Mike Jones is the 10th head coach in UNCG men's basketball history. He was hired on April 19, 2021.
In October 2025, Jones was inducted into Radford University's Athletic Hall of Fame.
AT UNCG
At the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, UNCG had a record of 15-19 overall and 9-9 in the SoCon. The squad saw Justin Neely be named to the All-SoCon First Team. Neely was also named SoCon Player of the Week twice, as well as, Lou Henson National Player of the Week. In addition, three Spartans concluded the season averaging double-figures in Neely (17.9), KJ Younger (15.1) and Donald Whitehead Jr. (10.1).
The Spartans wrapped up the 2024-25 season with a 20-12 overall record and 13-5 in the conference. This was the eighth year in Jones' time as a head coach with 20 or more wins and third-straight season with 20 or more wins in the Blue & Gold. Kenyon Giles was named to the All-SoCon First Team, while Donovan Atwell was voted to the All-SoCon Third Team.
The Spartans concluded the 2023-24 season with their second-straight 20-plus win slate, finishing 21-11 overall and taking second in the SoCon Regular Season. UNCG defeated then-ranked No. 14 Arkansas on Nov. 17 for the program's first ranked win ever. The next week, UNCG won the 2024 Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship in the Bahamas. Kobe Langley earned Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season, as well as All-Conference third team honors. Mikeal Brown-Jones was named to the All-Conference first team, while Keyshaun Langley was selected to the second team. Keyshaun and Brown-Jones were also voted to the NABC All-District first team.
Jones impressed the SoCon with a 20-12 overall record and a 14-4 conference mark during the 2022-23 season. This was the first year since the 2019-20 season that Jones led a team to 20-plus wins. He was in turn named SoCon Coach of the Year. He coached the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year in Kobe Langley, as well as two All-SoCon honorees including Keyshaun Langley and Keondre Kennedy.
During Jones' first season with the Spartans, he had a 17-win campaign that concluded with a postseason trip to the Roman College Basketball Invitational. De'monte Buckingham was named to the All-SoCon Third Team by the media and participated in the 3x3 showcase during the Final Four in New Orleans. The Spartans held 13 opponents below 60 points and were nationally ranked 33rd in rebounding margin (+5.2), which led the SoCon.
BEFORE UNCG
Jones, who served as the head coach at Radford (Va.) University since 2011, has led his teams to Big South championships, the NCAA tournament, and has seen his players go on to success in the NBA. His mentors include George Felton at the University of Georgia and Shaka Smart at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).
Jones was named Big South Coach of the Year and NABC District 3 Coach of the Year (2017-18), after leading the Highlanders to a Big South championship and playing in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history. For his success on the court and his high moral standing beyond it, he was also named a finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year award following the 2018-19 season.
The 2018 and 2020 Big South Coach of the Year, Jones won 174 games as the head coach at Radford. Some of the notable victories included triumphs over Northwestern, Richmond, Notre Dame, and Texas. In his final two years on Smart's staff at VCU, the Rams posted 55 wins, the highest of any two-year span in program history and advanced to the Final Four.
He led Radford to appearances in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) Tournament in 2014 and 2015. The Highlanders won the 2019 and 2020 Big South regular season championships. Radford won at least 20 games under Jones in five different seasons.
Prior to VCU, Jones was on Dennis Felton's staff at Georgia for six years. In 2008, Georgia advanced to the NCAA Tournament when the sixth-seeded Bulldogs won four games in three days to win an SEC Championship.
PERSONAL
A four-year standout at Howard University, Jones developed a lifetime friendship with fellow Howard alumnus Felton ('85), who he calls the biggest influence on his coaching career. Jones' father Jimmy was a star guard in the ABA from 1967-74 and signed with the Washington Bullets in the NBA in 1974, where he remained until 1977.
Jones is married to Dr. Sharon Blackwell Jones. He has two sons, both of whom played collegiately. His oldest son, Nate, played at Bucknell and his youngest son, Miles, is a member of the UNCG program.
| Year |
W |
L |
PCT. |
|
W |
L |
PCT. |
Postseason |
| RADFORD |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2011-12 |
6 |
26 |
.188 |
|
2 |
16 |
.111 |
Big South First Round |
| 2012-13 |
13 |
19 |
.406 |
|
7 |
9 |
.438 |
Big South First Round |
| 2013-14 |
22 |
13 |
.629 |
|
10 |
6 |
.635 |
Big South Quarterfinals
CBI 2nd Round |
| 2014-15 |
22 |
12 |
.647 |
|
12 |
6 |
.667 |
Big South Quarterfinals
CBI 2nd Round |
| 2015-16 |
16 |
15 |
.516 |
|
9 |
9 |
.500 |
Big South First Round |
| 2016-17 |
14 |
18 |
.438 |
|
8 |
10 |
.444 |
Big South Semifinal |
| 2017-18 |
23 |
13 |
.639 |
|
12 |
6 |
.667 |
Big South Champions
NCAA Tournament First Four
NCAA Tournament First Round |
| 2018-19 |
22 |
11 |
.667 |
|
12 |
4 |
.750 |
Big South Runner-Up |
| 2019-20 |
21 |
11 |
.656 |
|
15 |
5 |
.833 |
Big South Semifinals |
| 2020-21 |
15 |
12 |
.556 |
|
12 |
6 |
.667 |
Big South Semifinals |
| Total (Radford) |
174 |
150 |
.537 |
|
99 |
77 |
.562 |
|
| UNCG |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2021-22 |
17 |
15 |
.531 |
|
9 |
9 |
.500 |
SoCon Quarterfinals
Roman CBI 1st round |
| 2022-23 |
20 |
12 |
.625 |
|
14 |
4 |
.778 |
SoCon Quarterfinals |
| 2023-24 |
21 |
11 |
.656 |
|
12 |
6 |
.667 |
SoCon Quarterfinals |
| 2024-25 |
20 |
12 |
.625 |
|
13 |
5 |
.722 |
SoCon Quarterfinals |
| 2025-26 |
15 |
19 |
.441 |
|
9 |
9 |
.500 |
SoCon Semifinals |
| Total (UNCG) |
93 |
69 |
.574 |
|
57 |
33 |
.638 |
|
| TOTAL |
267 |
218 |
.551 |
|
|
|
|
|
