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Coach’s 4-year-old son gives lively roll call of player introductions before Tonganoxie High boys basketball game

By Shawn Linenberger - | Feb 24, 2021

Kai Jones, 4, is a big fan of Tonganoxie High basketball, as his father, Phil Jones, is the head coach of the THS boys team. Kai’s voice made a special appearance at Saturday’s game against Hayden.

It’s a bit perplexing how Phil Jones’ team isn’t undefeated this year, considering, according to his son’s starting lineup announcements Saturday, the Chieftains, have, well, a bit of a height advantage.

Kai Jones, who will turn 5 in a few months, likes to emulate his dad, Phil, who is head coach of the Tonganoxie High boys basketball team.

When watching games from home, Kai goes to the locker room (his bathroom) and stretches, Phil explained.

“He mimics the entire warmup,” Jones said.

That includes the National Anthem and then Kai rolls through the starting lineup for your Tonganoxie Chieftains.

Phil’s wife, Paige, recorded Kai’s starting lineup call on one occasion and then Phil showed it to the team.

But they didn’t realize the lineup was going to be part of Saturday’s game.

“We surprised the boys,” Phil said. “They didn’t know we were doing it.”

After John Morgan announced the Hayden starting lineup Saturday, the sound switched to a recording of Kai doing his starting lineup rundown.

“It was one of those things that you didn’t know how the players would react,” Jones said. “I knew they would laugh, but also how would the fans react?”

He also was worried that the team might come out slow after the break in routine. The Chieftains did have a slightly sluggish start against the Wildcats, but as Jones noted, the team had just played a game the night before at Paola. It also was the team’s third game in four days.

And then came the announcements.

Kai announced Blake Poje as 11 feet tall, Andrew Willson at 15 feet and Heston Robbins at 25 feet tall. Dallas Bond was 20 feet tall and Rylee Beach 11 feet tall.

“Rylee was like ‘I’m only 11 feet tall,'” Phil said with a laugh about Beach, who is a guard for the Chiweftains.

Kai has a few more games to announce at home, but is anticipating another face in the crowd later this year.

Phil and Paige are expecting a second son this summer.