Augy Jones named interim head coach for X-Women basketball

ANTIGONISH, NS – StFX Director of Athletics and Recreation Leo MacPherson is pleased to announce Augy Jones as interim head coach of the StFX women’s basketball team. Jones will take over the X-Women program for the next year, replacing Matt Skinn, who accepted the men’s basketball head coaching position at Cape Breton University last week.

“I am very pleased and excited to have Augy take the helm of our women's basketball program,” comments MacPherson. “He is an excellent communicator and motivator who will be a great fit for our program, our university and our community.”

An X-Men basketball alumnus and Halifax native, Jones has an extensive coaching history. Most recently he served as an assistant coach with the Saint Mary’s men’s basketball program with newly retired Ross Quackenbush for the past four seasons. He also experienced tutelage under another veteran AUS head coach, StFX’s own Steve Konchalski when he assisted the X-Men program for three seasons in the early 2000’s. The three years Jones was involved with the StFX program included a CIS national championship in 2001, a CIS silver medal in 2004 and three AUS championship titles.

A national coaching certification program level two coach, Jones has also lent his coaching services to various Basketball Nova Scotia provincial squads, including the U14 boys provincial team in 2010, and regional training center ‘HRM’ head coach in 2009 (U14) and 2008 (U15). In 2010 he was named the head coach of the Nova Scotia boys Canada Games team for the upcoming 2013 Canada Games, and he has instructed at numerous basketball summer camps over the past two decades. Jones has international coaching experience as the head coach for the Bahamas Baptist Community College for the 2005-06 season, in addition to time spent in St. Lucia as the head coach of the VideBoutielle Secondary School from 1992-96, and assistant coach for the St. Lucian national team from 1992-94.

“I am so pleased to be reunited with the StFX family as head coach of a very talented X-Women basketball team,” says Jones. “I have dreamed about coaching CIS basketball for many years and am very grateful to Steve Konchalski and Ross Quackenbush for mentoring me as an assistant coach. I have known Leo MacPherson since we played together here at X and am humbled by his trust and confidence in me. This is a very special day for me.”

A two-time provincial champion with Queen Elizabeth high school in Halifax, Jones’ intercollegiate playing experience includes five seasons with the StFX X-Men from 1986-91. During his time at X, Augy was named a 1991 AUS all-star and AUS James Bayer award winner, earned team captain distinction and was a 1989 CIS academic all-Canadian. He went on to play two years with the St. Lucian national team from 1994-96 where he was the 1995 national player of the year. Prior to his StFX debut, Jones played for the Canadian junior national team (1989) and gold medal winning Nova Scotia Canada Games team (1987), after playing his early basketball at the community YMCA.

Along with his 1990 Bachelor of Arts undergraduate degree from StFX, Jones also received his Bachelor (1991) and Master of Education (2001) degrees from the Antigonish university. A teacher by profession, Jones is making the move to the coaching profession full-time on a one year interim basis at StFX with the X-Women. His duties will begin immediately.

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