NSU’s Fierce Competitor
April 18, 2012Johnny Jones’ LSU career will go a long way in deciding Alleva’s fate
April 18, 2012
After more than 15 years, Johnny Jones is coming home.
When he returns, he will have his dream job – the head men’s basketball coach at his alma mater LSU.
The Tigers Athletics Department announced this week that Jones, a former player and assistant coach within the program, has been hired to replace Trent Johnson.
The move was a source of excitement for both the coach and LSU Athletics Director Joe Alleva, who believes his department hit a home run bringing the coach back to Baton Rouge.
The coach also applied for the Tigers’ gig four years ago when Johnson was hired and has been North Texas’ head basketball coach for more than a decade.
“I am confident he will once again build a winner and bring excitement back to the Maravich Center,” Alleva said. “I have followed Johnny closely since my first meeting with him four years ago when he was very impressive in my interview with him the last time the head coach job was open at LSU. … He is the solid coach and recruiter that we need and I am particularly impressed with his passion for LSU.”
“I can’t wait to get back there to Baton Rouge and LSU to get started,” Jones added. “I look forward to the challenges ahead and to have an opportunity to come back and be a part of a special program at LSU. This is certainly a dream come true to return to a place that has so many memories for me.”
Jones’ memories at LSU span as both a player and a coach. The DeRidder native played for the Tigers from 1981-84. Known as “The Bullet,” to fans, Jones started 54 career games and still ranks in the Top 15 in school history in assists (271) and steals (136).
Immediately after his playing career ended, Jones joined former LSU coach Dale Brown’s staff as an assistant coach – a position he held until 1997.
When Brown retired from LSU, Jones moved onto Memphis where he stayed from 1997-2000, before landing the head coaching job with North Texas.
During his time in the Sun Belt Conference, the former Tiger posted a 190-146 record.
Jones’ style is up-tempo, fast-break oriented. The Mean Green led the Sun Belt in scoring last season – a regular occurrence for them under Jones.
That’s a stark contrast to the Tigers’ tempo under former coaches Trent Johnson and John Brady.
But with several scholarships to offer this offseason, the coach said he hopes to immediately get to work in building his first Tigers’ team.
“We will hit the ground running on recruiting with five scholarship spots available for this coming year and then in the near future I will begin to put together a championship staff for our program,” Jones said. “I want to reconnect with the fans in Baton Rouge that pushed us and gave our basketball team so much energy through the years when I was there as a part of the program.”
