“I am so excited. It’s a blessing to be able to play basketball again and to play with these girls. I love them, I’ve known a lot of them since third grade, so it’s really exciting to do one last round with them,” said Naperville Central girls basketball player Trinity Jones.
The Naperville Central girls basketball team gets a key piece back in its starting lineup in the form of Clemson recruit and All-State Forward Trinity Jones. Jones played for the Redhawks as a freshman, averaging over 20 points and 12 rebounds per game while helping the Red and White to a regional title. She transferred to Bolingbrook for her sophomore year before returning to the Redhawk Hardwood as a junior. However, an ACL tear would sideline her, where she’d cheer on her team while working on her own recovery. This story is sponsored by Fair Oaks Ford and Fair Oaks Lincoln.
“In the beginning, I did a lot of upper body weightlifting, push-ups, sit-ups, just to get my upper body right. As time went on, I started doing little ball handling, taps around the house, and crossovers. Then I was able to do squats, my quads and calves, and everything started to get stronger, and I started doing a little jump. So, it was a progression, but I got to be able to do a few new things every month,” said Jones.
Jones returned to the hardwood for Central late in her junior year
The months of rehab paid off, with Jones taking the court for the first time in nearly a year at the Redhawks’ regional semifinal game against Yorkville last season. Head coach Andy Nussbaum was confident with the decision to have Jones knock the rust off after a long absence.
“We wanted to win, and she was on limited minutes, which was understandable. Two minutes, a quarter, and got six points, so you do the math and figure out what it would have been if it were eight minutes a quarter. I’m just glad she got a little bit of high school basketball back under her belt so that she’s, you know, mentally ready to go this year,” said Naperville Central girls basketball coach Andy Nussbaum.
Minutes restriction or not, Jones was grateful for the opportunity to play in a live game, even though the Redhawks were eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs.
“I really wanted to play with the team, so I just wanted to see if I had the opportunity to play that last game. So whether we won or lost, I just wanted to play,” said Jones.
Jones is only the second Redhawks girls basketball player to commit to a Power Five program; the first being recently retired WNBA star Candace Parker. As the head coach for both Parker and Jones, Nussbaum sees several similarities between the two generational prospects.
“They’re both similar in the fact that they can do it all. They can post, handle the ball, and they can shoot. Their defense is scary, so there are some definite, positive comparisons that you can make. I think to her credit, Trinity wants to be her own player and that there’s nothing wrong with that,” said Nussbaum.
Jones is ready to leave it all on the court in her final year with the Redhawks
With Jones entering her senior year and already committed to play collegiately at Clemson, she is ready to help lead the Redhawks to a strong season to cap off her high school career. The post presence of sisters Anabelle and Katelyn Kritzer and veteran guard Erin Hackett provide plenty of punch to fill out the Naperville Central lineup.
“We’re going to be very interesting to watch, so I’m very stoked for that, and honestly, for me from freshman year to now, I would say, more of an elite passer, and I feel like we’re going to play very well with this group of girls. I think we’re going to be dangerous,” said Jones.
For more prep sports stories and highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
