Chris Jones is beginning his eighth season at Utah State after joining the program in April, 2008. With USU, Jones' primary responsibilities are coaching the Aggie guards as well as in-state recruiting. Jones is also in charge of an Aggie defense that led the Western Athletic Conference in points allowed four times in five years, and in field goal percentage defense three times in five years.
Utah State's defense was one of the best in the Mountain West in 2014-15, ranking among the top five in defensive field goal percentage (.403/fifth) and leading the league in defensive 3-point field goal percentage (.297). In addition, Jones' charges recorded a school-record 142 blocks during the 2014-15 campaign.
In 2013-14, Utah State led the Mountain West and ranked 18th in the NCAA in rebound margin (+5.8), as well as ranking 38th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense (.313). Jones helped guide the Aggie guards to rank 12th in the NCAA in assists per game (15.9) and 19th in assist-turnover margin, along with ranking 36th in total assists (510).
During the 2010-11 season, Utah State ended the season as one of the top defensive teams in the nation, ranking third in field goal percentage defense (.383), fifth in scoring defense (58.7) and 11th in three-point field goal percentage defense (.302). The 2012-13 Aggie defense led the WAC in rebounding defense (28.4 rpg).
Prior to joining the Aggies, Jones spent four seasons at the University of Utah as an assistant coach in 2007 and 2008 and the Director of Basketball Operations in 2005 and 2006. Jones also spent three years at Utah as the video coordinator for basketball from 1995-97, working with All-Americans Keith Van Horn, Andre Miller and Michael Doleac.
Jones began his coaching career in London, England as the head coach of Wurthing Bears from 1998-99 before spending three years as an instructor at Champions Athletic Academy. He then returned to the collegiate ranks as an assistant at Westminster College in Salt Lake City from 2003-04, helping the Griffin's advance to the NAIA National Tournament, earn a national ranking of 21st in the country and win the Frontier Conference championship.
Jones played college basketball at Utah for two seasons (1993-94) and was part of the 1993 team that won the Western Athletic Conference regular season championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He graduated from Utah in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in sociology.
Jones was born on Dec. 30, 1971 in Salt Lake City, Utah and graduated from Judge Memorial High School in 1990. He and his wife, Emily, have a son, Rylan (15) and a daughter, Rendi (12).