Played For Yale In 2013-14 Season

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale has enjoyed tremendous success both on and off the court in recent years. The most recent example comes with the news that former Bulldog J.T. Flowers has been named a Rhodes Scholar. Elliot F. Gerson, American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust, announced the names of the 32 Americans chosen as Rhodes Scholars representing the United States on Nov. 18.

Flowers, who played for Yale in 2013-14, is a 2017 graduate with a B.A. in political science. A Truman Scholar, Flowers' thesis examined policy gaps in Portland, Oregon's sanctuary city policy for undocumented immigrants. During his stay at Yale, Flowers devoted his time to A Leg Even, an organization that facilitates the academic and professional endeavors of low income students. A first generation college graduate, Flowers helped to design and implement major changes to Yale's financial aid system. Following graduation, he returned to his hometown of Portland to work in Rep. Earl Blumenauer's field office. At Oxford, Flowers will study comparative social policy.

Flowers is the second Yale basketball player to be selected as a Rhodes Scholar during James Jones' tenure as the Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of the Bulldogs. In 2014-15, Matt Townsend earned the honor. Townsend later that year was named the men's basketball Academic All-American of the Year.

Other players have also shined off the court under Jones. Javier Duren '15 was a candidate for the 2014-15 Allstate Good Works Team. In 2015-16, Justin Sears was a finalist for the national Senior CLASS Award, which focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

Report filed by Tim Bennett (timothy.bennett@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity