Jones sets sights on Division 1

All the time spent travelling for tournaments, showcases, training camps, and more has paid off for Kahnawake laxer Darris Jones, whose family announced on Sunday he had committed to St. Bonaventure University for 2027, a school with a Division 1 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) lacrosse program.

Jones said that his parents, Al Jones and Christine Loft-Jones, have been instrumental in his achievements in life, whether in lacrosse or otherwise.

“I’m very thankful for having my family’s support in my life, because I know a lot of people might not, and it’s not their fault. It’s no one’s fault, but sometimes people don’t have time to put aside. I really do consider myself extremely thankful,” said Darris.

Al, a longtime laxer and coach, has been with his son every step of the way, starting from when he was just getting started at around age seven.

“We spend a lot of time on the road together, father, and son. It can’t get any better than that,” said Al.

“It’s a win-win for me as a father and as a coach to steer him in the right direction.”

Even if she did not always accompany him like his father did, Darris said his mother has been just as important to his development as a laxer.

“The night before a game, she would be on me. ‘Get outside. Go play and pass the ball with your friends. Go for a run.’ She would be on me more than my dad,” said Darris.

He shared a story of when he was very young and was signed up to play in the Paperweight age group - what is now called U7 - by his father, who was excited to get his son to follow in his footsteps.

It did not go exactly as planned.

“I hated it. I cried, and I cried, and I cried. I wanted to go home because all we were doing was running around in a circle,” said Darris.

They tried again one more time, but when that went the same way, his father was ready to get him out of lacrosse, until his mother convinced both of them to start off by passing the ball in the driveway.

“We just did that, just me and him, for a whole year. I loved it,” said Darris.

In his first real game a year later, he scored four goals, showing he did not just develop a love for lacrosse, but an acumen for it, too.

“That story proves that if it wasn’t for my father and what he dedicated and what he sacrificed, I wouldn’t be here in this position,” said Darris.

When father and son went to visit the university, located in Western New York state near the Seneca reservation of Allegany, they stopped to eat in an establishment that happened to be owned by someone from California who had graduated from the school and decided to permanently move to the area.

“He was telling us all about the school and how amazing it is, and that was right before we visited,” said Darris, adding that alone essentially convinced him it would be a good place to attend.

The “movie-like” campus in the fall, the low student-to-teacher ratio of about 20 per, and the philosophy of the lacrosse program certainly did not hurt.

“It looks like it’s going to grow and grow and grow. Which each program, that’s their goal. And he just liked the atmosphere, too,” said Al.

“When he met the coaches, he liked their attitudes. He liked their philosophy, meaning the structure of the team and what their goals are, their practice intensity, the workouts they have to do, all that stuff. He thinks he’ll fit in very well there.”

While Darris said he had offers from other schools that might have bigger programs, at the moment, getting the opportunity to play regularly instead of potentially waiting on the sidelines is something he valued a lot in his decision.

“There’s literally nothing negative about this school. I’m playing Division 1 lacrosse, in a very good division at that. I’m going to continue my studies and hopefully graduate with a diploma on my wall,” said Darris.

Al said that academics and sports are both important for these colleges, which is why even at the minor level, making sure young, gifted athletes do well in school is crucial for their future success.

“What we learned through the process is to make yourself recruitable, meaning, have the grades, work hard in school, and then also have the athleticism to compete at that level,” said Al.

“That’s the mix that these institutes want. They want scholarly athletes. Both go hand in hand.”

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