Andrew Jones is still working his way back to playing in another basketball game, but the Texas guard says he relished the chance to join his teammates for the start of practice this season.
"Just being back out there, there's no better feeling," Jones told reporters Wednesday in his first news conference since he was diagnosed with leukemia in January.
Jones said he was unsure whether he will play this season. He is also recovering from an October injury in which he fractured a toe on his right foot.
Texas announced in January that Jones had been diagnosed with leukemia, and he moved to University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to begin treatment. He was released from the hospital in late February and completed outpatient treatment in August.
The junior guard thanked the "Longhorn family" and his coaches, saying, "I have a great support system around here with my family and my team."
Jones is set for another round of treatment in December. He relayed a message that has pushed him through the nearly full year of treatment so far.
"Only the strong survive, and that's been something that I've lived by these last couple months," Jones said. "It's a choice whether if you want to just continue to go on and fight through adversity, or you can just sit there and let it take over you. Most people don't have the mental strength or even just the drive to want to do it, but anything is possible. Through the grace of God, anything is possible."