CARDINALS

Jones denies anger management plan

Jeff Greer

Louisville Courier Journal

Louisville red team's Chris Jones drives the ball up the court.
Oct. 12. 2013

This story was updated on Monday, Feb. 23.

A day after a source close to dismissed Louisville basketball player Chris Jones said Jones planned to seek anger management counseling from ex-NBA coach and player John Lucas, Jones denied that claim in a message to The Courier-Journal.

Reached by phone on Monday, Lucas declined to comment on Jones.

The source, who spoke at length with Jones on Sunday, said the guard from Memphis acknowledged that he "messed up" at U of L and would seek help with anger management and issues stemming from ADHD.

The source would not go into detail as to why Jones was dismissed from the program on Sunday but did say that Jones thanked Louisville fans for their support over the past two seasons, which have been tumultuous for Jones.

Related: Chris Jones dismissed from U of L basketball team

Jones was suspended for Wednesday's game at Syracuse and had several other disciplinary run-ins with U of L's coaching staff over his two years in the program, primarily because of his struggles with a turbulent temper.

Jones's departure from U of L surprised the college basketball world on Sunday as 12th-ranked Louisville (21-6) prepared for a 7 p.m. Monday game at Georgia Tech.

After serving the suspension, Jones had returned to Louisville's lineup for Saturday's 55-53 win over Miami, compiling 17 points, five rebounds, two steals and two assists in 36 minutes. After the game, he said the suspension "was my fault" and blamed himself for his team's loss.

"I'm not worried about anything that anybody has to say about me," Jones said. "I came a long way, I'm telling you, from (throwing) garbage cans in gyms to wanting to fight every game to keeping it inside. I know how to manage it by just playing hard."

Sullivan: A bad actor makes an unscripted exit

Jones grew up in the Orange Mound neighborhood in Memphis, a tough area east of midtown, and said in an extended interview with The Courier-Journal in November 2013 that he slept with the family pitbull in an isolated room on the first floor of his mother's house and served as the only man in his immediate family.

But, he quipped with a grin, "I had a mouth on me."

Jones played high school ball at Melrose and led his team to a state title. Kevin Keatts, who was then the head coach at Hargrave Military Academy, passed on recruiting Jones because of the young player's attitude problem. Instead, Jones enrolled for a short-lived stint at Oak Ridge Military Academy in North Carolina.

He signed with Tennessee as part of the Volunteers' 2011 class, hoping to play with close friend Kevin Ware, who also eventually wound up at U of L. But when Jones didn't qualify academically, he went south, to Northwest Florida State, a junior-college power.

Story continues after video

Jones eventually became the junior-college player of the year, and he had made enough strides with his attitude that Keatts, Pitino and U of L signed him.

Since then, he's been hot and cold with his attitude. He struggled last season playing alongside All-American guard Russ Smith, who was the team's undisputed go-to scorer.

This season, Jones frustrated Pitino at times with his shot selection and sometimes kamikaze style of play. He also had problems talking back to his coach.

"Chris is the type of guy who always has his hands in the cookie jar, and if you allow his hands to go in the cookie jar, he'll take all the cookies," Pitino said in January. "He'll do the wrong things ... so you have to make sure Chris does all the right things. He is a great guy and a lot of fun to coach because he'll bring it every single practice, but if you allow him to have bad habits, he'll have a lot of bad habits. If you don't allow it, he won't.

"In the past he's been allowed to get away with certain things. It's like ... most young people are sitting on a fence. With discipline, education, fundamentals, they'll do great things in life. If you don't give them good discipline, good fundamentals, good teaching, they'll do the wrong things in life."