UH assistant Jones goes back to roots, joins Saint Mary’s

The Hawaii basketball team’s loss is Rob Jones’ homecoming.

Jones, who served as the Rainbow Warriors’ assistant coach and then defensive coordinator the past four seasons, has accepted an assistant coaching position at Saint Mary’s.

Jones is an alumnus of Saint Mary’s, where he played two seasons through 2012 and was on the Gaels’ staff for another four years. He grew up in San Francisco, and his wife Nicole’s family lives five minutes from the Saint Mary’s campus in Moraga, Calif.

“I’m lucky and feel blessed for my time on the island,” Jones said. “I told Eran (Ganot, the head coach) ‘thanks.’ He gave me an opportunity. What we did there was special. Three out of four years, we had 20-plus wins. And then ending it with a Big West championship. Being able to run a defense and learning how to be a coach, and growing in so many ways. It’s the only place we raised our daughters. It’s a special place for me. … Always ohana.”

Ganot said: “First off, I want to thank Rob for all his efforts in helping our program and Hawaii. Very excited for he and his family to get back to their NorCal roots and to his alma mater. I’ve spent eight years at Saint Mary’s myself and had the honor of coaching Rob and (new head coach) Mickey McConnell and look forward to continuing to root for them from afar.”

In 2012, after coaching at UC Riverside, Jones was hired as successor to UH assistant coach Mike Thomas. After associate head coach John Montgomery accepted a coaching position at Long Beach State in 2024, Jones was promoted to defensive coordinator. This past season, the ’Bows employed the “wall,” a defensive strategy loosely based on the schemes Saint Mary’s employed.

“All credit to Eran for allowing me to be in that position and run the defense,” Jones said. “We did a great job this year. We had a team that was on board and all in.”

Jones was offered the Saint Mary’s job about two weeks ago. The announcement was delayed to ease the transition for both schools.

“The timing was right with my family, and (Saint Mary’s) being closer to home for me,” Jones said. “And kind of going out on top here in Hawaii was another plus. It all made sense for me. I think Hawaii’s a better place than when I got here. I wish those guys the best. They’ll be brothers and ohana for life.”