Phill Jones
No. 13 – Nelson Giants | |
---|---|
Position | Shooting guard |
League | NZNBL |
Personal information | |
Born | Christchurch, New Zealand | 25 January 1974
Nationality | New Zealand |
Listed height | 196 cm (6 ft 5 in) |
Listed weight | 90 kg (198 lb) |
Career information | |
High school | Inangahua College (Inangahua Junction, New Zealand) Nelson College (Nelson, New Zealand) |
Playing career | 1993–present |
Career history | |
1993–1998 | Nelson Giants |
1998–1999 | Kouvot |
1999 | Otago Nuggets |
2000–present | Nelson Giants |
2000–2001 | Kouvot |
2001–2002 | Honka Espoo |
2002 | Kouvot |
2002–2003 | Cantù |
2003–2004 | New Zealand Breakers |
2004–2007 | Cantù |
2007–2009 | New Zealand Breakers |
2009–2011 | Cairns Taipans |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Phillip Charles George "Phill" Jones (born 25 January 1974) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Nelson Giants of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL).
The two-time Olympian has scored more points in the New Zealand NBL than any other Kiwi player and is second overall in league scoring history. In 2004, he ranked second among all points scorers at the Athens Olympics.[1] In 2016, he became the first player in New Zealand NBL history to reach 400 games.
Early life
Born in Christchurch, Jones grew up in Reefton and attended Inangahua College in Inangahua Junction, 30 minutes north of Reefton. In 1992, Jones moved to Nelson to play high school basketball at Nelson College.[2]
Professional career
In 1993, Jones debuted in the New Zealand NBL for the Nelson Giants, playing with the club for six seasons. Following the 1998 season, Jones moved to Finland to play for Kouvot of the Korisliiga. Following the 1998–99 season, Jones returned to New Zealand and played for the Otago Nuggets during the 1999 NZNBL season. After one season with the Nuggets, he re-joined the Giants and played for them every year until 2015 (bar 2005 and 2007).[3]
In 2000–01, Jones again played for Kouvot in Finland. He then split the 2001–02 season with Honka Espoo and Kouvot.
In the summer of 2002, Jones signed with Oregon Scientific Cantù of Italy for the 2002–03 season.[4]
In 2003, Jones signed with the New Zealand Breakers for their inaugural season in the Australian NBL.
In 2004, Jones re-signed with Cantù, playing for them until 2007. Jones subsequently missed out on the Giants' 2007 championship after returning from Italy two days too late to complete his five-game requirement to be eligible to join the Nelson roster.[5]
In July 2007, Jones signed a two-year deal with the New Zealand Breakers, returning to the club for a second stint.[6]
In July 2009, Jones signed with the Cairns Taipans,[7] spending two seasons with the club where he reached the 2011 Grand Final, a series the Taipans ironically lost to the Breakers.
On 10 May 2014, Jones played his 350th game for the Nelson Giants in a loss to the Southland Sharks.[8] Six days later, he tied the all-time record for NBL games played in a loss to the Hawke's Bay Hawks. Jones played his 361st game, tying the record with NBL great Willie Burton who played from 1985 to 2006.[9] On 23 May, he broke Burton's record, playing his 362nd game in a win over the Manawatu Jets.[10][11][12] On 27 June, Jones' jersey number 13 was retired by the Giants,[13] and on 4 July, he played his 369th game in the Giants' 87–71 semi-final loss to the Wellington Saints.[14]
Following his retirement from playing professionally, Jones was appointed as the Giants' managing director.[15][16] However, in March 2015, he came out of retirement and re-joined the Giants playing group for the NBL Pre-season Blitz.[17] New head coach Tim Fanning managed to convince Jones to commit for another year, as he joined the squad to add much needed depth for the 2015 season.[18][19] He continued on with the Giants in 2016 as well,[20] and on 19 March 2016, he passed 7,000 points for his career.[21] On 25 April 2016, he became the first player in New Zealand NBL history to reach 400 games.[22][23][24]
Coaching career
In January 2016, Jones was appointed head coach of the Nelson Sparks, a women's team playing in New Zealand's Women's Basketball Championship (WBC).[25]
National team career
In June 2008, after playing for the Tall Blacks for 14 years, Jones retired from international basketball.
Personal
Jones is the son of John and Carol Jones. He and his wife, Kat, have three children: Maia, Hayden and Ava.[5][26] His brother, Johnno, is married to wife, Megan.[13]
References
- ^ 'Cut me and I bleed blue', says retiring Jones
- ^ Giants' blue blood admits end is nigh
- ^ Nelson Giants – player stats
- ^ Basketball: Tall Black makes winning debut in Italy
- ^ a b Nelson Giants' Phill Jones to stand alone in NBL
- ^ Originals Return
- ^ Phill Jones signs with Taipans
- ^ Southland Sharks spoil party for Giants legend
- ^ Jones to tie record
- ^ Giants down the Jets in Palmerston North
- ^ Jets vs Giants
- ^ Jones gets win in special occasion
- ^ a b Phill's final home hurrah
- ^ Saints outshine Giants to reach NBL final
- ^ Veteran Vukona stays glued to Giants' cause
- ^ A humble Giant amongst sports legends talks sponsorship, retiring and community
- ^ Much-travelled American Kareem Johnston joins Wellington Saints
- ^ Jones Comes Out Of Retirement
- ^ It's game on comeback kid Phill Jones
- ^ National Basketball League shaping as three-horse race for title
- ^ Jones achieves 7000-point milestone in stellar NBL career
- ^ Nelson Giants legend Phill Jones to play 400th National Basketball League game
- ^ Canterbury Rams' third quarter blitz stuns Nelson Giants
- ^ Nelson Giants legend Phill Jones' 400th NBL game ends in defeat
- ^ Nelson Giants coach Tim Fanning wants legend Phill Jones back for another season
- ^ More parents want three
External links
- 1974 births
- Living people
- Basketball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Cairns Taipans players
- Nelson Giants players
- New Zealand basketball players
- New Zealand Breakers players
- Olympic basketball players of New Zealand
- Pallacanestro Cantù players
- People educated at Nelson College
- Sportspeople from Christchurch
- Shooting guards