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Princeton University Athletics
Photo by: Beverly Schaefer
Men's Basketball Assistant Coach Jonathan Jones to be Inducted to Kean Hall of Fame
September 28, 2018 | Men's Basketball
Princeton men's basketball coach Jonathan Jones is part of the 2019 Athletic Hall of Fame class at his alma mater, Kean University.
The list of people who helped Jones achieve the honor extends beyond his parents.
"I thank my brothers for keeping me humbled," Jones said. "My teammates pushed me more than anyone on the court to get better. Lamar Wright taught me how to be a scoring forward. Vinnie Darpino and I worked out numerous days on the court in the off season, and Mike Burton helped me by always beating me in shooting competitions. He's undefeated. I still have never beat him. Coach Rob Kurzinsky coached and motivated me to be the player I needed to be from Day One."
Rob Kurzinsky, Jones's coach during all four years of his time at Kean, gave Jones praise worthy of an induction speech.
"Every cliché you could come up with, all the positive ones, they would all apply," Kurzinsky said. "Culture is such a big thing in the coaching world these days in sports. Ultimately, all culture is is who your players choose to be. Jonathan Jones, he drove our culture."
Kurzinsky said Jones's drive that ultimately led him to this honor wasn't limited to the court.
"He chose to be great on the court, away from the court and in the classroom," Kurzinsky said. "You come across these special players only a few times in your coaching career. That's what makes them special, is that all those things you talk about and preach and look for, most guys don't do them. It's very hard. It's not easy, and he chose to be that way. He chose to try to be great every day on the basketball court. He chose to be a tremendous ambassador not just for Kean basketball, but for Kean University away from the court and all the things that he did and how he carried himself."
Now, as an assistant coach at Princeton, Jones will get the chance to impart that onto the current group of Tigers.
"Any coach would want what he was driving, what he was pushing," Kurzinsky said.
While playing at Kean, Jones became the second All-American in program history after a senior season that saw the Cougars won the NJAC South Division title and reached the NJAC semifinals. His 23.9 points per game, good for eighth in Division III, and 13.7 rebounds per game, which stood second in the nation, helped him earn Player of the Year Honors from the ECAC, NJAC, Met Basketball Writers and D3hoops.com. A consensus first-team All-America, Jones led all of Division III with 24 double-doubles in his senior year and was named the Kean D'Angola Male Athlete of the Year, the Kean Hoffman Spirit Award winner and the NJAC Male Athlete of the Year.
"It's a great recognition. I am just honored and humbled even more through this announcement," Jones said of the honor. "I am so thankful for my Mom and Dad. They taught me to remain consistent and productive in everything that I do. My mom was screaming on the phone in excitement (when I gave her the news). She just couldn't help herself for being so happy for me. My dad was just like, 'That's great, wow, awesome, congratulations.'"The list of people who helped Jones achieve the honor extends beyond his parents.
"I thank my brothers for keeping me humbled," Jones said. "My teammates pushed me more than anyone on the court to get better. Lamar Wright taught me how to be a scoring forward. Vinnie Darpino and I worked out numerous days on the court in the off season, and Mike Burton helped me by always beating me in shooting competitions. He's undefeated. I still have never beat him. Coach Rob Kurzinsky coached and motivated me to be the player I needed to be from Day One."
Rob Kurzinsky, Jones's coach during all four years of his time at Kean, gave Jones praise worthy of an induction speech.
"Every cliché you could come up with, all the positive ones, they would all apply," Kurzinsky said. "Culture is such a big thing in the coaching world these days in sports. Ultimately, all culture is is who your players choose to be. Jonathan Jones, he drove our culture."
Kurzinsky said Jones's drive that ultimately led him to this honor wasn't limited to the court.
"He chose to be great on the court, away from the court and in the classroom," Kurzinsky said. "You come across these special players only a few times in your coaching career. That's what makes them special, is that all those things you talk about and preach and look for, most guys don't do them. It's very hard. It's not easy, and he chose to be that way. He chose to try to be great every day on the basketball court. He chose to be a tremendous ambassador not just for Kean basketball, but for Kean University away from the court and all the things that he did and how he carried himself."
Now, as an assistant coach at Princeton, Jones will get the chance to impart that onto the current group of Tigers.
"Any coach would want what he was driving, what he was pushing," Kurzinsky said.
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