Assistant Coach
5th Season
JCCC '16, CSU-Pueblo '18 

Former Johnson County Community College guard Katie Jones enters her seventh season as assistant coach for the Cavaliers women’s basketball program.  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.

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, 11 All-Region 6 selections, 12 All-Kansas Jayhawk Conference D-II performers, including back-to-back MVP selections in 2021 and 2022 and one Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

Jones returned to take over as Conrad’s full-time assistant in 2023-24 and her next three years have proven to be the best run in program history. Over that span the JCCC women’s basketball program posted a 103-3 record, winning three conference championships, two region 6 championships and three NJCAA Division II Tournament appearances with a national championship in 2024-25, a runner-up finish in 2023-24 and third-place finish in 2025-26. She helped coach six NJCAA All-Americans, four WBCA All-Americans, two World Exposure Report All-Americans, seven NJCAA D-II All-Tournament selection including one MVP, 14 All-Region 6 selections and 14 All-KJCCC D-II performers, including one MVP, two Freshman of the Year and one Defensive Player of the Year.

Overall, Jones has helped the Lady Cavaliers to a 186-12 record (.939) five conference titles (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026), four Region 6/Plains District titles (2021, 2022, 2024, 2026), five NJCAA D-II Tournament berths with a National Championship in 2025,  runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2024,  a third place finish in 2026 and a fifth place finish in 2022. She also coached 10 NCAA All-Americans, including the D-II National Player of the Year, seven WBCA All-Americans, eight World Exposure Report All-Americans, including the WER Sophomore of the Year,10 NJCAA National Tournament selections, including one tournament MVP, 25 All-Region 6 selections, 26 All-KJCCC D-II performers, including three MVPs, three Freshmen of the Year and two Defensive Players of the Year.

Jones’ first season in  2019-20, the Cavaliers  got off to a hot start, winning its first 12 games and 18 of its first 19 games. They went on to finish 28-5 and runner-up in the Region VI D-II Tournament.  They also were ranked in the top-10 all season, including three times at No. 2. Conrad also 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.

In 2020-21, JCCC posted its second undefeated regular season in program history and finished the regular season ranked No. 1. Despite falling in the Region 6 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.  Johnson County had two players selected NJCAA All-American and World Exposure Report All-American in Jaylen Townsend and LaJahda Boyland, and one, Presley Barton, earned WBCA All-American. He also coached two all-tournament picks, four all-conference and all-region performers, and Townsend was selected conference MVP, the fourth under his watch, and the NJCAA D-II National Women's Basketball Player of the Year, the first in team history.

In 2021-22, Johnson County opened with 20 straight wins, and finished the regular season 28-1, capturing the KJCCC D-II title. His team went on to win the Region 6/Plains District title, defeating all three teams by double digits, and placed fifth at the NJCAA D-II National Tournament. She helped 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 JCC had five total all-conference and All-Region/District selections.

After three seasons at JCCC, 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.

Jones returned to take over as Conrad’s full-time assistant in 2023-24, and the JCCC women’s basketball team recorded one of the greatest campaigns in program history. They reached the NJCAA Division II national championship game undefeated before falling to Kirkwood 69-58. They finished 34-1 while winning conference and district titles capped by a No. 1 ranking in the final season Poll. Individually sophomore guards Jazzy Klinge and Saige Grampsas were selected All-America by both the NJCAA D-II and World Exposure Report. The duo was also named All-Tournament, All-Kansas Jayhawk Conference 1^st-Team and All-Region 6 first-team. Grampsas was also selected All-American by the WBCA. Joining them on the all-conference and all-region teams were freshmen Taliya Scott and Amani Henry, who was also named the conference defensive player of the year. Following the season, Jones was named as the WBCA Two-Year College Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.

In 2024-25 Conrad again led his team to the NJCAA Division II national championship game, but this time when the final buzzer sounded the Cavaliers were the team cutting down the nets. JCCC defeated Pima 75-87 to win Conrad's third national championship and third for the program. The Cavaliers finished 34-1 tying the best season in program history. Individually the Scott sisters, Taliyah and Layla, were selected as All-America performer by the NJCAA. Taliyah was named to the second-team and also was tabbed honorable mention All-America by the WBCA. Layla was a first-team selection and was named the MVP of the national tournament was the conference Freshman of the Year.

Last year JCCC secured a second straight undefeated regular season, finishing 30-0. The Cavaliers would finish the season as KJCCC D-II champions, Region 6 champions, earn the No. 1 seed at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament where they would finish in third-place with an overall record of 35-1, establishing a new team records for victories and best winning percentage. The team opened as the No. 1-ranked team in the country and held that ranking in all 16 polls.  Individually, Laya Scott added to her impressive list of accolades. She was named NJCAA first-team All-America becoming the first player in program history to be a two-time first-team selection. She was also named KJCCC D-II MVP. Mia Adams joined on the NJCAA All-America team, earning honorable mention. She and teammate Anonda Ford were selected as WBCA All-America performers.

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.