No Stone unturned: Jayden’s rise against the odds

The majority of the Sydney Kings’ core from their Hungry Jack’s NBL26 Championship is returning to defend their crown next season.

From Championship Series MVP Kendric Davis to key pieces Xavier Cooks, Matthew Dellavedova, Torrey Craig, Jaylin Galloway and Makuach Maluach, the Kings have nine players back for NBL27.

One player who wasn’t part of the club’s sixth championship is recruit Jayden Stone, who has joined the Harbour City club after a decade living in the United States.

The West Australian moved to the US at the age of 15 to follow his hoops dream, attending both Sacred Heart Catholic High School and Sunrise Christian Academy.

Those experiences laid the platform for him to earn a scholarship to Grand Canyon University, something Stone had dreamt of since dedicating his life to basketball.

Unfortunately, it didn’t go according to plan for the talented guard.

"College was probably the hardest time of my life," Stone said on NBL Now.

"I was in Phoenix [at GCU] first, and it was just a really grave struggle for me. I never really broke through in context with what the coach wanted from me and then what I wanted from myself. It was just a bit of a misunderstanding, but then zero transparency between both parties.

"I'd have times where I'd play, and I'd score 15 points, and I thought I was cracking the rotation here, but then the next game, I wouldn't even play, and I didn't even know why.

"There were a lot of tears; I had never cried so much in my life. Being by yourself, you're dealing with all that weight of not playing and then the expectation of thinking that you're good enough [alone] because you're practicing well enough, but you're not playing.

"Then [after year two], I was told that I wasn't good enough to stay at the school and they had already actually replaced me as a player the next year. I pleaded to come back to the school, so the coach handed me a note which said $33,000.

"I thought, 'is this how much they're going to give me for NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness)', but no, that was how much I was going to have to pay to come back to school to be the team manager and give the team the water bottles.

"That was really humbling, and I just broke down in tears because I thought my dream was over. I didn't think I was good enough to be in America anymore.

"[Looking back] Grand Canyon really developed my character, and I'm so grateful for those experiences, but it was really difficult."

But Stone didn’t give up on his dream and, after 15 games across two seasons for GCU, joined the University of Detroit Mercy ahead of the 2022-23 season.

"By the grace of God and through prayer, I got to Detroit Mercy and played alongside Antoine Davis, the second all-time leading college scorer," Stone said.

"Just being alongside him every day [was amazing]. We put up one thousand shots, then we'd play one-on-one for an hour, we'd go work out for an hour, then we'd go play in a pickup game in Detroit. I was living with him, and that saved my basketball life.

"I really got better, going from three points a game at GCU and barely playing to [more than] 13 at Detroit. It was an incredible jump and [boost] for my confidence."

After one season with Detroit Mercy, in which he averaged 20.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game, Stone transferred to West Virginia.

But in the lead-up to the 2023-24 campaign, he suffered an injury during pre-season training.

The athletic guard went to grab a rebound, but landed on his head in what he labelled a "freak accident".

Stone was diagnosed with a major concussion and spinal trauma. He also suffered seizures and lost movement on the left side of his body.

He remained in hospital for weeks as he recovered and ultimately missed the entire season. But through his faith in and determination, he slowly regained his strength and returned to the court.

"My mom's a prayer warrior, and although there's been times where I've been sceptical with my faith, this situation really spoke to me about the power of prayer and believing in God's grace," he said.

"Honestly, I was never scared because the prayer was giving me the peace.

"[Through this] I was able to gain movement again in my left side and just kind of rehabbed, to slowly regain that healthiness to play again.

"I started playing one-on-one every day and then started working out with the team again a little bit, to ensure I was going to be ready for next year."

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That determination, combined with all the adversity he had already overcome, ensured Stone returned as the best version of himself.

"Through it all, I just soldiered on and didn't want to make it about me. Okay, it's happened; we now just have to come back better," he said.

"All the trials at high school, all the trials of GCU, and all the trials where you spend Christmas alone, that helped me.

"You're going from house to house to house, spending a night over here with this family, and then you're going over here staying at your uncle's place, or sleeping on the floor or in the doghouse, with food being scarce.

"It's an accumulation of things that had happened in my life, some of them self-inflicted, some of them through just unfortunate situations, that allowed me to respond systematically and proactively."

After overcoming that adversity, Stone transferred to the University of Missouri for his final year of college.

"Missouri was great, [because] I just wanted to prove that I could play on a winning team," he said.

"At Detroit, I averaged more than 20 points, but we were one of the worst teams in the country, so I wanted to prove I was more than just a scorer.

"They gave me the opportunity to do that, and I'm just very blessed that they did.

"Missouri was excellent with my development, allowing me to play free."

His strong season with the Tigers, in which he averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists, propelled him to his first professional contract with the Sydney Kings.

"I come to Sydney with humbleness, not to think I'm going to be the saviour of the team, because they've got structure and have already won," he said.

"I've got an immense amount of respect for everyone here and am all ears on anything they have to say.

"I'm chomping at the bit with whatever is laid out before me, while trying to keep my feet planted on the ground, as I know this is a really tough League."

Stone may only be one week into official training with the Harbour City outfit, but he said he had already learnt plenty from the group, including Cooks, who he labelled the "most unselfish superstar he'd ever met".

"All the boys that I've been around, they're just tremendous talents," he said.

"You kind of sit back, and look at them, while feeling like you're down here, and hope it all rubs off on you.

"But I've felt really accepted from the moment I arrived, and it's unlike anywhere I've been before. There are no egos; it feels like there is no competition for spots, rather a collaborative approach, where we're all raising the standard together."

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Looking ahead, Stone is confident he can make an impact on a team that also includes fellow recruit and Australian Boomers big man Harry Wessels.

"There's one part of me that's like I don't bring anything [to the squad], as they've already got what they need [after winning last season]," he said.

"I know I'm the lowest of the totem pole, but I'll fight every day. I'll push Kendric and Delly [every day].

"Whether you start, whether you don't play that much, I'm here to be the best person and help us win, in whatever capacity that is.

"When I went into Missouri, I never thought I was going there to be the man, rather going in being humble and feeling it all out, while still having confidence.

"I've always internalised it all and just let my hard work speak and manifest itself however it's supposed to.

"I had no idea that I was going to do what I did at Missouri, and hopefully I can have the same effect here and help maintain that bar of winning.

"Me and the whole team are going to continue to push each other and we won't let up, so hopefully the same result as last year can be achieved and we can go back-to-back."

The Kings open their NBL27 season against Cairns at Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday, September 20.