Casey Jones remained loyal to Mocs

UTC guard Casey Jones shoots a 3 over UNCG center R.J. White during the Mocs' home basketball game against the UNCG Spartans at McKenzie Arena on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Family always has played an important role in the life of Casey Jones.

Togetherness. Oneness. Being with those closest to you and moving on together despite all odds and through all sorts of adversity, something Jones has witnessed plenty of during his time as a basketball player at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Three head coaches. Numerous teammates come and gone. Personal injuries. Wins. Losses.

Another chapter of his book closes today.

Jones and four teammates will be honored on senior day as the Mocs (19-9, 10-6 Southern Conference) host Mercer (13-16, 7-9) at 5 p.m. at McKenzie Arena. It's the second game of a doubleheader for fan appreciation day, with the UTC women's team (17-10, 11-2) trying to claim the top seed in next week's conference tournament by defeating Wofford (13-15, 3-10) in their 2 p.m. matchup.

The 6-foot-5 Jones grew up in New Orleans, part of a family of eight.

"It was just us against the world," Jones said Friday. "But it was chaos."

He said the family moved around some during his childhood, though he lived in Marrero, La., part of Metro New Orleans, from ninth grade on.

It was in August 2005 - the beginning of Jones' sixth-grade school year - that Hurricane Katrina, the costliest natural disaster and one of the five deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history, pounded the Gulf Coast. Jones and his family were able to escape the storm but returned to a damaged home.

He recalled riding around abandoned neighborhoods, looking at the destruction that Katrina caused, listening to Lil Wayne's "Carter 3" album with his brothers and friends.

"It didn't affect me personally. It was gruesome for a lot of people, but thankfully we got out early," he said. "We moved back into our house. We didn't have anything there that was usable, but we moved back in and were fine.

"I grew up with my mom, two sisters and five brothers. For us, it was never about material possessions. I didn't lose any family, we were together and we were fine. That's all that mattered to us."

Jones showed just how much family meant to him - and saw how important it was to former Mocs coach John Shulman - when he visited UTC on a recruiting trip during his final high school season at Higgins. Shulman, who still occasionally texts with Jones, brought Jones' AAU teammate Gee McGhee in at the same time and paired Jones with former Moc Jahmal Burroughs, who also was from New Orleans.

"He got me somebody I could relate to," Jones said. "There was more of a family focus here, being around teammates and putting me with somebody where I was from. It sealed the deal when I realized how genuine he was. That was a big reason why I came here. The guys that UTC recruits are team guys, family-oriented guys, and I think that's what kept me here. There's always guys I can relate to, guys I can build friendships with before being teammates."

The two-time All-SoCon first team member went from being coached by Shulman for one season to Will Wade in 2013, then from Wade to Matt McCall in 2015. He never considered leaving UTC because of the coaching changes, saying he was fiercely loyal to the places he calls home - New Orleans before, Chattanooga now.

"If anybody talks bad about my school or they bring up schools ahead of mine, I'll always put my two cents in and say something positive about my school," Jones said. "When I came here, I had a lot of pride about being a Moc. UTC is my school. This is where I want to be, to stay. Leaving was never an option because of the loyalty I have."

A gruesome ankle injury in December 2015 - at the final practice before the Mocs went on the road and beat Dayton - changed Jones' perspective, as well as his role once he returned.

He has gone from a go-to guy in many situations to more of a role player with a chance to be explosive. Yet he will leave the school on top-11 lists in scoring, rebounding, blocks and steals. He shows glimpses of the explosive dunker he was when he first arrived at UTC - see the East Tennessee State game in Johnson City on Jan. 28 - but has honed his shooting skills, making 12 3-pointers this season, which are four more than he made in his first four seasons.

"I'm going to remember the ride, the growth I've experienced," he said. "I came here as a child and didn't realize how much growing I had to do. Being a teenager, coming from where I'm from, you think you're a man at 12 years old. When I got here, I realized how much growth I had to go through and how much of a man I wasn't."

McCall said he has "so much respect" for Jones.

"He's battled every year," McCall said. "To be able to come back and produce on the floor - he came in with guys like E-Rob (Eric Robertson), Alex Bran, other guys not here anymore, and to still be here as a fifth-year senior and still have so much joy playing the game, I have so much respect for him and everything he's been through.

"Hopefully he can end his career on a high note, but it's been just a joy being around him every day."

Once the Mocs' season ends, Jones, who has a degree in engineering management, will probably take a break from the game. How long? He doesn't know, saying it could be "three weeks or for life." He said he'll take some time to see what life has to offer.

But he will leave a legacy of battling through adversity, an approach that started in New Orleans and continued in Chattanooga.

"I think it stems from getting an opportunity to prove myself," he said. "Coach Shulman brought me here. I wasn't promised anything in life. He gave me the opportunity to be whoever I wanted to be at UTC - a great role player, the best player, best rebounder - he gave me an opportunity to be who I want to be.

"I think I was pretty successful."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.