Creighton senior backup guard Josh Jones is quitting basketball because of a heart condition.
Jones fainted before the Dec. 6 game at Nebraska and underwent surgery 12 days later to fix an atrial flutter. Doctors have said Jones will require more procedures.
Coach Greg McDermott said Wednesday night that doctors advised Jones to give up basketball.
“If I would have to sit out another month after another procedure, the timing would be all wrong,'' Jones told the Omaha World-Herald, which first reported Jones' decision. “Plus, it probably wouldn't be safe for me to play, man.
“They (doctors) are still trying to figure some things out. It was more them telling me it was over than me deciding. I love basketball, and I always thought I'd give it a shot.''
Jones had an infected heart valve in 2007, when he was a high school senior. He had no more problems until minutes before the Nebraska game.
Jones played in eight games this season, scoring 18 in a win over UAB. He appeared in 108 games in his Creighton career, averaging 5.0 points in 15 minutes.
“I'm a good-spirited person,'' he told the World-Herald. “It kills me and hurts me. I never fathomed the day that I'd be talking to you about being done before I was scheduled to be done.''
