AUSTIN, Texas — An incredible story took another incredible turn Tuesday night.
In the season opener for University of Texas men's basketball, redshirt sophomore guard Andrew Jones erupted for a career-high 20 points in his first game action since completing leukemia treatments.
It was 23 months to the day since the last time he logged significant minutes. It also marked the day of his previous career-high.
His runner in the lane in the first half represented his first field goal in over 600 days and it kickstarted a performance that saw him tie a career-high with four three-pointers.
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"I didn't know. I didn't know what to expect coming into the game today," Jones said. "I wanted to play well, but ultimately I wanted to get a win. I didn't want to be ... all into the hype and all that. I just wanted to come in and focus on the game plan. There's nothing else that matters, just the game plan and what Texas has to do to get a win."
Head Coach Shaka Smart said it reminded him of the player who stepped foot on campus in 2016.
"It being 23 months since he really went out and played 'Andrew Jones' basketball in a Texas uniform, [it was] just really, really cool for him to be able to go out there and play, and not just today to play, but to have gone through the journey he's gone through, [and have] the approach that he's had," Smart said.
The 20 points and inspired effort from Jones led Texas to a win on opening night, as the Longhorns defeated the University of Northern Colorado 69-45.
The Longhorns will return to action Saturday on the road against Purdue University.
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