Drc Jones Up Against His Replacement

[OldTimer]

Thought I would repost this...

Jones up against his replacement

Calipari took over for UNT coach at Memphis

11:10 PM CDT on Monday, March 12, 2007

Brett Vito/Staff Writer

Memphis coach John Calipari never forgot Johnny Jones after their coaching careers intersected almost seven years ago.

Calipari had plenty to worry about after taking over as the head coach at Memphis for the 2000-01 season, but he always kept an eye on Jones, the man he replaced.

Jones was the Tigers' interim coach for the 1999-2000 season.

"Johnny and I have been fine," Calipari said Monday during a conference call. "He is a class act and a good coach. We have seen each other at Final Fours and have always been friendly. He has done a heck of a job at North Texas in a state with a lot of teams to compete against."

Jones has done so well he will get a chance to take on Calipari's fifth-ranked Memphis team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. The 15th-seeded Mean Green and second-seeded Tigers will face off in an 11:30 a.m. game in New Orleans.

The coaching matchup adds intrigue to the Mean Green's second NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.

Jones was a candidate for the Memphis job after leading the Tigers though a tough situation when former head coach Tic Price resigned. The former LSU standout went 15-16 in his only season at Memphis but led the Tigers to six wins in their last seven games.

Memphis' run included a win over South Florida in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament.

Memphis passed over Jones to hire Calipari, who had spent his previous three seasons in coaching with the New Jersey Nets after a highly successful eight-year stint at Massac husetts.

Jones didn't need long to find a second chance to become a head coach. He landed at UNT after one season as an assistant at Alabama.

Jones and Calipari have kept tabs on each other's programs ever since.

"Coach Calipari and I have had some conversations about coaches who were moving around and trying to get jobs," Jones said. "That led to us talking about each other's programs. He has done a tremendous job of getting people excited, lifting their spirits and creating the environment they are looking for at Memphis. At the same time, he showered us with compliments as well. He said he is familiar with us and has kept up with our program."

Memphis' NCAA Tournament appearance this season will be its fourth in seven years under Calpari, who led the Tigers to the NIT Final Four in each season it didn't make the NCAA Field.

Jones had a big hole to dig out of when he arrived at UNT to take over a Mean Green team that had won just 20 games combined in the four seasons prior to his arrival. UNT reached a milestone in that rebuilding process this season when the Mean Green (23-10) rolled to a school record for wins in a season.

Part of the reason Jones had the chance to turn around the Mean Green's program was his performance while coaching the Tigers.

"Part of the process I went through was evaluating what Johnny did at Memphis when he was the interim coach," UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said.

Villarreal liked what he saw and hired Jones but never imagined that his coach would face off with the man who replaced him several years later.

UNT junior guard Michael Sturns said the situation is ironic, especially considering UNT and Memphis will face off in Louisiana, Jones' home state.

Seeing the Mean Green in the NCAA Tournament is just one reason Calipari has been impressed with what Jones has done in tough situations during stints coaching both the Mean Green and the Tigers.

"When you are in those tough situations, you have to have the demeanor that people will trust what you are doing," Calipari said. "You also have to have the ability to show that you can get it done."

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.