A humble hoops prodigy

At 16 years old, Apple Valley’s Tyus Jones already has criss-crossed the continent and played in some of the most notable youth basketball tournaments available.

Dallas. Los Angeles. South Carolina, for the high-profile Peach Jam Invitational. Even Cancun, Mexico, where last summer he stood on the podium, accepting a gold medal for leading Team USA to the World Under-16 Championships title.

Last Friday night, however, Jones was right where he wanted to be, in a stifling Burnsville High School gym, making plays and elevating his team in ways that made him the Star Tribune’s 2012 Metro Player of the Year in boys’ basketball.

At game’s end, the sophomore point guard was prone on the court, agonizing over a potential game-tying shot that missed in the closing seconds as Apple Valley fell to Eastview 57-53 in the Class 4A, Section 3 championship game.

A state tournament berth had slipped away, made even more painful by the fact that the Eagles lost to their biggest rival.

“That,” Jones said, “was a tough night.”

Perhaps, but Apple Valley would not have been mere seconds away from a section championship without him.

It turned out to be a role that suited him well; he led the metro in scoring, averaging 28.2 points per game.

“My job is to make my teammates better,” Jones said. “I just tried to do what the team needs.”

Jones’s yo-yo dribble, explosive first step and Mensa-worthy basketball IQ have made him one of the most sought-after high school players in Minnesota history.

Recruiting websites nationwide regularly contact him, trying to nudge him toward their preferred team. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and Gophers coach Tubby Smith are regulars at his games. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has called him.

But in an era of chest-thumping, what’s-in-it-for-me players, Jones stands apart with his humility.

“When I first started playing for Apple Valley in eighth grade, people were always coming up to me and saying, ‘You’re going to transfer,’ ” said Jones, furrowing his brow. “But I always wanted to stay here. I don’t need to go somewhere else when I can become the player I can be right here.”

It’s a challenge Jones relishes. Despite all the accolades, honors and invitations -- he will likely be playing for Team USA in the World Under-17 Championships in Lithuania this summer -- he is determined to bring success to Apple Valley.

It’s about things more important than wins and losses and personal gain, he said. It’s about loyalty. It’s about home.