The NC A&T basketball program has parted ways with head coach Will Jones after two-and-a half seasons.
The school announced on Thursday that assistant Phillip Shumpert will be taking over for Jones, who led NC A&T to a 37-35 record during his tenure. NC A&T will conduct a national search to fill the head coaching vacancy following the 2022-23 season.
“We appreciate all that coach Jones accomplished for the North Carolina A&T men’s basketball program and wish him well in his future endeavors,” A&T AD Earl Hilton said in a release on Thursday. “We will rally around coach Shumpert as he prepares our young men for our first season in the CAA (Colonial Athletic Association).”
A&T says it cannot provide further comment on the move, citing university policy.
A source tells HBCU Gameday Jones had recently been suspended, but he was expected to get at least one more year prior to Thursday’s news.
HBCU Gameday has reached out to Will Jones for a statement.
Jones’ tenure as A&T head coach began in December 2019 when he was named as interim head coach after his predecessor – Jay Joyner – was relieved of his duties abruptly. Jones led A&T to a 14-5 record through the remainder of the 2019-2020 season and was named head coach in June 2020.
A&T made noise in the recruiting arena under Jones. He offered Bronny James as a freshman and later signed four-star Duncan Powell. He also brought in a collection of solid transfer and freshman talent that had the program looking to return to its glory days under Cal Irvin and Don Corbett.
“That’s going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of vision,” Jones said at the press conference for his new deal in 2020. “I don’t have a mindset to just be good in the leagues that we’re competing in – whether that be the MEAC or Big South – my vision is to be one of the best mid-major plus program’s in the country and that’s what we’re going to do.”