coach at wu

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SoCalHoops High School News

Coach Keeps His Word, Rejects Fresno
Washington Union Job--(June 29, 1999)

Earlier this weekend, Andy Katz, who writes for the Fresno Bee (as well as for ESPN as their college basketball recruiting analyst) wrot that Marc Q. Jones, a former Fresno Washington Union player from 1985-89 was a "lock" to replace Vonn Webb as the Panther's new head coach. Webb, who has coached the Panthers to two state championships and was favored to get a third with DeShawn Stevenson (6'-5" Sr. SG/SF) and Deshawn Anderson (6'-as the key player on this year's team, recently announced he would take an assistant coaching position at the University of Wyoming.

But hold the phone. . . . Jones isn't coming to Fresno. Instead, he's going to stay at Natomas HS in Sacramento because he made a pledge to his players there that he would return. According to a published report written by Katz in today's Fresno Bee, Jones has turned down the WU job. Here's an excerpt from Katz' article:

Jones said he turned down a junior college job at Yuba Community College (Marysville) earlier this year and promised his players he would return. He said he was devasted when John Pestorich, the present Washington principal and his former coach, left to take an assistant's job at Fresno State in 1987. Jones said he was crushed when his UC-Davis coach, Bob Hamilton, was fired when Jones was a college student.

"I committed to my kids at Natomas that I would be back," Jones said. "We don't have enough men who are men of their words. My mother raised me to be a man of my word. The very things that made me a winner were being unselfish and being loyal. I couldn't do that and take the Washington job."

Jones, 28, met with Washington seniors DeShawn Stevenson and DeShawn Anderson on Monday and broke the news. "I gave up a championship ring," Jones said. "Character in coaching is a key ingredient to winning, but I couldn't leave Natomas."

Washington's plan B is to replace Webb on an interim basis with the likes of former coach and present athletic director Jeff Cardoza or Webb assistant Larry Triguiero. Another possible avenue being is beginning a national search. Jones and Webb said there have been hundreds of calls concerning the position. Pestorich and Cardoza were unable to be reached for comment.

Refreshing isn't it? A good coach with good character.