Ben Davis' Two-Sport Giant
Ben Davis’ two-sport powerhouse Dawand Jones a sizable force in football and basketball
Posted 11:05 AM, August 23, 2018, by Larra Overton, Updated at 11:09AM, August 23, 2018
When Dawand Jones trots onto the field, it’s impossible not to notice.
“When you look at just his sheer stature, he’s going to draw attention to himself,” Jason Simmons, Ben David head football coach, said.
“Seventh grade year, I was 6’1”, 8th grade 6’3”, freshman year I grew to 6’5”, sophomore year 6’6”, and how I’m 6 8”, 6’9” almost,” Jones explained.
As a rapidly growing adolescent, classmates teased Dawand about his size, which he used as motivation.
“I just started soaking it up and I put that anger into my game and just started turning it on. I just have a different motor than most people,” the offensive lineman said.
Dawand's imposing 6'8," 350-pound frame coupled with raw athleticism first made him a powerhouse on the court for the Giants.
"You know it's one thing to be big but it's another to put it to use like Dawand does,” Simmons said.
And now he's taken those size 19 cleats one step further in just his second season of organized football.
"There aren't many people that are built like him that can do the things that he does and when you look at what he does on the basketball court, whether it's on film or in person that's starting to show and translate out here,” Simmons said of Dawand’s football potential. “That's what makes him special besides the fact he's a great kid, he's also becoming a really good football player.”
Dawand is fielding division one interest both in football and in basketball, so it seems he will have his options when it comes to the end of his senior season but for him his top priority is on getting an education.
"I really like accounting, these guys at Ben Davis have really helped me out these past three years. I'll probably take accounting or some type of business course. I really like money and entrepreneurship,” Dawand explained.
And he's determined to use the opportunity at the next level, but academically and athletically to take care of the two most important people in his life.
"My mom and my grandma, I’m just trying to get them a big house one day hopefully."