Commitment Announcement
Fall Signing Week '15: Kenya Jones Chooses the Jackets
by Rick Limpert, 11 November 2015
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op por tu ni ty (noun) opportunity; plural noun: opportunities
- a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.
- a chance for employment or promotion.
To say that Memphis' Kenya Jones is constantly looking for an opportunity is an understatement. Whether it's an opportunity to learn in school, advance her tennis career, think ahead to a possible internship or maybe even choose to excel in multiple sports, Jones is game. This fall, Jones weighed all the options and opportunities that were presented to her as she decided to accept a tennis scholarship to play for Coach Rodney Harmon and Georgia Tech.
"I took five official visits; one to
Florida State, one to
LSU, then
Clemson,
Vanderbilt and of course, Georgia Tech," Jones explained. "All of the coaches were great, but Coach Rodney was the first coach to start recruiting me, and he said he always saw the potential in my game. It doesn't hurt that Georgia Tech is a wonderful school academically."
Jones has risen in the tennis ranks with her father, Keita, leading the charge. A former tennis player at Jackson State in Mississippi and now a tennis teaching professional, Kenya says there is a special bond with her father that transcends the typical father/daughter relationship.
"It's always been my dad, but every now and then, I've worked with a different coach on my serve. My dad would always talk to that coach and tell them what we are working on. Sometimes he wanted me to hear it from someone else. Being with him all the time, he knows I get sick of him, so it's good to hear what my dad says backed up by another coach."
Jones says that her dad always knows the right buttons to push. After an early loss at the USTA G18 National Clay Court Championships, Jones says she "got the talk."
"At Clays, I lost first round, and my dad got on me. We worked on things, and I got better as I kept going and playing in the tournament."
That's an understatement as after her first round defeat, Jones won eight straight matches in the back draw.
Jones, who attends White Station High School in Memphis, is also aware that she doesn't have the time to practice as much as some of the juniors that are homeschooled. She says her dad may allow her to enter an extra tournament as practice.
