Assistant Coach
4th Season
JCCC '16, CSU-Pueblo '18 

Former Johnson County Community College guard Katie Jones has returned to Overland Park this time as the full-time assistant coach for the Cavaliers women’s basketball program. This will be her fourth season on Conrad’s staff.  In addition to her coaching duties, Jones will organize team travel, assist in the development of the strength and conditioning program and with marketing and social media for the program.

Prior to her return to campus, Jones spent a season as the director of basketball operations at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, under the direction of head coach Raymond Patche. The Cardinals finished the campaign 20-12 and runner-up finish in the Southland Conference Tournament, falling to top-seeded Southeastern Louisiana. She also helped coach Akasha Davis who received Southland Conference first-team recognition.

From 2019-22, Jones helped coach a program that posted an 84-9 record reaching the national championship game in 2020-21. She also coached four NJCAA All-American, including the D-II National Player of the Year, three WBCA All-American, six World Exposure Report All-Americans, including the WER Sophomore of the Year, three NJCAA National All-Tournament selections, eight All-Region 6 selections, 10 All-Kansas Jayhawk Conference D-II performers, including back-to-back MVP selections in 2021 and 2022.

In 2021-22, Johnson County opened with 20 straight wins, and finished the regular season 28-1, capturing the KJCCC D-II title. The team went on to win the Region VI/Plains District title, defeating all three teams by double digits, and place fifth at the NJCAA D-II National Tournament. She also coached NJCAA, World Exposure Report and WBCA All-American and KJCCC D-II MVP in Kierra Prim, World Exposure Report All-American Jaylen Townsend and the KJCCC Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year in Nariyah Simmons. In all he had five total all-conference and All-Region/District selections, and he was named the Conference Coach of the Year.

In 2020-21 she helped lead JCCC to its second undefeated regular season and finished the regular season ranked No. 1. Despite falling in the Region VI Championship, JCCC was given the first at-large bid in history to participate in the NJCAA D-II Tournament, the Lady Cavaliers reached the national championship game, falling by four points, 53-49, to Lake Land.  She two players selected NJCAA All-American in Jaylen Townsend and LaJahda Boyland, and one, Presley Barton, earned WBCA All-American. She also coached two all-tournament picks, four all-conference and all-region performers, and Townsend was selected conference MVP, the fourth under her watch, and the NJCAA D-II National Women's Basketball Player of the Year, the first in team history.

In her first season on staff, the Lady Cavaliers won its first 12 games, and 18 of its first 19 games, on their way to a 28-5 season and Region VI Runner-up finish.  They also were ranked in the top-10 all season, including three times at No. 2. JCCC had two players garner All-America status. Krystal Rice earned second-team NJCAA All-American, and KK Jackson-Morris was WBCA honorable mention All-America pick.

Jones played for JCCC during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 campaign. Over her two seasons, she was part of a program that posted a 65-3 record that included a national championship in 2014-15, and an undefeated regular season and conference championship in 2015-16. 

As a freshman, Jones played in 35 of the team’s 36 games. She averaged 3.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per game She reached double figures scoring three times and topped six or more points seven times. Jones first reach double digits with 11 points in a 111-24 win over Missouri Valley JV (11-5-14). A week later she set season highs for points with 14 and rebounds with seven in a 92-50 win over Neosho County (11-14-15). During the Lady Cavaliers run for the national championship, Jones came in off the bench to contribute seven points to help JCCC down Owens 74-64 to advance to the title game (3-20-15). 

As a sophomore, Jones played in 22 games and averaged 3.1 points and 1.7 rebounds. She shot a team-best 54 percent from the field, going 27-for-50, and shot 77 percent at the free throw line hitting 13-of-17 free throw attempts, which tied for the team lead. Jones scored in double figures one time, finishing with 10 in a 79-29 win at Labette (2-13-16).  She scored six or more points five times. 

Jones continued went on to play two seasons at the University of Colorado-Pueblo. Her junior year the Thurderwolves, under the direction of Jim Turgeon, finished 28-4 and won a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference title with a 20-2 record. The team also received the No. 1 seed in the NCAA D-II South Central Region.  Jones played in 30 games and averaged 9.4 minutes, 1.8 points and 1.3 rebounds. 

In 2017-18, Jones’ final season at CSU-Pueblo, the program was turned over to Curtis Lloyd. The Thunderwolves posted a 25-7 record, won another conference title with a 20-2 mark and received the No. 3 seed in the NCAA D-II South Central Region. Jones played in 18 games and averaged 2.3 points and shot 89 percent at the free throw line, making 16-of-18 attempts. 

Jones earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise science in May 2018. 

As a prep athlete, Jones was a three-year starter and four-time letter winner for coach Bob Martin at Baldwin High School in Baldwin City, Kan. She was a four-time All-Frontier League, Lawrence Journal-World All-Area and Kansas Class 4A All-State selection. She was also selected as a Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association All-Star her senior year. Jones averaged 13.0 points as a senior, 10.5 as a junior and 10.1 as sophomore, finishing her career with 823 total points.

Jones was also an accomplished cross country and track runner, earning four varsity letters in cross county and three in track. She helped the cross country team register four top-three state finishes, including state title in 2010 and 2011. She was also part of a state title track team in 2011 and runner-up team in 2012.