Jones has taken quite the basketball journey

Prep Scene

Curtis Jones, a 6’4” guard who starred as a basketball high school player at Minneapolis South and Cretin Derham Hall before moving on to Indian Hills Community College (Iowa), the University of Buffalo, and Iowa State University, has had quite the journey to a prep and collegiate career filled with memorable moments.

Two moments stand out.

During Jones’ only season with Iowa State, in his last collegiate game, he came off the bench to score 26 points in a 72-69 Sweet 16 loss to Illinois in the NCAA tournament.

As a high school senior, he hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer with 3.7 seconds left to lead the Raiders to a 51-48 victory over East Ridge, capturing the Class 4A, Section 4 final and securing a state tournament berth.

During the 2016-17 season, he averaged 10.5 points for Minneapolis South and ended the season as one of the metro area’s most promising freshmen. His breakout season came during the 2017-18 season, in which he averaged 17 points per game for the Tigers as a sophomore.

The following year he transferred to Cretin Derham Hall, teaming with Holloman to form one of the metro area’s top backcourts as he averaged 14.3 points.

Jones saved his best for last, averaging 15.7 points per game while leading the Raiders to the state tournament. From there, he embarked on a collegiate career unlike any other.

He averaged 12.1 points and six rebounds per game at Indian Hills Community College as a freshman during the 2020-21 season, earning a scholarship offer to play at the University of Buffalo.

After averaging only 2.5 points as a sophomore during the 2021-22 season, Jones blossomed as one of the MAC’s top players, averaging 15.1 points during his junior year. Last year, he transferred to Iowa State, and this past year he led them to one of their best seasons in school history, averaging 11 points per game.

Yes! It’s been quite the high school and collegiate career for Curtis Jones.