Paris Jones joined the Academy of Art women's basketball coaching staff as an assistant in May 2019.
Breaking through for the program's highest win total since 2017, Academy of Art women's basketball experienced significant positive progression throughout its 2019-20 campaign. The Urban Knights bettered numerous ART U records both individually and as a team, won four of six games during one stretch including a pair in Hawaii, and steadily remained in the Pacific West Conference playoff hunt.
A participant in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association “So You Want To Be A Coach” program, Jones served as an assistant coach at Santiago High School in Corona during the Sharks’ 2018-19 season which saw them go 20-9 overall. She worked with head coach Michael Mitchell to guide the team through five playoff victories before a runner-up finish by just two points in the CIF State Championship game against Village Christian.
Prior to her time with Santiago, Jones spent a year interning at the Barclays Center with the Northeast Conference Manager of Sales where she was responsible for assessing the financial impact of events while also collaborating with the legal department and promoter settlement representatives.
A point guard herself at NCAA DI Long Island University Brooklyn, Jones captained the women’s basketball team for two years and made the Student-Athlete Honor Roll all four seasons with the program. After being named 2014-15 Blackbird of the Year, her best season on the court came in 2015-16 when she started 13 of 17 games, averaging 9.4 points, 1.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Jones graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management in 2018.
After an injury kept her from playing her senior season at LIU Brooklyn, Jones joined UC Santa Barbara for the Gauchos’ 2018-19 campaign while pursuing a master’s degree in Education. She helped UCSB qualify for the Big West Tournament in her final year.
