Stetson University Athletics

As first impressions go, Donnie Jones certainly made a strong one on Stetson basketball.
 
Hired as the 22nd head coach in program history on April 1, 2019, Jones took a moribund Stetson basketball program and turned it into an instant contender in the ASUN Conference.

The 2023-24 season was one for the record books as Jones led the Hatters to their first ASUN Championship and first NCAA Tournament appearance in Stetson’s 53^rd season at the Division 1 level. On the way to the eventual championship, the Hatters were able to achieve its third time winning twenty games in a season going 22-13. This also marked the second year in a row that Stetson had a winning season which hadn’t happened for the Hatters in 40 years. During the season, the Hatters competed in the Sunshine Slam where they were they beat Milwaukee and Central Michigan in route to their first trophy on the season. 
 
After a stellar regular season, Jones led the team to a 3-0 record throughout the ASUN Tournament defeating Queens, Jacksonville and Austin Peay. Jones has coached the ASUN Championship MVP and two-time ASUN First Team All-Conference Selection Jalen Blackmon and ASUN Second Team All-Conference selection Stephan Swenson. Blackmon, Swenson and Aubin Gateretse were all named to the ASUN All-Tournament team as well. At the end of the 23-24 season, Jones now sits fourth in program history in wins with 78. Not only did the Hatters run the ASUN, they also ranked highly in different statistical categories in the NCAA. The team ranked in the top 50 in the NCAA in free throw percentage, three-point field goals made in a game, three-point percentage and effective field goal percentage.  

In the 2022-2023 season, Stetson once again broke or tied several school records. The team's 17-14 record was the best since 200-2001 and the most wins for the team in 35 years. The conference record of 12-6 was the best for the Hatters since 1986-1987 and the second most wins in school history. The Hatters also made 303 three point field goals  and the team also posted a .773 free throw percentage which were the best in school history. The Hatters were able to secure the 4th seed in the conference however were not able to make it past the first round but they did receive a bid for the CBI. Jones also earned his 200th career win in an 86-80 victory over Lipscomb on December 30, 2022.

In 2020-21, Stetson participated in NCAA Division I postseason play for the first time in school history, earning an invitation to the CBI.  On March 22, Stetson won its first-ever NCAA Division I postseason game, defeating Bowling Green 53-52 at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach. The Hatters rallied from 15-point second half deficit to post the historic win.  

In the conference tournament, Jones led the 7th-seeded Hatters to a 73-70 upset win over 2-seed Bellarmine in the ASUN Championship quarterfinals.  Stetson advanced to the ASUN for the second time in two years under Jones.  In addition, Stetson was the only ASUN team to defeat all eight conference opponents at least once during the season.

Jones also continued to recruit, sign and develop young talent. Rookie guard Chase Johnston was named to the 30-man Kyle Macy Freshman All-America Team, the third Hatter to make the team under Jones.  Johnston broke the program's single-season 3-point field goal record, sinking 79 3-pointers in just 27 games.  Johnston was also named ASUN Freshman of the Year, and was joined by Josh Smith on the ASUN all-freshman team.

In Jones' debut season of 2019-20, he and the Hatters made plenty of history. The list of accomplishments was an impressive one:

• Stetson’ 16 victories were a 9-win improvement over the previous season, most in the country for a first-year head coach
• The 16 victories were not only the most since the 2007-08 season, but also the most by a first-year head coach in Stetson history
• After being picked to finish dead last in the ASUN preseason poll, the Hatters went 9-7 in ASUN play and finished tied for third
• Stetson hosted its first ASUN Tournament home game since 1996
• Earned the program’s first road win against an SEC team since 2004 when the Hatters defeated South Carolina, 63-56, on Dec. 30
• Mahamadou Diawara and Rob Perry were named to the 30-man Kyle Macy Freshman All-America Team

Jones’ reputation as an outstanding recruiter was put the test upon his hire, and he cobbled together an impressive recruiting class in a short time, one which yielded a pair of freshmen All-Americans, the conference Freshman of the Year (Perry), and several other key players who will be major factors as the Hatters march forward over the next several years.
 
The Hatters served notice almost immediately that things would be different under Jones. In their second game of the season, Stetson secured the program’s first road win in two years when Perry exploded for 34 points to lead the Hatters to a 77-75 win at Western Illinois.
 
