Alva Review-Courier -

Jade Jones, the new Lady Elks head basketball coach, is very excited and ready to begin her first year of coaching. When asked how she was adjusting to her first job as a coach, she replied, "It's something new. I absolutely love getting to learn and grow as a new coach. I always want to learn new things that will help my team improve day in and day out."

Coach Jones' passion for basketball has carried her through many tough times. She tore her ACL her junior year at Pond Creek-Hunter during the area playoffs and still played in the state tournament. She broke her fibula, tibia and talus during her sophomore season of college at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She had to have surgery after every season to continue her basketball career. Several doctors told her she would never play again, but she proved all of them wrong.

She transferred to Northwestern Oklahoma State University to be coached by her high school coach, Tasha Diesselhorst, for her last two years of playing basketball. During her first year at Northwestern, Jones was Great American Conference (GAC) All-Honorable Mention Team and the GAC leader for assists. In her final year, she broke the NWOSU and GAC single-game record for assists with 15 assists, and she became a 1,000 point career scorer.

She plans on using her passion for basketball to help her players be the best version of themselves on and off the court. Coach Jones said, "I want each and every one of my players to know how much I care for them, not just as a player but even more so as a person." She wants all of her players to compete in every game, enjoy the little things, play for each other, and most importantly, have fun.