Oglethorpe Director of Athletics Todd Brooks announced the hiring of Jasen Jonus as Oglethorpe’s next women’s basketball head coach. Jonus comes most recently from LaGrange College and is a seasoned NCAA Division III athlete and coach who has garnered several well-deserved awards in both settings.
“I am excited that Coach Jonus has agreed to serve as our new head women’s basketball coach,” Brooks said. “Coach Jonus has a tremendous amount of collegiate experience and basketball knowledge, first as a player and now as a coach. He is familiar with our conference, which also makes our transition quite seamless. He has a proven record of building programs, and although our program has been left in a competitive posture, he is capable of stepping it up even further.”
Jonus comes to Oglethorpe from LaGrange where he coached basketball and cross-country. In four seasons at the helm of the women’s basketball program, the team combined for a 61-28 record (68.5%) with winning seasons across all four years. He was the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) coach of the year in 2023 following a 20-7 season, the LaGrange record for single-season wins.
“I am humbled and honored to be named the head women’s basketball coach at Oglethorpe University,” Jonus said. “Oglethorpe is one of the elite institutions in the South, and I feel so honored to be chosen to lead the women’s basketball program. I want to offer my thanks to President Dr. Kathryn McClymond, Director of Athletics Todd Brooks, and the entire administration for this opportunity. We share the same vision that Oglethorpe women’s basketball belongs as one of the south’s elite programs. Go Stormy Petrels!”
Jonus served LaGrange for 11 years, moving up the ranks from graduate assistant to associate head coach for the men’s basketball team, and eventually to head coach for both cross country and women’s basketball. With the men’s team, Jonus helped the Panthers achieve three USA South titles and four straight NCAA tournament appearances.
Before joining LaGrange in 2013, Jonus spent one year playing for the semi-professional team Birmingham Blitz. This followed a decorated playing career at Birmingham Southern College from 2009 to 2012. At Birmingham Southern, Jonus won two Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) regular season titles, served as team captain, led the team in scoring, and helped the team earn its first berth to the NCAA Division III national tournament. The team posted a 98-17 record during his three seasons.
Jonus also won the SCAC newcomer of the year award and earned distinction as a two-time member of the SCAC All-Conference team during his time at BSC.
Jonus earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in educational services from Birmingham Southern in 2012 and a Master of Arts in teaching from LaGrange in 2016. He has been heavily involved with the community in LaGrange, coordinating two youth outreach programs through the college. Jonus also is a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and the National Basketball Coaches Association, and he holds a certificate in International Sports Sciences Association Strength and Conditioning.
https://gopetrels.com/news/2024/5/25/general-jasen-jonus-hired-as-womens-basketball-head-coach.aspx
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