Although Jordan Jones and Patrick Sellers hail from the same area of South Carolina, it wasn’t until a few years ago that their basketball journeys crossed paths – in New Britain. 

Sellers, the head coach of the Central Connecticut State University men’s basketball team, and Jones, a senior guard for the Blue Devils, are both from Florence, South Carolina. Jones transferred to Central in 2023, and Sellers was named the head coach in 2021. 

Sellers comes from a large family. Although he was born in South Carolina, much of his family lived in New York City, where he often spent his summers. He said this gave him the best of both worlds––experiencing a slower-paced lifestyle during the school year and a fast-paced one in the summer. 

Sellers played for the Blue Devils from 1987 and 1991 and was named East Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year in his final season. After earning a degree in accounting from Central, he returned to the Blue Devils in 1999 as an assistant coach, helping the team win Northeast Conference regular-season and tournament championships in 2000 and 2002. 

In the three years since being named head coach at Central, Sellers has already made a significant impact on the program, improving the team’s record each season. In 2022, he guided the Blue Devils to their first postseason win since 2011, and in 2024, he was named the Jim Phelan Northeast Conference Coach of the Year after leading Central to an NEC regular-season co-championship.  

For Sellers, it’s been a full-circle moment––not only leading the team he once played for but also coaching one of its most important players who hails from the same hometown.  

Growing up in the South, Jones said that Connecticut was a far cry from what he was used to––whether it was the fast-paced lifestyle, the never-ending traffic, or, most importantly, the greater sports media coverage. He noted that this lack of exposure means that many talented basketball players in South Carolina go under the radar and must work harder to be recognized. 

“You have to get everything out the mud down there,” he said. 

Jones has been playing basketball his whole life, a passion heavily influenced by his parents, who even named him after one of the NBA’s all-time greats.  

“My parents named me Jordan after Michael Jordan,” he said. “They always had this dream for me to play ball.”  

Jones started his high school career at South Florence High School before eventually transferring to Trinity-Byrnes Collegiate, a private school in Darlington, South Carolina. There, he played against future NBA stars Ja Morant and Zion Williamson.  

Jones had visits and workouts scheduled with Division I schools during his senior year, but they were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, he committed to Coker University, a Division II school in Hartsville, South Carolina. Over three seasons, Jones played in 64 career games for the Cobras, starting 48 of them, and averaged 10.1 points and 4.2 assists per game before entering the transfer portal.  

Sellers was familiar with Coker University, and when he saw that Jones, a Florence native, had entered the transfer portal, he knew that he had to act quickly in recruiting him. Sellers called his best friend from high school, Larry Johnson, to see if he knew anyone connected to Jones. Johnson then provided him with Jones’ father’s phone number. Once he reached out to Jones’ father, Sellers said that they felt an instant connection. 

Jones said what made Sellers such an appealing coach to play for was that he never made any promises from the start. He also noted that Sellers building a strong relationship with his parents was an important factor in his decision.  

Sellers said that when he watched Jones on film, his quickness and athleticism stood out, and he knew those qualities could fit into his system. He was also impressed by Jones’ stats at Coker, where in his final season, he averaged 15.6 points and 6.5 assists while shooting 48.2 percent from the field. 

Sellers attributed Jones’ successful transition from Division II to Division I basketball to the college experience he gained at Coker. He added why that experience was so important. 

“Those guys have been coached for three, four years, and that’s what Jordan was,” Sellers said. “You’re not getting a high school senior; you’re getting a grown man, so to speak.” 

In Jones’ first year at CCSU, he averaged 13 points, 3.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds. He was named to the All-Northeast Conference Second Team and helped lead the Blue Devils to a regular-season title. 

The 2024-25 season marks Jones’ final year of eligibility, but he has made the most of it. So far, he has averaged 14 points, 3.5 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game while helping lead the Blue Devils to first place in the Northeast Conference with a 10-2 record.  

Now, Jones and Sellers will look to cap off their shared journey from South Carolina to Connecticut by leading the Blue Devils to their first NEC championship since 2007.