Paora Winitana
July 23, 2020
Phill Jones
- Nationality: NZL
- Date of Birth: 25/01/74
- Place of Birth: Christchurch (New Zealand)
- Position: SG
- Height (CM): 196
- Weight (KG): 95
- Junior Assoc: NZ - Dunedin
- College: Northern Iowa (1999–2003)
- NBL DEBUT: 1/10/03
- AGE AT DEBUT: 29
- LAST NBL GAME: 29/04/11
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 37
- NBL History: New Zealand 2004, 2008-09 | Cairns 2010-11
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Phillip Charles George “Phill” Jones is best known for his time spent with the Nelson Giants in the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL).
The two-time Olympian has scored more points in the New Zealand NBL than any other Kiwi player and is second overall in league scoring history.
In 2004, he ranked second among all points scorers at the Athens Olympics.
In 2016, he became the first player in New Zealand NBL history to reach 400 games.
Born in Christchurch, Jones grew up in Reefton, where he attended Inangahua College. In 1992, Jones moved to Nelson to play high school basketball at Nelson College.
FAMILY: Jones is the son of John and Carol Jones, and has a brother named Johnno. He and his wife Kat have three children. His son Hayden debuted with the Nelson Giants in 2023 as a 16-year-old.
NBL EXPERIENCE
Phill Jones made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 29 years of age. He scored 20 points in his first game.
In March 2003, Three Waikato businessmen, Michael Redman, Dallas Fisher and Keith Ward, acquired a NBL licence for a team based in New Zealand. The inaugural Breakers roster was built from the core playing group of New Zealand’s national team, which had finished in fourth place at the FIBA World Championships six months prior.
Phill Jones, who had been the ‘Tall Blacks’ leading scorer (18.2 ppg) at the World Champs, Paul Henare, Dillon Boucher, Paora Winitana and Pero Cameron (who was named team captain) formed the Breakers’ local core. The roster was then filled out with up and coming New Zealand talent like Aaron Olsen and Lindsey Tait and some Australian NBL veterans like Ben Melmeth and Brad Williams to add leadership. Lastly, Casey Frank, a long-time import in the New Zealand national league, was signed as the team’s second import.
Jeff Green was implemented as the team’s first coach and, despite the Breakers being picked by many to finish dead last, they pulled out a win in their very first NBL game against Adelaide (111-110).
After initial success, the Breakers went on to lose ten of their next eleven games (proving the pundits right) to languish near the bottom of the NBL ladder for the remainder of the season.
Twelve games into the season (2-10), Green was fired and succeeded by the team’s assistant coach Frank Arsego, who had also headed up the basketball program at the Australian Institute of Sport for the past five years. Arsego would then bring in Mike Chappell (22.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists), who finished top five in the league in both points and three-point shooting while playing in Canberra the season before. Both Casey Frank and Brad Williams would be released to make way for Chappell, who went on to lead the team in scoring and named Breakers club MVP.
Chappell’s presence delivered a mid-season resurgence where a five game winning streak towards the end of the season gave the Breakers a realistic shot of qualifying for the playoffs. Needing to win both of their final games in the final round to claim a playoff berth, the Breakers instead went winless and finished in tenth place (12–21). Jones (13.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 steals) and Ben Melmeth (13.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) finished as the best of the team’s local talent.
2007/08
During the 2007/08 season, Jones returned to the Breakers after three seasons spent in Europe. Jones averaged 14.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists and was a part of the Breakers squad that finished in seventh place (16-14).
2008/09
After the Brisbane Bullets fell into financial hardship and withdrew from the league, head coach Andrej Lemanis recruited free agent pair CJ Bruton (two-year deal) and former Breaker Dillon Boucher (three-year deal) to play for the Breakers with the explicit intentions to win a championship that season.
‘The Breakers have proved they’re a playoff team and I’d like to help take them up to that next level,’ Bruton said upon signing with New Zealand.
