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Basketball: Marcus' Jones named girls basketball coach, Lewisville boys search continues
BY JUSTIN THOMAS, jthomas@acnpapers.com
For the second consecutive season, Marcus' girls basketball team will be opening the season under the tenure of a first-year head coach.
This year, however, the Lady Marauders will be taking the court with a familiar face in charge.
Boys basketball assistant coach Fred Jones, who has coached at Marcus for four seasons, has been named to replace Pam Owens as the head girls basketball coach.
Before his time at Marcus, Jones was an assistant at La Marque.
Jones added that while he has recently served as a varsity assistant for the boys team, he has been involved in coaching girls basketball for the past 10 years. Jones' daughter Vanessa plays for the Lady Marauders and is the reigning District 8-5A Newcomer of the Year.
"Through teaching classes, coaching on the boys team and my position with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, I already have a good report with a lot of the girls," he said. "I spoke with them last week and received a great response. It's an unbelievable group and we're all very excited."
On the court, Jones hopes the trademark defense that led Marcus' boys basketball team to the UIL Class 5A State Tournament in each of the past two seasons, including a championship this year, will translate to the girls team.
"Defense is our top priority," he said. "It was our hallmark on the boys team and that's what we're going to try and implement here. For the girls to see the success it created with the boys team first-hand is also a big plus. They're ready to get to work."
LISD athletic director Randy Mayes acknowledged Jones' past and the success of the Marauders played a role in his hiring.
"He's won a lot of games and has been to a lot of state tournaments," Mayes said. "To be honest, the success he has had with (Marcus' boys basketball head coach) Danny Henderson was a big influence."
Jones takes over a Marcus squad that finished fourth in district (8-6) before falling in the bi-district round of the playoffs. The Lady Marauders have reached the postseason in at least each of the past five seasons.
"Marcus' girls basketball team has a great tradition and we want that to continue," Jones said. "The three things we are going to pride ourselves on are being consistent, disciplined and accountable."
While the Marcus' girls job has been filled, Mayes and LISD are still conducting interviews to fill the Lewisville boys basketball and Hebron girls basketball head coaching positions, where Henry Thomas and Roger Goldsmith, respectively, recently retired.
According to Mayes, the Farmer position has been narrowed to three choices, while the Hebron vacancy is still in the early stages of the search.
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