One of the most prolific scorers in West Virginia basketball history, Greg Jones was one of the first stars for Coach Gale Catlett when he returned to coach the Mountaineer program.
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A three-time letterwinner, Jones became a starter as a sophomore in the 1980-81 season and led West Virginia to three straight 20-win seasons, the beginning of a streak of seven consecutive 20-win seasons. During his four years, WVU had a combined record of 88-36 on the hardwood.
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A threat to the opposition offensively and defensively, the Youngstown, Ohio, native ended his career with the school record for steals with 251 and scored 1,793 points. Jones’ name can also be found among the school’s leaders in field goals, three-point field goals, three-point field goal percentage, free throws and games played.
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As a sophomore, Jones won a starting job and promptly led the Mountaineers to a 23-10 mark and their first postseason appearance in 13 years, a trip to the NIT. His 20 points and eight assists led WVU to an 80-69 upset win at Minnesota that put the Mountaineers into the final four of the tournament.
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Saving his best for last, Jones averaged 22.3 points and 4.1 assists during his senior season, leading WVU to a 23-8 record and the Atlantic 10 tournament title in the first year the Mountaineers were in the league. In one of his more memorable games, Jones led WVU to a stunning upset of No. 1 ranked UNLV, scoring 32 points in the 87-78 win in front of more than 15,000 fans in the Coliseum and a national television audience on CBS.
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Jones was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 1982 and 1983, joining Jerry West as the only WVU players to earn conference player of the year awards in back-to-back seasons. He was first team all-Atlantic 10 from 1981-83 and was on the conference's all-tournament team in 1981 and 1982.
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A member of the WVU all-time team from the 1976-85 era, Jones was selected in the third round of the NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers and played in the Continental Basketball Association. He was a starting guard in the CBA all-star game in 1984 and 1985.
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He was named an inaugural member of WVU’s Mountaineer Legends Society in 2017.
