Curtis Jones makes Iowa State go. He does it his way — and unlike anyone else in college basketball right now.
Cretin-Derham Hall grad Curtis Jones takes different path to stardom for Iowa State
Basketball Across Minnesota: Curtis Jones went from junior college to Buffalo to Ames, Iowa, where he’s been a force, even off the bench.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
January 21, 2025 at 2:00PM
Primarily coming off the bench, Jones leads the Big 12 in scoring this year. Making big plays during a recent 12-game win streak, the 6-4 senior guard from Minneapolis propelled the Cyclones to a program-best ranking of No. 2 in the country after wins over perennial powers Kansas and Baylor.
The former Cretin-Derham Hall guard is the best sixth man in the game and also arguably the best player in his conference. A rare player indeed.
“Yeah I come off the bench,” Jones said. “But it isn’t like I’m missing much once I get into the game. That’s the starting lineup [coach T.J. Otzelberger] rolls with — and that’s fine. The only real thing is you get your name called before the game.”
Jones has been a starter three times in 17 games for Iowa State (15-2)this season, but he’s the Big 12’s leading scorer while averaging 21 points through six league games. A recent three-game stretch went like this: 23 points vs. Utah, 26 points vs. Texas Tech in OT and 25 points vs. Kansas.
“I still come in and play 30 minutes,” Jones said. “It’s not really that big of a deal in my opinion. I just come in with the mindset of attacking, making the right plays and taking what’s there. I’m very confident, so I feel like there’s a lot there for me.”
What makes Jones' journey even more impressive is there wasn’t a lot there for him out of high school as far as college opportunities. No Division I offers. Not much at even D-II level. So he took the junior college route, which is almost like being on Mars in recruiting circles if you’re at the wrong school.
Jones, who played with Michigan State guard Tre Holloman in high school, viewed Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa, as his ticket to the D-I level because of the program’s winning tradition and track record producing talent. He played one season there, averaging 12.1 points, 6 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.
He then played two years at Buffalo, where becoming an all-league player at the mid-major level helped set the stage for him being physically and mentally ready to do what he’s doing now at Iowa State.
“I didn’t take it for granted,” he said. “A lot of people look down on JUCO, but I was always positive with it. At Buffalo, I learned a lot in the first year from older guys who showed me what it took to be successful at the Division I level. I applied that to my second year there and ended up having a breakout year there.”
Last season, the Cyclones won the Big 12 tournament title, and Jones thrived in a role off the bench. He started just one game all season, but he had 14 straight double-figure scoring games in conference play. He carried that steadiness over to the NCAA tournament, which ended with his 26-point performance in a Sweet 16 loss to Illinois.
Otzelberger assembled a Minnesota contingent in Ames. Two assistants (Kyle Green and Erik Crawford) and three players (Jones, Demarion Watson of Totino-Grace and Nate Heise of Lake City) are from the state. The Cyclones recently had ex-Gophers guard Gabe Kalscheur.
“They recruited me harder than anybody else,” Jones said. “This is where it seemed like I was the focal point. And they say go where you’re wanted, so that’s what I did.”
Even with all of the national attention coming his way, including being featured by Slam Magazine, Jones hasn’t forgotten where he came from. The Cyclones, who dropped to No. 3 this week after losing at West Virginia, are clearly a Final Four contender, but they still seem like underdogs with Jones leading the way.
“If you just look at my story, I’d say it’s crazy,” Jones said. “But we were pretty successful last year. And I’m super confident in what we have this year. We’re just focusing on the next game.”
Fuller’s five
Five Minnesota ballers who stood out:
Napheesa Collier, Lunar Owls
The WNBA star with the Lynx came out on fire to start her new professional women’s 3-on-3 league called “Unrivaled” last week with 27 and 31 points in her first two games, including a win vs. fellow league co-founder Breanna Stewart.
Dawson Garcia, Gophers
The 6-11 senior had a season-high 27 points and 12 rebounds Thursday in an 84-81 win against No. 20 Michigan. His buzzer-beater from the “M” logo in overtime could go down as an all-timer in Barn history.
Grace Grocholski, Gophers
The 5-10 sophomore went for 27 points and 10 rebounds in an 87-82 win at Northwestern on Sunday, which helped the Gophers women erase a 16-point deficit.
Tre Holloman, Michigan State
The junior guard received a shoutout from Magic Johnson after scoring 17 points to lead the Spartans in Sunday’s 80-78 win over Illinois. He made two free throws with five seconds left to secure the team’s 11th straight victory.
Bri Stoltzman, Southwest Minnesota State
The 5-8 senior from Mankato exploded for a career-high 41 points on 15-for-19 shooting from the field in a win Friday against Northern State. She had 22 points Saturday vs. Mary in her team’s eighth straight win.
Numbers game
8,000 Career points milestone for the Wolves’ Anthony Edwards, becoming the third youngest in NBA history behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
2,000 Career points milestone for Hopkins’ Paige Bueckers, who did it faster than former Lynx and UConn star Maya Moore.
600 Career victories for Hill-Murray girls coach Erin Herman.
10 Three-pointers to set the school record for Maple Grove’s Keegan Harney in a win vs. Faribault.
Basketball Across Minnesota will be published weekly on startribune.com. Don’t be a stranger on X after reading, as chatting about these stories makes them even more fun to share. Thanks, Marcus (@Marcus_R_Fuller on X).
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