Jones spent the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach under first-year head coach Austin Claunch at UTSA. He helped guide the Roadrunners to a 12-19 season. UTSA finished 6-12 in the AAC and earned the 11-seed in the conference tournament. The Roadrunners fell 70-65 to sixth-seeded East Carolina to end their season.
When the 2023-24 season began, Joseph Jones started his fourth year as an assistant coach for Tarleton men’s basketball. However, little did he know, he would fill in coach Gillispie’s role after the fourth game of the season. Jones compiled a 23-8 record while at the helm of the Texans and led Tarleton to its first WAC Semifinals appearance as well as a CIT Semifinal bid as well. After the record-breaking season in his first stint as a head coach, Jones was tabbed the WAC Coach of the Year.
The night before the Texans opened the SoCal Challenge in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Gillispie left the team due to medical circumstances and Jones filled in in his absence. Tarleton State knocked off Austin Peay and Cal State Bakersfield to earn the SoCal Challenge Sand Division title, the Texans’ first Multi-team event (MTE) title. The Texans led by Jones returned to Texas to upset Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches followed by a buzzer-beating victory against UTRGV at home to open WAC play 2-0 for the first time in program history. The Purple and White added a pair of wins against Hardin-Simmons and Sterling College to build a six-game winning streak to start coach Jones' time at the helm of the program. At the time, the streak was the longest in the Texan D1 era, but Jones' squad would run off 10-straight WAC victories in a row to set the new record, which including an upset victory over eventual WAC Champion, Grand Canyon.
The Texans set a new record with 25 overall wins, the 20th 20-win season in program history. Tarleton registered 16 wins in WAC play, the highest in any conference in program history. During the regular season, the squad knocked off eventual WAC Champion, Grand Canyon, 77-74, in front of a sold out Wisdom Gym crowd. Tarleton State was one 17 NCAA Division I teams this season to register 10 road wins this season and was the only reclassifying team to accomplish the feat. Tarleton climbed up to as high as 129 in the NET rankings, their highest as a Division I program. the Texans also orchestrated a perfect 8-0 month of February, one of five schools to do so in 2024.
In the Texans second postseason eligible season, the unit earned its highest WAC Tournament seed finishing second in the WAC with a 16-4 record. Tarleton reached the WAC Semifinals for the first time in program history. After the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas, the Texans accepted a bid to host their first postseason tournament in Wisdom Gym in its Division I era, the College Insider.com Postseason Tournament presented by BSN SPORTS. The Texans knocked off Texas Southern in the opening round before defeating Abilene Christian for the third time this season to earn the Lou Henson Classic Championship. Tarleton reached the semifinals of the CIT presented by BSN SPORTS, its longest postseason run in its Division I era.
Individually, the Texans earned their most postseason honors since joining the WAC. Jakorie Smith became the first Texan to earn First Team All-WAC. KiAndre Gaddy was the fourth different selection as WAC Defensive Player of the Year since the award's inception in 2016. Gaddy also was named a top 25 finalist for the Lefty Driessel Award, the nation's top defensive player. He joined freshman Emmanuel Innocenti on the All-Defensive Team. Tarleton was the only school to earn two players on the five-man team this season. Innocenti also earned a nod to the WAC All-Freshman Team.
Tarleton established themselves as one of the top teams statistically in the WAC as well. At the end of the regular season, Tarleton was in the top 3 in nine statistical categories, including topping the league in four. Tarleton led the WAC in fewest turnovers per game (13.1), turnover margin (+ 3.0), steals per game (9.0) and free throw percentage (75.2%). The Purple and White were second in field goal percentage (45.3%) and Assist to Turnover ratio (1.14). Finally, the Texans were third in the WAC in assists per game (13.2), scoring margin (+ 5.1), and opponent turnovers per game (14.5). Nationally, the Texans were in the top 40 in three different categories. Tarleton had the 18th most steals per game, 26th highest turnover margin, and 36th most turnovers forced per game.
As a first-year head coach, Jones recorded one of the best seasons in the nation in the 2023-24 season. Jones tallied the second-most victories of all first-year D1 head coaches in the 2023-24 season. He was one of 10 coaches that notched at least 20-wins in their first season in 2023-24. His 16 conference wins was greater than 15 first-year head coaches total wins. With 16 WAC wins, Jones topped all first-year coaches in league victories. Among the nine head coaches throughout 2023-24 that did not start the season as the head coach, Jones' 23 wins was the most. He surpassed Texas' Rodney Terry's 22 wins for the most interim wins in the past two seasons. Jones was the only first-year head coach to defeat the Grand Canyon Lopes who ended the season, 30-5.
Jones joined the Texan coaching staff mid season in 2020-21, as Gillispie hired the former Texas A&M Hall of Famer on Jan. 4, a week before conference play began.
