Hall of Fame
It didn’t take Kenneth Jones long to make an impact on what was then the Arkansas A&M basketball program. After working his way into the starting lineup seven games into his freshman season, Jones helped lead the 1959-60 Weevils to their first appearance in the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City. It was Jones’ 15-foot baseline jumper with one second left on the clock that sent the Weevils to Kansas City with a 46-44 win over Arkansas College in the finals of the NAIA District 17 Tournament.
“We had called timeout with about 30 seconds left and the play was supposed to go to Harold Mobley,” Jones remembered. “Harold missed, the ball came to me on the baseline and I was able to hit the shot.”
The Boll Weevils enjoyed four consecutive winning seasons with Jones in the lineup. Along the way, Jones became the third basketball player in school history to surpass 1,000 points for his career, amassing 1,190 points from 1959-63. He still ranks 19th in career scoring 52 years after his last game.
Jones was an honorable mention NAIA Division I All-American as well as a first team All-AIC and All-NAIA District 17 selection in 1963. During his career, the Boll Weevils were 68-39 with records of 18-8 in 1959-60, 17-11 in 1960-61, 15-11 in 1961-62, and 18-9 in1962-63.
Jones’ best season was 1962-63 when he averaged 16.8 points a game while shooting .492 from the field and .820 from the free throw line.
“This honor means a lot to me,” said Jones. “When you’re playing, you don’t think about things like this. I’m just very proud to be selected.”
Jones lives in Hampton and is retired from private business after spending a number of years as both a coach and a public school administrator.
