Khalid El-Amin is a basketball legend in Minneapolis, even dating back to his playing days as a middle schooler, but eighth grader Tyus Jones, a starter this season for Apple Valley High School, is better than El-Amin at the same grade level, according to Al Nuness.
Nuness should know. His basketball background includes captain of the Gophers in the late 1960s, later an assistant coach for his alma mater and years of youth coaching with sons Jared and Jordan.
Nuness was close to El-Amin and his family. Coaching his son Jared’s youth teams, Nuness said he had to “plot against Khalid” trying to figure out the talented point guard who was short and stocky even back in eighth grade, and dominated games with his playmaking and scoring.
“Tyus is better at the same level as Khalid,” Nuness told Sports Headliners. “He is bigger and stronger. Passes better. His basketball I.Q. is just unbelievable. They don’t come along like him very often. He’s the real deal.”
Apple Valley’s season is just starting but the 6-foot Jones has helped the Eagles win their first four games. He had 15 points and 14 assists on Tuesday night in a win over Burnsville, according to https://www.avhoops.com/main.htm.
El-Amin is probably the best prep point guard ever to come out of the state. He led Connecticut to the 1999 national championship. El-Amin had the college basketball powers after him and changed a verbal commitment to the Gophers while in high school.
It looks like Jones won’t lack for attention, either. Gophers coach Tubby Smith is already scouting the eighth grader and you can bet other schools will be in pursuit.
Tyus’ dad, Robert, is Nuness’ nephew so Nuness knows the family. Nuness said Robert and his former wife Debbie (Tyus’ mom) were both college basketball players, and that Tyus’ brother, Reggie Bunch, was a preseason All-American at Robert Morris College in Chicago.
Both Robert and Reggie are 6-foot-7, according to Nuness, who said Tyus already wears size 13 shoes. “He has a chance to be the size of a Jason Kidd at 6-4, 6-5,” Nuness said. “He’s a Division I prospect now (as an eighth grader).”
Nuness said Jones “needs work like anybody (that age) in defending,” but his overall game including shooting, passing, directing the team, plus his court demeanor, is already impressive. “He is so unassuming,” Nuness said. “He doesn’t care how many points he scores. His expression never changes, just a natural face. You can foul him, or knock him. His expression stays the same.”
Anytime Nuness walks into a gym, Jones comes over and gives him a hug. That impresses Nuness and so too does the athleticism that also makes Jones an A student and football quarterback.
When Jones comes over to the Nuness house he likes to spend time looking at family basketball memorabilia. He sees that Nuness wore jersey No. 21. So, too, did Jared who played for Valparaiso and Jordan whose college career took him to the Gophers and Minnesota-Duluth.
That’s the number Jones wears, too. He might one day wear that number with more success than anyone in the family ever did. “If nothing goes wrong, he will be a rare kid,” Nuness said. “He’s going to be a blue chipper.”