Khalil Jones is determined to prove you can go home again. Or in his case, go to your hometown high school for the first time.
The 5-11 point guard is an Aurora resident, attended schools in Indian Prairie School District 204 through eighth grade and went to Metea Valley’s basketball camps when he was in middle school.
So Metea Valley coach Isaiah Davis was surprised when Jones enrolled at St. Laurence for his freshman year.
“It was a huge shock and hurt to us when I found out he wasn’t going to come to us,” Davis said. “But we’re just extremely happy to have him back for his senior year.”
Jones, who was a three-year varsity starter at St. Laurence, transferred to Metea Valley this summer. He’ll have a much shorter commute after making the approximately 50-minute trip from Aurora to Burbank and back each day.
At first, Jones was driven to St. Laurence by his parents or a teammate’s mother. Then he got his driver’s license last year.
“I was going to sleep on the way to school, so it wasn’t bad,” he said. “Then I started to drive, and it hit me. Driving to school was getting rough. So I thought for my last year I’d make it easier on myself coming back home, and I wanted to explore a new path, a new journey, in my career.”
Jones has already made himself at home. Davis has welcomed him with open arms.
“He had a really good summer for us,” Davis said. “He fit in with the kids really well. He’s a great team-first guy, great decision-maker.”
Time will tell if Jones is right, of course, but he feels he made a great decision by transferring to Metea Valley.
“I know some of the guys on the team, so it wasn’t as difficult as most transfers,” he said. “I had a great summer. I felt like I jelled with the team well, and I like my team.”
The Mustangs (19-11) return three starters: seniors Jake Nosek and Dominic Smith and junior Tre Watkins. Davis said Watkins has blossomed into one of the top juniors in the state, and Smith is a great defender.
But Jones, who will replace 2024 graduate James Parker at point guard, figures to be the linchpin.
“Khalil really helps us,” Davis said. “He is just a great defender and ball handler and finishes well at the basket. I look forward to him leading us and kind of picking up right where James was at for us. It should be a smooth transition.”
Jones likes to get his teammates involved, but that doesn’t mean he can’t shoulder a scoring load. Jones may have to do that because forward Will Ashford, who averaged a team-high 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds for the Mustangs last season, has graduated.
“I would say I’m really good at making others around me really good, like better,” Jones said. “I facilitate well, read the game well, and I take pride in playing defense.
“I’ve got a great touch around the rim. I’m looking toward becoming a bigger scoring threat to help my team, whether it’s at the midrange or in the paint or out on the arc.”
Jones, who likes math and is thinking of pursuing a career in finance or accounting, is drawing interest from Division II and Division III programs. But he’s not looking that far down the road, instead focusing on what he can do for his new team.
“I’m really excited,” he said. “They were a pretty good team last year. They’ve got some people returning. I just hope we can build off that, have a nice start to the season and work hard.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
