Matt Jones enters his fourth season as a member of the Idaho coaching staff in 2026-27.
As the primary recruiting coordinator for Vandal Hoops, Jones has put together some of the deepest teams in the Big Sky Conference the last few seasons, led by cornerstone acquisitions such as Big Sky Freshman of the Year Jackson Rasmussen, Top Reserve Isaiah Brickner, two All-Conference honorees in Kolton Mitchell and Jack Payne and, above all, a 2025 Big Sky Championship. His recruiting pedigree has been key in making Idaho the standalone most-improved team in the country over the last three seasons, according to Kenpom. Between the beginning of the 2023-24 season and the end of 25-26, Idaho has risen a total of 203 spots in the team rankings.
Jones was instrumental in the acquisition of multiple Vandals who have already made their mark on the program, including Payne, Mitchell, Rasmussen, and forward Julius Mims, who now owns the best single-season FG% (66.1%) in school history.
Jones arrived in Moscow following five seasons at Seattle University working with the Redhawks men’s basketball program.
Jones served as a graduate assistant for two seasons from 2018-2020 before being elevated to Director of Operations in November 2020.
During his tenure as the director of operations at Seattle U, Jones was involved in many aspects of the program. He oversaw the team's travel, day-to-day schedule, and overall team budget while managing the support staff and assisting with academics. Jones also played a large role in the scouting of opponents, video and film breakdowns, and assisting with game plans and practice plans. Additionally, he worked closely with the assistant coaches in the recruiting process.
Prior to Seattle U, Jones attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas where he was a four-year member of the Tigers’ men’s basketball team. Jones served as a co-captain of the squad and was part of the Trinity Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
On his way to earning three All-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Third Team honors, Jones set the school single-season and all-time records for assists. He also finished third all-time in steals. Additionally, he made the NABC Honors Court in 2016-17.
Jones graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Trinity University in 2018. He then went on to earn his master’s degree in Sports Business Leadership at Seattle U in June of 2020.
MIC'D UP WITH COACH JONES
