WS Chronicle

Porsche Jones is one of the most recognizable names in the game of basketball in the Triad area. Her brand, Team B.O.N.D. (Building on New Development), is one of the best AAU basketball programs in the area, sending many of their players on to play college basketball. Jones has also connected with a local church to renovate their gymnasium and the court was recently renamed in the honor of her late grandparents, Robert and Dr. Manderline Scales.

The former Carver High School and Wake Forest University star has continued to be a mover and shaker since hanging up her basketball sneakers. Her BOND events, which is a basketball tournament played in several locations around the city, attracts teams from several states on the east coast.  

Jones partnered with Shekinah Glory Christian Church to add some life to their gym. The court dedication was held on March 14 with a small gathering of close family and friends and was also live-streamed on Zoom. State Senator Rev. Paul Lowe, the Honorable Judge Denise Hartfield, Councilmember Barbara Burke, and Mayor Allen Joines were also in attendance. Jones dedicated the court to her grandparents because of the major role they played in her life.

“It’s kind of the first step that I’ve always talked about doing and just kind of making sure their legacy stayed alive,” Jones said about the court dedication. “It means the world to me; so many things that I’ve learned from a young child to now as an adult woman.  

“I want to make sure everybody understands what excellence means and to operate in excellence, and this gym, this area, this building, will be a place in East Winston where we will operate in excellence. I wanted the ideals from my grandparents, that live through me, to be able to pass down to the next future kings and queens of Winston-Salem.”

It was intentional for Jones to make this happen in the Northeast Ward of the city because that is where she is from. She grew up in the area and wants to make the gym a hub for young men and women to come to for many things and not just basketball.

“I grew up off Carver School Road and we typically went to Carl Russell Recreation Center or different YMCAs,” she said. “We wanted to create our own opportunities and feel like a recreation center, but this is somewhere where we are going to do much more.

“There is no other place I would rather be. I pray for more opportunities, but for right now, this is where I was born and raised, and this is where I want to lay my first foundation.

Shekinah Glory reached out to Jones last year and the two parties spoke about different opportunities they could explore and in what direction they were headed. 

“As we continue to work, we both have very similar visions in what we want to do as far as impacting the city of Winston-Salem,” she said about the partnership with the church. “We both understand that sports can be a platform to bring people in, but obviously, we want to create future leaders, and so they have been a great partner so far and I am very excited to see how we can continue to grow and work together.”

The Scales were a vital part of the East Winston community for years. The kind words and memorable stories shared prior to the ribbon cutting brought back some great memories for Jones.

“I am going to be honest; yesterday I just buried my aunt who was tragically murdered last Saturday, and so I have a ball of emotions and I think once I go home and sit down, it will probably hit me a little differently,” Jones said about what she was feeling at the time. “Today is my grandmother’s birthday, so I have to go lay some flowers at her plot as well, so there’s so many emotions that I have.

“I’ve heard those stories about my grandparents all my life and so I don’t expect anything less. One of the things my grandmother taught me was to always keep a straight face and never show all your feelings at one time. When it’s time for business, it’s time for business, and when I can kick back and relax and think about all the many blessings that God has blessed me with, then I’ll probably be overwhelmed with tears of joy.”

Jones has a three-year plan for the gymnasium. She says with the pandemic currently in full swing, it has thrown somewhat of a monkey wrench in her plans.  

“This is an opportunity where we want to build leaders and we want to create an opportunity for student athletes,” she said. “Obviously, we have the courts here, but we want to do training, we want to do mentorship, we want to do leadership and development.

“In the past, with the girls we’ve coached, we have done SAT prep. Now with COVID and kids struggling with school, we want to be able to have a safe haven for them to come here and get whatever resources they obviously need.”

Jones stated the vision is to make the gym more like a community center for the kids in the area. Over the next few years, her goal is to make the location a “go-to place” for young people.

Through Team B.O.N.D., Jones has sent over 20 girls to college through her AAU program. She says the focus now will be to do the same for the young men in the area. With her BOND Events, she wants to continue having a quality product and not grow too quickly. 

She says God will let her know when it is time to expand, but until then she will continue to do what she can for the people of Winston-Salem.