Iowa’s Dale Jones remains positive despite injury woes

IOWA CITY — Dale Jones' college basketball career has become an injury-filled sequence of starts and stops.

Jones, currently a red-shirt junior, left Waterloo West in 2012 for Tyler (Texas) Junior College. He was productive his freshman season with 9.2 points and 6.1 rebounds a game and a market was growing for his future services. But before the 2013-14 season, Jones suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, which forced him to red-shirt that season.

A year later, Jones returned to score 16.9 points, pull down 8.3 rebounds and hit 45 percent from 3-point range to guide Tyler to the NJCAA national tournament. By midseason he became an Iowa target and signed with the Hawkeyes shortly after the season.

At Iowa, Jones became a valuable forward off the bench. He played in six games and averaged 5.5 points and 3.0 rebounds. But on Dec. 1, Jones reinjured the ACL in his right knee. He had surgery the next week and lost yet another season.

'That's one of the worst injuries you can have, tearing your ACL or your Achilles or anything like that because it takes a long time to recover,' Jones said. 'I went through the process before. I pretty much knew what to do. Rehab, follow the instruction that my trainer gives me and do a little on my own that I know will help me. You really can't prepare for anything like that. Just strengthen it and just go day-to-day with it.'

Team physician Dr. Brian Wolf performed the surgery and Jones recalled the doctor telling him his initial operation wasn't done correctly. Jones has kept a positive attitude despite a second rehab. Coach Fran McCaffery said Jones has had no setbacks through the rehabilitation process.

'It's just a journey,' Jones said. 'It will be great story to tell to my kids and people back home (about) going through two ACL injuries and still be blessed to come back next year and be able to compete at a high level and feel even better than I was last year. Knowing how great I played in junior college and the records we broke there with it not being fully done correctly and now I'm at one of the best medical schools, in Iowa and get it done properly, I think I'll be OK.'

Iowa could use a healthy Jones next season. The Hawkeyes lose four starters, including their top two rebounders. Jones now stands 6-foot-8 and weighs about 235 pounds, according to McCaffery. Jones easily is the most stout front-line player returning to the Hawkeyes.

'He's long. He can shoot the 3. He's a rebounder,' McCaffery said. 'Defensively he needed some work, but he was really getting better in that area. In his mind, 'If I score and rebound that will be enough.' Pretty much his whole life that's what he's done. At this level, you've got to play a little more defense. But he really dug in and was getting down in his stance. I'm excited about him, quite honestly.'

Through the setbacks, Jones has gained perspective on life after basketball.

'Basketball just tells me every day it's temporary,' Jones said. 'We want it to be a lifelong thing; it can't be. Eventually you'll get old and eventually your body is going to break down. As you can see with Kobe Bryant. He probably wanted to play forever, but he can't. All I can do now is get extra education while I'm here, get better in school and go by that.'

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