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Washington Mystics General Manager and Head Coach Mike Thibault announced on Tuesday that Asjha Jones has been promoted to Assistant Coach. Jones was previously the Player Development Coach for the last two seasons. This promotion came after former assistant coach Marianne Stanley moved on to be the head coach of the Indiana Fever.
Jones has been part of the success of the Mystics making the 2018 WNBA Finals as well as winning the 2019 WNBA Finals.
Thibault mentioned how much of an asset Jones is to the Mystics and how her resumé alone stands with very few past and present in the WNBA.
“Asjha has been a big contributor to our success the past two seasons as a player development assistant. She is more than ready for this position as a full-time assistant coach,” Thibault said. “Her basketball accomplishments are unmatched in that she is the only person to have won an NCAA championship as a player, a WNBA championship as a player and coach, and an Olympic gold medal as a player. I know how professional she was and how hard she worked when she played for me in Connecticut and I am excited that she will be a part of the future growth of the Washington Mystics.”
Jones stated how appreciated she was to receive such an offer and be able to move forward with the Mystics.
“I am honored to continue to grow with this amazing team,” Jones said. “Monumental Sports & Entertainment has shown how much they value the Mystics and continues to be a leading example in the WNBA. I also would like to thank Coach Thibault for having faith in me. I can’t wait for the season to begin!”
As mentioned earlier, Thibault and Jones are no strangers to one another. Jones was drafted by the Mystics but then was traded to the Connecticut Sun where she played from 2004-2012 under Thibault. She also was the leading scorer in 2009 with 16.7 points per game. In 2015, Connecticut traded Jones to the Minnesota Lynx where she won her first WNBA Championship as a player.
Jones joins an elite group of women who’ve won an Olympic Gold Medal, NCAA Championship, and a WNBA Championship: Ruth Riley, Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Tamika Catchings, Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Kara Wolters, Diana Taurasi, Candace Parker, Breanna Stewart, and Maya Moore.