‘I’ve seen the Breakers change their team and their culture to become more competitive. They’re serious about becoming number one and I want to be a part of New Zealand’s first championship. You don’t play this sport just to be in it.’
The duo joined the existing roster of Paul Henare, Kirk Penney, Phill Jones, Oscar Forman, Tony Ronaldson and Tim Behrendorff. The Breakers later signed import Rick Rickert to finalise their roster.
Bruton’s signing gave the Breakers’ stability and direction at the point guard position, something the Breakers had always been missing. New Zealand would play with only one import this season, being led by Bruton (16.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.7 steals ) and sharp-shooting Penney (24.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists) who would be selected to the All-NBL First Team. Penney would also make history by becoming the first New Zealand born player to win NBL MVP, and Phill Jones was voted the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.
With 14 games left in the season and the Breakers on top of the ladder (15-4), Bruton suffered a high-ankle sprain in late December, which saw the team stumble through January, losing eight of their next nine games.
Heading into the playoffs with a win in their last game regular season game, the Breakers finished with a 18–12 record, setting the team up with their first ever home playoff game. New Zealand went on to win their elimination playoff, routing Adelaide (131–101) to set up a best-of-three semi final series with the defending champions Melbourne. In their first-ever semi finals appearance, the Breakers were beaten 2–0.
Jones appeared in 32 games for New Zealand, averaging 14.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.
CAIRNS TAIPANS
2009/10
In 2009/10, Jones averaged 11.6 points and 3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists, as the Taipans finished in seventh place (11-17).
2010/11
After finishing one loss away from the wooden spoon in 2010, the Taipans underwent a major rehaul of their roster. While the core group of Ian Crosswhite, Dusty Rychart, Aaron Grabau and captain Phill Jones remained, Cairns replaced the rest of last year’s roster. Alex Loughton, the team’s major signing, returned to Australia after a season spent in Spain. Daniel Dillon, who had spent the past season in the state league, signed on as the Snake’s backup point guard, and imports Ayinde Ubaka and Ron Dorsey replaced Julien Mills and Rich Melzer.
After a modest start to the season, starting with one win from the first three games of the season, the Taipans became the surprise packed of the year. The team won five in a row and jumped from 7th place in round three to 2nd place by round nine.
A well-balanced attack from Cairns saw Ubaka (13.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists), Dorsey (13.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists), Loughton (11.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists) and Crosswhite (11.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists) all score in double figures.
The Taipans finished the season on a four-game winning streak and in third place (16–12).
The semi finals saw them lose to Townsville in the opening game of the series before winning games two and three to advance through to the Grand Final series for the first time in franchise history.
Facing off against New Zealand, Cairns suffered a thrashing in the series opener (85–67) in Auckland before returning to Cairns for Game 2. There, the Taipans looked set for a three-point win in regulation before a three-pointer from Breakers guard CJ Bruton in the dying seconds sent the match into overtime. However, not to be outdone, five minutes later, Dorsey returned the favour, wiping out the Breakers’ three-point lead with a miraculous long-range buzzer beater which saw the first game in NBL history head into double overtime. With momentum now on their side, the Taipans took home a nail-biting double-overtime win (85–81) which sent the series back to New Zealand for a third game.
The Taipans lacked the same spark in game three, with import pair Ubaka and Dorsey shooting 4-of-26 between them and the Breakers winning comfortably by 18 points (71–53).
This season, Jones production had really started to decline, he finished with averages of 6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists across 32 games and was not offered a contract for next season.
