In today’s Classlete Podcast episode 001 we chat with a media personality who needs no introduction. He is a well-known Canadian Sportscaster who has served many different functions in sports media such as a sideline reporter, studio and colour analyst and play-by-play man.

If you are a Toronto Raptors fan, especially recently with the whole #WeTheNorth buzz, you may have either seen him or heard of him on TSN, CTV, Rogers Sportsnet, the FAN590 and Raptors NBA TV.

He also is an educator as he was a public school principal.

For all you who didn’t know, Jonesy was also a player back in the day.

As a basketball player, Jones won three provincial titles (1978, 1980–81) as a member of York University‘s basketball team.

He was a two-time conference All-Star, and was awarded the Kitch McPherson Trophy as Most Valuable Player of the Ontario championship game in 1981.

A two-time Ontario All-Star (1980–81), he participated in the CIAU national championship tournament four times and won two bronze medals (1978–79). In 1983, he won a silver medal as a member of the team that represented Canada in the Commonwealth Basketball Tournament in New Zealand.

He also coached at the high school and provincial team levels, and served as an assistant coach with the University of Western Ontario for three years.

In this 28-minute episode, Jonesy and I discuss:

• Whether or not it is more difficult being a high school student athlete today
• The importance of family, education and chores, especially in a Jamaican household
• What Jonesy did during his past time as a hobby from sports and music
• Bob Marley, George Clinton and the big Boom Box before and after games
• A breakdown of what his fashion swag was back in the day
• Where he would take a date and whether playing sports attracts the opposite sex
• With #1 NBA draft picks Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins, the future of Canadian basketball
• Why basketball or the sport you love should be a means to an end with an option B
• How he dealt with bullies and why he doesn’t buy into the dumb jock stereotype
• And the number 1 thing he would change about himself if he were to be a student athlete again

Be sure to check out Paul Jones on Twitter as well as his editorial content on Sportsnet.

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