Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 16, 1990 TAG: 9004160300
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B4 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Two sources confirmed that Jones, 29, is the choice to succeed Terry Holland, who will become the athletic director at Davidson on May 1.
Jones could not be reached for comment; however, Virginia called a news conference for 3 p.m. today to make the announcement.
UVa athletic director Jim Copeland reportedly reached the decision Saturday, but was reluctant to make an announcement before the team's annual awards banquet.
Jones and Craig Littlepage, UVa's other full-time assistant, each had been interviewed for the post.
The final decision apparently came down to Jones and Jeff Mullins, the coach at North Carolina-Charlotte, whose on-again off-again discussions with Virginia continued into the weekend. Talks with Mullins broke off by mutual consent.
The announcement will bring to a close a search of nearly 10 months that seemingly had been wrapped up April 4, when Providence coach Rick Barnes was offered and accepted the job.
When it appeared that Barnes would take the job, Copeland alerted his other finalist, Stanford coach Mike Montgomery, who subsequently called a news briefing to say he was removing his name from consideration.
After Barnes changed his mind and announced at a news conference April 5 that he was remaining at Providence, Copeland was left without a front-runner. In an earlier meeting with the UVa players, Copeland had described Jones and Littlepage as "long shots."
Nevertheless, it appears that while Copeland spoke with several possible candidates in recent days, Mullins was the only prospect with whom there were serious discussions. Indeed, Barnes and Montgomery were the only outsiders who visited the campus.
Xavier coach Pete Gillen twice declined invitations to come to Charlottesville.
Jones, who will turn 30 on June 29, played on Virginia teams that won the National Invitation Tournament and reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament. He holds the school record for assists in a career with 598 between 1978-82.
After tryouts with several National Basketball Association teams, Jones returned to UVa in 1982 as a graduate assistant. He moved up to part-time assistant the following year and was promoted to full-time status for the 1986-87 season.
Jones played a significant role in the recruiting of Bryant Stith, a first-team All-ACC selection this past season as a sophomore, and also was the main contact with Cornel Parker, the Group AAA co-player of the year in 1989 for Maury High in Norfolk.
Parker, who took an extra year to improve his academic credentials at Fork Union Military Academy, is expected to sign with the Cavaliers as early as today. Parker, who had signed with UVa in 1989 but was not bound by his original letter, said his continuing interest in UVa was contingent on Jones remaining part of the staff.
"I'm crazy about Jeff as a person, period, and as a recruiter," said Frank Threatts, head coach at John Marshall High in Richmond. "I think Jeff would be well-received. I think he can recruit the blue-chipper."
John Marshall's Jason Williford, one of the top juniors in the state, has been recruited by Jones since his sophomore year.
"He knows exactly who Jeff is," Threatts said. "I think Jason would be very receptive to Jeff coming into his home as a head coach. Sometimes, you listen to recruiters and you can almost predict what they're going to say. They've got their lines down pat. Jeff comes at you straightforward.
"I think he's capable of doing the job. I know Copeland was looking for a name coach, a guy who would fit the Virginia type. Heck, he had the guy right down the corridor from him."
Jones is one of the youngest - if not the youngest - coach in the ACC history. Dean Smith was 30 years and approximately nine months when he coached his first game at North Carolina in 1962. Jones will be 30 years and four months.
Holland was 32 when he coached his first game at Virginia in 1974. He had become a Division I head coach at 27, when he took over for Lefty Driesell at Davidson.
Jones, a native of Owensboro, Ky., is the son of one-time college coach Bob Jones, who in 1973 took Kentucky Wesleyan to the NAIA championship.
It is likely that Jones will try to retain the rest of Holland's staff, which includes Littlepage, part-time coach Tom Perrin and graduate assistant Greg Domecq. However, Littlepage has said there is no guarantee he will remain at Virginia if he is not hired as the head coach.
\ JEFF JONES CAREER CATALOG\ UVa assistant: Jones joined Terry Holland's coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 1982-83. He then served three years as a part-time assistant before becoming a full-time aide before the 1986-87 season.
\ UVa player: Jones was a starter in the Cavaliers' backcourt from 1979-82. He helped lead UVa to the NIT title in 1980 and was a key player on teams that played in two NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in 1981. Jones played in 129 games for UVa and had 598 assists to become the career leader in that category. He averaged 7.3 points and nearly five assists a game during his career and was team captain in 1981-82.
\ In the pros: Jones was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in the fourth round of the 1982 NBA draft. After the Pacers released him, he was picked up by the Golden State Warriors, but was injured. He returned to UVa that fall as a graduate assistant.
\ Born: June 29, 1960.
\ Education: Jones is a 1982 graduate of the University of Virginia, where he received a B.A. in psychology.
\ Other facts: Jones earned first-team All-Kentucky honors after leading Owensboro's Apollo High School to a 35-1 record his senior year. Jones' father, Bob, played baseball and basketball at Georgetown (Ky.) College. Later, as a head basketball coach, he guided Kentucky Wesleyan to the 1973 NCAA Division II title.
\ Family: Jones is married. He and his wife, Lisa, have a daughter, Meghann, 2, and are expecting a second child.
by CNB