Derrick Jones Jr., 6-foot-7, 197 pounds, had a plan. A plan to get to the NBA.

Two years ago he was a high school senior and basketball star in Chester, Pennsylvania. At that point, the plan was to spend an extra year at a prep school before enrolling in college. He visited St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, and, while he was there, he took advantage of the opportunity to take the ACT, an alternative to the SAT. An acceptable grade on either test would make Jones eligible for a Division I athletic scholarship.

"I studied for it for months," Jones says. "And I felt I was ready to take the test. I went in. I took a deep breath, prayed to God before I took the test. It was a nail-biter. I was like pulling my hair out, just waiting for them test results. And when my dad told me I got the test results back, I didn’t want to look at it first. I wanted my parents to look at it.

"When my dad looked at the email and saw that I got the right score that I needed, I mean, he just broke down. My mom broke down in tears. I was my parents’ first child to go to college. And it was a blessing. I was thankful for that."

Short Stay At UNLV

Jones scored a 27 on the test, higher than he needed. He figured he was home free. So he altered the plan, skipped prep school and went straight to the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. As a freshman, he maintained a GPA of 3.25 and averaged over 11 points per game.

The dream of an NBA debut might have beckoned Jones then, but he felt he’d be better prepared for the pros when he’d put a couple more years’ worth of muscle on his lanky 6-foot-7 frame. And, besides, he was happy.

"I loved UNLV," Jones says. "It was like my second home. I’m always gonna be a Runnin’ Rebel."

"Always a Runnin’ Rebel," maybe. But not as a sophomore. Suspicions had arisen regarding the scores of some of the athletes who’d taken the ACT with Jones at St. Frances Academy. Toward the end of his freshman basketball season, Jones was told that UNLV would have to enter the conference tournament without him.

"They actually emailed me, and they said they were gonna flag my scores," Jones says. "I didn’t understand it, and I took it to my coach, and that’s when they told me I was ineligible and I wasn’t able to play anymore. I mean, nobody really understood why they did it, because I took the test. I got the score that I needed and, I mean, I got higher than the score that I needed. So I really didn’t understand what the whole situation was for."

Jones would not be allowed to continue at UNLV or at any other Division I school. He made himself available for the NBA draft as a 19-year-old.

"We thought I was gonna get drafted," Jones says. "And my parents threw like a little party for me. All my friends was there. All my family was there. I mean, all the people that was close to me was all there. As soon as they got up to like [pick] 15 or 20, I just stepped outside. I couldn’t watch it anymore."

Undrafted, But NBA Bound

Regarding Derrick Jones, there was nothing to watch. No NBA team drafted him. Like all hopefuls who come up empty on draft night, he became a free agent, free to sign with any team that was interested in seeing him play in summer camp.

The Sacramento Kings took that chance, but an injury prevented Jones from playing at all.