It was announced Wednesday morning grad transfer Curtis Jones will be coming back to the Big Ten as part of the Penn State basketball program.
Jones was recruited by former IU Coach Tom Crean and was a freshman for the Hoosiers in the 2016-17 season. He appeared in 33 games for the Hoosiers that year, averaging 3.5 points per game.
His best game was his first game in the cream and crimson against University of Kansas Nov. 11, 2016, in the State Farm Armed Forces Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii. Jones scored 15 points, shooting 3-5 from the behind the 3-point line, including a dagger three with 16 seconds left to defeat the No. 2-ranked Jayhawks 103-99.
From there, Jones struggled to find any consistent rhythm with the Hoosiers. When IU Coach Archie Miller was hired as Crean's replacement in 2017, Jones saw his minutes decrease and lasted only seven games before deciding to transfer from the program Dec. 3, 2017.
Jones' new location was Oklahoma State University, and after sitting out a year due to transfer rules, Jones played in 23 games for the Cowboys last season. He averaged 21.9 minutes a game — double his time with IU — and scored 8.1 points per game.
With one year of eligibility remaining, Jones decided to put his name in the transfer portal again earlier this year. He will return to the Big Ten and join Penn State, immediately eligible to play.
IU played against Penn State last season on the road and won 64-62.
When Jones was a member of the Hoosiers, he played against the Nittany Lions twice, totaling 25 minutes combined and scoring four points. IU won both games.
Jones will make his return to Bloomington as IU and Penn State will be playing one another at home and away this year. Times and dates are not yet announced for the games.