In his third season as a member of Gillespie’s staff, his defensive intensity helped lead the prolific Texan defense to lead the WAC in steals and turnover margin. The Texans averaged 9.7 steals per game and a +5.68 turnover margin.
The Texans notched one of its best home records in school history. Tarleton boasted a 12-2 record at Wisdom Gym, its best winning percentage since 2016-17. The squad won their first nine home games extending the win streak into February. Jones helped guide the team to a pair of wins at the Paradise Jam and a runner-up finish for the first time in school history.
For the second-straight season, Jones helped guide sophomore Shamir Bogues to the WAC All-Defensive Team. Freddy Hicks also earned individual recognition as a second-team All-WAC selection.
Jones was known as a defensive force in College Station and brought that same mentality to Tarleton during his first full season as an assistant coach in 2021-22. The Texans finished the season fifth among all D1 programs in turnover percent differential (+6.4), ninth in turnover margin (+4.1), 11th in turnovers forced (505) and 14th in turnovers forced per game (16.3). Tarleton ranked second in the WAC in all four categories.
He began the season by helping Tarleton navigate one of the most challenging Division I nonconference schedules in the country. The Texans played six of their first seven games away from home in a series of high-profile matchups against the likes of eventual National Champion Kansas, No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga and Sweet 16 participants: Michigan, Stanford and Wichita State. The Texans were one of only four teams to face two eventual No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament (Kansas, Gonzaga).
Following the early-season gauntlet of games, the Texans won seven of their next nine contests and went on to finish .500 in WAC play at 9-9 with Jones in an assistant coaching role. The team’s conference victories came via a memorable home sweep of east Texas rivals Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin, season sweeps of Chicago State, Lamar and UTRGV and a road win at Dixie State.
Individually, Jones helped coach Shamir Bogues to the All-WAC Defensive Team and Montre Gipson to All-WAC second team recognition. Bogues became the first player in Tarleton basketball history to be selected to the All-Defensive Team and was one of five players to receive the honor. Gipson’s accolade signified the third postseason All-WAC honor of his two-year Texan career.
In 2020-21. Jones helped coach the Texans to eight of their 10 wins during the inaugural Division I season once he was hired. Jones helped develop and coach four all-WAC selections, including the Freshman of the Year in Freddy Hicks. Montre’ Gipson was selected to the All-WAC Newcomer Team while Gipson, Shakur Daniel and Tahj Small were named Honorable Mention All-WAC.
His defensive credentials were on full display in his first winter in Stephenville. Due to NCAA Division I transition rules, Tarleton does not qualify for NCAA statistical rankings. Had they been eligible, the Texans would have ranked first in the nation in steals per game (10.5), second in the nation in turnovers forced per game (19.5), and 15th in the nation in points allowed (62.3).
Jones, a professional basketball player for the 14 years ended his career in Puerto Rico and came to Tarleton as one of Gillispie’s former standout players at Texas A&M. He was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. Gillispie coached Jones at Texas A&M for his first three seasons.
Jones committed to Texas A&M after a standout high school career at Normangee High School. During his four-year career at Texas A&M where he graduated a semester early, Jones helped lead the Aggies to a 95-37 record with a trip to the NIT Quarterfinals, three NCAA Tournament appearances and an NCAA Sweet 16 birth.
“What an exciting time for Tarleton basketball to have Joseph Jones join our staff,” said Gillispie in 2021. “I could not be happier. Joe is one of the best human beings I have ever met. He started every game I coached at Texas A&M and was a great leader from his very first day as a first-year player. He is one of the smartest players I have ever coached. His spirit towards team and life is unmatched. All Joe ever wanted to do was prepare and win. He will be a tremendous asset to each of our young players.”
At Texas A&M, Jones earned All-Big 12 honors every season and was a member of the Big 12 All-Freshman Team in 2005 as well as a NABC All-District honoree in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Academically, he was a member of the All-Big 12 Academic Team in 2006 and ultimately graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in agricultural leadership and development in 2007. Entering his senior season, Jones was featured on the front cover of Sports Illustrated with Texas Longhorns player D.J. Augustin.
Jones filled the Texas A&M record books with his name, as he finished his career third on the Aggie all-time points list (1,679), second in made free throws (480), sixth in rebounds (843), seventh in field goals (588), seventh in blocked shots (96) and second in games started (131).
After his collegiate career in College Station, Jones joined the Houston Rockets 2008 Summer League team before beginning his career overseas. In 2008, Jones signed with Le Havre in France. He has since played in France, Israel, Spain, and Iran. Jones played last for Santeros de Aguada in Puerto Rico, where he won the BSN Championship in 2019.
During his career, Jones posted a career high 35 points as an Aggie against North Texas on 12/6/05 during his sophomore season. He posted a career-high 19 rebounds against North Texas as well as in 2019 with Santeros de Aguada. Jones tallied four blocks in two separate games as an Aggie freshman, the most in his career. Jones six steals against Southern as a sophomore was his most at any level.
