Who Is Andrew Jones? Texas Longhorns Guard Diagnosed With Leukemia

After missing time with an undisclosed illness, Texas Longhorns sophomore guard Andrew Jones will step away from basketball to recover from leukemia. Jones’ family confirmed Wednesday that the Longhorns’ top scorer was diagnosed with the disease after several recent medical tests, ESPN reported.

Jones, 20, was a McDonald's High School All-American and was ranked in the top 20 players as a recruit before he committed to the University of Texas, according to his bio on the Longhorns athletics website. He averaged 11.4 points per game as a freshman and opted to stay in school rather than jump to the NBA.

He led the Longhorns in scoring with 15.3 points per game before a wrist injury limited his playing time earlier this season. His scoring dropped off to 11.4 after two recent games when he totaled just 20 combined minutes.

Jones was born in Midland, Texas, but grew up in Irving. He has an older brother, Anthony Jackson, and his older sister, Alexis Jones, is a rookie guard on the Minnesota Lynx.

Longhorns coach Shaka Smart offered his support in a statement through the Texas men’s basketball Twitter account.

Former Longhorn Myles Turner, who now plays for the Indiana Pacers, also tweeted his support for Jones and his recovery from leukemia.