Phill Jones played five seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Cairns Taipans and the New Zealand Breakers. He averaged 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 157 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 37 | Cairns | 16-12 (3) | 32 | 649 | 204 | 92 | 45 | 29 | 63 | 15 | 2 | 44 | 63 | 69 | 190 | 36% | 29 | 78 | 37% | 37 | 45 | 82% | 48% | 44% | 19 |
| 2009-10 | 36 | Cairns | 11-17 (7) | 28 | 739 | 326 | 84 | 53 | 16 | 68 | 36 | 7 | 28 | 60 | 109 | 247 | 44% | 35 | 94 | 37% | 73 | 82 | 89% | 57% | 51% | 25 |
| 2008-09 | 35 | New Zealand | 18-12 (3) | 32 | 841 | 464 | 116 | 44 | 29 | 87 | 22 | 4 | 45 | 76 | 159 | 340 | 47% | 69 | 163 | 42% | 77 | 89 | 87% | 61% | 57% | 28 |
| 2007-08 | 34 | New Zealand | 16-14 (7) | 32 | 871 | 451 | 100 | 61 | 19 | 81 | 22 | 4 | 39 | 108 | 145 | 342 | 42% | 77 | 180 | 43% | 84 | 98 | 86% | 58% | 54% | 32 |
| 2003-04 | 30 | New Zealand | 12-21 (10) | 33 | 923 | 457 | 128 | 58 | 37 | 91 | 37 | 7 | 61 | 102 | 166 | 420 | 40% | 68 | 177 | 38% | 57 | 75 | 76% | 50% | 48% | 38 | Totals | 157 | 4023 | 1902 | 520 | 261 | 130 | 390 | 132 | 24 | 217 | 409 | 648 | 1539 | 42.1% | 278 | 692 | 40.2% | 328 | 389 | 84.3% | 56% | 51% | 38 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-11 | 37 | Cairns | 16-12 (3) | 32 | 20.3 | 6.4 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 5.9 | 36% | 0.9 | 2.4 | 37% | 1.2 | 1.4 | 82% | 48% | 44% | 19 |
| 2009-10 | 36 | Cairns | 11-17 (7) | 28 | 26.4 | 11.6 | 3.0 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 8.8 | 44% | 1.3 | 3.4 | 37% | 2.6 | 2.9 | 89% | 57% | 51% | 25 |
| 2008-09 | 35 | New Zealand | 18-12 (3) | 32 | 26.3 | 14.5 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 5.0 | 10.6 | 47% | 2.2 | 5.1 | 42% | 2.4 | 2.8 | 87% | 61% | 57% | 28 |
| 2007-08 | 34 | New Zealand | 16-14 (7) | 32 | 27.2 | 14.1 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 10.7 | 42% | 2.4 | 5.6 | 43% | 2.6 | 3.1 | 86% | 58% | 54% | 32 |
| 2003-04 | 30 | New Zealand | 12-21 (10) | 33 | 28.0 | 13.8 | 3.9 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 3.1 | 5.0 | 12.7 | 40% | 2.1 | 5.4 | 38% | 1.7 | 2.3 | 76% | 50% | 48% | 38 | Total | 157 | 25.6 | 12.1 | 3.3 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 4.1 | 9.8 | 42.1% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 40.2% | 1.8 | 4.4 | 84.3% | 56% | 51% | 38 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 38 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
|---|
FIBA EXPERIENCE
Jones was a part of the history making Tall Black squad, whom competed in the countries in their first Olympics tournament in 2000. Their campaign ended in a game between New Zealand and Angola to determined who finish last. Playing off for eleventh spot and neither having won a single game, New Zealand came away victorious with a 70-60 win and finished in eleventh spot.
Jones again made history, playing on the Tall Black team that not only defeated Australia to earn a spot at the 2002 FIBA World Championships, but went on to reach the bronze medal game. There, New Zealand would fall to Dirk Nowitzki led German team (94-117) to finish fourth, the countries highest finish ever at a major FIBA tournament.
Jones remained a part of the national program for the 2004 Olympic games. There, he led the team in scoring (21 ppg) but the Tall Blacks failed to win a game in their opening pool, resulting in them facing Australia in a crossover game to determine FIBA rankings. New Zealand then lost to Australia, 98-80, in the classification matches to finish in tenth place.
Jones was also a part of the Tall Blacks squad that competed at the 2006 FIBA World Championships (Japan). There, New Zealand (2–4) made it to the second round before being eliminated by Argentina (62-79). They finished the tournament tied for ninth place.
