Purdue's Lance Jones Heading to Spain to Begin Professional Basketball Career
Former Purdue guard Lance Jones is heading overseas to begin his professional basketball career. The Boilermaker has agreed to a contract with Club Baloncesto Tizona (Spain). The team made the announcement on Thursday.
CB Tizona plays in the Primera FEB (or LEB Oro) league. No other specifics regarding Jones' contract were provided in the team's official release.
Jones was at Purdue for one season, playing a critical role for the Boilermakers during the team's run to the National Championship Game in 2024. He provided a flash of quickness, a strong defensive presence and great scoring ability to the backcourt.
Jones started in all 39 games for Matt Painter's squad last season, averaging 11.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Purdue finished the year with a 34-5 record, winning a Big Ten regular season title and earning a trip to the National Championship Game, the team's first visit since 1969.
Following his lone season in West Lafayette, Jones received an invitation to play with the Indiana Pacers during the NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas. He appeared in the team's final two games, scoring 10 total points, dishing out two assists and recording two steals.
During the pre-draft process, Jones highlighted how his time at Purdue helped him prepare for a career in professional basketball.
"I think it helped me tremendously," Jones said. "You know, being at Purdue we go against top competition in the nation, some of the best players. I think it just helped my confidence."
Jones was an outstanding player at Southern Illinois, spending four seasons with the program before transferring to Purdue. He averaged 12.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals per game across four seasons with SIU.
The former Purdue guard also highlighted something that he took away from spending time with Painter in West Lafayette.
"One saying that stuck with me that he said was make your hard work fun," he said. "That's something I try to take in every day. Everybody doesn't want to practice, have the hard practice, long days. But, I think making that hard work fun is something I took with me and made it easier for me."
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