In the sport of lacrosse, there are few players who have a presence as captivating as Myles Jones. In 2013, Myles stepped onto the college lacrosse scene as a staggering 6’5, 200+ pound freshman at Duke University. From that point he took the world by storm and has not slowed down since. Since 2013, Myles has captured multiple national titles, earned multiple All-American honors, and has continued to be one of the most impactful players on every roster he is on.
But what exactly makes Myles Jones such a fun and talented lacrosse player to watch? Arguably, it’s the fact that he is more than just a lacrosse player, but actually a physical specimen and phenomenal athlete that the game of lacrosse does not see often. But even more so, like many great lacrosse players in history, this sport was not his first choice nor was he a natural.
Myles Jones was always a multi-sport athlete leading from his early youth all the way through his time in high school. But initially, Myles was just a basketball and football player in his younger years. This did not change until around sixth grade, when another parent would suggest to Myles’ father he start playing lacrosse. Despite his father not knowing much about the sport, he knew Long Island was a hotbed for lacrosse that could present his son with lots opportunities in the future for him.
Boy, was he right. Myles’ described his first lacrosse practice in very simple terms.
“I couldn’t catch. I couldn’t throw. I didn’t care. I loved lacrosse.”
– Myles Jones
From that day forward, Myles would begin dedicating every day of his week to becoming a better lacrosse player and that hard work would soon pay off as he entered high school.
In high school, Myles was nothing short of athletically phenomenal. He had the attention of national powerhouses like Duke, Virginia, and North Carolina from an early point in his high school lacrosse career and rightfully so. He was a four-time Suffolk County All-League selection, a three-time All-County selection, and was an Under Armour All-American selection in his senior campaign.
In addition to this mountain of lacrosse accomplishments, Myles was also a four-year participant and standout on both the football and basketball teams at his high school. Myles was an all-Long Island , all-league, and all-county basketball player along with being an all-league and all-county football quarterback as well. Needless to say, he was a dominant force in every sport he took on.
After a post-grad year at Salisbury School playing basketball and lacrosse, Jones would enter Duke as a freshman in 2013 where he would cement his name in lacrosse history forever by putting together four of the best seasons any midfielder could ask for.
In his freshman and sophomore campaigns, Myles would hit heights many players only dream of, winning back-to-back national championships in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Jones would play nearly every game in both his freshman and sophomore season, totaling 21 points as a freshman and skyrocketing to 63 points as a sophomore where he would earn All-ACC, NCAA Tournament Team, and capped off with USILA Second Team All-American honors. Despite all the success, Myles still had not even tapped into his full potential until his junior and senior years where he would truly take the nation by storm.
As a junior, Myles would have one of the best midfield seasons in Duke Blue Devil history. Myles Jones started every game on the first line midfield that year and put together a 77 point season, leading all midfielders nationally in scoring and was fourth overall in points per game. In that same season, Myles would earn his first USILA 1st Team All-American selection while also being named a finalist for the coveted Tewaaraton Award.
But if that wasn’t enough, he was also named the, LT. Donald MacLaughlin Jr Award Winner for being the nation’s top midfielder. For his senior season, it was only fitting that Myles would close out by duplicating his exact success from the season prior. Myles would again close the season as a USILA 1st Team All-American, LT. Donald MacLaughlin Jr Award Winner, led all midfielders nationally, and was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year.
Following his senior season, Myles Jones would go on to be the No.1 overall pick in the MLL being selected to Chesapeake Bayhawks where he would also become the first lacrosse player to sign an endorsement deal with Adidas. This truly showcased that he was a special kind of player and big brands already began to take notice early in his career.
Following three years in the MLL where he averaged around 30 points a season in his three years with the Bayhawks, he made the transition over to the PLL where he was selected by the Chaos in the 2019 inaugural season. After a year with the Chaos, he was traded over to the Redwoods where he is now a high quality piece of their midfield line following only behind Jules Heningburg in points on the season.
With Myles’ contract expiring this year, it is imperative that he has a good season and functions as an integral part for the Redwoods offense. He must continue to show that his size and strength makes him a miss-match in almost every situation, while showing he has the lacrosse IQ to still take good shots and find the right looks as a feeder for his team as well. With a 6’5 and 260 pound build, Jones brings a size advantage and mismatch that any team would want to have on their side, but he still must make sure his lacrosse skill and IQ is just as strong in order to keep him marketable in this league.
