The Finger Lakes Community College Men’s Basketball team saw their season come to an end today, as the Lakers traveled to Mohawk Valley Community College to compete in the opening round of the NJCAA Region III Tournament, and lost 57-68.
The game marked the final one in the career of head coach Richard Jones, who announced his retirement earlier this month after serving as the head men’s basketball coach at Finger Lakes CC for the last 19 seasons. Long-time assistant Jeffrey Weaver has been named as Jones replacement.
Jones has compiled a record of 321 wins and 200 losses during his tenure at FLCC, good for a .616 winning percentage. He was enshrined into the FLCC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017.
Among his career highlights, Jones coached the Lakers to their first-ever men’s basketball regional championship and appearance in the National Championship final 8 in 2006 – the same year he was named New York State Junior College Coach of the Year. He was also named Mid-State Athletic Conference (MSAC) Coach of the Year in 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019.
“Thanks to coach Jones’ leadership, the FLCC men’s basketball program was transformed into one of the best in the Region. He had a lasting impact on FLCC and his student-athletes. He will be difficult to replace, and I am so grateful for all of his contributions to FLCC, to the men’s basketball program, and the Department of Athletics. Richard will truly be missed,” said Samantha Boccacino, FLCC’s Director of Athletics.
A graduate of Westminster College in Wilmington, Pennsylvania and Alfred University in New York, Jones earned his master’s degree in school psychology, and he worked as a school psychologist for the Clifton Springs Central School District in Clifton Springs, N.Y.
Jones earned his first major accomplishment as coach of the Lakers during the 2004-05 season, where his squad finished 21-10 record and won an MSAC championship. As great as that season was, nothing could compare to what the Lakers would accomplish under Jones the following season. During the 2005-06 season, the Lakers captured their second-straight MSAC championship, were ranked 20th in the national polls, and went on a historic run, rattling off 25 straight wins, a program record. The Lakers claimed the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region III championship.
The All-American duo of Ryan Henry, an FLCC Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, and Juan Paulino, who registered one of the most dominant rebounding seasons in NJCAA history, helped guide those Lakers, and Jones was named the New York State Junior College Coach of the Year.
Jones’s squad earned the highest finish in program history, making a run all the way to the NJCAA National Championship Final 8. The Lakers suffered a 68-58 defeat to Rowan College at Gloucester County in the National Championship.
Jones also earned MSAC Coach of the Year in 2010, 2015 and 2018, and the MSAC championship for the third time in the 2015-16 season. Leading up to the 2021-2022 season, Jones registered 15 winning seasons, and only had three years with a record below .500.
Before Jones helped establish a longstanding culture of sustained success with the FLCC men’s basketball program, before he won countless coaching awards, and before he became FLCC’s all-time winningest men’s basketball coach, Jones first had to establish a winning culture.
The men’s basketball program had taken a step back prior to Jones’ arrival, according to Bob Lowden, FLCC’s former Director of Athletics. The season before Jones took over, the Lakers forfeited their last five games due to a lack of players. That all changed when Jones became head coach.
“Richard changed the whole culture of the program. We had similar coaching styles and our expectations of student-athletes were very similar. Richard used basketball to teach lessons to student-athletes on things like discipline and accountability; with the goal of using those principles after basketball. The program garnered a lot of respect, and Richard is one of the most well-respected coaches in all of Region III,” Lowden said.
“My first goal was to finish a season and qualify for postseason play. We wanted to bring in guys who could play and emphasize competing and being taken seriously by the Region (NJCAA Region III),” added Jones.
Prior to his stint with the Lakers, Jones spent 17 years coaching at the high school level, beginning with three years as head coach at Madison-Mayodan High School in North Carolina, four years as head coach of Lexington High School in North Carolina, nine seasons as head coach at Midlakes, and one season coaching at Newark Central High School.
With Jones’ retirement, the Lakers have some big shoes to fill.
“Anyone who worked with coach Jones respected him as a coach, and coach Jones turned this program into one of the best in Region III. His standard for excellence has been nothing but the best,” said Jeffrey Weaver, Jones’ longtime assistant coach.
“It will be a huge loss and will be difficult to replace him. Richard was a great coach whose teams overachieved year-in and year-out”, added Lowden.
While Jones’ departure leaves a void for the Lakers to fill, a familiar face will take over the head coaching duties next year: Jeffrey Weaver, who for nine seasons was Jones’ right-hand man as the Lakers’ assistant coach.
“On behalf of my family, I am grateful and excited for this opportunity at FLCC. I was blessed and privileged to be a part of this program for the past 15 years. I had the chance to sit next to coach Jones on the bench and grow as a coach and person. I couldn’t think of a better coach, person, or friend to have to mentor me in this position. Richard will be dearly missed, and I look forward to continuing his legacy,” Weaver said.
Weaver, a graduate of SUNY Brockport, earned his certification in teaching, coaching and physical education. During his time at Brockport, Weaver was a four-year starter on the Golden Eagles men’s basketball team, and his Golden Eagles made two appearances in the NCAA Division III tournament.
Weaver joined Jones’ coaching staff from the 2005-06 season through the 2011-12 season, and then again from 2018 to 2020. As the assistant coach, Weaver helped with recruiting future Laker student-athletes, developing FLCC’s student-athletes, and also academic advising and assisting student-athletes with the transfer process.
With FLCC, Weaver’s teams made 7 NJCAA Region 3 Tournament appearances, 3 NJCAA Region III final four appearances, 2 NJCAA Region III finals appearances, an NJCAA Region III championship and a seventh-place finish in the NJCAA Division III National Tournament.
“The program is in good hands with coach Weaver. I am looking forward to seeing Jeffrey flourish as a head coach. The positive relationships he has with students and his willingness to develop students into better people and basketball players really will set him up to succeed as FLCC’s next head men’s basketball coach,” Boccacino said.
The loss of FLCC Athletic Hall of Fame coach Richard Jones will be felt, but the Lakers remain in good hands and have high hopes going into the 2022-23 season.
https://www.flccathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2021-22/releases/20220111q55bzz
