Saint Francis University

Head Coach Bobby Jones

(Ninth Season)

Email Coach:  bjones@francis.edu

Head coach Bobby Jones enters his ninth season as head coach of the Saint Francis men’s basketball program with the third most wins in school history. He has his eyes set on returning the Red Flash to the upper echelon of the Northeast Conference in 2007-08.

After two seasons marked with adversity, Jones returns a very talented squad with the experience necessary to compete for the conference title. His players went through a strong summer conditioning program, and a strong finish in the 2006-07 campaign has the players practicing with a high level of intensity.

Jones, who is the second-longest tenured coach in program history, has emphasized to his team that moral victories are no longer good enough. The Red Flash lost several close games last season, and Jones’ next step is to get his maturing team over the hump by turning those close losses into wins.

He returns all five starters, and 12 lettermen, to a squad that had many teams in the conference not wanting to play them at the end of last season.

The Red Flash won their last three games, and four of their last five, spoiling playoff hopes for three teams in the process. SFU played with a renewed confidence down the stretch, and the team possesses the depth to make a run toward the top of the NEC standings.

In addition to his on-court success, Jones has seen his Red Flash family grow into a strong network of friends, successful career men and community-minded individuals.

Proof of this growing Red Flash family has been on stage for the community to witness with more than 120 former players showing up for the first two Alumni Night functions in 2005 and 2006, respectively.

During Jones’ tenure, 24 of 25 players who have finished their eligibility at Saint Francis University have graduated. Seven former players have completed, or are working on completing, a graduate level degree, and one former player has earned his doctorate degree. Jones also helped guide former player, and current assistant coach Rob Krimmel, to his second of two ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America awards. Additionally, Jones has two of his former players on his coaching staff - Krimmel and Joey Goodson.

Over the past six seasons, Jones’ players have earned one NEC Rookie-of-the-Year award, three spots on All-NEC teams, and four spots on NEC All-Rookie teams.

Jones’ philosophy to instill the Franciscan guiding principles, while also teaching and guiding his players how to become model citizens, as well as hard-working and successful basketball players has helped him bring many outstanding individuals to the central Pennsylvania landscape.

In 2007-08, Jones will guide a vastly improving team with experience and leadership in team co-captains Cale Nelson and Devin Sweetney. Jones’ current team has suffered through some ill fortunes the past two seasons, but signs of maturation began to surface at the end of the 2006-07 season. The future is bright with 13 players on the roster, and none graduating after this season. Many of those players were recruited by schools such as Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, Kent State, Columbia, Yale and Lehigh.

After a 15-13 record in 2004-05, Saint Francis suffered through a a 4-24 record in 2005-06 after losing three-time all-Northeast Conference forward Darshan Luckey unexpectedly, followed by the loss of 6-foot, 10-inch JR Enright to an injury before the conference season began. Injuries and other factors forced the Red Flash to play much of the season with just eight players. Despite the record, many of Jones’ peers believe he had one of his better coaching seasons due to the fire and energy his team played with during the season.

The tough times continued in 2006-07 with a couple of tough early-season losses, a health scare to Jones, the death of a team friend, and then the loss of Enright for personal reasons. Despite the adversity, the team stayed together and finished strong in the final two weeks.

Jones’ squads have also built a reputation for winning at DeGol Arena. The Red Flash had a two-year home record of 21-3 from 2003-05. While they finished with a 3-9 mark at home in 2005-06, Jones’ squad began to regain some of that home cookin’ in 2006-07 with a 6-9 mark. Overall, Saint Francis holds a 39-25 mark at DeGol Arena over the past five seasons, a .609 winning percentage. Jones has put together yet another strong home schedule with 17 games, including 15 regular season contests, in 2007-08.

With three trips to the NEC Tournament in the past five years, and a strong returning team, Jones has other teams fearing a trip to Loretto during the winter months.

Off the court, Jones is involved in basketball on a national level, where he is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, for which he has served as the Northeast Conference representative since 2002.

Jones’ No. 1-ranked recruiting class heading into the 2005-06 season is another example of his well-earned reputation for recognizing the kind of talent needed to build a consistent winner at Saint Francis. Voted one of the Top 10 recruiters on the East Coast in the 1995-96 season by Eastern Basketball Magazine, Jones arrived in Loretto after a two-year stint as associate head coach at the University of Minnesota. While in Minneapolis, the Gophers won an NIT championship (1997-98) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament (1998-99).

