Lamont Jones, the Haggerty Award winner at Iona as the best college player in the Metro New York area, was headed to another workout – one with the Nets — when a friend called and told him he’d see a familiar face there.
Can’t get more familiar than a childhood friend and his former college roommate, Kevin Parrom.
“That was my college roommate,” Jones said of Parrom, with whom he spent two years at Arizona before a transfer to Iona for family reasons. “I didn’t know he was going to be here…I saw him last night and we talked for about two hours.”
Jones – or “MoMo” – grew up in Harlem and went to Rice High and eventually finished at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. He competed against Parrom who was a St. Raymond’s product.
“We were always cool, friendly. We didn’t hang out until we went to college. He was one of the reasons I went to Arizona. He called me and said, ‘I’m going there let’s go together,’” said Jones, who averaged 22.6 points as an Iona senior. “It was a great experience. He’s a great guy. It’s a pleasure to be around him.”
Jones transferred back from Arizona because of an ailing grandmother. Parrom has had his own rough road. He came back to visit his sick mother in 2011 and was shot in the leg during a neighborhood dispute. He’s fully recovered.
“He’s been through a tough stretch and to see him on the floor in good health is a blessing,” Jones said.
So Parrom now is looking forward. While neither he nor Jones are projected to be selected on any mock draft boards, they both know the importance of getting out and working for teams. The Nets represented the first audition for Parrom, a 6-6 forward who was a career .379 shooter on 3-pointers at Arizona.
“I think I played solid but I could have done a little better. But I played with great intensity and that’s what matters,” Parrom said of his workout. “I tried to show my shooting ability. I can shoot from anywhere on the floor and if my shot’s not falling, I try to play defense. I try to be that glue guy that gets guys going when things aren’t going right.”
And the friendly face of Jones helped – like it did at Arizona.
“It was great playing with him. Two years, guys out west we had a good two years while we were there. I finished strong but the first two years together were great having a New York guy out there with you,” Parrom said.
Nets Director of Player Personnel Gregg Polinsky said the two local guys did well in the workout and could end up on some team’s summer league roster.
“MoMo did well,” Polinsky said. “You know what you’re getting with him. He’s a spirited quick active guard with the basketball. Having seen him at Arizona and then Iona, you know you’re getting a guy that can bounce it, create plays.
“Kevin Parrom did fine. He’s competitive. He had some big games for Arizona as well. The biggest thing (for him) is looking for consistency,” Polinsky added. “Both those will have an opportunity to stick on a summer league team.”