Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- rjones9@richmond.edu
- Phone:
- 287-6384
Coaching Experience:
Associate Head Coach, University of Richmond, 2015-present
Assistant Coach, University of Richmond, 2008-2015
Director of Basketball Operations, University of Richmond, 2005-08
Assistant Coach, University of Alabama-Huntsville, 2004-05
Assistant Coach, Salem (Ga.) High, 2002-04
Jones has been a part of the Richmond men’s basketball staff for the last 16 seasons and served as the Spiders Associate Head Coach since June 2015.
Jones has helped guide the Spiders to six 20-win seasons, eight postseason appearances and final national rankings of No. 24 in 2009-10 and No. 21 in 2010-11, following the team's run to the Sweet 16.
During the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, Jones and the Spiders ranked as high as 19th in the AP Top 25 poll following the team's early-season upset of 10th-ranked Kentucky at Rupp Arena, the first road win vs an AP top-10 team in program history. In the postseason, Richmond advanced to the NIT Quarterfinals despite playing without its top two leading scorers from the regular season, who were sidelined by injuries. The Spiders finished at 14-9, the 12th time UR has posted a record of .500 or better in the last 14 seasons.
Jones was a driving force behind the Spiders switch to a man-to-man defense prior to the 2019-20 season, a campaign in which Richmond went 24-7 and 14-4 in the Atlantic 10, setting a school record for conference wins. Playing exclusively man-to-man, the Spiders led the A-10 in defensive efficiency during conference play, one season after ranking 13th in the 14-team league. Following the season, Jones was named one of the top five assistant coaches in the Atlantic 10 as a result of a survey of A-10 staffs conducted by Stadium.
Jones is responsible for player development, on-court coaching, recruiting, opponent scouting, and game preparation. He also monitors the academic progress of the student-athletes. During his first three seasons at Richmond, Jones was the director of basketball operations. He was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the basketball office, film breakdown, team travel, organizing the recruiting database and served as the summer camps director.
In 2004-05, Jones helped Alabama-Huntsville to a 16-12 record and third-place finish in the Gulf South Conference East Division. Prior to his stint at Alabama-Huntsville, Jones spent two years as the varsity assistant and junior varsity coach at Salem High School in Conyers, Ga.
Originally from Jefferson City, Mo., Jones played his prep career at New Bloomfield High School where he was an all-conference and all-district performer in both his junior and senior year. He helped lead the team to the state final four in his junior year.
Following high school, Jones attended Toccoa Falls College in Georgia. As a player at Toccoa Falls, he was an All-South Region performer ranked statistically among the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) leaders in three-point percentage, free-throw percentage, and assists.
Jones graduated from Toccoa Falls with a bachelor's degree in secondary education and a minor in physical education. He and his wife Kristina currently reside in Richmond, Va.