In 1994, Jones served as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh before being elevated to associate head coach in 1995. In 1994-95, the Panthers’ recruiting class was ranked the best in the Big East and fifth nationally. One of those recruits went on to earn All-Big East honors three times and was selected in the first round of the 1999 NBA Draft.

From 1992-94, Jones served as an assistant coach at his alma mater - Western Kentucky University. During his tenure as an assistant, the Hilltoppers posted a composite record of 46-16 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament twice, including a Cinderella run to the Sweet 16 in 1992-93. Jones began his coaching career in 1991 as an assistant at Middle Tennessee State University.

The state of Georgia’s top ranked guard coming out of Southwest High School in 1980, and a first team all-state selection, Jones was the city of Macon’s Player-of-the-Year that season. During his junior year, Southwest posted a 28-0 record, won the state title and was named Basketball Weekly’s high school national champion.

From Southwest, Jones enrolled at Western Kentucky, where he led the Hilltoppers to Ohio Valley Conference championships in 1980-81 and 1981-82. A two-time all-conference performer, Jones finished his collegiate career with 1,211 points and 375 assists. His point total at Western Kentucky ranks 21st on the school’s all-time scoring list, and he is the only player under 6-feet tall to net 1,000 career points. His assist total still ranks second all-time. Jones started 101 of 114 games during his career, and was the winner of the school’s prestigious E.A. Diddle Award his senior season.

A native of Macon, Ga., Jones, his wife Gretchen, and their eight-year-old daughter Maya live in Hollidaysburg. Both Jones and his wife Gretchen are graduates of Western Kentucky. Bobby holds a degree in Speech Communication, while Gretchen earned a degree in Computer Science.

Head Coaching Experience
1999-Present > Saint Francis University
Third on school’s all-time wins list
Only coach to lead Saint Francis to 3 straight winning seasons in league play.
Three consecutive NEC Tournament appearances from 2003-05
Has graduated 24 of 25 student-athletes who have completed their eligibility at Saint Francis.
Guided Darshan Luckey, who led league in scoring during freshman season, to three all-NEC selections in three years.

Assistant Coaching Experience
1997-99 > University of Minnesota
Helped lead Golden Gophers to first round of NCAA Tournament in 1998-99.
Gophers captured NIT Championship in 1997-98.
1994-97 > University of Pittsburgh
Had two players selected in Top 2 rounds of NBA Draft.
1992-94 > Western Kentucky University
Hilltoppers reached Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament in 1992.
NCAA Tournament appearances 1993-94.
1991-92 > Middle Tennessee State University

Playing Experience
1980-84 > Western Kentucky University
Led Hilltoppers to Ohio Valley Conference championships in 1981   and 1982.
Selected to all-conference team as a guard in 1982 and 1984.
Concluded collegiate career with 1,211 points and 375 assists.

At Western Kentucky University, Bobby Jones Ranks...

> 2nd all-time in assists (375 from 1980-84)
> 5th all-time in minutes player (3,166 from 1980-84)
> 7th all-time in steals (134 from 1980-84)
> In the 1982-83 season, Jones led Western Kentucky in
 assists (111), steals (39), and three-point field goal
 percentage (35.8 percent, 24-for-67)
> In the 1983-84 season, Jones led the Hilltoppers in assists
 (109) and steals (43).

Education
Bachelor of Arts, 1984, Speech Communication - Western Kentucky

An Eye for Talent

Prior to arriving at Saint Francis University, ninth-year head coach Bobby Jones served as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky, Pittsburgh, and Minnesota. He played an active role in the recruitment and coaching of several players who moved on to the NBA.

Western Kentucky
Chris Robinson (1996 - drafted in second round)
{Chris Robinson attended same high school as Bobby Jones - Southwest Macon H.S. in Macon, Ga.}
- Vancouver Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks
Pittsburgh
Vonteego Cummings (1999 - drafted in first round)
- Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers
Mark Blount (1996 - drafted in second round)
- Seattle Supersonics, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota
Joel Przybilla (2000 - drafted in first round)
- Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trailblazers