Marcel Jones (basketball)

High school career

Jones attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California where he was a four-year letterman for head coach Gary McKnight. As a sophomore in 2001–02, he averaged 8.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. As a junior in 2002–03, he averaged 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, helping Mater Dei to the CIF title with a 35–2 record. As a senior in 2003–04, he averaged 20.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, helping Mater Dei to a 24–5 record and the Sierra League title. He finished his high school career as a three-time All-CIF and All-Sierra League honoree.

College career

As a freshman at Oregon State in 2004–05, Jones had a subdued role, with most of his playing time coming in the non-conference season. In 21 games (five starts), he averaged 3.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game.

As a sophomore in 2005–06, his playing time and role increased as he substantially improved, finishing the season as one of only two players on the team to appear in all 31 games. In those 31 games (21 starts), he averaged 9.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 28.3 minutes per game.

As a junior in 2006–07, his 49 steals were the most by a Beaver since 1999–2000, and he had a stretch of 20 straight games with a steal. He was also named to the all-tournament team at the season-opening Oregon Rain Invitational after averaging 18.7 points per game. He went on to earn the team's Ralph Miller Award as the most valuable player for 2006–07. In 32 games (all starts), he averaged 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.5 steals in 31.3 minutes per game. Following the season, Jones put his name on the early-entry list for the 2007 NBA draft, but decided to return for his senior season.

Jones was the only senior player on the 2007–08 Beavers roster. During the season, he became just the 34th Beaver to score 1,000 career points, finishing his career with 1,166. In 30 games, he averaged 10.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.

2008–09 season

After going undrafted in the 2008 NBA draft, Jones joined the Chicago Bulls for the 2008 NBA Summer League where he averaged 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in five games. On November 7, he was selected by the Iowa Energy in the fourth round of the 2008 NBA Development League Draft. On December 24, he was waived by the Energy after appearing in just two games.

Jones later moved to New Zealand where he joined the Manawatu Jets for the 2009 NBL season. He had an impressive season with the Jets despite the team's lacklustre play, earning Player of the Week honors for Round 8 and averaging 27.3 points (second in the league), 9.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 16 games. The Jets finished seventh in the nine-team competition with a 4–12 win/loss record.

2009–10 season

On July 30, 2009, Jones signed with Phoenix Hagen of Germany for the 2009–10 season. However, he left Hagen before the start of the regular season and joined Finnish club Kauhajoen Karhu in September. He played in seven games for Kauhajoen during October before leaving the club in early November and joining Espoon Honka where he had a one-game stint on November 7. Later that month, he signed with Hungarian club Falco KC Szombathely, but that stint lasted just five games as he departed the club in late December.

On March 4, 2010, Jones signed with the Everton Tigers for the rest of the 2009–10 British Basketball League season. He played in 14 games for the Tigers, averaging 5.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, and helped the club win the league's playoff title.

On May 28, 2010, Jones signed with the Wellington Saints as a short-term injury replacement for Eric Devendorf. He played off the bench in the team's final five games of the regular season, a stretch that included a game on June 11 where he scored a game-high 19 points against his former team, the Manawatu Jets. In those five games, Jones averaged 7.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 12.8 minutes per game.

2010–11 season

During the 2010–11 season, Jones played in Syria for Al-Wahda. He lived in the Syrian capital of Damascus and said he was fortunate to play there before civil war broke out. Jones regularly played in front of 4,000 fans, including military personnel, at home games. In eight games for the club between November 2010 and January 2011, he averaged 12.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

2011–12 season

On August 26, 2011, Jones signed with HKK Zrinjski Mostar of Bosnia for the 2011–12 season. In 24 league games for Zrinjski, he averaged 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game.

In March 2012, Jones returned to New Zealand following the conclusion of the Bosnian League season. Following an injury to Manawatu Jets' forward Dustin Mitchell on April 19, Jones was signed by the Jets as a short-term injury replacement and made his season debut for the club the next day. He appeared in five games for the Jets between April 20 and May 4 before Chris Hagan permanently replaced Mitchell on May 5, leaving Jones on the sidelines as only two imports can play at a time. On May 20, coach Ryan Weisenberg rested import duo Hagan and Josh Pace, allowing Jones to play the last game of the regular season for the Jets. In six games for the Jets, he averaged 22.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

2012–13 season

In July 2012, Jones signed with BCM U Piteşti of Romania for the 2012–13 season. He went on to earn league All-Star honors and helped the club win the Romanian Supercup title. In 27 games for Piteşti, he averaged 15.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

Following the conclusion of the Romanian League season, Jones returned to New Zealand for the 2013 New Zealand NBL season, re-joining the Manawatu Jets for a third stint. Despite having gained New Zealand citizenship, he had to play as an import for the Jets due to a league rule which allows only one naturalized New Zealand player per team; team captain Nick Horvath already filled that spot. On May 4, he made his season debut for the club, scoring 13 points in 32½ minutes of action as a starter in a 107–77 loss to the Wellington Saints. In 13 games for the Jets in 2013, he averaged 20.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

