Murray State head women’s basketball coach Rechelle Turner announced the hiring of Sarah Jones as assistant coach, Friday.
“We are extremely fortunate to have someone of Sarah’s caliber join our staff.” said Turner. “She brings an outstanding resume to Murray State, as she has spent nearly a decade coaching at the Division I level after completing her playing career at Villanova. Sarah will fit in well with the core values of our Racer basketball family and the wealth of knowledge and experience she brings will be instrumental in helping us take our program to the next level.”
“I am overjoyed to be a part of the Murray State family and Coach Turner’s women’s basketball program,” said Jones. “I believe in what Coach Turner is doing here with the young women in attempts to bring this program back to prominence. I’m ready to hit the ground running with this great core of players and staff and excited to be a part of something special.”
Jones spent the 2019-20 season at OVC rival Tennessee State where she began the season as an assistant coach before being elevated to acting head coach in December, after then head coach Jessica Kern took a leave of absence.
Prior to TSU, Jones spent five seasons at Loyola Maryland. During her time with Loyola, she served in many capacities including offensive coordinator for two seasons and defensive coordinator from 2016-19, while also assisting with the skill development of post players.
Her arrival in Murray marks her third stint in the OVC, as she served as the assistant coach for Morehead State from 2013-14. While at Morehead, Jones worked with the Eagle offense as a whole and more specifically with the guards and wing players. In addition, she also was the academic lead while at Morehead, while also helping coordinate the team’s social media efforts and camps.
Jones’ coaching career began with the 2012-13 season, when she was a graduate assistant at her alma mater, Villanova. As a Wildcat player, Jones went to the postseason three times in her career, going to the NCAA tournament in 2009 and to the WNIT in 2008 and 2012. While at Villanova, she was a three-time Big East All-Academic first team honoree and a team captain for the 2011-12 season. Jones holds both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Villanova, earning the former in human services in 2011 and the latter in secondary school counseling in 2013.
