The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men's Basketball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Phone:
- 512-471-5816
Second Season at Texas
Byron Jones is in his second season as Assistant Coach at the University of Texas and his ninth year in association with Rodney Terry. Jones brings 26 years of coaching experience to the Texas staff.
During the 2023-24 season, Texas posted a 21-13 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. With its victory over Colorado State in the NCAA Round of 64, the Longhorns won their NCAA First Round game for the third consecutive season. This marked the first time Texas has accomplished the feat since UT won four-straight NCAA First-Round games from 2006-09.
UT finished at No. 25 in the final KenPom team rankings, recorded five Quad 1 wins and earned three victories against AP-ranked opponents, including a 75-73 home win over No. 9 Baylor, a 75-60 victory at No. 11 Oklahoma and a 77-66 win at No. 25 TCU. The Longhorns were one of 11 teams to rank in the top 31 in KenPom in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency.
Dylan Disu was named the Big 12’s Most Improved Player, becoming the first Texas player to claim the honor since it began during the 2019-20 season, and earned first-team All-Big 12 mention from the coaches. Max Abmas garnered a spot on the first-team All-Big 12 team from the media and the five-person Big 12 All-Newcomer Team. In addition, Abmas was named the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Division I Men’s Basketball Team Member of the Year, while Disu was named the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Prior to coming to Austin, Jones spent three seasons (2020-23) as an assistant coach at Troy. In his last two years at Troy, the Trojans were the only school in the Sun Belt Conference to record back-to-back 20-win seasons, including double-digit victory totals in league play in both years. During the 2022-23 campaign, the Trojans registered a 20-13 overall record, including an 11-7 mark in Sun Belt Conference action. Picked 10th in the conference’s preseason poll after losing five of its top six scorers from the 2021-22 team, Troy placed fifth in the league and finished just one game out of fourth place and three games out of first. The Trojans topped Florida State 79-72 in Tallahassee, marking the school’s first victory over a major conference opponent since 2012 and first against an ACC foe since a 1981 win over Georgia Tech. Troy also led eventual NCAA runner-up San Diego State by eight points midway through the second half during a five-point loss on the road to the Aztecs.
Despite being picked to finish last in the league’s preseason poll, Jones helped the Trojans to a 20-12 overall record and a 10-6 mark in Sun Belt play during the 2021-22 season. Troy returned to the postseason for the first time since 2016 with an appearance in the College Basketball Invitational. The Trojans won eight road games during the year, the most by the program since the 2009-10 season.
Jones served as an assistant coach at Air Force for one year (2019-20). Lavelle Scottie earned All-Mountain West accolades under Jones’ guidance in Colorado Springs and left as the fourth-leading scorer in program history.
Before his time at Air Force, Jones worked for seven seasons (2011-18) as an assistant coach with Terry at Fresno State. The Bulldogs boasted an overall record of 126-108 during those seven years, and Fresno State posted 20-win seasons in four of the last five years and double-digit win totals in Mountain West Conference play in each of the last four seasons. Fresno State recorded 21 victories in 2013-14, 25 in 2015-16, 20 in 2016-17 and 21 in 2017-18. The Bulldogs went 10-8 in the Mountain West in 2014-15, 13-5 in 2015-16 (second place) and 11-7 in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
During the 2015-16 season, the Bulldogs registered a 25-10 record and the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship. Fresno State advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001, and the 25 wins marked the third-most in school history.
Fresno State made an appearance in the NIT in 2016-17 and the finals of the CBI in 2013-14. The 2014-15 team recorded the school’s first win over a Top 25 opponent (San Diego State) in 13 years. The 2013-14 Bulldogs, who rallied from a 1-7 start in league play to finish 9-9, notched the program’s first 20-win season and postseason appearance in seven years. During Jones’ second season in Fresno (2012-13), the Bulldogs claimed their first-ever win at UNLV.
Jones worked as an assistant coach for one year (2010-11) at Winston-Salem State. The Rams advanced to the 2011 NCAA Division II Tournament and claimed the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Southern Division title. Winston-Salem State won 19 games during the season, the most by the program in six years.
Jones spent four years (2002-06) as an assistant coach at UNC Wilmington. During his time with the Seahawks, UNC Wilmington posted an 83-40 overall record, including a 61-22 mark in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2003 and 2006 after winning the CAA Tournament championship in both of those seasons. Jones helped develop four All-CAA selections, including 2003 Player of the Year Brett Blizzard.
Jones worked as an assistant coach for five seasons (1997-2002) at Denver, helping the school transition from Division II status to a member of the Sun Belt Conference in Division I. He helped sign 1998 Oklahoma Player of the Year Wahhab Carter in 1998.
Jones spent two years (1995-97) as an assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky. He began his full-time coaching career by working as a graduate assistant coach at Central Oklahoma for two seasons (1993-95). The Bronchos led NCAA Division II in scoring while winning the Lone Star Conference (LSC) Northern Division title and the LSC Tournament championship and advanced to the 1995 NCAA Division II Tournament.
A native of Oklahoma City, Okla., Jones was named the Oklahoma City Player of the Year and earned first-team all-state honors at Ulysses S. Grant High School as a senior in 1986-87. He also was a member of the 1986 Oklahoma Rams Junior Olympics team that won a national title, playing alongside a trio of future NBA players in Byron Houston, Richard Dumas and Brent Price.
Jones played college basketball at both Northern Oklahoma College and Eastern Kentucky. At Northern Oklahoma, he led the 1987-88 team to a 24-8 record and a Bi-State West Conference title while earning first-team all-conference and league Defensive Player of the Year honors. Jones helped the 1989-90 Eastern Kentucky team advance to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship game.
Jones earned his bachelor’s degree in Sports and Recreation Management from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1993. He also received his master’s degree in Physical Education from Central Oklahoma in 1995. Jones and his wife, Sulpicia Caro Jones, have three children, Antigone, Tannah and Bryton.
The Byron Jones File
|
Hometown |
Oklahoma City, Okla. |
|
Education |
University of Central Oklahoma, bachelor’s degree in Sports and Recreation Management, 1993; University of Central Oklahoma, master’s degree in Physical Education, 1995 |
|
Wife |
Sulpicia Caro Jones |
|
Children |
Antigone, Tannah and Bryton |
Jones’ Coaching Experience
|
Years |
School |
Position/Title |
|
2023- |
Texas |
Assistant Coach |
|
2020-23 |
Troy |
Assistant Coach |
|
2019-20 |
Air Force |
Assistant Coach |
|
2011-18 |
Fresno State |
Assistant Coach |
|
2010-11 |
Winston-Salem State |
Assistant Coach |
|
2002-06 |
UNC Wilmington |
Assistant Coach |
|
1997-2002 |
Denver |
Assistant Coach |
|
1995-97 |
Eastern Kentucky |
Assistant Coach |
|
1993-95 |
Central Oklahoma |
Graduate Assistant |