2013–14 season

On August 27, 2013, Jones signed with Pallacanestro Cantù of Italy for the 2013–14 season. On April 28, 2014, he parted ways with the club. In 25 league games for Cantù, he averaged 3.4 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. He also played in 16 Eurocup games, averaging 6.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

On May 1, 2014, Jones signed with the Canterbury Rams for the rest of the 2014 New Zealand NBL season. He made his debut for the Rams the next day, recording 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal in a 91–89 loss to the Hawke's Bay Hawks. He helped the Rams record a 6–12 win/loss record in their first season back in the league. In 12 games for the Rams, Jones averaged 15.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

2014–15 season

In October 2014, Jones signed with Akhisar Belediye of Turkey for the 2014–15 season. In 28 games for Akhisar, he averaged 13.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

2015–16 season

On August 5, 2015, Jones signed with Pallacanestro Biella of the Italian Serie A2 Basket for the 2015–16 season. On October 28, he parted ways with Biella after appearing in four games. On November 11, he signed with Bashkimi Prizren of the Kosovo Basketball Superleague. His final game for Bashkimi came on February 23, 2016, as he departed the club following this game in order to return to New Zealand. In seven league games for Bashkimi, he averaged 22.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game. He also played in seven Balkan League games, averaging 21.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.6 steals per game.

On February 27, Jones signed with the Canterbury Rams for the 2016 New Zealand NBL season, returning to the club for a second stint. In the team's season opener on March 11, Jones recorded team highs of 22 points and 11 rebounds in a 100–86 win over the Nelson Giants. He missed the team's next game against the Taranaki Mountainairs on March 17 due to a groin strain. With Jones absent, the Rams were defeated 71–69 by the Mountainairs. He returned to action for the team's next game on March 25, recording 13 points, six rebounds and three assists in a 98–94 win over the Southland Sharks. He missed his second game of the season on April 8 with groin, hamstring and calf muscle issues. Jones returned to action for the team's next game on April 15, recording 22 points and 11 rebounds in a 97–72 win over the Wellington Saints. On April 25, he recorded a season-high 33 points and 12 rebounds (equal season high at the time) in a 95–85 win over the Nelson Giants. He subsequently earned Player of the Week honors for Round 7. On May 8, he recorded 30+ points for the fourth time in five games, and with 10 rebounds, he had his seventh double-double of the season, helping the Rams defeat the Hawke's Bay Hawks 95–82. He subsequently earned Player of the Week honors for Round 9. On May 19, he recorded 22 points and a season-high 15 rebounds in a 71–65 win over the Taranaki Mountainairs. Jones helped the Rams claim the minor premiership with a first-place finish and a 13–5 record. In their semi-final match-up, the Rams were outclassed by the fourth-seeded Super City Rangers, losing 104–85 despite a 17-point effort from Jones. In 17 games for the Rams in 2016, he averaged 23.1 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He subsequently won the NBL's Kiwi MVP, Most Outstanding Forward and Most Outstanding Kiwi Forward/Centre, and earned NBL All-Star Five honors.

2016–17 season

On October 23, 2016, Jones signed with Sigal Prishtina of the Kosovo Superleague, returning to the league for a second stint. On December 8, 2016, he left Prishtina after appearing in 12 games and signed with Slovenian club Helios Suns for the rest of the 2016–17 season. In 10 games for Helios, he averaged 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

In March 2017, Jones re-joined the Canterbury Rams ahead of the 2017 New Zealand NBL season. In the Rams' season opener on March 18, Jones had 22 points and eight rebounds in a 114–107 loss to the Super City Rangers. The following day, he recorded game highs of 33 points, 10 rebounds and four steals in a 99–87 overtime win over the Hawke's Bay Hawks. On March 31, he had a near triple-double with 17 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in an 88–86 win over the Rangers. On April 25, he recorded a season-high 41 points and 12 rebounds in a 106–89 win over Hawke's Bay. In late May, coach Mark Dickel changed the makeup of his starting five by relegating Jones to a bench role. Dickel's decision was defensive-minded as he looked to morph the team into a more balanced outfit ahead of the playoffs. The Rams finished the regular season in fourth place with a 10–8 record, and lost to the first-seeded Wellington Saints 94–73 in their semi-final match-up. Jones scored 10 points in the loss.

Personal

Jones is the son Marie and Michael Jones, and has two brothers, Matthew and Mason. Jones and his wife, Megan, have one daughter, Arya.

Jones has appeared in various movies such as The Princess Diaries, Beautiful and Big Momma's House, as well as television shows such as Even Stevens, Smart Guy and One on One.

In March 2012, Jones applied for New Zealand citizenship to be able to play as a local in the National Basketball League and have the opportunity to represent the Tall Blacks in international competition. In June 2012, he received his citizenship.