Opening night always marks a new beginning for coaches and players around the country, but for Texas guard Andrew Jones, his first game of the new season was extraordinarily special.
Jones made his return to the court after battling leukemia, which caused him to miss all of last season. Jones not only saw game action for the first time since Nov. 16, 2018, he also had his best performance ever in a Texas uniform.
MORE:Cade Cunningham, 2020's No. 2 recruit, commits to Oklahoma State
Jones came off the bench to log 29 minutes in Texas' 69-45 win over Northern Colorado, scoring a career-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting (4 of 5 on 3-pointers) with three rebounds and two assists.
🎥 Andrew Jones on posting 20 points in his first game back with significant time. pic.twitter.com/y6NOj656jE
— Longhorn Network (@LonghornNetwork) November 6, 2019
"I can't even explain the feeling," Jones said after the win.
Prior to his leukemia diagnosis during the 2017-18 season, Jones had been a key member of the Longhorns' rotation. He started 31 of his first 43 career games and was averaging 13.5 points per game before a wrist injury and the cancer diagnosis.
Jones made two appearances last year — logging 11 combined minutes against Eastern Illinois and The Citadel — before shutting it down the rest of the season to focus on his treatment.
His triumphant return to the court on Tuesday provided a heartwarming start to the new season.