Whitby Warriors draft Darris Jones 

It came as a complete surprise for 16-year-old laxer Darris Jones to hear that he had been drafted in the first round, 10th overall, by the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL)’s Whitby Warriors.

“In the weeks prior to it, I was just saying that it'd be awesome to get drafted, period. I didn't really expect anything too early. I thought I would, if anything, be 20th, if that. But to be picked 10th in the first round, that’s insane to me,” said Jones. “For a minute, I was like, ‘that’s cool,’ but then it really hit me, and it’s been pretty surreal since. It's like it's a dream come true.”

His father, lacrosse coach Al Jones, was just as pleasantly surprised as his son when the news came.

“He had hoped to be considered, and we didn't really know when the draft was. We just heard it was going to be in January, at some point,” said Al. “So he's living his life, and he's a humble kid, and all of a sudden, Kirby Joe Diabo calls me.”

Diabo, who was an assistant coach to Al last year and is now the president of the Kahnawake Minor Lacrosse Association, asked Al if he had been watching the draft, and when Al told him that no, he was not, Diabo gave him the news.

“We’re very honored. For him to come up at that level of lacrosse, which is the highest level of Junior you can go, is pretty impressive to me,” said Al.

Diabo, for his part, was not shocked at all by Darris’ draft position – if anything, he thought Whitby was lucky to get him at 10.

“I honestly thought that he would have gone in the top five,” said Diabo. “He is probably one of the most dominant players at his age. Whitby definitely did a bit of homework on him. Honestly, I thought that the Six Nations Arrows were going to pick him up because they had five picks in the first round. But they didn’t, they passed on him.”

Diabo is not the only one who thinks Whitby was lucky to draft Darris.

“Darris was one of the kids we were looking to draft at four originally," said Joel Watson, co-general manager of the Whitby Warriors. Whitby had the second, fourth, and 14th picks, before trading the latter two picks to Six Nations for a package that included the pick used to select Darris. 

“I expected him to go anywhere in the first round after the top three,” said Watson. “Most of the league knew who the three first picks were, so anywhere from four to nine is where he could have gone. Peterborough had two picks in front of us and that was a worry for us. But, they went in a different direction, and we were fortunate enough to get Darris.”

Watson, Al, and Diabo all agreed that his compete level, his skill, and his goal scoring ability were big factors in his draft position.

“I think he obviously had some of the best stick skills in the draft,” said Watson. “From what I have seen, it seems like he's a pretty talented offensive player and he has a knack for the net, and that's what we're looking for, especially in the years to come. You need goals to win lacrosse games.”

Darris is not a stranger to high-level Junior lacrosse. He acted as a call-up for stretches of last season for the Kahnawake Hunters.

“They know he can handle that level of play. As a 16-year-old, to be playing and competing with 21-year-olds, that's a pretty big statement,” said Al.

Both father and son see getting drafted by Whitby as a big opportunity to further both Darris’ lacrosse career and his education.

Right before the draft, Darris was accepted into a prep school, and he will be attending the Hill Academy in Caledon, Ontario.

“We're gearing up towards his whole career, we're getting him ready for Division One college prospects, and stuff like that. He's been training, and we’ve been traveling the road to tournaments, to get him and his name out there,” said Al.

“In my eyes, I see a new doorway, a huge opportunity for myself, but also for anybody playing a sport to get into higher education, college scholarship or university scholarship, or even at the professional level. And that's what this means to me,” said Darris.

“It's not just a sport where we play to have fun. There is time for fun, of course, but there is definitely a time for really thinking of education and academics. You can't just you want to play at a higher level, but then not try for what comes after. That's not how it works. The best players in the world are working every day on their skills, and that's what you have to do." 

While it is not guaranteed that Darris will make the Warriors team in his first year, as the transition to the OJLL is a big step, it’s all part of the process, and Whitby will have him in their system for five years following his draft.

“There's definitely a transition there, going from minor to Junior A. It's a whole different speed, it's a whole different ball game,” said Diabo. “He's only 16, so he's still got five years. It's going to be a fun time to start a whole new career.”

Darris knows it will be a lot of work, and he’s ready to put in the effort.

"Anybody dreaming and wishing to make it to the next level, they just need to keep going, keep pushing themselves. Even if you do get tired, push that little extra bit more, because it'll add up in the long run,” said Darris.

“Any little bit of exercise, any bit of shooting on the wall, every little thing adds up all the time. You can't just stop after this point. Being drafted, that's amazing. It's wonderful. I’m really happy. But that's not it. That's just the beginning.”

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