Former Texas Southern Assistant Coach John Jones Hired by UTRGV

John Jones joins UTRGV as director of basketball operations under Brandon Chambers, completing the Jones family exit from Texas Southern after eight seasons.

John Jones | Credit: John Jones IG

HOUSTON — John Jones, former assistant coach at Texas Southern University, is now the director of basketball operations at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, staying in Texas. UTRGV head coach Brandon Chambers announced Jones's new position as part of his updated staff.  

His father, Johnny Jones, departed TSU to accept an assistant coach role at LSU under Will Wade.

“I am beyond excited and grateful to become part of the men’s basketball program at UTRGV,” John Jones said in a prepared statement. “I would like to thank Coach Chambers for this opportunity to be a part of something special. The energy, enthusiasm, and love the community has for UTRGV is infectious, and I’ve felt it right away. UTRGV has the right leader for the men’s basketball program. Coach Chambers and his staff is committed to building a program to bring championships home and Rally the Valley!

John Jones and Johnny Jones | Credit: John Jones

John Jones’s hiring at UTRGV reunites him with head coach Brandon Chambers, who first recruited him as a Nevada walk-on in 2017 and later worked with him at Texas Southern. Chambers, now building his inaugural staff in Edinburg, chose Jones for a pivotal operations post.

“I am excited to welcome John Jones to our staff and to the Rio Grande Valley,” Chambers said. “I had the opportunity to coach John at the University of Nevada and Texas Southern University, as well as work alongside him at Texas Southern, and his impact on winning was immediately apparent. John brings tremendous energy and passion to everything he does, which will make him an outstanding addition to our program and the Valley. John’s fingerprints will be on every pillar of our program and will be an integral part to our success moving forward.”

Three Seasons on the Texas Southern Bench

Before joining UTRGV, John Jones spent three years as an assistant on his father's staff at Texas Southern. He then served as a graduate assistant in 2022-23, overseeing practice logistics, game plans, and operations, before being promoted to assistant coach.

While Johnny Jones was head coach, the Tigers posted a 12-win SWAC season in 2024-25 and finished in the top four of the conference. He coached Kavion McClain to All-SWAC Second Team honors. The team also achieved its third consecutive 10-plus-win SWAC campaign and maintained a 25-game home-win streak, reinforcing Texas Southern’s status as a tough road opponent.

Jones was also on staff for his father’s 100th career win at Texas Southern and his 400th career win overall. During the 2023-24 season, the Tigers advanced to the SWAC Tournament finals for the 19th time in program history—the seventh consecutive year—and competed in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

A Player Who Knew How to Win at TSU

Earlier in his career, Jones was a four-year letterman from 2018 to 2022. He started 54 games, helped Texas Southern capture SWAC Tournament Championships in 2021 and 2022, and started his journey at Nevada as a walk-on for the 2017-18 Sweet 16 team.

Jones is among Texas Southern’s leading three-point shooters with 173 career makes. He ranks second all-time in program wins as a player, underscoring Texas Southern’s sustained success during his father’s tenure.

The 2018 team became a standard-bearer. Jones helped lead a CollegeInsider.com Tournament run that set a program record with 24 wins.

Jones earned a Bachelor of Science in sports management from Texas Southern University in 2021, with a minor in radio, television, and film.

What It Means for Texas Southern

Shyrone Chatman is the interim head coach while Texas Southern conducts a national search to replace Johnny Jones. With the Jones family's exit and transition in the athletic director's office, the program is fully rebuilding its front-facing leadership at a SWAC power that has reached seven straight SWAC Tournament finals.

John Jones begins his next chapter in the Rio Grande Valley, this time under Coach Chambers, who has previously worked with him as a player, graduate assistant, and colleague.

FAQs on John Jones' Hire

Who is John Jones at UTRGV?

John Jones is the new director of basketball operations at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He spent the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at Texas Southern University under his father, Johnny Jones, and four years as a player there from 2018 to 2022.

Why did John Jones leave Texas Southern?

John Jones followed head coach Brandon Chambers to UTRGV. Chambers coached Jones at both Nevada and Texas Southern and hired him as his first director of basketball operations. The move also comes two weeks after Jones’s father, Johnny Jones, resigned as Texas Southern head coach to join Will Wade’s staff at LSU.

What did John Jones accomplish at Texas Southern?

As a player, Jones was a four-year letterwinner, started 54 games, won SWAC Tournament Championships in 2021 and 2022, and ranks among the top three-point shooters in program history with 173 career makes. As a coach, he helped guide the Tigers to three straight 10-plus win SWAC seasons, a 2024-25 top-four finish, and coached Kavion McClain to All-SWAC Second Team honors.

Who is UTRGV head coach Brandon Chambers?

Brandon Chambers was hired as UTRGV head coach on April 3, 2026. He has been part of nine consecutive NCAA Tournament teams as an assistant at NC State, McNeese, Texas Southern, LSU, and VCU. Chambers previously worked at Texas Southern from 2019-21 and 2022-23, overlapping with John Jones both as a player and as a staffer.

Who is Texas Southern’s interim head coach?

Shyrone Chatman is the interim head coach at Texas Southern. Chatman is a longtime assistant on the Tigers’ staff and is leading the program while the university conducts a national search for Johnny Jones’s replacement.