Joseph Jones was named an assistant coach for the UTEP men's basketball team in June of 2026.
After ending a stellar playing career, Jones worked with both Tarleton State (Jan. 2021-March 2024, June 2025-April 2026) and UTSA (April 2024-March 2025). As a player (2004-08), the 2019 Texas A&M Hall of Fame inductee helped the team go 95-37, advance to three NCAA Tournaments, including an NCAA Sweet 16 berth, before an extensive professional career.
Jones, a rising star in the industry, ventures to the Sun City after showing his versatile skillset and ability both with Tarleton State and at UTSA. He spent last year with the Texans while working the 2024-25 campaign with AAC member UTSA. In 2023-24, he was thrust into acting head coach after Billy Gillispie stepped down due to medical circumstances after just four games. Jones proceeded to go 23-8 (16-4 in WAC) to help the Texans finish with a school-record 25 wins. They made their first WAC Semifinals appearance and advanced to the CIT Semifinals, their furthest postseason run at the DI level. He was tabbed the WAC Coach of the Year after tallying the second-most wins of all first-year DI head coaches in ’23-24. Tarleton also had a school-record 10-game winning streak and claimed its most postseason honors in program history. Jakorie Smith became the program’s initial first-team All-WAC honoree, KiAndre Gaddy was tabbed the WAC Defensive Player of the Year. Gaddy and Emmanuel Innocenti were named both on the All-Defensive team.
Jones helped the Texans transition to the DI level. He has been involved in all aspects of the program, including overseeing player development, film breakdown, position-specific training and much more. In 2022-23, his defensive intensity helped the squad pace the WAC in both steals (9.7 spg) and turnover margin (+5.68).
In 2021-22 Jones, who had a reputation for being a fierce defender as a player, had a hand in the Texans clamping down defensively during his first complete season on the staff. They were among the NCAA’s best for turnover percent differential (+6.4-fifth), turnover margin (+4.1-ninth), turnovers forced (505-11th) and turnovers forced per game (16.3-14th). With his aid the team got going late to finish .500 in WAC play (9-9).
He joined the program in the middle of the 2020-21 campaign a week prior to the start of conference action but settled in immediately. Eight of the Texans’ 10 victories in their inaugural DI season came following his appointment. The Texans also were also amped up defensively with 10.5 spg while forcing 19.5 tpg to only allow 63.3 ppg.
Jones had a sensational professional playing career that spanned 13 years (2008-21) across nine different countries. He won a trio of championships in that timeframe, claiming the 2011-12 Balkan League and 2014-15 Winner League Champs in with Hapoel in Israel while staking the 2019 BSN title as a member of Santeros in Puerto Rico. His professional career launched when he was a member of the Houston Rockets 2008 Summer League team before embarking on a journey that included competing for teams based in France, Israel, Spain, Iran and Puerto Rico, among others.
Jones’s arrival at Texas A&M marked the rebirth for the program, which advanced to the postseason all four years of his career (2004-08) and won 72% of its games. He etched his name all over the school record books, rating third in career points (1,679), second in made free throws (480), sixth in rebounds (843), seventh in field goals (588), seventh in blocked shots (96), second in games started (132).
He was an All-Big 12 honoree all four years of his career, in addition to garnering NABC All-District status in 2006, 2007 and 2008. He was also a Freshman All-American and a member of the Big 12 All-Freshman team in 2005. Jones thrived in the classroom as well, snagging a spot on the All-Big 12 Academic team in 2006.
Jones graduated with a degree from the school in agricultural leadership and development in 2007.
