Patrick HiteStaunton News Leader
STAUNTON —JackShotIt. That's the Instagram account for Staunton High School senior Jack Jones, and it could apply to either his basketball or business. Maybe both, because his shot either way is pure.
Jones has been on the varsity basketball team since he was a freshman. That career is about to come to a close as Staunton enters the regional playoffs. Best case scenario he has three more weeks left if Staunton can reach the state championship. Worst case he has one night left if the Storm don't beat Heritage Lynchburg on Friday in the Region 3C opener.
Jones isn't quite ready to see that chapter of his life end, but he knows it's coming.
"It started to hit me last night at senior night," Jones said in an interview Tuesday evening. "I was holding back tears walking out. Four years fly. Every freshman sits there and thinks they have all the time in the world, but in reality you'll blink and realize you're playing your last home game ever."
It almost ended earlier than he expected. In the second game this season, Jones went for a steal and his pinky finger hit the chest of his opponent. His hand was broken. He was told he'd miss four to six weeks.
"I heard broken bone and started thinking the worst," he said. "But it was one of the least painful injuries I've had."
There were rumors around the school that he'd miss the rest of the season, but he ended up only missing four games, one of those a close loss to the team Staunton faces Friday, Heritage. When he returned, he played with a brace, but that made shooting hard. And that is Jones's game. He's a clutch 3-point shooter for the Storm.
Now, the brace is gone and he's back to where he wants to be. He said it was a win over Stuarts Draft on Feb. 2 that things really clicked for him. He scored 19 points and hit five 3s.
"I think I'm 100%," he said. "I guess I say that until something happens, but I feel 100%. I have no issues at all."
Hoos to Hokies
Even when basketball does end, Jones has the next chapter of his life outlined pretty well. He's planning to attend Virginia Tech in the fall to major in multimedia journalism. His goal for life after college is pretty specific.
"I have an exact dream," he said. "I want to be the head of a sports media department at an SEC or an ACC school. I really, really, really like college sports. I like the energy around it."
The Virginia Tech connection is interesting. He broke the news to family over the holidays, a family that is diehard UVA. Jones said his great-grandfather hated Virginia Tech so much that he would drive an hour out of the way just to avoid Blacksburg. His grandfather played three sports at UVA. One family member told Jones that she would never like Tech, but since he was going there she'd hate them a little less.
Even Jones was a University of Virginia fan growing up. He used to dress as the school's mascot, CavMan, when he went to games.
Now, though, he'll adjust to life at Virginia Tech. We'll see if he dresses as the Hokie Bird.
Photo finish
The first time Jones picked up a camera was freshman year. It was his sister's camera, one he called a "little learner" camera that was basically point and shoot. He took it out to the Staunton High School football field and took photos of his friends.
He grew up watching Ballislife, an outlet that gained exposure with its basketball mixed tapes.
"I was like, huh, I think I could do that," Jones said. "The camera also took video so I started doing highlight tape videos."
That Christmas he got a Canon T6i, eventually buying extra lenses for the camera and then upgrading to a Sony A73. Throughout that time he was building his own business, JackShotIt. It started with him shooting for friends for free as a freshman. By his sophom*ore year, he started getting $10 per person to take photos. It's now up to $25 a game.
As the word about his work has spread, he'll get messages from people in Albemarle County asking him to come take photos of them and maybe five or six more people. Jones will head over the mountain and get to work.
Football season is the big season for him because he has more free time. Once basketball starts, he's a little busy with practices and games, although he still manages to get to other games occasionally. He went to Lexington this year for the Rock The Ribbon tournament.
During the fall he goes to football games every Friday night throughout the region. He takes 3,000 to 5,000 photos, working with up to a dozen clients a night. Over the weekend he sorts and edits the photos and videos. He might spend eight hours or more doing that work on an average weekend.
Jones has had an interest in art for years, and he love sports. He found a way to combine the two.
"I just found a hobby that I liked and realized that I could make some money," he said. "It just slowly escalated from there."
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—Patrick Hite is The News Leader's educationreporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) atphite@newsleader.comand follow himon Twitter@Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to usatnewsleader.com.
