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Jones Succeeds Hill as Men’s Hoops Coach

Armond Hill was dismissed as Columbia's men's basketball coach after eight seasons. PHOTO: GENE BOYARS

Joe Jones, 37, formerly an assistant coach at Hofstra and Villanova, has been named the 20th men’s head basketball coach in Columbia history. He succeeds Armond Hill, who was fired after a 2002–03 season in which Columbia went 2–25, including 0–14 in Ivy League play. Columbia, which lost all seven Ivy football games in 2002, is the first school in the history of Ivy competition, which dates back to 1956–57, to go winless in the two most highly publicized sports in the same season.

“I believe that a change in leadership is what our program needs at this point,” said Athletic’s Director John Reeves in announcing Hill’s firing. As for Jones, Reeves said that he “will bring a new level of intensity and excitement” to Columbia. “Joseph’s skill as a recruiter is his biggest asset. He has demonstrated his ability to recruit and knows the New York area. He has been a key cog in the success at Villanova and Hofstra.”

Jones, whose brother, James, is completing his fourth year as coach at Yale, is a graduate of SUNY Oswego. After coaching at the high school level on Long Island, Jones was an assistant coach at Hofstra under Jay Wright from 1994–97, during which time Hofstra compiled a 72–22 record. He moved to Villanova in 1997 as an assistant to Steve Lappas, and when Wright replaced Lappas two years ago, Jones remained at Villanova, which was 105–83 in his six seasons there. Last year, Villanova’s recruiting class was rated among the nation’s best.

Wright described Jones as “a great, personable guy who demands loyalty from his players. Columbia is lucky because it’s getting a hard-working, passionate guy.”

In eight seasons at Columbia, Hill compiled a 72–141 overall record, including a 33–79 Ivy mark. A Brooklyn native, Hill twice earned All-Ivy first team honors at Princeton and played eight seasons in the NBA before becoming an assistant at his alma mater under Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril. His eight-year tenure as head basketball coach at Columbia was the fourth-longest in school history.

A.S.

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