Q&A: Apple Valley's Tyus Jones Talks USA Basketball

sophomore-to-be Tyus Jones has received plenty of attention lately. Internationally, the 6-foot-1 point guard helped lead the USA team to the gold medal at the in Cancun, Mexico last month.

Nationally, he's getting looks because of his strong play with the Howard Pulley AAU program; he scored 19 points in a 94-79 win over CIA Bounce Tuesday afternoon and had 16 in a 60-53 loss to Mac Irvin Fire on Tuesday evening. He initially expanded his reputation after playing well at several national AAU events and traveling last October to Colorado Springs, where 31 of the nation's top 14- and 15-year-old players competed in the USA Basketball Developmental National Team mini-camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.

Locally, Jones made a name for himself locally as an eighth-grade starter for the Apple Valley Eagles. Jones averaged 16.5 points per game two seasons ago, and leads the Metro area in assists as an eighth grader. Jones scored in double figures in 21 of 28 games, and the Eagles finished 20-8.

During his freshman season this past winter, he averaged 18.8 points and eight assists per game for the team—which went 19-10—despite missing 13 games with a lacerated kidney that he suffered in the season opener against St. Louis Park.

Jones has attracted the attention of several top programs, including the University of Minnesota. 

Apple Valley Patch caught up with Jones to talk about playing for Team USA.

Apple Valley Patch: What was the experience like down in Mexico? 

Tyus Jones: It was a great experience. It was a good two weeks overall, but down in Mexico, it was unbelievable. We were like superstars down there. They had a lot of fans at each game, so it was great. 

Apple Valley Patch: You won the championship game by 40 points. How pleased were you with your team’s play? 

Jones: We played outstanding down there. We all had a good team chemistry going early. We had a lot of talent on that team, so we played well. 

Apple Valley Patch: You led the team in assists with 28 in the five games. How pleased were you with your individual play? 

Jones: I was very pleased. Playing on that team just helps my game. I can distribute the ball because there is a lot of talent around me, so they were able to score the ball easily. I just had to set them up and they put the ball in the hole. 

Apple Valley Patch: You had some of the best players in the country, like Jabari Parker of Chicago Simeon and Jahlil Okafor from Chicago Whitney Young. As a point guard, you had to love playing with them because if you get them the ball in the right spot, they are probably going to score.  

Jones: Exactly. That just made my job that much easier. They know that I am going to get it to them, so they were just trying to make sure they were in the right spot and I’ll make it happen. 

Apple Valley Patch: Next year, the USA team would play in Lithuania. Have you guys talked about staying together in playing in that event next year? 

Jones: We qualified for Lithuania and we will go back in October for the tryouts again. It will be the same situation again with tryouts in October and games in June. It will be the same thing, only a year later. 

Apple Valley Patch: Do you think having the experience of playing together in Mexico will help your team, including yourself? 

Jones: I definitely do. I think that it will helps us a lot. We came together as a big family. We all got along together and I just think that it will help us in general.

Apple Valley Patch: What events will you be playing in this month?  

Jones: The Peach Jam in Augusta. I am playing in the Pro-Am twice a week, and at Apple Valley we have a summer league on Thursday. 

Apple Valley Patch: Playing against that foreign competition, did you see some things that you need to continue to work on to improve yourself as a player? 

Jones: Definitely. There is always room for improvement in everyone’s game, so I was definitely shown some things that you can sharpen up or improve on and always work on when you are in the gym. 

Apple Valley Patch: What was it like to represent your country?

Jones: It was unbelievable. When you put that USA jersey on, you are not playing for your high school team or your AAU team, you are representing your country. You are not representing yourself, you are representing your country, so it is definitely a major thing. 

Apple Valley Patch: What was the experience like being in Colorado Springs? They have a lot of great athletes training for the Olympics and world competitions out there. 

Jones: It was great being in Colorado Springs. They provide everything for us. We stayed in very nice dorms. They had good meals provided us; breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was great. It was a great experience.