ATHLETIC NEWS
USJ Welcomes New Leadership for the Boys Basketball Team When the USJ Bruins hit the court this fall, they were under new leadership. Athletic Director Michael Stroup has appointed Coach Jeffrey Jones to lead the Boys Bruins Basketball program with the assistance of Terrandus Smith and Vance Harrell. Athletic Director Michael Stroup shared, “We’re very excited to welcome Coach Jeffrey Jones to the Bruin family. With more than 20 years of coaching experience at the college level, I know Coach Jones will be an excellent mentor for our student-athletes in several different areas. In my conversations with him, Jeffrey expressed his admiration for the USJ community and was excited to get to work for this basketball program. I look forward to supporting him for many successful seasons as a Bruin.” Jeff Jones recently served as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach for the University of the Virgin Islands and Southern Poly State University. He also held Associate Head Coach positions with NCAA Division II schools Kennesaw State University and Fort Valley State University. Coach Jones joins the Bruins with an extensive background in collegiate coaching and recruiting and a long history of developing charitable and philanthropic programs with his players. While at Kennesaw State, Jones created a Middle School basketball league to help bring awareness of the mens’ basketball program to the community. While at Southern Poly State University, Coach Jones established the HOPE
program (Helping Our Pupils Excel) with his athletes to help mentor disadvantaged youth in the city of Atlanta. While at the University of the Virgin Islands, he organized free stress-relieving basketball camps. He also assisted with food transportation for the island after Hurricane Irma. When asked about his new appointment as Head Boys’ Basketball Coach, Jones shared, “I look forward to working with our players, and I am honored to be a part of the long tradition of coaching excellence at USJ.” Coach Jones mentors his players at every opportunity while they are in school, with many earning advanced degrees. He instills the value of higher education within his players and has encouraged hundreds of his students to excel not only on the court, but also academically. Over the years, Jeff has received a multitude of awards, including the Georgia Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year and the Southern States Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. Jeff and his wife Teala will reside in Jackson. They have four grown children who all live in Atlanta.
Jackson Madison County Sports Hall of Fame Scholarship Awards Reagan Carney is the recipient of the JMCSHOF Morgan Leah McCarty Memorial Scholarship. Carney played volleyball four years at USJ and was the West Tennessee Volleyball Player of the Year in 2020. She was named to the All-State team in 2020 and the All-West Tennessee first team in 2019 and 2020. She was an All-District II-A West Team selection three years. Carney had a 4.6 GPA while at USJ and now attends Auburn University. Andrew Smith is a recipient of the JMCSHOF Sports Orthopedics & Spine Athlete Award. Smith played quarterback and was captain of the football team last season when the Bruins finished 12-3 and advanced to the state championship game in Division II-A. He completed 139 of 240 passes for 1,936 yards and 22 touchdowns with only two interceptions. He also rushed for 263 yards and four TDs. In his four seasons at USJ, the 6-foot-1, 165-pound Smith passed for 3,153 yards and 35 touchdowns and ran for nine TDs. He was All-Region in 2020 and All-Region honorable mention in 2019. A member of USJ’s Honor Council, he is a campus leader and graduated with a 4.4 GPA. He is attending the University of Mississippi. 16
