April 20, 2001 UNT Inhouse publication: UNT hires new men's basketball coach

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UNT hires new men's basketball coach

Johnny Jones, who has played on and helped coach teams that advanced to the NCAA Final Four, has been named head men's basketball coach at UNT by new athletic director Rick Villarreal.

The 40-year-old Jones, who last season was an assistant coach at the University of Alabama, becomes the 15th coach to head the men's basketball program at UNT.

"I think with the hiring of Johnny Jones we've made a tremendous move toward becoming successful in our men's basketball program," says Villarreal. "He has a great talent as a recruiter, as a coach and as a molder of young men. I think the fact that he's already got most of his staff in place and is already on the recruiting trail speaks volumes about his being prepared for this job."

A former four-year letterman at Louisiana State University, Jones has spent the last 17 seasons coaching in the collegiate ranks. Before joining the Alabama staff last season, Jones coached for three seasons at the University of Memphis, including two seasons as associate head coach and one as the Tigers' interim head coach during the 1999-2000 season.
He also coached for 14 seasons at his alma mater, LSU, serving asassistant coach, administrative coaching assistant and associate head coach from 1984 to 1997. He was the Tigers' associate head coach under Dale Brown from 1994 to 1997.

During his tenure at LSU, Jones recruited and coached College Player of the Year Shaquille O'Neal, two-time All-American Chris Jackson (now known as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf) and former National High School Player of the Year Randy Livingston.

"I'm very excited to be a part of the University of North Texas family," says Jones. "It's an honor and a privilege to be UNT''s new basketball coach. With the new administration here, I'm excited about the opportunity to share the same vision that Norval Pohl and Rick Villarreal have for this program. I think the team, with what I've seen from an athletic standpoint, in the classroom, in the weightroom and with the addition of a few people, has an opportunity to be successful."

Among Jones' strengths is his ability as a recruiter. He helped secure LSU's 1993 recruiting class, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation. And in 1997 at Memphis, Jones helped accumulate a junior college recruiting class that was ranked No. 1 nationally and was the cornerstone of an overall class that was ranked seventh. Seven of Jones' former recruits have gone on to play in the NBA.

During his three years at Memphis, Jones' recruiting success stories included Omar Snead, who led Conference USA in scoring and rebounding from 1997 to 1999; Kelly Wise, an all-Conference USA pick in 2000; and Courtney Trask, a Conference USA all-freshman selection in 2000.

Jones also knows what it takes to be a winner on the court. As a player at LSU from 1980 to 1984, he was a member of the Tigers team that played in the Final Four in 1981. Jones also helped coach LSU teams to the Final Four (1986) and the Elite Eight (1987), as well as to nine consecutive NCAA appearances. Two of the LSU squads he helped coach also captured SEC championships, in 1985 and 1991.

As an assistant at Memphis in 1998, Jones helped coach the Tigers to the Conference USA National Division championship. When Jones was interim head coach at Memphis in 1999-2000, the Tigers won six of their final seven games and finished with a 15-16 record while returning just one starter from the previous season.

This past season at Alabama, the Crimson Tide finished with an overall record of 25-11, which included a December victory over UNT at the Coors Classic in Mobile, Ala. Alabama advanced to the second round of the SEC Tournament and later accepted a berth in the NIT tournament. The Crimson Tide swept to the NIT Finals before falling to Tulsa in the championship game in New York.

Jones received his bachelor of science degree from LSU in 1985. The native of DeRidder, La., is a former prep All-America and state Class 4A Most Valuable Player who helped lead DeRidder to a combined 86-26 record during his high school career.

He and his wife, Kelli, are the parents of two children: John Vincent, 2, and Jillian Nichelle, 1.