Born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, Dillon Jones knew he wanted to pursue a career playing basketball from a young age. After watching his older brother play and witnessing his growth within the game, Dillon was inspired to embark on a journey of his own in the space. This was just the start. It was during his time in high school though, at Keenan and Sunrise Christian Academy, that Dillon established his identity on the court and solidified his commitment to playing the game at the highest level. From strengthening his skills on the floor to developing a unique toughness, discipline, mindset, and work ethic, Dillon was focused on elevating his game and basketball IQ. He was all in. After graduating from Sunrise Christian Academy, Dillon began his freshman season at Weber State University and officially embarked on his collegiate basketball career. He hasn't looked back since.
Throughout his time at Weber State, Dillon has earned an array of accolades including the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year award and two First Team All-Big Sky selections; and has also inched closer to his goal of playing basketball professionally. After his third season, Dillon entered his name into the 2023 NBA Draft and participated in the NBA and NBA G League combines before deciding to return to Weber State. Experiences which, as he highlights, have confirmed the value of his preparation over the years and validated his ability to succeed on the biggest stages. Most importantly though, they have taught Dillon about his relentless spirit in the midst of uncertainty and have shaped his approach to adversity. Currently in his fourth season at Weber State, Dillon is locked in and focused on trying to win a championship this year. Emphasizing the importance of living in the moment, embracing every experience throughout this journey, and "being where his feet are," Dillon is excited for what's in store this season and in the years to come. Beyond the game, he is also eager to continue growing his community initiatives and give back events in South Carolina. Through it all, there is a powerful lesson that remains at the forefront of Dillon's mind: regardless of the challenges we may face along the way, we must not be defeated in the pursuit of our dreams. It's in those very moments, where we must take a breath, dust ourselves off, and RUN IT BACK!
Reflecting back on your time at both Keenan and Sunrise Christian Academy, how do you think your game elevated throughout your journey in high school to prepare you for the collegiate level?
It helped me a ton. The things that I took when I was at Keenan, I'd never known that they were needed to this day. There were so many things that were hard there that I didn't know would be a strength for me now—that was the toughness of the program, the discipline in the program, the ‘win at all cost’ (mindset). Those are things I still carry today, but I didn't know at the time that Keenan was molding me to do that. It was just more about me being invested in where I was at. I was just all about it. Now that I'm in college, I see certain people that just don't have that gene. They're not cut from that cloth so to speak. I'm grateful I went through it. You know, at the time it was rough being a teenager that young and not understanding why this was so hard. But now, the things that I have are a real strength. My mindset. My discipline. I remember when my coach was there—he has been there forever—, we had to wear white socks to practice every day. White socks in the games, every day. If you didn't have white socks, you couldn't practice. That was a real thing (*laughs*). People think that's crazy, but I see what it's doing now. It’s that (structure), you know, those rules that you got to follow. If you could do it then when you're young, doing it now makes different things easier. Now, when people expect things from me it is way easier just because of everything I've endured back then. It's definitely molded me into my values. You know, I haven't even said anything about how it made me a better player on the court. I think it was just more important about the values and things that it instilled in me from a young age. It shows really who I am now at this point.
Love that! As you took that next step and embarked on your collegiate career, how was that transition from high school to college like for you?
It was good! I mentioned all of that about Keenan, but Sunrise was a pivotal point in my life and career. You know, going into college, you're never going to be “the guy” initially unless you're a really bad team. When I was at Sunrise—when I made that move there—, I wasn't the best player there anymore. I was around Top 10 and Top 20 players in the country. When I came in, I was literally the lowest on the totem pole. But being there, it brung out a lot of me that I didn't know I had. You know, the work ethic that I have now. I didn't know that because when you're growing up in your city, you're just the best player. When you go to a different environment like that (though), and you’re around Kendall Brown—who’s a Top 10 player—, Shaedon Sharpe—who was a seventh pick in the draft a couple of years ago—, Zach Clemence, Ty Berry, Kenny Pohto…it brung out a lot in me. I took all those things to college with me. I came in, I was at a mid-major school, I wasn't highly-recruited. I already was exposed to and knew what I would have to do in those moments, you know? Sunrise was able to provide that for me. When I was able to work my tail off to get to where I was, when I got here to college, I was already well-suited for it. I already knew what it would take, the hours I would have to put in, the long days of working hard, how to have value outside of just scoring…all of those things I already knew and already had from that experience (at Sunrise). Like any rookie or freshman, it was rough at first but eventually the work was able to show. Eventually I came around and ended up having a really good year that year.
You've also tapped into that pro level—as you were invited to both the NBA and the NBA G League Combines. Could you tell us a little bit more about what that experience was like for you? What were some things that you learned throughout that experience?
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