Growing pains took hold after that game, and the Hatters won just four more non-conference games through the end of December. But they closed out the non-conference schedule with their biggest win of the season, stunning the Gamecocks in Columbia. South Carolina, which had defeated reigning national champion Virginia in its previous outing, led just twice in the game’s early going as the Hatters held on for their first win against a Power 5 program in a decade. It was a marquee win for Jones and for Stetson.
 
ASUN play featured a 4-game conference winning streak, which included improbable back-to-back home wins, victories which helped propel the Hatters into the thick of the ASUN Conference race.
 
The first eye-popping win came against NJIT. The Highlanders jumped out to an 11-point halftime lead and eventually led by as many as 16 points early in the second half before the Hatters closed the game on a 38-21 run to secure the win.
 
Two nights later, conference leader Liberty stepped into the Edmunds Center. The Flames followed suit, holding an 11-point halftime lead. But once again, the Hatters showed they comeback-ability as they rallied for a 48-43 victory to show that they weren’t going anywhere.
 
A successful conference season culminated on March 3 when the Hatters hosted, and defeated, North Alabama in the ASUN Conference quarterfinals. It was Stetson’s first home tournament game since 1996.
 
Diawara and Perry both earned spots on the ASUN All-Freshman team, while Perry was named second-team all-conference. Perry also was voted to the NABC All-District first team, the first award of its kind for a Hatter since 2009.
 
Jones came to Stetson following a one-year stint as assistant coach at Dayton. The former head coach at UCF (2010-16) and Marshall (2007-10), Jones has also served as an assistant at Pikeville, Marshall, Wichita State, and Florida, helping lead the Gators to a pair of national championships.
 
“I began to follow Donnie Jones when he was an assistant coach at the University of Florida,” Altier said the introductory press conference. “Donnie was an integral part of creating the highest standard of basketball success ever for a school in the south. I watched closely as Donnie led the programs at Marshal and UCF, elevating their recruiting to the highest level and engaging fans, ticketholders and the community as never before.
 
“Every program Donnie has touched has been characterized by setting a new standard of performance on the court, classroom and in the community. Donnie is the perfect fit for us, and will help us advance the Stetson basketball program to new heights.”
 
In 10 seasons combined at UCF, Marshall and Stetson, Jones owns a 171-146 (.543) overall record and has led his teams to three post-season tournaments, including the NIT in 2012 with UCF. Nearly half of his teams – four – have produced 20-win seasons.
 
“I’m so excited and grateful to be a part of the Stetson Hatter family,” Jones said. “I appreciate the opportunity to help build a culture and a style of play that will be exciting to play and fun to watch.”
 
Long considered one of the top recruiters in the country, Jones has a history of securing top-shelf talent. During his time as an assistant at Florida, Jones helped the Gators recruit and sign 11 McDonald’s All-American and 12 eventual National Basketball Association draft selections, including Matt Bonner, David Lee, Mike Miller and Jason Williams. At Marshall, Jones signed and coached current Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside.
 
A native of Point Pleasant, W. Va., Jones has been coaching college basketball for 30 years and has experienced more than 700 wins in his coaching career. His career began as an assistant at his alma mater, Pikeville College in Pikeville, Ky., where he spent two seasons before moving on to Marshall as a graduate assistant (1990-92).
 
Jones was elevated to a full-time position in 1992 and stayed on staff after Billy Donovan joined the Herd in 1994. After four seasons at Marshall, Jones joined Donovan at Florida in 1996.
 
At Florida, Jones helped Donovan and the Gators to 261 victories, nine NCAA Tournament appearances, and NCAA National Championships in 2006 and 2007.
 
After 11 seasons in Gainesville, Jones returned to Marshall for his first head coaching job. In three seasons with the Thundering Herd, he was 55-41, winning 24 games and reaching quarterfinals of the CIT in 2010.
 
On the heels of his success with Marshall, Jones was named head coach at UCF in the spring of 2010 and spent six seasons with the Knights, amassing 100 wins and reaching the postseason twice (CBI Quarterfinals, 2011; NIT First Round, 2012). Jones won 20 games in each of his first three seasons in Orlando before the Knights left Conference USA for the American Athletic Conference.
 
In 2016 he worked as a scout for the Los Angeles Clippers before joining the staff at Wichita State for the 2017-18 season. This season Jones teamed up with former fellow Florida assistant Anthony Grant at Dayton, joining the Flyers’ staff for the recently completed season.
 
A 1988 graduate of Pikeville, Jones is a member of the Pikeville athletic Hall of Fame. He also earned a Master’s degree in Sports Management from Marshall in 1992.
 
Jones and his wife, Michelle, have three children: Madisyn, Isaac, and Sophie.