Nov. 1, 2001
SUWANEE, Ga. - Former Santa Clara University men's basketball standout and three-time all-West Coast Conference guard Brian Jones was selected as the 55th player taken overall in the National Basketball Development League's Inaugural Draft today.
Jones, who finished his career at Santa Clara last season as the school's all-time assist leader and third-leading scorer, was selected by the NBDL's Mobile Revelers in the seventh round of the 12 round draft that took place on Thursday. Ninety-six of the 150 players invited to participate in the league's Central Training Camp were selected in the draft.
"I'd be really shocked if Brian doesn't have a good chance at playing in the NBA somewhere down the road," said Santa Clara head basketball coach Dick Davey. "He is too good at too many things to not have a good shot at playing in the big leagues. He is a strong player, he's tough and he plays good defense. If his offensive skills stay at a high enough level, Brian will have an excellent chance at playing in the NBA in a year or two."
Jones, a native of Carson, Calif., led the Broncos in scoring as a senior with an average of 16.0 points per game. In the Broncos' 84-71 win over Gonzaga last season, Jones became the first player in the history of Division I men's basketball in the state of California to record over 1,500 career points, 500 assists and 500 rebounds.