Antwann Jones began his college basketball career in 2018. He is back in the transfer portal even though it is currently unclear whether if he allowed to play another season.
The NCAA must first grant him a waiver.
Should Jones receive clearance to suit up in 2026-27, it will be his ninth season of college basketball. There may not be a more traveled player in the sport.
Who is Antwann Jones?
To answer this question, we must go way back to 2018. Jones ranked as a four-star prospect in the same recruiting class as guys like R.J. Barrett, Bol Bol, Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish, Anferee Simons, Immanuel Quickley, Andrew Nembhard and Naz Reid. Many of them are five or six years into their professional careers at this point. Some of them are on their second or third NBA teams.
Not Antwann Jones!
The 6-foot-6, 210-pound shooting guard is still in college. He committed to play at Memphis out of Oak Ridge High School over 12 other scholarship offers.
However, his recruiting process was equally as chaotic as his career. initially committed to play at Oklahoma State on Sept. 17, 2017. That lasted just 11 days. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound shooting guard announced his decision to decommit from the Cowboys on Sept. 28. He later committed to Texas A&M on Nov. 14.
A signed Letter of Intent made his commitment to the Aggies official… until he received a release from his LOI in April of 2018. Jones immediately decommitted and flipped to Memphis. It looked like this:
- Sept. 17, 2017: Commit to Oklahoma State
- Sept. 28, 2017: Decommit from Oklahoma State
- Nov. 14, 2017: Sign LOI with Texas A&M
- April 15, 2018: Decommit from Texas A&M, sign LOI with Memphis
- June 1, 2018: Enroll at Memphis
That was only a taste of what was to come. It gets even crazier from there.
Seven college basketball teams, nine years.
Antwann Jones has not stayed in one place for more than one season. Well, technically speaking, two.
He averaged 4.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 16.7 minutes per game. He played 35 total games as a freshman with the Tigers. And then he entered the transfer portal for the first time…
Jones committed to Creighton. He sat out for one full season in 2019-2020 and averaged 10.9 minutes per game during his second season with the Blue Jays. And then he entered the transfer portal for the second time…
Jones landed at Louisiana but he averaged only 8.3 minutes in only eight games. He sat out the entire 2022-23 season. And then he entered the transfer portal for the third time…
Jones landed at UCF. It was the second-best year of his career. The sixth-year shooting guard averaged 4.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 13 minutes per game.
And then he entered the transfer portal for the fourth time…
Jones spent the 2024-25 season at Bethune Cookman. He received a waiver for a seventh year of eligibility but he suffered another injury during the season-opener and did not play another game for the Wildcats. And then he entered the transfer portal for the fifth time…
Antwann Jones spent last season at UNC Greensboro. It was just as frustrating. He got hurt, again, and played only 11.4 minutes per game in seven total games. To recap:
- 2018-19 — Memphis
- 2019-20 — Creighton (SIT OUT)
- 2020-21 — Creighton
- 2021-22 — Louisiana
- 2022-23 — Louisiana (SIT OUT)
- 2023-24 — UCF
- 2024-25 — Bethune-Cookman
- 2025-26 — UNC Greensboro
And then he entered the transfer portal for the sixth time earlier this week…
If we are to do the math, Jones played an average of 13 games per season during his first eight seasons. Injuries have prevented him from reaching his full potential but the 26-year-old is finally back to full health.
As things currently stand, Antwann Jones is not eligible for the 2026-27 season. The NCAA will need to grant him with another medical hardship waiver to allow him a ninth year of eligibility. We’ll see.
If he is allowed to play, Jones will spent nine years at seven different schools. That must be a record.