Associate Head Coach Donnie Jones
Donnie Jones completed his 11th season with the University of Florida basketball program and his 13th season overall as an assistant to Billy Donovan, and is in his first year as Associate Head Coach, helping the Gators to back-to-back national titles. Jones, who was retained as an assistant coach at Marshall University when Donovan was hired as the head coach at the West Virginia school in 1994, assists in all phases of coaching - from off-campus recruiting, practice planning, on-floor coaching, to scouting.
Jones has played a key role in UF's recruiting and player development that has led to a school-record nine consecutive NCAA appearances, three Final Fours, four Southeastern Conference Eastern Division titles, four SEC Tournament titles and national titles each of the past two years, the only two in UF history. The 1999 and 2000 teams made the first back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in school history and the 2000 squad made the first-ever appearance in the National Championship game. Combined with UF's Final Four runs in 2006 and 2007, the Gators are the only program are one of only two teams to reach three Final Fours this decade and are the only squad to play for the national title multiple times. Florida capped history on April 2, 2007, as the Gators became the first team in 15 years to repeat as national champions and only the second team in the post-Wooden-UCLA era.
The 2006 squad made history, becoming the first UF team to win the national title. The Gators are 261-103 (.717) during Jones' 11-year stint in Gainesville and have posted more 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances (nine each) than they did in the 77-year history of the program prior to this staff's arrival.
For a program that experienced success in pockets, but never on a consistent level until now, Jones has been responsible for helping the Gators lure in some of the most attractive recruiting classes in the college basketball. Since 1998, the Gators have signed nine McDonald's High School All-Americans while boasting consensus top five recruiting classes four of the past eight years.
Jones served on the Marshall staff for six years. He was a graduate assistant at Marshall in 1990 and earned his Master=s in Sports Management in 1992. He was then promoted to assistant coach and was involved in all aspects of the basketball program, assisting with scouting, the conditioning program, film exchange, on-floor coaching and serving as Thundering Herd=s Summer Camp Coordinator.
Prior to his arrival at Marshall, Jones worked for two years as an assistant coach at Pikeville College (Kentucky), his alma mater. While at Pikeville, Jones was responsible for scouting, recruiting, pre-season conditioning, on-floor coaching and the school=s summer basketball camps. Jones also worked in an administrative capacity in the admissions office while at Pikeville.
Jones, 40, earned his Bachelor=s degree in business education from Pikeville in 1988 after setting several school records during a stellar basketball career. He set school records for most assists in a game (21), season (276) and in a career (513). Jones served as the team's captain as a senior, finishing second in the nation in the NAIA with 10.7 assists per game. During his career, Jones played with two-time NAIA All-American Todd May, who averaged 40.1 points per game, and helped Pikeville to its first 20-win season in 11 years. Jones was inducted into the Pikeville Hall of Fame in the summer of 2004. In addition, he was recognized in AWho=s Who@ among college students.
A native of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, Jones also operates his own summer camp in his hometown.
Jones is married to the former Michelle Gibson of Salt Rock, West Virginia. They have two children, a daughter, Madisyn, born on Feb. 17, 2001 and a son, Donald, born on Feb. 4, 2004.
The Jones File
Coaching Experience:
1988-90 Assistant Coach, Pikeville College (Kentucky)
1990-92 Graduate Assistant Coach, Marshall University
1992-96 Assistant Coach, Marshall University
1996-2006 Assistant Coach, University of Florida
2006-present Associate Head Coach, University of Florida
Playing Experience:
1984-88 Pikeville College
Playing Honors:
Team Captain, 1988
Career Assist Leader
Single-season Assist Leader
Single-game Assist Record
Pikeville College Hall of Fame, 2004
Education:
Point Pleasant High School, 1984
Pikeville College, 1988
Marshall University, 1992
Date of Birth:
July 7, 1966
Family:
Married to the former Michelle Gibson of Salt Rock, West Virginia
Daughter, Madisyn Michelle Jones (born February 17th, 2001)
Son, Donald Isaac Jones (born Feb. 4, 2004)
