James Jones, head coach of Yale University’s men’s basketball team, has been named a finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award, according to an announcement from Collegeinsider.com.
The award is given each year to a Division I coach who demonstrates integrity both on and off the court. It recognizes those who achieve success in basketball while upholding strong moral standards.
Jones is Yale’s all-time winningest men’s basketball coach, with 440 career victories and 235 Ivy League wins, making him second in conference history for league victories. This season, he led the Bulldogs to a 22–5 overall record and a 10–3 mark in Ivy League play. Under his leadership, Yale secured its second consecutive Ivy League title and eighth overall. The team has also achieved at least 10 Ivy League wins in 11 seasons and finished fourth or better in the conference for 25 straight years.
Skip Prosser served as head coach at Wake Forest University, where he recorded a 126-68 record with the Deacons. His teams averaged 21 wins per season while competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), one of college basketball’s most competitive leagues. Prosser reached 100 ACC wins faster than all but two coaches in the conference’s history. He coached NBA players Chris Paul and Josh Howard, guided Wake Forest to its first No.1 national ranking, and was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2003.
Prosser died of an apparent heart attack on July 26, 2007, at his office at Wake Forest after returning from his morning jog.
A committee of ten members—including current and former head coaches as well as two senior staff members from Collegeinsider.com—selects the recipient of the annual award.
The winner will be announced during the men’s Division I Basketball Championship in Indianapolis.
