Nick Jones begins his first season as assistant coach for the Ichabod men’s basketball team for the 2023-24 season. Jones came from Wichita State University, previously serving as the video coordinator and director of player development.
Jones was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. He attended Kansas State University where he studied business management and served as the manager for the men’s basketball program. He then went to Wichita State to get his master’s degree and was hired full-time to work with the Shockers basketball team.
“I was at Wichita State for eight years before coming to Washburn,” said Jones. “It was great to work where I’m from, at home. I definitely had great memories there.”
Jones had many different roles and responsibilities as a coach at Wichita State. He was on the court with the players, working fundamentals, training and was in charge of video scouting reports and strategy. The Shockers had a lot of success while Jones was there, winning four conference championships and going to six NCAA tournaments.
Being a Wichita native, Jones knew a lot about the history, the success of the basketball program and what the program is about at Washburn.
“I came to a summer basketball camp in sixth grade, so it’s funny now how things come full circle,” said Jones. “Now I’m helping run the camps 15-20 years later. I’m very grateful to be here.”
Jones said that he wouldn’t be at Washburn if it weren’t for his experience at Wichita State. With that came many difficult goodbyes.
“The biggest challenge for me was moving to a new area,” said Jones. “Being in a new environment that’s out of my comfort zone was a huge step for me. It’s been a big adjustment, but the community and the relationships I’ve made have been amazing.”
He tries to take everything he has learned to help him coach the Ichabods and wants to get better and better every day. He loves interacting with the players and building relationships with the community.
“I love interacting with the guys on a daily basis,” said Jones. “Whether it’s on or off the court, I love getting to know them as people, their families, seeing their success and being there for them through their good and bad days.”
Jones has learned a lot about the power of relationships during his time coaching. He loves being able to connect with the players, making sure they understand exactly what the coaches want from them so they can execute it on and off the court.
“I think my main goal is to make the players well rounded people, not just good basketball players,” said Jones. “The reason why I coach is to help our players get to somewhere they couldn’t get themselves.”
Jones said he sees potential in each and every one of his athletes. He wants to push and motivate his players to accomplish more than they think they can and leave Washburn better than they came.
Andrew Orr, a junior post for the Ichabods, said that Jones has been an awesome addition to the program.
“He brings so much knowledge to every position and he always has a way of making us better no matter the situation,” said Orr. “Coach Jones brings so much positivity and fills in some of the missing gaps that we just didn’t have last year.”
Orr said that Jones brings a sense of fun to the game of basketball that he and his teammates haven’t experienced since he’s been at Washburn.
“I look forward to continuing to build my relationship with Coach Jones and for him to help us more and more on and off the court,” said Orr.
As the season begins, Jones is looking forward to winning games with his team and continuing to build relationships with the Topeka community. The Ichabods currently have a 4-2 record and are undefeated on their home court. They play again on Dec. 2, at 3:30 p.m. against Emporia State University in White Auditorium for their first conference game of the season.
