Coro: GCU future etched in Stone

A scrawny 12-year-old Jayden Stone was making his first trip from Australia to Alabama in about five years when he entered a pickup basketball game at Phyllis Wheatley Community Center in Childersburg.

Stone already was entertaining the idea of moving to the U.S., where he will play for Grand Canyon this fall, but he was more than outclassed on that summer day. He was denied the ball. He was dunked on. He was bullied. They did not mock his Aussie accent, only because he did not speak.

Stone was in tears when he later went to his father, Shawn, who told him, "You're a mouse. You've got to find a way."

"I made a personal note to myself that, when I get back, I'm going to make sure they know who I am," Stone said.

Stone, born and raised in Perth on the West Coast of Australia, continued to hit roadblocks as he was cut from state and national sport academy teams. As his growth and athleticism spurted, his dedication and determination panned out.

Going from 5 feet 6 in seventh grade to 6 feet 1 three years later, Stone was ready for the teenagers and young men at the Alabama gym when he returned.

"People didn't even remember me," Stone said. "I was like a new person and a new player."

Now, they knew his name. Stone made a difficult decision to leave Perth and a close family at age 15 for Alabama, where basketball challenges and his father's family awaited him.

His father, Shawn, grew up in Alabama, served in the Marines, played junior college basketball and starred at CSU Northridge before playing professionally in Perth. There, he met Tracey, a native of Western Australia, and the couple had a daughter and a son but Stone was just a toddler when his father played in the State Basketball League.

"I only have little pieces in my mind of him playing but he is by far my favorite player," Stone said.

Jayden Stone

Stone became an Alabama favorite, moving from Birmingham to Anniston for his junior year when his father joined him and the Sacred Heart Catholic High School staff. The sweet-shooting guard averaged 21.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists and won Class 2A Mr. Basketball before seeking a greater challenge for his senior year.

Stone moved to the Wichita, Kansas, area last year to be among a team of standouts at Sunrise Christian Academy, which went 22-3 and ranked fourth in the nation.

"He's not afraid of competition and he wants to be the best he possibly can," said GCU head coach Bryce Drew, who recruited Stone as Vanderbilt head coach two years ago. "Sometimes, it takes longer in life just to realize that iron sharpens iron. You have to go against the best if you want to improve. He put himself out there and now he's more focused and more determined and he's a better player than he was a year ago."

Stone's status exploded to where he visited Michigan State last summer, was ranked nationally as a top-50 recruit and was invited to the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 camp.

"A lot of people don't know because they think it's a fairy tale," Stone said. "It's not true. There's more to it than that."

Stone, now at 6-3, admittedly did not play well at the NBPA Top 100 camp because he was disappointed that it prematurely ended a visit from his mother and grandmother. Sunrise also was a challenging experience, going from a team leader in Alabama to a role player in a new state.

Colleges did not stay true to their interests but Stone received an answer to his prayers for the right basketball, education and faith fit when Drew renewed their relationship as the new GCU head coach.

"There's no real point of going into a sport without wanting to be the best at it and, of course, you want to make it to the pros," Stone said. "But for me, it's not the end-all, be-all. I have things in my life that mean more to me, like family and scriptures. If I make it, it's going to be used to glorify God.

"This is really who I am and I'm not shy to talk about it. I was good in Perth but I got cut from every team. I was not making it. From then until now, I'm just a completely different player. I really shouldn't be here in the scheme of things. That's why I caught a lot of people off-guard in Perth, like, 'Who is this kid? We've seen him but he was just another kid.' For me to be where I am is a massive leap so I'm going to keep improving. The struggles, the fails have made me who I am."

Since coming to the U.S three years ago., Stone initially lived with an uncle in Long Beach, California, attended two high schools in Alabama while living with relatives and spent the past year in Kansas, often alone in his thoughts.

This month, Stone moves to GCU, where his faith will be embraced, his coach will treat him like family and the campus atmosphere makes him feel his sacrifices were worthwhile.

"He's a terrific young man who I think is going to excel on our campus and with our student body," Drew said.

Getting goosebumps already. Can't wait to lace 'em up. This is home for the next 4 years.🏀✝️🇦🇺 #LopesUp https://t.co/PM45Nb4h8y pic.twitter.com/yAmJrRoU2L
— Jayden Stone 🇦🇺 (@JaydenSballin) April 29, 2020

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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Jayden Stone

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