Wyking L. Jones (born January 8, 1973) is an American basketball coach, former college and professional player, basketball broadcasting analyst, and actor who was most recently the head coach of the California Golden Bears men's basketball program, and is now an assistant on the men’s team at the University of Washington.

Biography

Early life

A native of Inglewood, California, Jones attended St. Bernard High School where he played basketball and was recruited by the likes of Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA and UC Santa Barbara, but ultimately decided to attend Loyola Marymount, where he was a ball boy in elementary school.

Collegiate career

Jones attended Loyola Marymount from 1991-95 under head coach John Olive. A two-time All-West Coast Conference selection, Jones emerged in a starring role his junior and senior seasons going from averaging 3.5 points per game and 2.2 rebounds per game in his first two seasons to 19.7 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game in his junior season and 13.1 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game in his senior year. Jones graduated with a degree in Business Administration and ended his collegiate career with 1,076 points, which is good for 24th all-time, along with 493 rebounds, which also ranks 24th all-time.

Professional career

Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Jones played professionally in Italy, France, Lebanon, Japan and South Korea from 1995-2001.

Coaching career

Assistant coaching career

Jones got his coaching start at his alma mater for the 1996-97 season. He also served on the staff of the

Nike Elite Youth Basketball League The Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, also known as Nike EYBL, or simply EYBL, is a basketball circuit for teams of players aged 17 and under. The circuit was founded in 2010 and is composed of AAU travel teams. Both boys and girls play in the E ...

(EYBL) for three years, where he was the travel team manager for more than 45 youth basketball programs. Jones then landed at

Pepperdine Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and ...

as an assistant under

Paul Westphal Paul Douglas Westphal (November 30, 1950 – January 2, 2021) was an American basketball player, head coach, and commentator. Westphal played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1972 to 1984. Playing the guard position, he won an ...

from 2002 to 2006. In 2009, Jones joined the coaching staff of

Steve Alford Stephen Todd Alford (born November 23, 1964) is an American men's college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach for the Nevada Wolf Pack of the Mountain West Conference (MWC). Born and raised in Indiana, he was a ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

, helping the Lobos to 52 wins in two seasons, including a school record 30-win campaign and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2010 and NIT bid in 2011, while coaching future NBA player Tony Snell. In 2011, Jones headed to

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

to work for

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He was also the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA ...

, where he was part of the 2013 national championship squad, along with two Final Fours, three Elite Eights, and four Sweet 16 appearances as the Cardinals went 123-30 in the span. Jones coached the likes of

Terry Rozier Terry William Rozier III (born March 17, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals before being selected ...

Montrezl Harrell Montrezl Dashay Harrell (; (born January 26, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals. Harrell received t ...

, and

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while with the Cardinals. Jones was hired by

Cuonzo Martin Cuonzo LaMar Martin (born September 23, 1971) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the former head coach of the Missouri Tigers men's basketball team. High school Playing alongside LaPhonso Ellis as a sophomore and junior, Ma ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in 2015, where he was part of a team that made an NCAA and NIT appearance, while also helping the Golden Bears to be the Pac-12's best defensive unit, ranking tops in the league in points per game allowed and field goal percentage allowed in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Jones is also credited for his work with Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and 2016 NBA Draft selection

Jaylen Brown Jaylen Marselles Brown (born October 24, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the California Golden Bears, being n ...

, along with two-time All-Pac-12 selection

Ivan Rabb Ivan Charles Rabb Jr. (born February 4, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the California Golden Bears. Growing up in California, ...

California

Jones was announced as

's 17th head coach on March 24, 2017. He was officially introduced in a news conference on March 29, 2017. On March 24, 2019, Jones was fired after posting a 16–47 record in two seasons at Cal.

Acting career

Off the court, Jones has appeared in movies such as '' Dope'', ''

The Wood ''The Wood'' is a 1999 American coming-of-age comedy drama film directed by Rick Famuyiwa and starring Omar Epps, Richard T. Jones and Taye Diggs. It was written by Famuyiwa and Todd Boyd. Plot Roland is getting married and is currently missin ...

'', Benchwarmers and ''

Brown Sugar Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined soft sugar. Brown Sugar may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Brown Sugar'' (1922 film), a 1922 British silent film directed by Fred Paul * ''Brown Sugar'' (1931 film), a 1931 ...

'' and has been dubbed one of "College hoops' most interesting people" by ESPN in part due to his unique part-time acting career.

Personal

Jones lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Head coaching record

References

External links

California profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Wyking 1973 births Living people Basketball coaches from California American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Japan American expatriate basketball people in Lebanon American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American men's basketball players Basketball players from Inglewood, California California Golden Bears men's basketball coaches Louisville Cardinals men's basketball coaches Loyola Marymount Lions men's basketball players New Mexico Lobos men's basketball coaches