Texas Southern: John Walker III, Joirdon Karl Nicholas Praise Coach Johnny Jones
HOUSTON — A coach's wisdom and legacy lives on with how his players achieve, live, and conduct themselves on and off the basketball court for years after his time with the player is over. Based on the comments of seniors John Walker III and Joirdon Karl Nicholas gave HBCU Legends, Texas Southern's Johnny Jones has left an indelible impression on the two athletes.
March 15, 2023; Joirdon Karl Nicholas and John Walker III talk about the the wisdom and mentorship of TSU head basketball coach Johnny Jones. Credit: NCAA
"I think you can see how important that relationship is," Walker II told reporters. He continued, "Just me coming from Texas A&M and just kind of being uncomfortable and being so shocked at the Division I level. And me coming over here to Texas Southern, he kind of took the pressure off everything, saying hey, you're good enough."
Joirdon Karl Nicholas spoke about the life lessons Coach Jones instilled in him. "Just first, lessons off the court, just being a better man. Little stuff like being on time or being early; five minutes early is being on time. He's getting you ready for a job and just holding us accountable. He holds everybody accountable. As seniors, he held us accountable this year. It's a million and one things I can say, but he's taught us patience. He's taught us how to get through adversity. He's taught us a million things."
Mar 15, 2023; Dayton, OH, USA; Texas Southern Tigers forward Joirdon Karl Nicholas (5) dunks the ball in the first half against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights at UD Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Karl Nicholas also mentioned how Jones motivated him to become a "better leader, man, and basketball player."
John Walker III echoed his sentiments, citing specifics that will carry over as he focuses on becoming a professional basketball player and entering the 2023 NBA Draft process.
"I can get real specific because I talk to my dad about it all the time. He taught me how to be poised in a game because if you have any talent, they will come at you verbally."
He referenced how Jones' advice helped him against SWAC opponents and helped to cut down on technical fouls and keep cool on the court.
March 15, 2023; John Walker III talks to reporters about his time at Texas Southern with head basketball coach Johnny Jones. Credit: NCAA
After getting to know Walker and Karl Nicholas, Jones expressed his pride in coaching them at Texas Southern.
"As a coach, I can just say I'm very blessed to come into a situation as a coach early on, in my fifth season, to get a group of guys like that, including who wasn't up here on the podium, Jordan and Gilliam, along with Karl Nicholas and John Walker.
To have a group of guys like that that bought in, one, to the things that we were doing as a basketball team and a program, guys that obviously were extremely skilled when you've got a guy like Walker coming from Texas A&M. But at the end of the day, the thing that was most important to those guys was winning. I was very blessed that we kind of got the four pillars for those guys, and I think they did a great job of buying in, of trying to get better and putting their best foot forward academically. They've graduated already. All three actually are working on their Master's Degrees.
March 15, 2023; Texas Southern with head basketball coach Johnny Jones talks about his players and the loss to Fairleigh Dickinson in the NCAA First Four game. Credit: NCAA
I think spiritually, those guys have really grown in our program. I think socially they've done a tremendous job, and athletically I think they've continued to improve, and they've done an excellent job within our community. As a coach, I absolutely love them because they are family-oriented guys. It's hard coaching, it's hard having guys around for a long period of time like that. But these guys did a great job of taking a group of freshmen along with them this year because we had a big turnover and helping those guys through some tough situations throughout the year.
And we wouldn't be sitting here today had it not been for the impact that those seniors made on our program. To continue getting those young guys to continue to fight with them, they put us in a position to win our conference tournament to get here tonight."
Jones and his staff will now focus on recruiting freshman talent and transfer portal athletes to help TSU next season. He will lose G PJ Henry, F Joirdon Karl Nicholas, G Jordan Gilliam, F Grayson Carter, and F John Walker III.
The front line duo of Walker and Karl Nicholas will be challenging to duplicate with the level of competition increasing in Texas and the SWAC. Could the "Wizard" of the SWAC make a fourth-consecutive run for the SWAC Tournament title in 2024?
Will shall see.