Head Coach Johnny Jones

Johnny Jones begins his seventh season as Texas Southern’s head men’s basketball coach.

Jones quickly made his mark on the TSU program as he led the Tigers on a history-making season in 2018-19 which included wins over three teams from Power 5 Conferences.

He quickly set the tone with a win over Baylor in his TSU debut as it marked the first-ever loss by Baylor to a team from the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Several weeks later, Jones once again made headlines as the Tigers knocked off No. 18 Oregon on the road. The loss was only the fourth non-conference defeat for Oregon since the Ducks opened Matthew Knight Arena in 2011. The Tigers capped off non-conference play with a solid win over Texas A&M of the SEC as the Tigers recorded their first-ever win over Texas A&M since the series began.

The Tigers completed the 2018-19 regular season with a 14-4 SWAC mark and the No. 2 seed in postseason play. The Tigers advanced to the finals of the 2019 SWAC Tournament for the third consecutive season and was selected to participate in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. TSU turned its play up another level in postseason play as they embarked on its longest postseason run since winning the 1977 NAIA Tournament with a 3-1 record and an appearance in the semifinal round.

Under Jones, senior forward Jeremy Combs had a breakout year as he was named Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press and was the SWAC’s Player and Newcomer of the Year. The 6-7 standout also earned the league’s player of the week award five times.

Despite the loss of an All-American in Combs, TSU once again remained in the upper echelon of the SWAC as the Tigers finished in third place and continued their dominance inside the H&PE Arena with a 10-1 record. TSU won its 10th consecutive first round opener in the SWAC Tournament which ultimately would be its last contest due to COVID-19. Senior guard Tyrik Armstrong received NABC All-District 22 First Team and All-SWAC First Team honors while sophomore forward Yahuza Rasas earned both NABC and All-SWAC Second Team honors. For the second straight season, TSU had a player move on to the professional ranks as forward Eden Ewing was signed by Michelin Etha Engomis Nicosia of the OPAP Basketball League.

In 2020-21, Jones set another milestone as he returned TSU to the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in university history and fourth time as a head coach following an impressive SWAC Tournament run.  The Tigers also made history with its second NCAA Tournament win in school history following a 60-52 win over Mount St. Mary’s.

TSU overcame a myriad of obstacles during the regular season and continued to persevere as the team picked up a Mountain West non-conference win over Wyoming. TSU entered the 2021 postseason as one of the hottest teams nationally by winning 14-of-15 heading into the NCAA Tournament. TSU also featured Jones’ second SWAC’s Newcomer of the Year and SWAC Tournament MVP in Michael Weathers in addition to an All-SWAC Tournament team member in Karl Nicholas.

Jones ushered the Tigers into the 2021-22 season full of expectations and they lived up to them. TSU made history once again as they became the first team in SWAC history to defeat a ranked opponent from the SEC after an impressive 69-54 win over No. 20 Florida on Dec. 6. While the win was monumental, TSU has been there before as this was its first win over a ranked team since a win at Oregon in 2018 and its second ranked win since 2014. In addition, the win also marked the first against an SEC opponent since 2018 (Texas A&M). Statistically, the Tigers dominated the boards as the top rebounding team in the SWAC while also leading the league in blocks. Once the dust settled, TSU finished where prognosticators expected as they captured its 10th SWAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament berth after an impressive SWAC Tournament run which featured two dominant wins. Jones also had his second SWAC Tournament MVP in newcomer PJ Henry along with all-tourney team member John Walker III. 

The Tigers once again made the SWAC proud as they earned its third overall and second straight NCAA Tournament win after defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and earning the right to play eventual national champion Kansas in Fort Worth, Texas.

In 2022-23, TSU made SWAC history as it became the first eighth seed to win a SWAC Tournament as they knocked off the first, second and fifth seeds. TSU earned the right to participate in its fourth straight NCAA First Four as it ran TSU’s postseason streak to nine seasons. Future NBA G-Leaguer Joirdon Karl Nicholas was named to the 2022-23 All-SWAC Second Team as he finished his career with nine double-doubles in addition to surpassing the 1,000-point career mark this season.

During the 2023-24 campaign, Jones once again made history as he achieved his 400th career win after TSU’s season-finale win over Prairie View A&M while also earning his 100th career win at TSU several weeks earlier. The Tigers continued their postseason excellence as they advanced to the SWAC Tournament finals for the 19th time in program history as it marked the seventh consecutive season TSU has advanced to the finals of the SWAC Tournament. Once again, Jones’ team featured a 1,000-point career scorer in All-SWAC guard PJ Henry while guard Jonathan Cisse closed out his career with several career scoring highs throughout the season.

Prior to arriving at TSU. Jones served as the Nevada Wolf Pack’s associate head coach for one season. Jones came to Nevada after five seasons as the head coach at LSU.

Jones helped the Wolf Pack win a second consecutive Mountain West outright regular season title going 15-3 in conference play and 29-8 overall.  The 29 wins tied the school record. The Pack made a second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in school history.  

Prior to Nevada, Jones spent five years as head coach at his alma mater, LSU. He won 90 games in his five years as the head coach at LSU, the most of any head coach at LSU in their first five years. He was the fourth-winningest coach in LSU history. The DeRidder, La. native led the LSU Tigers to two postseason appearances, an NIT and NCAA tournament bid, and coached the 2016 No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft Ben Simmons. 

While at LSU, Coach Jones also recruited future NBA players Tim Quarterman, Johnny O’Bryant, Jordan Mickey and Jarrell Martin. Among those he helped recruit to LSU in his assistant days were NBA superstar and Naismith Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal. He also was involved in the recruiting of two-time All-American Chris Jackson (now Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf) and national high school player of the year (and an assistant coach under Jones), Randy Livingston.

Jones was also a head coach at North Texas for 11 seasons from 2001-12. He led the Mean Green to two NCAA tournaments berths and five top-three conference finishes. Overall, Jones has 34 years of Division I coaching experience, including 18 seasons as a head coach.

During the 1999-2000 season Jones was the interim head coach at Memphis and led the Tigers to a 15-16 record.

Jones played his college ball at LSU. He was a part of the 1981 Final Four team and joined head coach Dale Brown’s staff after his playing time, helping lead the Tigers to another Final Four in 1986. Jones and his wife Kelli have two children, John, a TSU graduate and current assistant, and Jillian.