jolt of good news for Jones, who battled leukemia two seasons ago and missed all of last season as he tried to work back from the rigors of battling the disease.
“His plan is to play this year,” Smart told the media at Big 12 Media Day at the Sprint Center. “He’s definitely played well enough in practice to be a guy that gets significant minutes for us. (He) actually led us in scoring the other day when we had a scrimmage. We’re excited about the progress he can make.”
Jones is in his fourth year at Texas, but after receiving a medical redshirt for both the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons he’s technically a redshirt sophomore. Before his diagnosis, Jones was Texas’ leading scorer during the 2017-18 season, averaging 15.3 points per game and hitting 43.2 percent of his 3-pointers.
Doctors diagnosed Jones in January of 2018 with leukemia and he immediately underwent treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. His treatment became national news, as did his recovery. Jones actually played in two games a season ago according to Texas, but played just 11 minutes. He completed his last cancer treatment last month.
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