Ed Jones, a key member of the 1994 University of Maine men’s basketball that came within a single game of earning the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth, has been hired as the new boys varsity basketball coach at John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor.
John Bapst athletic administrator Dan O’Connell announced the hiring Friday morning.
Jones, a former assistant coach at UMaine as well as a one-time head coach of the postgraduate men’s basketball team at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, replaces Rick Sinclair at John Bapst. Sinclair resigned as head basketball coach and athletic administrator this spring to become athletic director at Hermon High School, his alma mater.
Jones will face a significant challenge with the Crusaders, who have not had a winning regular season since 2001 and have reached .500 just twice since then in 2006 and 2008, the last time the team advanced to postseason play.
John Bapst finished 6-12 in Class B North last winter, one spot shy of earning a preliminary-round berth.
Jones played at UMaine from 1990 to 1994 under the late Rudy Keeling. The defensive-minded forward from Chicago Heights, Illinois, averaged 10.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game during his career and still ranks fourth among the Black Bears’ career shot-blocking leaders with 109.
As a senior at UMaine, Jones helped the Black Bears finish 20-9 to set what was then a school record for victories in a season. That team, led by forward Francois Bouchard and point guard Casey Arena, reached the North Atlantic Conference championship game before falling to Drexel 86-78 and coming up just short of reaching the the NCAA tourney.
The 1993-94 UMaine team now ranks tied for second in program history for victories in a season, trailing only the 1999-2000 team (24-7) and tied with the 2003-04 club (20-10). The Black Bears still have not qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
Jones later served as an assistant coach at his alma mater for nine years — seven on a full-time basis — before becoming head coach of the former MCI prep team in 2003.
Jones remained at MCI for three years before eventually relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, where he currently resides.
O’Connell, who has been overseeing the school’s summer basketball program with physical education teacher Ryan DiPompo and guidance counselor and junior varsity coach Nick Umphrey, said Jones will be moving back to the Bangor area in mid-September
“We at John Bapst are very fortunate and excited to welcome Ed Jones as our next boys’ basketball coach,” O’Connell said. “Ed has a very extensive basketball background after playing and coaching at the Division I level here at UMaine. He also has [experience at MCI) and high school experience at various places around the country.
“We can’t wait for him to get back to the area and to work with our student-athletes this winter. We are very excited for him to lead our program.”
