St. Laurence’s Khalil Jones became interested in basketball at age 5 while watching Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls on TV.
Jones started playing at that age and realized that he was quite talented – better than all the other players. Two years later, he joined AAU. And then?
He wasn’t better than all of the other players.
“That was a wake-up call,” said Jones, a three-year varsity starter for the Vikings. “I was like, ‘Whoa, I gotta work.’ But I wanted to get good. I wanted to get better.
“And if you want to be great, you have to play with the best.”
The junior guard performed exceptionally well in the second quarter on Tuesday night, scoring all 10 of his points as St. Laurence surged to defeat host St. Rita 81-43 in a Catholic League matchup in Chicago.
Zerrick Johnson led the Vikings (15-10), who are 7-3 in their last 10 games, with 16 points. James Jones III added 13 points, Bradley Stratton followed with 12 and Josh Pickett had 11.
Justin Buckner paced St. Rita (1-22) with 18 points.
Khalil Jones, a resident of Aurora, has been steadily improving in his career but faced a major setback in the summer when he missed most of his AAU season for the Chicago Hoops due to a back injury.
“It was a stress fracture,” he said. “I was overusing it. I didn’t have surgery, but I had to rest and watch my team from the bench. I was cleared in August or late July.
“It was tough coming back, but I started feeling comfortable in September.”
St. Laurence coach Byron Burt has been comfortable having Jones in the lineup for three years.
“He’s my favorite guy,” Burt said. “He’s a great kid. He plays hard. He does what everybody asks him. He’s a loyal person, and that’s what I love about him.
“He’s an elite point guard and gets his teammates involved. He’s the most unselfish kid I’ve ever coached. He makes the team better with his presence.”
Pickett returned to St. Rita’s court for the first time since he played for the Mustangs as a freshman. He transferred to West Aurora and played there his sophomore and junior seasons.
Last season, the Denver commit was in the gym for St. Rita’s loss to Brother Rice in the sectional championship game, but this was the first time in three seasons he played there.
“It was something, for sure,” Pickett said. “I started thinking about all the memories we made here my freshman year, and it’s definitely been an experience.”
The game also saw the return of former St. Rita coach Roshawn Russell, who is now an assistant for the Vikings.
Russell finished with a 71-42 record for the Mustangs, who played in national tournaments and shootouts during his tenure.
Four years ago, Russell brought in a freshman class headlined by Pickett, James Brown, Morez Johnson and Jaedin Reyna. All were gone before their senior years. Pickett, Brown and Johnson have committed to Division I schools. Reyna, who’s playing for Bishop Noll in Hammond, is an Indiana Mr. Basketball candidate.
“It was interesting,” Russell said of his return. “I’m just glad we got the win. I’ll leave it there.”
Khalil Jones, on the other hand, has witnessed players come and go with the Vikings but he likes the recent performance of the team.
“Oh man, I think we have a variety of things,” he stated. “It’s a new team, and we have been attempting to bond together.
“I believe we’re doing it well. The personalities are excellent, the morale is high, and even when things are going poorly, we are always maintaining a positive attitude.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance journalist for the Daily Southtown.
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