VCU’S GOT A BASKETBALL JONES
By Chris Kowalczyk
9-17-09

The son of former Washington Bullet Jimmy Jones, you’d think Mike Jones would’ve taken in some classic 1970s-era NBA basketball. Not so much.

“Danny Ferry’s dad [Bob Ferry] was the general manager of the Bullets at the time,” Mike Jones said. “During the game we’d be in the bowels of the building. They had a family room, and it was stocked with food. They had a pool table, ping pong tables. We’d be there the whole game. I had no idea what kind of player my dad was until I talked to people. We’d be down there having a ball!”

The good news for VCU basketball fans is that Jones has done a good job making up for lost time. These days, the 44-year-old is the veteran on Shaka Smart’s staff.

“He brings a wealth of experience both in terms of on-floor coaching and recruiting,” Smart said. “His character is second to none and he has a tremendous ability to develop strong relationships with student-athletes, coaches, fans, high school coaches and the like.”

He’s fast to point out that levels of experience can be overstated, but Jones admits that a long resume has something to offer.

“All those experiences over the years…I mean, you’ve seen these situations before and you have that track record of what’s worked and what hasn’t,” Jones said. “You have that repository of information, which is valuable. Like a player, you feel good when those guys are juniors and seniors, because they’ve been through it before, so there’s not a shock to the system.”

VCU will be sixth collegiate stop in Jones’ 15-year coaching career, one which has seen plenty of triumphs and trials.

FALL AND RISE AT GEORGIA
Jones’ last stop was his longest, a six-year stint on Dennis Felton’s staff at Georgia from 2003-09. It was a position that challenged Jones on a daily basis.

Felton took over at Georgia in the wake of serious NCAA violations perpetrated during Jim Harrick’s tenure. A number of sanctions were handed down, including the loss of scholarships. However, more than the sanctions themselves, the stigma that followed was the most difficult challenge for Felton’s staff to overcome.

“It was really a nightmare… I was there six years and we worked under probation all six years,” Jones said. “That made it tough because you had to work against some programs that were as well recognized as any in the country, and you were under this cloud. So, it was difficult, but I’m really proud of the job we did there.”

Despite the sanctions, what Georgia did manage over that period was an 87-100 record and three postseason berths in six seasons. The crowning achievement of Jones’ stay with the Bulldogs came in 2008, when sixth-seeded Georgia won four games in three days to complete the most improbable SEC Tournament run in history. 

During the tournament, a tornado ripped through the Atlanta area and damaged the Georgia Dome, forcing the postponement of Georgia’s quarterfinal game with Kentucky. With the SEC Championship Game scheduled for Sunday, the day the NCAA field was announced, scheduling options were limited. The game (and tournament) was moved to the following day at Georgia Tech’s Alexander Memorial Coliseum. If the Bulldogs won, they would have to play another game just hours later. Not only did Georgia beat Kentucky, it slipped past Mississippi State that night, and dominated Arkansas in the final the next day to earn an automatic NCAA Tournament berth. It was Georgia’s first SEC title since 1983.

“Our motto that year was persevere,” Jones said. “That’s what it was all about. That’s what it’s about in sports. Things go crazy during the course of the season, up and down. The guys who persevere are the guys who come out in the end.”

The victory was a sweet payoff for Jones, who was faced numerous obstacles on the recruiting trails.

“When you call a kid for the first time and you say, ‘this is Coach Jones from the University of Georgia,’ we’re in the SEC, they like that,” Jones said. “That might go on for a few weeks and then someone, it might be a coach or a friend or a parent will say, ‘aren’t they on probation?’ And then the next time you talk to the kid, they’ll ask, ‘what’s the deal with probation?’ And then right there, they’ve already formed a big enough negative that it’s going to take a lot of work to overcome.”

Although the challenges at Georgia were many, Jones managed to make a name for himself. Despite the black cloud of NCAA sanctions, Rivals.com named Jones one of the nation’s 25 best recruiters in 2005.

