Cameron Jones: A D-League Star’s Story of Dedication

Cameron Jones, a 6’4″, 185 pound guard who played his college basketball at Northern Arizona University. Jones was traded to the Canton Charge from the Santa Cruz Warriors earlier in the season.

Since acquiring Cameron Jones, the Canton Charge have clinched a playoff spot.

Jones talked about his college playing career at Northern Arizona University and talking about being inducted into the Hall of Fame. According to Sports Reference, Jones overall scored 1,646 points in his college career.

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“I consider my college career at NAU to be a very successful one. I never made it to the NCAA tournament however I was able to win a lot of games. I played with a lot of teammates that are still my friends today,” Jones said. “I was just recently inducted into the hall of fame, and that is a proud moment I have. Being the schools all time leading scorer is also I hold dearly. I was able to play against a lot of NBA pros in college and it’s fun to see how their talent grew to today’s game.”

Jones spent time with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in 2011-12. During the 2011-12 season, he signed a contract with the Miami Heat. He was later waived by the team a couple of days after. Jones talked to me about his experience with the Heat.

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“My rookie year being fresh out of college, I was definitely star struck being in camp with these guys. The Miami Heat had just come off the finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks and you can see it in all their eyes that they meant business. All these guys set the tone for the camp. Being on the same court as the “Heatles” was a lot of fun,” Jones said. “LeBron [James], Dwyane [Wade], and Chris [Bosh] did amazing things on the court and I was fortunate to see the start of their first championship season together. The hard work these guys put in before and after practice set the tone for myself of what I needed to do to try and become a great player.”

He then joined the Santa Cruz Warriors and played for Santa Cruz from 2012-2014. Jones during the span of playing with Santa Cruz, signed with the Golden State Warriors and played in five preseason games. He was later waived by Golden State just before the season started. Jones talked about his experience on being with Golden State.

“The talent I’ve been able to step on the court with for training camps have been insane. In my second stint with Golden State watching the transformation of a team from the Mark Jackson Warriors to the Steve Kerr Warriors was the fun part. The Mark Jackson years they were so young and trying to figure out how to be champions. This season Steph [Curry] already has been a champion and a two time MVP, while Klay [Thompson] and Draymond [Green] have transformed into NBA superstars,” Jones said. “Adding KD to the mix the Warriors were a fun team to be around. Steve Kerr is the ultimate players coach to tells player 1-15 on the roster to play their part and be aggressive to help the team win ball games. Draymond is definitely the enforcer and vocal leader of the team. He pushes you to be best player you can be. Steph, KD, and Klay are tireless workers that lead by example. All these guys include you in like you are a family and are all very close. It’s no secret to why the Warriors have been great the past couple seasons.”

Jones did then talk about what he needs to do to make an NBA team. He has not received a 10-day contract from an NBA team since the Miami Heat and the Golden State Warriors.

“Mostly just be as consistent as I can offensive and play good defense,” Jones said. “All I can really do is play my own game to the best of my ability and whoever feels they want me I’m all in.”

Jones has also played in overseas in cities in Russia, Israel and Greece. He picked what place was the biggest culture shock to him.

“From all the places I have played so far, I’d say the biggest place I had the most culture shock is definitely Russia. I was fortunate to be in a bigger city in Saint Petersburg, however resources are different to get,” Jones said. “Everything in Russia in Russian text from the buildings, to food text on menus. Google translate became my best friend. Also besides my teammates, regular Russians don’t speak English so it’s harder to communicate! The weather was also pretty cold being so far north, I didn’t see the sun for about two months straight during the winter there.”

A lot of fans love to know what a player is working on their game. The NBA D-League gives a lot of players a chance to work on their craft or try out something new in their game that they recently added. Jones talked about what he has been working on his game recently.

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“Mostly just in the paint finishes and being as consistent as I can be shooting the ball from 3,” Jones said. “In today’s game the 3 is so important that I try to work on them before and after practice as much as I can.”

Being from Los Angeles, you guys can probably already tell who his favorite player in the NBA was growing up. Hint: He wore No. 24 for the Los Angeles Lakers.

“Kobe Bryant was my favorite player growing up. Growing up in LA and starting my early basketball life was the same time Kobe came to the NBA,” Jones said. “All the kids grew up to him and his career. He was a relentless worker and the ultimate champion. I used to practice Kobe fadeways in the back yard growing up!”

During his time here in Canton, he has visited the famous, Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“Yes, I went with my girlfriend. I love watching football and seeing all the history with the NFL and how football started was cool to see,” Jones said. “Seeing all the faces in the shrine hall was something I will remember for the rest of my life”

With the Oakland Raiders moving to Las Vegas in the near future and being from Los Angeles, Jones discussed about having two football teams in Los Angeles and revealed what team he is a fan of in the NFL.

“Football in LA for me is fairly new to me. I wasn’t born yet when the Raiders and Rams were in town so I never had a connection with those teams. I do know that the raiders are still the most popular team in California period! There are so many sports teams in LA that the Rams, and now the chargers aren’t detrimental to the city in general,” Jones said. “The NFL is a business none the less and they felt these moves were for the betterment of the NFL. Oakland fans love their raiders so it’s real unfortunate for them that they couldn’t get a stadium deal done there. I’m a Vikings fan so it’s more times a year I can go see them possibly so I don’t mind all the teams in the area that big of a problem in that sense.”

What are his favorite artists?

“I like a lot of different music mostly hip hop and R&B. My favorite artists are mainly Drake and Kanye West.” Jones said.

What’s his favorite food?

“My favorite food is Pancakes! Anytime pancakes are on the menu I have to order them no matter what!” Jones said.

He wants you, the fans to know that when he is not focusing on basketball, he loves to play video games. Jones has most likely played every popular game that is on the market.

Jones also discussed the possibility of being back with the Charge next season.

“I wouldn’t mind being back with the Charge next year,” Jones said. “I love the coaching staff and the fans. This summer I will definitely consider Canton as a destination for next year.”

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You can catch Cameron Jones and the Canton Charge in round one of the NBA D-League playoffs against Raptors 905 in Canton starting Wednesday. Tipoff for game one scheduled for 7 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU.