Florida State University Athletics
Thursday, October 31
Tallahassee, Fla.
3:00 p.m.
Florida State
vs
University of West Florida
Jesse Jones: Inspired By Family And Teammates For Overwhelming Success
12/16/2024 11:46:00 AM | Men's Basketball
TALLAHASSEE – When both of your parents are educators, it's natural that academic success would be extremely important within your family.
When you ask senior Jesse Jones about academic success, his answer is simple.
"I have always excelled academically," said the second-year Seminole guard. "Growing up with both of my parents as teachers, there was always a strong emphasis on the importance of education for my siblings and me. This foundation, along with the high standards I set for myself, has driven me to succeed in the classroom -- whether it was graduating as valedictorian of my class in high school or making the President's List at FSU."
With the final exam week now complete and the fall academic semester having come to an end at Florida State, the Seminoles play host to Winthrop in its final non-conference game of the regular season on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. The game has been designated as a Faculty and Staff Appreciation game. Faculty and Staff of FSU can show their university ID at the Athletics Ticket Office located in UCC to pick up four complimentary tickets to the game. Additional tickets can be purchased at a discounted rate.
Schedule koozies will be distributed to the first 500 fans arriving at the game.
For Jones and his Seminole teammates, the end of final exams begins a period of just over three weeks when they can concentrate on basketball including the 9-3 Eagles and their ACC game against Louisville on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in the Tucker Center. Following their game against Winthrop, the Seminoles begin a string of 19 consecutive games against ACC competition.
For Jones, who is playing as a master's degree candidate in his second and final season as a Seminole, his road to joining his father, David, and his sister, Jazleana, as Florida State graduates has taken him to two prestigious academic institutions – Babson College in Massachusetts and FSU. He attended and played basketball at Babson for two years (2021 and 2022) and transferred to Florida State for the start of the spring semester of his junior year. His mom, Jennifer, graduated from Southeastern University, and his sister, Journey, is an eighth grade student at Montverde.
He earned his bachelor's degree in finance from Florida State in 2024 and will earn his master's in finance from Florida State soon after the 2024-25 basketball season concludes. He'll have the opportunity to walk in graduation ceremonies in his college basketball home – the Donald L. Tucker Center.
As the valedictorian of his high school class at Montverde Academy, where his parents are both teachers, in 2020, Jones was drawn to Babson College for that school's business and entrepreneurship programs.
"Babson College was a great opportunity for me at the time," said Jones. "Babson's academics are among the best in the country, which was a major draw for me. Unfortunately, COVID had a negative impact on my experience, especially with being able to meet and build connections with people. Overall, being at Babson was a great experience."
As a member of the basketball team at Babson, he was named to the Academic Dean's List in each of his four semesters and was named to the New England Men's and Women's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Academic All-Conference team in both of his seasons at the eastern Massachusetts based school.
The Clermont, Fla., native longed to be closer to home and decided to transfer to Florida State for the start of the spring 2023 semester. With the basketball season already in full swing, he joined the program as a team manager with hopes of making the squad to begin the 2023-24 season.
Jones was added to the team during the summer of 2023 and has earned the reputation as one of the Seminoles' hardest workers. He's developed into one of the important members of the Seminoles' famed Green Team.
While at Florida State, he's earned FSU academic President's List honors for a perfect 4.0 grade point average in the fall of 2023 and earned academic Dean's List honors during the spring of 2024. He was named to the 2024 ACC Academic Honor Roll and to the 2024 NABC Academic Honors Court. Jones earned the 2024 Golden Torch for Men's Basketball as presented by the Florida State Department of Athletics.
Jones, who began playing basketball at the age of eight, has always had his sights set on academic success and taking advantage of his opportunities, even during the rigorous and countless hours he spends as a basketball player at the Division I level in the ACC at Florida State.
During the summer of 2024, he was an intern with Foundry Commercial, a full-service real estate firm headquartered in Orlando.
"In my role as an intern, I conducted research and data initiatives that supported strategic initiatives for the real estate services leadership team," said Jones. "This was my second internship with Foundry, as I previously worked as a brokerage intern for them following my sophomore year. Both experiences were invaluable as the knowledge and relationships gained will provide an excellent foundation for my early career."
His internship at Foundry Commercial came about because of his interest in the financial world.
"The thing that originally drew me to a career in finance was its central role in nearly all business decisions," said Jones. "During my undergraduate studies, I became increasingly interested in the analytical nature of the field. Wanting to further grow my technical skills and real estate knowledge, I am now pursuing my master's degree with a specialization in real estate. After graduating this May, I plan to apply this to a career in real estate capital markets."
While he has his sights firmly on a career in commercial real estate following his May graduation, Jones is living his dream as a member of the Seminole basketball team.
"The aspect I enjoy most about being a member of the Florida State basketball team is the sense of family we have within the program," said Jones. "We genuinely push each other to be the best versions of ourselves, both on and off the court. That culture of support and accountability is something that is really special. I also love the opportunity to compete in practice every day with such talented teammates and to represent the university on a national stage."
Jones continues to be inspired every day to compete alongside his brothers while giving all of his effort on and off the court each and every day.
"I know the sacrifices my parents, coaches, and teammates have made to help me get to this point is an honor that I don't take for granted," said Jones.
His contributions to the Seminole men's basketball team haven't gone unnoticed by the coaching staff.
"We are all very proud of Jesse for the pride he takes in his academic success," said head coach Leonard Hamilton. He has already earned his bachelor's degree from Florida State in finance, and is working on his master's degree in finance – all while playing a role as an important member of our basketball team. The fierce determination that Jesse shows his teammates to earn success on a daily basis makes him an exemplary student-athlete."
That's Jesse Jones – an outstanding teammate who takes advantage of every opportunity that comes his way.
When you ask senior Jesse Jones about academic success, his answer is simple.
"I have always excelled academically," said the second-year Seminole guard. "Growing up with both of my parents as teachers, there was always a strong emphasis on the importance of education for my siblings and me. This foundation, along with the high standards I set for myself, has driven me to succeed in the classroom -- whether it was graduating as valedictorian of my class in high school or making the President's List at FSU."
With the final exam week now complete and the fall academic semester having come to an end at Florida State, the Seminoles play host to Winthrop in its final non-conference game of the regular season on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. The game has been designated as a Faculty and Staff Appreciation game. Faculty and Staff of FSU can show their university ID at the Athletics Ticket Office located in UCC to pick up four complimentary tickets to the game. Additional tickets can be purchased at a discounted rate.
Schedule koozies will be distributed to the first 500 fans arriving at the game.
For Jones and his Seminole teammates, the end of final exams begins a period of just over three weeks when they can concentrate on basketball including the 9-3 Eagles and their ACC game against Louisville on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in the Tucker Center. Following their game against Winthrop, the Seminoles begin a string of 19 consecutive games against ACC competition.
For Jones, who is playing as a master's degree candidate in his second and final season as a Seminole, his road to joining his father, David, and his sister, Jazleana, as Florida State graduates has taken him to two prestigious academic institutions – Babson College in Massachusetts and FSU. He attended and played basketball at Babson for two years (2021 and 2022) and transferred to Florida State for the start of the spring semester of his junior year. His mom, Jennifer, graduated from Southeastern University, and his sister, Journey, is an eighth grade student at Montverde.
He earned his bachelor's degree in finance from Florida State in 2024 and will earn his master's in finance from Florida State soon after the 2024-25 basketball season concludes. He'll have the opportunity to walk in graduation ceremonies in his college basketball home – the Donald L. Tucker Center.
As the valedictorian of his high school class at Montverde Academy, where his parents are both teachers, in 2020, Jones was drawn to Babson College for that school's business and entrepreneurship programs.
"Babson College was a great opportunity for me at the time," said Jones. "Babson's academics are among the best in the country, which was a major draw for me. Unfortunately, COVID had a negative impact on my experience, especially with being able to meet and build connections with people. Overall, being at Babson was a great experience."
As a member of the basketball team at Babson, he was named to the Academic Dean's List in each of his four semesters and was named to the New England Men's and Women's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Academic All-Conference team in both of his seasons at the eastern Massachusetts based school.
The Clermont, Fla., native longed to be closer to home and decided to transfer to Florida State for the start of the spring 2023 semester. With the basketball season already in full swing, he joined the program as a team manager with hopes of making the squad to begin the 2023-24 season.
Jones was added to the team during the summer of 2023 and has earned the reputation as one of the Seminoles' hardest workers. He's developed into one of the important members of the Seminoles' famed Green Team.
While at Florida State, he's earned FSU academic President's List honors for a perfect 4.0 grade point average in the fall of 2023 and earned academic Dean's List honors during the spring of 2024. He was named to the 2024 ACC Academic Honor Roll and to the 2024 NABC Academic Honors Court. Jones earned the 2024 Golden Torch for Men's Basketball as presented by the Florida State Department of Athletics.
Jones, who began playing basketball at the age of eight, has always had his sights set on academic success and taking advantage of his opportunities, even during the rigorous and countless hours he spends as a basketball player at the Division I level in the ACC at Florida State.
During the summer of 2024, he was an intern with Foundry Commercial, a full-service real estate firm headquartered in Orlando.
"In my role as an intern, I conducted research and data initiatives that supported strategic initiatives for the real estate services leadership team," said Jones. "This was my second internship with Foundry, as I previously worked as a brokerage intern for them following my sophomore year. Both experiences were invaluable as the knowledge and relationships gained will provide an excellent foundation for my early career."
His internship at Foundry Commercial came about because of his interest in the financial world.
"The thing that originally drew me to a career in finance was its central role in nearly all business decisions," said Jones. "During my undergraduate studies, I became increasingly interested in the analytical nature of the field. Wanting to further grow my technical skills and real estate knowledge, I am now pursuing my master's degree with a specialization in real estate. After graduating this May, I plan to apply this to a career in real estate capital markets."
While he has his sights firmly on a career in commercial real estate following his May graduation, Jones is living his dream as a member of the Seminole basketball team.
"The aspect I enjoy most about being a member of the Florida State basketball team is the sense of family we have within the program," said Jones. "We genuinely push each other to be the best versions of ourselves, both on and off the court. That culture of support and accountability is something that is really special. I also love the opportunity to compete in practice every day with such talented teammates and to represent the university on a national stage."
Jones continues to be inspired every day to compete alongside his brothers while giving all of his effort on and off the court each and every day.
"I know the sacrifices my parents, coaches, and teammates have made to help me get to this point is an honor that I don't take for granted," said Jones.
His contributions to the Seminole men's basketball team haven't gone unnoticed by the coaching staff.
"We are all very proud of Jesse for the pride he takes in his academic success," said head coach Leonard Hamilton. He has already earned his bachelor's degree from Florida State in finance, and is working on his master's degree in finance – all while playing a role as an important member of our basketball team. The fierce determination that Jesse shows his teammates to earn success on a daily basis makes him an exemplary student-athlete."
That's Jesse Jones – an outstanding teammate who takes advantage of every opportunity that comes his way.
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