Forward Dillon Jones from Columbia, South Carolina, signed to play basketball at Weber State University in April of 2021.
Beginning his career at Weber State in 2020-21, Jones played in all 23 games and started two of them. He was honored as the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year. He averaged 8.2 points per game and scored in double figures 10 times, averaged 5.8 rebounds per game, averaged 1.6 steals per game and shot 56% from the field.
Jones was also named a finalist for the Kyle Macy Award from Collegeinsider.com, which is given annually to the nation’s top freshman.
In the 2021-22 season he played 33 games and started 32 of them. He earned first-time All-Big Sky honors and second-team All-District honors and was named Tournament MVP of the Jersey Mike’s Classic. Jones recorded 17 double-doubles and had 59 steals, which is the sixth-most in a season in Weber’s history, averaged 12.6 points per game and averaged 10.6 rebounds per game– totaling 350 rebounds during the season, leading the Big Sky and seventh in the country.
During the 2022-23 season Jones was a unanimous selection of the All-Big Sky first team, earned first-team All-District honors from the United States Basketball Writers Association and National Association of Basketball Coaches, named All-Tournament team at the Big Sky Tournament and earned Academic All-District honors for the College Sports Communicators and Big Sky Academic All-Conference honors. He played 32 games and has started in 31.
He recorded 20 double-doubles in the season which had him tied for the third-most of any player in the country. Averaged 10.1 defensive rebounds per game, averaged 10.9 overall rebounds which he received 350 rebounds total, this being his second year in a row. Making him for the sixth-most in a season in Weber’s history. Jones averaged 3.8 assists per game and averaged 16.7 points per game. He was first in the league in rebounding, defensive rebounding and played 36.2 minutes per game.
“My success here has been, I think, very good,” Jones said. “I have had a lot of success on the court and with people in the community. But I think those numbers are just a testament of everything that I have done since I have been here, the hard work I have put in, the player that I have developed into. If you look at me as a freshman, I don’t think I knew I was going to accomplish all those things, but that is the point of going through a career.”
According to Jones, he plays each game with a purpose. He plays hard because he wants to and has improved each season because of his hard work. He gives credit to his coaches, teammates and where he came from.
“Where I am from ultimately made me who I am,” Jones said. “The best teacher in life is experience. I have experienced crazy things. Whether it’s what I’ve been through personally, what I’ve seen with my own eyes, what I’ve seen other people go through. It doesn’t mean nothing if you just see it but if you learn from it. It helped me grow into the person I am. On the basketball court it gives me that sense of urgency to not forget where I am from.”
As a junior at Keenan High School in South Carolina Jones led his team to a 3A state title. He also averaged 12.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists that season. For his senior year he transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas.
The history at Weber State has played a significant role in Jones’ desire to come here. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jones experienced virtual recruiting and did not come and visit the school like most athletes do. Despite this setback Jones was able to get a different perspective of Weber State and the city of Ogden. To him it was a positive experience.
“I was able to evaluate Weber in a sense of taking all the emotions out of it, about the gym, the community,” Jones said. “I had to base it solely on basketball and what they have done here.”
By basing his decision off the history of basketball at Weber State and Jones wanting to follow in the footsteps of the players who had played here, it made the decision to choose Weber very easy. He has wanted to be a professional basketball player, be a part of a good program and play the game he enjoys.
He was never promised that he would play right away if he chose Weber, but that Weber would give him the opportunities he needed. To Jones those opportunities are what sparked his work ethic and passion. He has used those opportunities to play the game he loves.
“I think one of the biggest challenges, you know, when you first come into college, it sets a tone for your career and who you are as a player,” Jones said. “I think if you buy into what is actually required of you, you will be a successful player. When I first came in, I only started two games my freshman year. I never complained once. I bought into what my coaches wanted me to do, I bought into what my teammates needed me to do. I had that mindset, and I think that helped me in my career.”
Jones has had many high points and low points in his career, but he says it is all about perspective. It is important to keep your head up when things do not go your way. He is proud of the ways in which he improves in every game he plays.
One lasting impact on Jones has been his brother, Eric Washington. Jones’ love for basketball and what type of player he wanted to become has grown as he has watched his brother play. His brother currently plays professional basketball in Germany for Nürnberg BC.
“As I have grown up, I have been proud of myself for not being a one-dimensional player,” Jones said. “Watching my brother play, he is a six-foot point guard. He was the guy that controlled the game. He knew how to control his teammates, run the show type of point guard at that size. So, me being at my size 6’6” and a little bigger, I ultimately am at a different position. So, I think that is where you see the two combine. The history of watching that as I grew up and me being myself as a player.”
During the summer of 2023 Jones participated in the G League and NBA Draft combines, but ultimately decided to return to Weber for his fourth season. Coming back to Weber was a big decision Jones had to make, but he believes it has been worth it.
“When you make a bold decision, like me, to come back to school and put my future technically at risk, everything versus what I had on the table back, it was a relief to know that I made the right decision, and the work has paid off,” Jones said. “I do believe that I am a good player, I do believe that I do belong in those moments in those times. It was meant to happen. I trust in God; I trust the plans he has for me. So, I expect it. I can say that because I put the work in, I put the work in with my coaches, I trusted them.”
Jones was a unanimous selection as the Big Sky Conference Preseason MVP in October of 2023 and has received Big Sky Player of the Week for his seventh time this season. He has played 27 games, averages 24.5 points, averages 8.2 total rebounds and averages 6.3 assists per game. He is the only active player in the country and player in Weber State history with at least 1,000 career points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 steals.
