University of North Texas Athletics
Jones Receives Contract Extension
8/14/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
DENTON (8/14/03) -- The University of North Texas Board of Regents has unanimously voted to accept athletic director Rick Villarreal's proposal to extend men's basketball head coach Johnny Jones' contract through 2008.
"Coach Jones has done an outstanding job both on and off the floor," said Villarreal. "He possesses all of the qualities necessary to build a successful program, and we want him to be here a long time."
Villarreal announced Jones as the Mean Green's head coach on April 16, 2001, and Jones immediately turned the basketball program around. In his debut at the helm, Jones guided North Texas to a 15-14 overall record -- the program's first winning season since 1995-96. The 10-3 record compiled by the Mean Green was the school's best effort at the Super Pit in 11 seasons. The 11-win improvement enjoyed by North Texas (who went 4-24 in the season prior to Jones' arrival) tied for the seventh best one season turnaround in the NCAA. And the improvement from that 4-24 record (.143) to 15-14 (.517) marked the third-best improvement in winning percentage in the country.
Jones has now completed his second season at North Texas and followed his impressive inaugural year up by leading last year's team to the school's best start since 1994-95. That start included a season-opening victory over Southwest Missouri State, breaking a streak of 25 consecutive season-opening victories for SMS at Hammons Student Center and making the Mean Green just the second team to ever defeat the Bears at HSC in a season-opening game. During the 2002-03 season he guided North Texas to its first conference-opening win on the road since 1996-97 with a 94-91 victory at Florida International and also to the Brothers Air and Heat Shootout championship, which included a victory over NCAA Tournament qualifier Weber State. The tournament championship marked the Mean Green's first regular-season tournament title since 1981.
"I am committed to the University of North Texas and the administration and Board of Regents have shown their commitment to the basketball program," said Jones. "We will continue to build a program that our university and community will be proud of."
Both seasons at the helm of the Mean Green, Jones has placed a player on the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team. Attendance at the Super Pit has increased in each year since Jones' arrival. Attendance at the Super Pit for the men's basketball team has grown from an average of 1,542 in 2000-01 to 2,159 per game last season.
