Wofford's Messiah Jones celebrates mom, homecoming against Drake basketball

Last week’s men’s basketball game between Drake and Wofford was supposed to be a homecoming of sorts for Terriers forward Messiah Jones.

The 6-foot-6 senior calls Chicago home but he has more connections to Des Moines than most people know.

After a successful high school career at powerhouse Simeon Career Academy, Jones committed to play college basketball at Drake. But he had committed to former coach Niko Medved, so he decommitted before Darian DeVries took over. Jones then chose Wofford in South Carolina, more than 700 miles away from home.

That decision took him farther away from Illinois than he would’ve been at Drake. It took him away from his mother, Teresa Booker Johnson, several siblings and other family members.

Until last Monday.

Wofford’s coaching staff scheduled the non-conference matchup against Drake in part because they wanted to get Jones closer to home in his senior year.

Closer to his mom, who once lived in Des Moines.

Because of work and responsibilities to her other children, Jones’ mother was able to see him play only once – Wofford’s game against Coastal Carolina. She’d surprised him on his birthday, and Jones finished that game with 10 points and seven rebounds in the Terriers’ win.

“It was a great surprise, and we ended up winning,” Jones told the Register. “Just having that moment with her was super special, but that was the only time she got to see me play.”

The Nov. 14 game offered the opportunity for Johnson to see her son play in person one more time. But that moment never came. Jones’ mother died unexpectedly on Aug. 29.

“Before my mom passed, I was texting her, telling her that I was going to Drake to see her, and she can come see me play,” Jones said. “She got all excited. And she wasn’t able to be here physically, but I know she was with me.”

Drake defeated Wofford, 80-72, but Jones was playing for something more. It had been less than three months since his mother’s death, and he took the opening tip-off in a game where Johnson should’ve been in the stands.

He finished with four rebounds, three points, two assists and a block in 19 minutes against the Bulldogs.

And while Jones missed his mother, there was no shortage of support in the crowd.

Uncles, aunts and cousins made the trek to the Knapp Center. Jones’ father, Marcel, was there as well. Jones had a chance to catch up with all of them postgame.

“A lot of my family members came out to see me play. (They) played a huge part in my life, with my mom,” Jones said. “Especially seeing (my dad) here, I’m grateful for these guys coming out.”

Jones relished his chance to finally play a game at the place where he almost continued his basketball career. And he appreciated a trip to where his mom – a woman he described as "superwoman" – called home.

Now, Jones will turn his focus back to the remainder of his final season. Wofford returned to Spartansburg for a three-game homestand.

But the trip back home – or close enough – for the first time in his college career will stick with Jones, because of his connection to Drake but more so for a moment still shared with his mother.

“It’s definitely a weird feeling,” Jones said. “The fans are definitely great here at Drake. That’s a reason why I fell in love in the first place. But it was definitely a weird feeling. I’m glad I finally got to play in this place.”

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drake men's basketball game a homecoming for Wofford's Messiah Jones