In 2010, Jones was a part of the Tall Blacks squad that competed at the FIBA World Championships. With Kirk Penney leading the team in scoring (24.7 ppg), New Zealand finished in 12th place.
FIBA TOTAL STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 36 | 6 | 133 | 57 | 16 | 9 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 16 | 20 | 54 | 37.0% | 10 | 31 | 32.3% | 7 | 9 | 77.8% |
| 2006 | 32 | 6 | 141 | 41 | 25 | 11 | 5 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 19 | 16 | 63 | 25.4% | 7 | 41 | 17.1% | 2 | 5 | 40.0% |
| 2004 | 30 | 6 | 181 | 126 | 23 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 20 | 48 | 103 | 46.6% | 18 | 52 | 34.6% | 12 | 16 | 75.0% |
| 2002 | 28 | 9 | 263 | 164 | 38 | 14 | 11 | 27 | 12 | 3 | 13 | 25 | 63 | 126 | 50.0% | 20 | 48 | 41.7% | 18 | 20 | 90.0% |
| 2000 | 26 | 6 | 146 | 63 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 15 | 22 | 59 | 37.3% | 9 | 21 | 42.9% | 10 | 12 | 83.3% | Total | 33 | 864 | 451 | 120 | 45 | 32 | 88 | 31 | 5 | 55 | 95 | 169 | 405 | 42% | 64 | 193 | 33% | 49 | 62 | 79% |
FIBA PER GAME STATISTICS
| YEAR | AGE | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 36 | 6 | 22.2 | 9.5 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 9.0 | 37.0% | 1.7 | 5.2 | 32.3% | 1.2 | 1.5 | 77.8% |
| 2006 | 32 | 6 | 23.5 | 6.8 | 4.2 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 10.5 | 25.4% | 1.2 | 6.8 | 17.1% | 0.3 | 0.8 | 40.0% |
| 2004 | 30 | 6 | 30.2 | 21.0 | 3.8 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 8.0 | 17.2 | 46.6% | 3.0 | 8.7 | 34.6% | 2.0 | 2.7 | 75.0% |
| 2002 | 28 | 9 | 29.2 | 18.2 | 4.2 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 7.0 | 14.0 | 50.0% | 2.2 | 5.3 | 41.7% | 2.0 | 2.2 | 90.0% |
| 2000 | 26 | 6 | 24.3 | 10.5 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 9.8 | 37.3% | 1.5 | 3.5 | 42.9% | 1.7 | 2.0 | 83.3% | Total | 33 | 26.2 | 13.7 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 5.1 | 12.3 | 42% | 1.9 | 5.8 | 33% | 1.5 | 1.9 | 79% |
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- New Zealand - Giants (1993–1998, 2000–2004, 2006, 2008–2017), Nuggets (1999) | Finland - Kouvot (1998–1999, 2000–2001, 2002), Honka (2001–2002) | Italy - Cantù (2002–2003, 2004–2007)
Jones joined the Nelson Giants for the 1993 New Zealand NBL season, playing his first season in New Zealand and beginning what became a long-running tenure with the club.
Jones played six seasons for the Giants between 1993 and 1998, and he was part of Nelson championship teams in 1994 and 1998, with the 1998 title season also bringing him major league recognition as New Zealand NBL Most Valuable Player, Most Outstanding Guard, and Most Outstanding New Zealand Guard while teammate Pero Cameron collected forward awards and import Joe Wyatt earned All-Star Five honours alongside Jones.
After leaving New Zealand following the 1998 season, Jones joined Kouvot for the 1998–1999 Korisliiga season in Finland and won the Finnish league championship, before returning to New Zealand to play for the Otago Nuggets in 1999.
Jones returned to the Nelson Giants in 2000 and played every year through 2004, and during that stretch he also returned to Finland for the 2000–2001 season with Kouvot before splitting the 2001–2002 campaign between Honka Espoo and Kouvot.
