Pinnacle recently announced that Ray Jones was hired to take over the baseball, basketball, and track and field programs at the school. “We are excited to have him,” said Mark Stuckenschneider, Pinnacle’s Athletic Director. The position became available after Eric Hansen, the former Panther basketball coach, began his masters program in social work at Utah State University Eastern (USUE) and realized he no longer had the adequate time to devote to the program. Jones will also be joining the staff to teach physical education.
“I’m excited; it’s an amazing opportunity,” said Jones. “They are all sports that I played growing up.” Jones most recently was the assistant basketball coach at USUE. As an athlete, he played junior college basketball and then transferred to play at Southern Utah University. After college, Jones played professionally in Europe for four years. “Baseball was my best sport actually,” said Jones, who turned his focus to basketball just before high school. Jones was also a cross country and track and field athlete during high school.
Jones is looking forward to coaching his athletes both on and off the field. “The basis of it is hard work. If somebody works hard, that is fine. They can choose when and when not to work hard. I want people to BE hard workers,” Jones emphasized. “Whether they are on the baseball diamond or raking leaves in the yard for their mom, I want them work hard.”
Moving from coaching at a junior college to the high school level will be different for Jones. “That’s a fun transition. The things I learned in high school put me a step ahead. It’s a huge privilege to provide that same opportunity now.” He continued, “I’m so excited about it. I want them to be a step head in life both on and off the court.” Jones went on to mention that the biggest transition will come in basketball, from having a shot clock to not having one.
In conclusion, Jones laid out his coaching ideology. “We preach it all the time, ‘no bad reps, no bad reps,'” he said. “Efficiency and consistency are the two words that make up my coaching philosophy. Efficiency is performing at the highest level with the least amount of error. Consistency is doing the same thing over and over. We want to do everything the best way we can, and do it every single time.”
Continue to check back with ETV News for details of an upcoming live interview with Coach Jones.