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SACRAMENTO – Before he was in the NBA with the Kings, Isaac Jones worked at Puget Sound Pipe & Supply in Kent, Wash., where he packaged and sold bathroom and water pipes.
Jones had no college offers after graduating from high school and figured he’d use his free time to help his mom with the bills. So, Monday through Friday – and sometimes Saturdays – his life became routine.
“I had nothing better to do, so I said I might as well go get money to help my mom out,” Jones told NBC Sports California. “Nine to 5 every day, sometimes weekends for extra money.
“You never know where your story is going. I think it made me grow up a little fast. I was paying the bills at that age while a lot of kids were just in college doing whatever.”
Another key component of his weekly routine consisted of spending Friday nights at the YMCA, where he played pick-up basketball. That’s where Jones met Joseph Lowe, a Seattle native who hooped at West Coast Baptist College in Southern California but was looking for a new school to play at.
Lowe was interested in Wenatchee Valley College, a public community college about 150 miles east of Seattle, but joining the Knights basketball program came with a catch. WVC coach Jeramy Harden told Lowe he could join the team as a walk-on if he knew someone 6-foot-7 or taller and brought them with him.
So Lowe called Jones, who stands 6-foot-9.
The two became Knights together, and Jones spent three seasons at Wenatchee Valley College. In his final year at WVC, Jones was named the Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year after averaging 25.3 points and 13.2 rebounds per game.
Despite all the success he would find over his next two collegiate stops with big-name schools, Jones forever will be grateful for his time at Wenatchee Valley College.
“JuCo really tested how tough you are as a person,” Jones said. “A lot of nights we didn’t have money, no food. We used to split sandwiches on the road. It was tough. I fell in love with the game there. It taught me that I actually did love basketball.
“I always had said I liked basketball…
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Publish date : 2025-04-04 09:40:00
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