Kenyon Jones (basketball)

Kenyon R. Jones ( born October 12, 1977 in Augusta, Georgia; † August 19, 2005 in Villa Rica, Georgia ) was an American professional basketball player.

Life

Jones went from his home in Georgia in 1995 to study at the University of California, Berkeley, where he played for the college team Golden Bears in the Pac-10 Conference of the NCAA Basketball. Here he could not prevail legally and was in the first three years, only a reserve player. The time of his life with weight problems fighting Jones again moved before his final year in his NCAA career, the university and went to the neighboring University of San Francisco, where, after the prescribed year break from championship games for the Dons in the West Coast Conference, he (WCC ) played. Here he was able to play in the foreground and was elected in his final year as a college player to player of the year, the WCC 2000.

Then, Jones started a professional career in 2000, although he was not selected in the NBA Draft in 2000 and was also on the training camp no contract with a club in the most highly endowed Professional League National Basketball Association in his home country. His first professional season played Jones in the Ligue Nationale de Basket in France to Saint- Thomas Basket from Le Havre. The climber managed in his first Premiership season on the 14th and third last place in the league. Then got Jones for the 2001 / 02 season, a contract with Panionios Athens in the Greek A1 Ethniki, with whom he finished the season in fifth place. In the play-offs to the Greek championship would retire in the first round against Iraklis Thessaloniki. During the summer break in 2002 playing in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional in Puerto Rico for the Vaqueros of Bayamón, who lost the final of the championship against the Leones de Ponce.

For the 2002/ 03 season, Jones returned to Greece and took part in the Macedonian citizenship. So he fell in consequence of the Bosman ruling in almost all European Leagues Under no foreigner quota and also had more personally because of this lack of restriction, even higher earning potential. In November 2002, he graduated under the Macedonian name Kenajn Rasim Dzons in qualifying for the European Basketball Championships 2003, his first game as national team for his new home. At club level he played this season for Panionios ' Athenian rivals GS Marousi. With this team he reached the sixth place again the play-offs, where to this time was eliminated in the first round against runner- Olympiakos Piraeus. After he had for the Vaqueros played in Puerto Rico again in the summer of 2003, he was at the beginning of the 2003/ 04 initially a contract with the Greek champions Panathinaikos Athens. This, however, was terminated prematurely after a few weeks, and Jones moved to Russia from Moscow Dynamo, with whom he reached the play-off semi-final series at the Russian Championship.

In the 2004/05 season Jones played again for GS Marousi, who finished second place in the main round of the A1 Ethniki, but were eliminated in the play-off semi-final series against AEK Athens. In the second most important European club competition ULEB Cup 2004 /05 is eliminated in the quarter-final against the national competitors and finalists Makedonikos. Subsequently, Jones played in the summer of 2005 in the NBA Summer League for the Denver Nuggets in order to present themselves again clubs from the NBA. On August 19, he died at home in Villa Rica on the outskirts of Atlanta to a heart attack at the age of only 27 years. He left behind his wife, Porsha and a son.