(Story courtesy of Texas Lutheran University)
SEGUIN, Texas – After a coaching career
spanning more than 40 years, including seven years as head coach at
Texas Lutheran University, Tommy Jones has announced his retirement
as head men's basketball coach of the Bulldogs.
"I think next year, with the way the league is set up, this team
is in a position to do extremely well," Jones said. "I think I'm
leaving [the program] in good shape, and I hope whoever comes after
me feels that way, too. There are some good players on this team,
and they're good guys. I'm proud of what we've accomplished."
A veteran of both the high school and collegiate coaching ranks,
Jones spent the past seven seasons building up the Texas Lutheran
program and leading his squad into a new conference, the Southern
Collegiate Athletic Conference, this season.
"Tommy Jones was an excellent role model for the young men
involved with Texas Lutheran's men's basketball program," Texas
Lutheran Athletic Director Bill Miller said. "Not only was he a
great coach, but he was an even better person. We want to thank him
for everything that he has done for TLU Basketball. We also
want to congratulate him on an outstanding coaching career and wish
him all the best in his retirement."
Jones inherited a squad that won just four games the year before,
finishing last in the ASC West Division. He built the program back
up from there, and by his fourth season, the Bulldogs had won 10
conference games and 11 games total, their most since the 2004-05
campaign. In his fourth and fifth seasons, Jones guided the
Bulldogs to 20 combined ASC wins.
During his seven seasons at the helm of the Bulldog program, Jones
coached three All-Conference performers. Four players were named to
ASC All-Freshmen teams during his tenure, while five were named to
All-Defensive squads.
Jones was hired on as the head men's basketball coach for Texas
Lutheran prior to the 2007-08 season. He brought plenty of coaching
experience to the table for the Bulldogs, coaching with a number of
NCAA Division I programs along with extensive experience in the
high school and junior college ranks. He coaches only one season in
the SCAC, the Bulldogs first year in the conference, as TLU
finished eighth.
The search for the next Texas Lutheran men's basketball coach will
begin immediately.