Jones moved to Italy for the 2002–2003 season with Oregon Scientific Cantù, and he later spent three straight seasons with Cantù between 2004 and 2007 after an additional season away from New Zealand basketball in 2005, before re-joining the Nelson Giants in 2006 and then missing the 2007 New Zealand NBL season, which meant he was not part of Nelson’s championship run that year.
Between 2008 and 2017, Jones played another nine seasons for the Nelson Giants and set the New Zealand NBL all-time games-played record when he appeared in his 362nd game in 2014, a season where he averaged 12.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists across 19 games, finished the year with 369 career league games, and had his number 13 jersey retired by the Giants in June 2014.
After initially retiring in 2014 and becoming the Giants’ managing director, Jones came out of retirement in March 2015 and returned as a player through 2016, passing 7,000 career points during that period and becoming the first player in New Zealand NBL history to reach 400 games, before retiring again in 2016 and moving into an assistant coaching role in 2017 while also being appointed the Giants’ director of operations.
In May 2017, Jones suited up for two final games for the Giants to close his New Zealand NBL playing career at 408 games, his number 13 was retired again by the club in June 2017, and in May 2022 he was inducted into the Basketball New Zealand Hall of Fame.
COLLEGE
Jones played college basketball at Northern Iowa during the 1999–2000 season before continuing with the Panthers through the 2002–03 season, competing in the Missouri Valley Conference across four collegiate campaigns under head coach Greg McDermott.
In the 1999–2000 season, Northern Iowa finished 12–16 overall (6–12 MVC), and Jones appeared in 28 games as a freshman, averaging 6.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting 40.8% from the field and 32.4% from three-point range across 18.1 minutes per contest.
Across that freshman campaign he totaled 174 points, 65 rebounds, 32 assists and 18 steals, recording double-digit scoring performances in seven games, including a season-high 15 points in conference play.
During the 2000–01 season, Northern Iowa improved to 18–12 (11–7 MVC), and Jones played in 30 games with 12 starts, averaging 8.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while increasing his three-point percentage to 35.6% and logging 23.4 minutes per outing.
He scored 20 or more points twice that season, including a 22-point effort in MVC competition, and finished the year with 252 total points and 93 rebounds while contributing 51 assists and 27 steals.
In the 2001–02 season, Northern Iowa posted a 14–16 record (7–11 MVC), and Jones started 29 of 30 games, averaging 12.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 44.2% from the field and 37.1% from three-point range across 29.8 minutes per contest.
He recorded four 20-point games that season, including a career-high 27 points in an MVC matchup, and finished the year with 387 total points and 133 rebounds, along with 66 assists and 34 steals.
As a senior in 2002–03, Northern Iowa finished 14–15 (7–11 MVC), and Jones appeared in 29 games with 28 starts, averaging 14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 46.0% from the field and 38.8% from three-point range in 31.6 minutes per game.
He led the Panthers in scoring during the 2002–03 season and posted six 20-point performances, finishing the year with 426 total points and 148 rebounds, adding 70 assists and 39 steals.
Over his four-year Northern Iowa career, Jones played in 117 games with 69 starts, totaling 1,239 career points (10.6 points per game), 439 rebounds (3.8 per game), 219 assists (1.9 per game) and 118 steals (1.0 per game), while shooting above 40% from the field and better than 35% from three-point range for his collegiate career.
AWARDS
- 1x time NBL 6th Man (2009) - 2× NZNBL champion (1994, 1998)
- NZNBL MVP (2009)
- 2× NZNBL Most Outstanding Guard (1998, 2001)
- 5× NZNBL All-Star Five (1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2009)
- Korisliiga champion (1999)
- NBL Best Sixth Man (2009)
- No. 13 retired by Nelson Giants
COACHING HISTORY
In 2016, Jones served as head coach of the Nelson Sparks in New Zealand's Women's Basketball Championship (WBC).
He served as assistant coach for the Nelson Giants in 2017 and 2019.
In 2025, Jones returned to the Nelson Giants as an assistant coach and remained on the coaching staff for the 2026 season.
Related
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