Bruce Pearl's hiring as the Auburn men's basketball head coach not only rejuvenated the former Tennessee head coach's career, it also provided a fresh opportunity for former members of his staff.
"I'm going to bring some of my family members into my coaching staff," Pearl said. "Guys that I've been with before; guys that I've won with before; guys that I've won with; and guys who know my system and how to prepare."
Pearl announced Tony Jones, his former assistant coach at Tennessee, would be a part of his staff at Auburn during his press conference.
Considering the tribulations Pearl and Jones experienced while coaching at Tennessee, it's fair to say there's a certain amount of trust between the two.
"When the SEC suspended me for eight games in my last season, I had to turn the reigns over to my associate head coach," Pearl said. "There aren't many guys in the SEC who can go 5-3, but Tony Jones went 5-3 in the SEC as head coach."
Jones won five consecutive SEC games as interim head coach at Tennessee, a feat that Jones said he was proud of considering the circumstances.
"I was an assistant to the head coach, not in the way I wanted to be, but I won five straight SEC games," Jones said. "I gained a lot of experience after being thrown into the fire."
Pearl's show-cause violation means he cannot recruit for Auburn until August, but Jones and other assistants will be allowed to hit the recruiting trail in the meantime.
Considering his history of recruiting top talent, Jones may help steady Auburn's recruiting until Pearl's sanctions come to an end.
Jones helped the Volunteers sign recruiting classes ranked among the top 10 in the nation twice during his time at Tennessee. Those classes included the likes of McDonald's All-Americans Scotty Hopson and Tobias Harris, the latter of which currently plays for the Orlando Magic of the NBA.
"We have two scholarships right now ,so we're looking to bring in two quality individuals to supplement what we current have," Jones said. "We also have to earmark the top players in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi."
Jones admitted that Auburn does not carry a lengthy tradition of winning, but said he didn't think it would be that big of an obstacle on the recruiting trail.
"Once (Pearl) is able to get out and communicate with recruits and once kids are on campus, the university will represent itself," Jones said.
Following his departure from Tennessee, Jones spent two seasons as the head basketball at Alcoa High School in Tennessee, where he led the Tornadoes to a 46-19 record over two seasons.
Jones said he enjoyed his time as a head coach, but hoped he wouldn't be forced into that situation at Auburn.
"Hopefully I won't have to be the head coach here, you know if he gets thrown out or something," Jones said. "But I've worked for the best, and Bruce Pearl is a very talented coach and his record speaks for himself. We've been very successful together and I don't see that changing."
With his collegiate basketball coaching career rejuvenated, Jones thinks he, along with the rest of his staff, can help restore the Tigers to their winning ways.
"The Auburn family and their sports teams have traditionally been successful, so why not men's basketball?" Jones said. "It can be done here, we just have to start the legacy, starting today."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
