Damon Jones Named Director of Basketball Operations on Pelphrey?s Staff

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Damon Jones, who has spent the last seven years working for the National Basketball Association in New York, has been named Arkansas’ director of basketball operations by head coach John Pelphrey.

Jones was the manager of the NBA’s Community and Player Programs where he served as a liaison to all 30 NBA teams as part of the Team Services group. His responsibilities included integrating existing programs, executing new partnerships to promote player social responsibility, and support player growth and development.

“Arkansas, with its basketball success, is a huge basketball school and that’s exciting,” Jones says. “I hope to use my abilities to help those young men, who all aspire to get to the next level, by using my experiences with the NBA to shape that path.”

At Arkansas, the Bronx, N.Y., native will work with the student-athletes on a day-to-day basis to build and maintain relationships and assist the staff in various capacities.

“We are excited about Damon becoming a part of our basketball family,” Pelphrey says. “He will have a broad base of responsibilities and will be of great value to our players in their overall development. With his background in the NBA and his ability to build relationships, I truly believe Damon can help make our student-athletes better both on the court and in their personal development.”

While working at the NBA’s headquarters in New York, Jones also worked to help promote the positive activities players participate in on and off the court, he assisted with the coordination of activities related to the NBA’s largest global project, “Basketball without Borders,” and he played a role in working with the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team.

He also oversaw the selection process for the NBA Community Assist Award given each month to a player who demonstrated outstanding community service, he organized life skills seminars, managed the relationship and related activities between the Department of Defense and USA Basketball pertaining to The Hoops for Troops program, coordinated player activities related to and during the NBA Draft, NBA Rookie Transition and NBA Finals, and he managed the production of the NBA Cares Newsletter, which highlights player, team, league and program partner efforts.

Jones earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from Howard University in Washington, D.C., in 2000.