Episode 146: Will Jones, Multiple Defenses and Changing Defenses

Guest: Will Jones, North Carolina A&T Head Coach

North Carolina A&T head coach Will Jones joins the Basketball Podcast to discuss how to play with multiple and changing defenses.

Coach Jones is the current head coach of the men's basketball team at North Carolina A&T. He started as an assistant with the Aggies in 2016 and was promoted to his current position in just two seasons. During that time Jones led a massive overhaul of the program's culture and success. In 2018 N.C. A&T had one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA history by winning 17 more games than they did in the previous season. That success has continued at A&T as the Aggies have finished top two in the MEAC conference in the last two seasons.

Before North Carolina A&T, Jones served as an assistant at several schools. He coached at Jacksonville University from 2011-14. Jones also was an assistant at Charleston Southern from 2009-11. At Charleston, Jones helped land several star recruits that led the team to numerous winning seasons. Prior to that, Jones coached at the junior college level with Northwest Florida State College and helped the team reach a 48-11 record over two seasons. Here Jones showed off his player development skills and assisted in eleven of his players moving up to the Division 1 level.

Throughout his time as an assistant Will picked up on several skills and experiences that have led to his success. At some of the smaller programs, Jones coached at he was asked to do several tasks like recruiting, marketing, advising academics, and player development. All of these tasks bolstered his resume and taught him many lessons. Jones also graduated with a degree in communication and has made that a focal point of his coaching style.

Will Jones's journey has given him an in-depth knowledge of the college game and how to thrive in it. This season NC A&T currently is second in their conference and looks to make a run at the MEAC championship.

Breakdown

1:00 - Disruption and Changing Defense

4:00 - Possession of Possession

7:00 - Offensive Philosophy

9:00 - Importance of Scouting

11:00 - All about Defense

14:00 - Man to Zone Demand

16:00 - Communication Strategy

20:00 - Favorite Changing Defense

23:00 - Analytics

27:00 - Man Demand Defense

29:00 - Cues in Changing a Possession