A swishing net and bouncing basketball can be heard at least twice a day at Kiwanis Park in Battle Ground thanks to Raiden Jones.
Jones is a seventh grader at Tukes Valley Middle School and has been practicing at the park, making around 600 shots per day.
In early August, his family set up an online crowdsourcing campaign via a GoFundMe page so that he could travel with his AAU basketball team Gametime to compete in a tournament in California.
“They’re in Vancouver and Tacoma, and we just won the Washington state title earlier this winter,” Jones said.
In California this summer, the team had a great record, only losing one out of the many games they played at the G365 The Crown Tournament in Oakland.
“We only lost one game, but we beat them in the championship, and I’d say I did good,” Jones said. “Our whole team did good. We were doing good at ball movement, and we won.”
Of course, his ambitions for basketball don’t end with a tournament win in another state.
“I’m here because I want to get better and I want to win a state championship again,” Jones said.
Jones practices at the park twice a day, running ball-handling drills, working various types of shots and practicing his endurance.
Developing his skill through routines and exercises on the court is one thing, but Jones also does some training in the weight gym.
“I practice at the court about two times a day, and then I do either jumping or lifting weights at home,” Jones said.
His practice schedule has taken up a lot of time in his daily life, yet, for him, it isn’t a problem at all.
“It’s fun to play. I like winning. I’m competitive, and I want to go to the NBA,” Jones said.
When school comes around, Jones practices on his own in the morning before the school day begins, in the afternoon when classes are done, and, on top of that, practices with his team on their regular schedule.
As fun as it is for him to progress personally, something he really looks forward to is helping his teammates to get better with him.
“I meet new people doing it. It’s fun winning, and making your teammates do good also,” Jones said.
With the recent win from California under his team's belt, and adding to his own personal record, along with the support of his community behind him, Jones has continued to look forward to his next goals.
“I want to say thank you for helping me get to California and always believing in me,” Jones said. “Soon, you’ll see me in the NBA.”
To stay up to date on what’s happening in his basketball career, follow Jones and his team on Instagram @raidenjonesbasketball and @gametimeaaubasketball
