Hoop manager fit to be 2K pro

EDITOR'S NOTE: Bobby Jones Jr. was drafted by Pacers Gaming with the 61st pick of this year's NBA 2K League draft.

There is a pro basketball prospect amid the Grand Canyon program who has not logged a game minute on the court.

GCU senior Bobby Jones Jr. has been dedicated to the Lopes as a student manager for four seasons but his love and understanding of the game translated well to a different hoop venue – video gaming.

Jones qualified as one of 230 players who will convene in New York on Saturday for the third NBA 2K League draft, which will pick 68 players for professional contracts with 23 teams operated in conjunction with NBA franchises.

Jones is a unique candidate, having made the draft pool last season almost accidentally when his passion for playing vaulted him onto the NBA 2K scene. He did not get drafted last year but Jones became a more interesting and marketable prospect, known as Bobby Buckets, by playing competitively more over the past year and complimenting that skill set with the basketball work he does with the Lopes.

"It would be a great feeling," Jones said. "I always wanted to be in the NBA but this is my way of making it when I'm not a 6-8, athletic freak. After not making it last year, making it this year would mean more to me because I had to work all the way back to get here. Everything worked out for me and I've got a good chance of getting drafted."

Jones, a sports management major, came to GCU with interests in becoming a coach after starring at Oroville (Calif.) High School, north of Sacramento. He was an undersized 6-foot-1 recruit for junior college and Division III recruiting but joined a Division I program as a manager and turned into a 6-10 power forward in the gaming world.

Being drafted for the third season of the NBA 2K League would mean a six-month contract for $32,000 to $35,000. Players can earn thousands more with in-season tournament opportunities and endorsement deals for a league with more than 2 million social media followers.

Draftees move to the NBA city of the affiliated franchise to join, practice and live with five teammates for an April-August season that is streamed on Twitch and YouTube.

"I'm beyond proud of Bobby," said his agent, Athletic Career Development president Chris Gulla. "He's one of my favorite guys to work with. He's a hard-working guy who's very humble with great personality. I was there by his side last year when he didn't get picked. Being with him last year and seeing how disappointed he was, I knew he was going to walk away even more motivated."

Gulla began representing Jones a week before last year's draft in New York. With more time and knowledge, Jones and Gulla set out and executed a plan for Jones to play in more pro-am competitive leagues and market his sticks skills and GCU basketball connection more.

Jones has found being around the Lopes' program has made him a better NBA 2K player because of the plays he knows, rotations that become instinctual, the video work he does and the way the team studies opponent tendencies.

That helped him earn his way back to the draft pool, starting with an October-November qualifying process that sorted out 10,000 hopefuls by winning percentage. That was followed by a combine in which Jones' stats over 40 games earned him a spot in the draft pool.

His increased activity included being part of the winning team that played on stage at Texas Ticket, a Dallas Mavericks event that was part of giving Jones a profile as a strong off-ball defender, efficient scorer and smart player.

"Before, the players (from GCU's team) would play me," said Jones, who practices three to four hours each night after classes and GCU team duties. "Now that they know I might be pro, they don't want to play me any more."

Jones will attend the 4 p.m. Saturday draft at Terminal 5 in New York City with Gulla, a former NBA 2K teammate, and GCU sophomore Bryce Wheeler, a fellow student manager and student worker for creative content in GCU athletics.

When he attended last year's draft, Jones was an inexperienced NBA 2K player in competitive league circles and received four pre-draft interviews with NBA 2K League teams. His increased interest has translated to 10 pre-draft interviews this year.

"I feel really good about his chances," Gulla said. "He's a great player and that's going to show through to the teams.

"For a growing league like the NBA 2K League, a growing school like GCU is part of their target market. To have someone who carries with him a potential fan base of especially the crazy fans with the Havocs, a player like that in the league who has the whole community behind him is a desirable thing for the 2K League."

Last year, Jones was surprised to be there. This year, he is surprised that so many other people know "Bobby Buckets" will be there.

"When I made the draft, I got a lot of support from the players and coaches," Jones said. "Even at the school in intramurals, I'd have people coming up to me congratulating me. I didn't even know who they are but somehow they know I play 2K and have a chance at the league."

Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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