James Jones (basketball, born 1964)

Last updated
James Jones
James Jones, Yale men's basketball head coach.jpg
Jones in 2025
Current position
TitleHead coach
Team Yale
Conference Ivy League
Record415–318 (.566)
Biographical details
Born (1964-02-20) February 20, 1964 (age 61)
Long Island, New York, U.S.
Playing career
1982–1986 Albany
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1990–1995 Albany (assistant)
1995–1997 Yale (assistant)
1997–1999 Ohio (assistant)
1999–presentYale
Head coaching record
Overall415–318 (.566)
Tournaments2–4 (NCAA Division I)
1–2 (NIT)
4–2 (CIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
7 Ivy League regular season (2002, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2025)
3 Ivy League tournament (2019, 2022, 2024)
Awards
Hugh Durham Award (2016)
Ben Jobe Award (2019)
4× Ivy League Coach of the Year (2015, 2016, 2020, 2023)

James Fitzgerald Jones [1] (born February 20, 1964) is an American men's college basketball coach who is the head coach at Yale University.

Contents

Born on Long Island, Jones played college basketball at SUNY Albany and worked as a sales executive for NCR Corporation before beginning his coaching career. [2] Jones succeeded Dick Kuchen as the 22nd men's basketball head coach of Yale University on April 27, 1999. [3] On March 17, 2016, Jones and the Bulldogs upset the fifth-seeded Baylor University Bears in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. [4] On March 22, 2024, Jones and the Bulldogs upset the fourth-seeded Auburn University Tigers in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

Jones watches the action James Jones, Yale basketball coach.jpg
Jones watches the action

Five of Jones' assistants have gone on to become head coaches: Ted Hotaling (University of New Haven), Rob Senderoff (Kent State University), Isaiah Cavaco (Oberlin College), Mark Sembrowich (Academy of Art University), and Mark Gilbride (Clarkson University). [5]

Jones was inducted into New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015, is a three-time Ivy League Coach of the Year (2015, 2016, and 2020), and has been named the NABC District 13 Coach of the Year three times. [6]

His brother, Joe Jones, is the current men's basketball head coach at Boston University and was previously the men's basketball head coach at Columbia University.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Yale Bulldogs (Ivy League)(1999–present)
1999–00 Yale 7–205–95th
2000–01 Yale 10–177–74th
2001–02 Yale 21–1111–3T–1st NIT Second Round
2002–03 Yale 14–138–64th
2003–04 Yale 12–157–74th
2004–05 Yale 11–167–73rd
2005–06 Yale 15–147–74th
2006–07 Yale 14–1310–42nd
2007–08 Yale 13–157–74th
2008–09 Yale 13–158–62nd
2009–10 Yale 12–196–84th
2010–11 Yale 15–138–63rd
2011–12 Yale 19–109–54th CIT First Round
2012–13 Yale 14–178–63rd
2013–14 Yale 19–149–52nd CIT Runner-Up
2014–15 Yale 22–1011–3T–1st
2015–16 Yale 23–713–11st NCAA Division I Round of 32
2016–17 Yale 18–119–53rd
2017–18 Yale 16–159–53rd
2018–19 Yale 22–810–4T–1st NCAA Division I Round of 64
2019–20 Yale 23–711–31st Postseason cancelled due to COVID-19
2020–21 Yale [a]
2021–22 Yale 19–1211–32nd NCAA Division I Round of 64
2022–23 Yale 21–910–4T–1st NIT First Round
2023–24 Yale 23–1011–32nd NCAA Division I Round of 32
2024–25 Yale 19–712–11st
Yale:415–318 (.566)224–125 (.642)
Total:415–318 (.566)

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

  1. Yale did not play in the 2020–21 school year due to COVID-19 concerns.

References

  1. "The divine nature of basketball : my season inside the Ivy League". Austin Public Library. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  2. Cavanaugh, Jack (22 February 2002). "BASKETBALL; An Unlikely Ivy Crown Is Within Yale's Reach". New York Times. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  3. "Bulldogs name new coaches". Yale Bulletin & Calendar. Archived from the original on 18 April 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  4. O'Neil, Dana. "Yale earns tourney's first upset following perfect Cinderella script". ESPN. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  5. "James Jones - Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach - Men's Basketball Coaches". Yale University. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
  6. "James Jones - Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of Men's Basketball - Men's Basketball Coaches".