VCU graduate assistant Dave Bliss, a senior captain on that 2008 Georgia team, understands why Jones manages to be successful, regardless of the situation.

“He’s one of those people that can relate to a lot of different people,” Bliss said.  “His knowledge of the game is excellent and his people skills are excellent. In that respect, he can really differentiate himself from a lot of other guys.”

SMART MOVE
Despite their miraculous run in 2008, as well as NIT berths in 2004 and 2007, Georgia cut ties with Felton following a 12-20 season in 2008-09.

Shaka Smart had already filled out his staff in the summer of 2009, but the unexpected departure of Bill Courtney to Virginia Tech opened up room for Jones. The two coaches had known each other for years, crossing paths often as each moved up the coaching ladder. Jones was a natural fit.

In addition to Georgia, Jones had previously worked under John Beilein at Richmond from 2000-2002 and during the early stages of his rebuilding project at West Virginia in 2002-2003. For the last seven years, Jones has been working to turn around programs in distress. So when the opportunity to work at VCU arose, he jumped at the chance.

“I feel like I died and went to heaven,” Jones joked.  “It’s a big difference going to a program that’s used to winning, as opposed to a program that’s not used to winning. The expectations are higher from the outside looking in, from the community, from the administration, but it’s also higher from the players. They are used to it. It’s an addictive feeling and they want to keep doing it.”

D.C. PRIDE
Jones didn’t exactly grow up wanting to be a coach, even if he was living a basketball lifestyle as a kid. Jones’ father was a star guard in the ABA and the family moved from New Orleans to Memphis to Utah between 1967 and 1974. In 1974, Jimmy Jones signed with the Bullets in the NBA, where he remained until a torn ACL ended his career in 1977. After his retirement, the Joneses stayed in nearby Silver Spring, Md.

Mike Jones grew up around basketball, but he was also heavily involved in baseball and soccer. It wasn’t until he got to Paint Branch High School that he decided to turn his attention fully on basketball.

After an outstanding high school career, he stayed close to home and attended Howard University, where he played basketball and majored in zoology. His initial plan was to become a doctor. Jones starred for the Bison for four years and as a freshman, he forged a friendship with Felton, who he calls the biggest influence on his coaching career.

Once he graduated in 1990, Jones had turned his attention away from the medical field and onto basketball. Although he took a job at an animal testing facility after graduation, he was also spending his nights as the head junior varsity and assistant varsity coach at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C.

“I knew I liked coaching, but once I started coaching that team, I knew right then,” Jones said. “You can feel the difference between a job and a career.”

In 1994, Jones took his first collegiate job – at his alma mater. In addition, he also married his college sweetheart, Sharon, that year.

He later moved onto to Furman, where he stayed from 1997-2000. He joined Beilein’s staff at Richmond in 2000 and helped the Spiders to a pair of 20-win seasons and three straight NIT berths.

RIVER CITY RETURN
After 15 years on the college coaching carousel, Jones is happy to finally be in a familiar place.

“It’s probably the first job where I didn’t have to ride around after work to figure out where I’m going,” Jones said. “It’s good, because this town does care about basketball. The last place I was at, there were pockets of people that cared about basketball, but it was mostly a football deal. Here, it’s good to be in a city that centers around basketball.”

Much is written about the pull of the ‘BCS Conferences,’ but for guys like Mike Jones, coaching is coaching and basketball is basketball.

“It’s not tough at all,” Jones said of his return to the CAA. “First of all, VCU’s teams are better than some of the teams I’ve worked with at so-called high-major schools. Our team at West Virginia the year I was there and some of the teams we had at Georgia…VCU’s teams would’ve kicked their butts.

“People get caught up in different leagues and what not, but everywhere you go, people are trying. People are trying to get better. People are trying to win championships.”

He’s also been impressed by the progress the Rams’ have shown in the last decade.

“VCU, at the time I was here, wasn’t what it is now,” Jones said. “It’s really a testament to the commitment level of the athletic department and the basketball community here. It’s really exploded over the last five years.”

With any hope, Jones will get to see some outstanding 21st century basketball while he’s here.

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