LA GRANGE — Jauquaz Jones has been forced to grow up faster than most teenagers his age. At only 16, Jones has endured his mother’s untimely death and now watches as his older brother goes through dialysis treatments due to diabetes.
Through it all the North Lenoir junior hasn’t been the only one to mature.
His Hawks teammates have grown up with him.
Jones lost his mother, Nissa, last February when she passed away from complications due to breast cancer and kidney failure, he said. Not only was North Lenoir’s basketball team enduring one of its worst seasons to date — the Hawks lost their first 18 games in 2011-12 — but Jones was enduring some of the darkest moments a teenager can go through.
It’s been nearly a year since that fateful day. While there isn’t a moment goes by that Jones doesn’t think about his mother or his brother, 20-year-old Da’rico, a former standout for the Hawks, the hardships have only made the 16-year-old guard stronger on and off the hardwood.
“I’m just out here trying to do everything for them,” Jones said. “You just got to keep your head up and keep going through it, and pray for better days to come.
“It makes you a lot stronger when you go through stuff like this, especially at a young age,” he added, “and when someone else goes through it you just tell them it’s going to get better.”
With only nine regular season games left on its schedule, North Lenoir (8-7, 3-0 Eastern Carolina 3A) has, in a way, benefited from the tragedy.
The death of his mother inspired Jones to stay the course, and that attitude has since rubbed off on his teammates.
Although only a junior, Jones is now seen as the clubhouse leader in a locker room that has become a family itself.
“Ever since his mother passed away he’s fought through on straight determination and straight dedication. He learned to get through it. He wanted to grind for her, as he would say, ‘Make her proud as if she was still here,’” senior Devantae Sutton said.
“I’ve seen him grow, not just as a better player but as a leader. He’s like a father-figure to the whole team.
“We’ve came together as one — as a family.”
The Hawks, who travel to Eastern Wayne on Wednesday before again taking the road to Clayton Cleveland on Friday, are a completely different team this season than it was last.
Although it lost its first 18 games, North Lenoir held leads late with chances to win but somehow wilted under the pressure.
But not this season.
The Hawks now have the confidence to play to win rather than playing to lose, and they earned that confidence by standing by a teammate who was dealing with something way bigger than basketball.
“We were determined not to have a season like last year,” Jones said. “When things get going tough, you just have to keep your head on and stay focused. No matter what the score looks like, no matter if they’re coming back, you still got to stay focused and get that ‘W.’”
Fifteen games into this season, North Lenoir has one more “W” than “Ls,” and it’s because the entire team learned how to stay focused.
It also learned how to lean on one another during a difficult time.
“During that time, the whole team was there for him. … I think that kind of drew us together. It was a new experience for us,” second-year coach Anthony Loftin said.
“We understood. We felt his hurt.”
It’s been almost a year since Jones lost his mother, who was only able to see him play high school basketball once, he said, right before she passed. Now, Jones believes, she’s able to watch him play every night.
He said he says a prayer for her and listens to “Dear Mama,” written by Tupac Shakur, which was his mother’s favorite song, before every game.
Jones admits he uses basketball as a way to “get away,” but it’s also been the instrument through which he’s showed his maturation.
When Nissa Jones passed away last February, her son, Jauquaz, felt like stopping everything. After a conversation with his older brother, Da’rico, the North Lenoir guard continued to press forward.
His teammates took notice, and they’ve carried forward with him.
“When you want to do something to make your mom proud, even if she wasn’t here to watch it, you just have to keep going hard and getting better and do everything for her,” Jones said.
“There’s been plenty of times you want to give up, but you just got to keep going.”
Ryan Herman can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Ryan.Herman@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter: @KFPSports.