Montel Jones is in his second season as women's basketball assistant coach with the Golden Tigers after being hired in October of 2023.
Jones played an integral role in the success of the Tuskegee women’s basketball team during the 2023-24 season. The team finished the season with a record of 15-10 overall, going 11-8 in conference play.
From an offensive perspective, the team averaged 62.2 points per game on 39.3% shooting from the field. Tuskegee also shot 29.4% from the three-point line, with standout shooters like Brittney Bolin, who led the team with 35 three-pointers on 33% shooting. The team's free throw percentage was solid at 68.7%, with key contributors like Jasmine Manuel making a significant impact, shooting 76.7% from the charity stripe. Coach Jones helped the team maintain a balanced attack with contributions from players such as Sumaiyah Abdur-Rahim, who averaged 12.2 points per game, and Bolin, who averaged 12.0 points per game.
On the defensive end, the team showcased its ability to rebound and protect the basket, averaging 40.6 rebounds per game and blocking 2.5 shots per game. Players like Jasmine Manuel, who averaged 6.6 rebounds and 0.76 blocks per game, were pivotal to the team's defense. Jones also emphasized perimeter defense, as the team averaged 7.4 steals per game, led by Abdur-Rahim’s 1.68 steals per contest.
Coach Jones’ influence extended beyond the statistics, as his leadership helped the team navigate a tough conference schedule, playing critical roles in developing strategies, training players, and fostering teamwork and resilience across the roster. His dedication to improving the team’s execution both offensively and defensively was instrumental in their competitiveness throughout the season.
Jones joined the Tuskegee staff after previously serving as the head coach of the Saint Augustine women's basketball program from 2018-20.
During his time leading SAU, the Lady Falcons showed improvement both on the court and in the classroom, highlighted by winning the CIAA Highest Grade Point Average Award for the 2018-19 season. The same year the team also defeated rival Shaw University on the road for the first time since 2008. Jones and his team saw a seven-game win improvement in his second season, along with sweeping Shaw for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The Lady Falcons forced 21.8 turnovers per game, which ranked 16th nationally in Division II on the year.
Jones has over 10 years of coaching experience including two seasons (2016-18) as an assistant under SAU head men’s basketball coach MarQus Johnson. His primary responsibilities were working with the post players in addition to being the team’s recruiting coordinator and academic mentor.
He helped turn standout forward Quincy January into a three-time CIAA Defensive Player of the Year winner. January is believed to be the first player to win the award three times.
January, who ranked among the nation’s Division II rebounding and double-double leaders in points and rebounds, was a three-time All-CIAA selection and posted over 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in his stellar four-year career.
Jones also played a role in Tyrece Little earning CIAA Defensive Player of the Year honors during his two-year stint as men’s assistant coach at Virginia State University. He was part of a VSU staff which won the CIAA Championship and reached the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2016.
A Kinston, N.C., native, Jones was previously on the men’s basketball staffs at Wingate University and the University of Mount Olive before coaching at VSU and SAU. During his time at both schools, Mount Olive captured the Conference Carolinas regular-season title and Wingate won back-to-back South Atlantic Conference tournament crowns. Wingate also played in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional.
Before entering the coaching profession, Jones was a basketball student-athlete at Mount Olive, where he graduated in 2008 with a criminal justice degree. During his college career, Mount Olive set a school record for men’s basketball victories (101) over a four-year span. As a freshman, Jones was a member of the 2005 Trojans’ squad which won the NCAA Division II East Regional and made its first-ever appearance in the Elite Eight.
In his prep days, Jones was a standout basketball player at famed Kinston High School in Kinston, N.C. Kinston High School has churned out numerous collegiate and professional basketball players over the years.
