Jones returns to Lightning in surprise trade

Embattled guard Chris Jones is heading back to London — and in exchange for Shadell Millinghaus, a player who’s quickly become a fan favourite in the Forest City.

(Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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The London Lightning hope that the third time’s the charm for Chris Jones – and they’re betting a fan favourite on the talented-but-troubled playmaker being the missing piece for a championship run.

On Wednesday, London traded guard Shadell Millinghaus to the Windsor Express in exchange for Jones, whose on-court outbursts resulted in him being unable to finish the final two NBL Canada regular seasons with London.

“Even early in the season, I knew we weren’t going to win with this roster,” Lightning head coach Doug Plumb said. “The way [players] responded to criticism. The way they responded to losses. The way they attacked every day. Outside of two games, the way we’ve lost this season hasn’t been based on talent, but on heart and execution. Chris changes that for us.”

Jones will make his re-debut for the Lightning in a home-and-home set against the Express on Feb. 25 in Windsor and Feb. 27 in London.

Lightning GM Mark Frijia admitted to risk in the deal, but he sees the addition of Jones as a plus.

“We’ve known Chris for years. We know what he can do on a basketball court. We know he comes out and competes on both ends of the floor. He puts everything he has into the game,” Frijia said. “Shadell has really endeared himself to the fans in London. But in every deal, there are a lot of moving parts the fans don’t see, but essentially, we made the best move we could in the situation we had.”

This season, Millinghaus did indeed cement himself as a fan favourite with both his personality and play.

Millinghaus departs down the 401 leading the Lightning in scoring, averaging 19.9 points, as well as 8.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists, per game. He scored a season-high 34 points twice, once in a 116-114 loss to Windsor on Feb. 4 and again in a 141-125 win at Sudbury on Feb. 10.

Despite stellar on-the-court performances, perhaps just as many fans may know him best for his in-game interactions with fans or opposing players – or even his on-court dance-off with the Kraken’s Abdul-basit Ajia during a scoreboard malfunction on Jan. 21.

Nevertheless, Plumb did not see a player in Millinghaus that he could build the team around.

This season, Jones has posted his usual stellar stats, averaging 18.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. He saved his best effort for London, torching his once-and-future team for 33 points in that 116-114 win over the Lightning at Budweiser Gardens on Feb. 4.

“There is a level of fire that Chris brings on a day-to-day basis that, honestly, mirrors what I am,” Plumb said. “I have been missing that. I get into a huddle and say what I am saying to invigorate people, and there is no response. I can’t get through to you unless that fire is in your soul. It’s in Chris’ soul. He’s a competitor.”

Plumb expects Jones to bring a level of leadership the Lightning have been lacking this season.

“Chris has a grasp of the huddle,” the coach said. “When it gets late in a game, Chris commands a certain amount of respect from his teammates that I’ve never seen. The players just know. When you’re a player, you realize fans will say what they’re going to say, and stats will show this, but you really know what you have in the huddle at the end of a game and what you don’t.”

Plumb continued, “If you find yourself in a situation where you’re fighting an uphill battle and you need winners, you need dogs in the trenches, you know you have Chris Jones and you feel confident in the situation. No matter what barn you’re in. No matter what the score is. You know what you’re going to get with Chris – all he wants to do is win.”

Jones’ addition should elevate others on the squad, as well, including forward Jermaine Haley Jr. Better execution around the recently named Team Canada member will help him get more opportunities to score. Thus far, Haley has been averaging 15.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.7 assists – but his coach knows he has more in him.

“Jermaine has got to have the ball in his hands,” Plumb said. “He is 6-8 and is the most skilled guy in the league, but he’s not the kind of guy who’s going to go in there and say, ‘give me the ball.’ Chris has Jermaine’s back. Chris will make him better. Everyone is going to be better as a result.”

Jones has had a pattern of attitude issues and emotional outbursts going back long before his time with the NBL Canada and the Lightning, including high-profile incidents at the University of Louisville.

On Feb. 10, 2021, the Lightning traded for the rights to Jones from the Express.

In the waning days of the 2022 regular season, Jones took issue with a call by complaining and banging the backboard support in the third quarter of London’s 118-110 loss to the Sudbury Five on April 14. Those actions drew a technical foul, but it didn’t settle down Jones who continued to rage. League officials say he started using profanity, threw a water bottle at and spit at a referee.

The following day, the NLBC suspended Jones for the reminder of the regular season. Despite initially saying their point guard was dismissed from the team, the Lighting brought back Jones for the playoffs, where he averaged 19.5 points per game, including a 39-point effort in the opening game of the NBLC Finals against the KW Titans.

In 2023, the Lightning announced the re-signing of Jones on Jan. 4, explaining that the point guard “had some hiccups last season but Chris is a winner and the type of competitor that holds his teammates accountable for the effort they put in.”

Jones didn’t make it past the season opener, though – an 86-83 loss to The Five in London on Jan. 19. In a post-game scrap, Jones – who had already been ejected from the game over another incident in front of the visitors’ bench – grabbed Sudbury coach Logan Stutz near the Budweiser Gardens dressing room.

Four days later, the NBLC Commissioner’s Office fined and suspended Jones for the season.

In the BSL, Jones continues to draw attention – and not always for the right reason, including picking up a pair of technical fouls against the Titans on Feb. 9. Most recently, he found himself in the middle of a pushing-and-shoving match between players and fans following the end of an already-controversial Sudbury-Windsor game on Feb. 15.

Nevertheless, Plumb thinks the trade is worth the gamble.

“Chris comes with his problems, for sure. But I know what I am getting with Chris. I know that he’s a winner. Probably just short of (former Louisville head coach) Rick Pitino, I have the best relationship with him of any coach he has ever had. He respects me. He respects the organization. I really believe we will be getting the best version of Chris.”

The deal was far from a slam dunk, as the relationship with Windsor has been rocky this season.

Express head coach Bill Jones has been at odds with Plumb ever since three former Windsor standouts, including all-time NBL Canada great Billy White, were signed by the Lightning this season. That attitude was on full display when Jones and some of his players pouted off the court without shaking hands after a 115-107 loss to the Lightning on Jan. 24 at The Bud.

Jones’ incentive-laden contract is tied to both on- and off-court behaviour, as well as benchmarks around working on himself.

“If Chris doesn’t come correct, this is the end of his career. There are no other avenues to play ball,” Plumb said. “For him and his family, London is a great situation. It’s an opportunity for him to right some wrongs and write his own story.”

Over the last year, Frijia has stayed in close contact with Jones.

“We have tried everything we could do to help Chris. If one little thing happens, we’re not going to throw him away,” Frijia said. The franchise supported Jones through many of his troubles, including refusing to cut him and keeping him on the payroll while suspended.

“Chris is in the best place mentally in the three or four years I have known him. He doesn’t want to get involved in this extra stuff anymore. That’s where his head is at and what we’re going to work with.”

Despite all the words, Plumb knows this is a gamble – not only for the team, but for him personally.

“I told (Lightning owner Vito Frijia) that if this goes wrong, he can fire me. That’s what it comes down to. I told the organization they can trust this guy. As a coach, you’re not going to be given complete autonomy all the time, but when you want a move to be made, and you feel this strongly about it, you say so. I am not going to put my career on the line in London for no reason. I have a good relationship with Chris. I trust Chris.”