Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 17, 1990 TAG: 9004170209
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Long
When it ended Monday at University Hall, 29-year-old assistant Jeff Jones had come out of the pack to become the youngest head coach in ACC history and the first alumnus to head the UVa program since the 1950s.
Jones, who will be the third-youngest head coach in Division I, received a four-year contract with a base salary of $100,000 per year.
Jones will succeed his boss, Terry Holland, who announced June 23 that he would step down after the 1989-90 season to become the athletic director at his alma mater, Davidson.
After a search that lasted nine months and 24 days, after several rejections and at least one acceptance that subsequently was rescinded, Virginia athletic director Jim Copeland settled on a prospect whom he had described less than one month earlier as a "longshot."
Jones, however, didn't care whether he was the second choice or 22nd choice.
"No, not at all," he said. "I'm the one up here. Obviously, I got a little lucky. Some things fell into place."
Providence College coach Rick Barnes accepted the job April 4, only to change his mind after returning home and meeting with school and Big East Conference officials. By that time, Copeland had given finalist Mike Montgomery of Stanford the opportunity to remove his name from consideration.
"There's been some criticism, to say the least, of the process," Copeland said. "I regret, somewhat, the embarrassment caused the university by the Rick Barnes incident. But that would be my only regret."
Copeland subsequently held additional interviews with Jones and Holland's other full-time assistant, Craig Littlepage. It appears the final choice came down to Jones and North Carolina-Charlotte coach Jeff Mullins, who, after rejecting an earlier overture, showed late interest.
Talks with Mullins apparently broke down when Copeland insisted that Jones be retained as an assistant, although Copeland said Monday that Jones was only the second person to be offered the job.
"In the past week, I've had to be very careful not to let my emotions get too high or too low," Jones said. "I've had plenty of people tell me that if I ever wanted to be a head coach, I had to leave the University of Virginia. I'm happy right now I didn't listen."
Jones, a native of Covington, Ky., comes from coaching stock. His father, Bob, took Kentucky Wesleyan to the Division II national championship in 1973 and currently coaches at Campbell County (Ky.) High School, where another son, Doug, serves as an assistant.
Jeff Jones starred at Apollo High in Owensboro, Ky., before signing with Virginia, where he played on teams that won a National Invitation Tournament championship in 1980 and reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in 1981. Jones holds the UVa record for assists in a career with 598.
"I wouldn't be up here if I didn't think I was prepared to maintain the level of excellence we have enjoyed in Coach Holland's 16 seasons," Jones said. "I can't say I've fulfilled my dream because, in order to do that, we've got to accomplish some things on the court.
"Certainly, I've taken a mighty big step."
Jones said his first priority will be to form a staff. He would like to keep the other members of Holland's staff - Littlepage, part-time assistant Tom Perrin and graduate assistant Greg Domecq - but Littlepage said last week that he could not guarantee that he would remain at UVa as an assistant.
"He had indicated, if he did not get the head job, that he might pursue an administrative track," Jones said. "Hopefully, that might change, but he needs to do what's best for him.
"My main concern is trying to keep our staff intact. It's not something you want to rush into. Hiring a staff can make or break a program. The kind of people we would want are very much in demand."
Littlepage did not attend the news conference and said Monday night he would clarify his plans in a statement Tuesday.
"I think it would have been awkward for Craig; that's the down side of this," Holland said. "But it could have been a double down side if they had decided not to go inside the staff. So, it had less impact than it could have been."
Jones' lack of head-coaching experience, viewed as a negative by some, gave him an edge over Littlepage. Littlepage was a head coach for six years - three years at Pennsylvania, where he was 40-39, followed by three years at Rutgers, where he was 23-63.
"I felt Jeff and Craig brought many of the same attributes to the position," Copeland said. "My one concern, and I talked to Craig directly about this, was that his head-coaching experience had not ended on a positive note. I thought that would be hard for him to overcome as a head coach at Virginia.
"Jeff starts out with all the attributes we need for a head coach . . . and a clean slate."
Jones also gives the Cavaliers continuity at a time when there is little need for a change. Virginia returns all five starters from this year's team, which finished 20-11, and will gain the services of two freshmen who were redshirted, and three recruits, including Cornel Parker, who signed Monday.
"I'm not going to sit up here and make a lot of promises about playing style," Jones said. "That seems to be the thing to do at these things. I can tell you there will be some changes, but the background I have from Coach Holland, my father and my high-school coach, Wayne Chapman, will certainly come into play."
Jones admitted to some nervousness as he addressed the media and a smattering of UVa officials, players and fans, but his greatest fear remains the same as it was before he received the promotion.
"It's those log flumes," Jones said. "You wouldn't catch me dead riding one of those things."
by CNB