A roundtable of former coaches is one of the new items at the 2011 IBCA Spring Clinic. The inaugural panel features a trio of Hall of Fame coaches – recently retired Jim East of Merrillville, George Griffith of Richmond and Jim Jones of Terre Haute North – who will offer their expertise on building programs that stand the test of time.
Here is more info on each of the panelists.
Jim East
Jim East finished the 2010-11 season at Merrillville with a 21-2 record and ranked second in the final IBCA poll. This was his 31st season with the Pirates, where his teams won 15 Duneland Conference championships, 14 sectional crowns, five regionals and one semistate. His 1995 team finished as state runner-up, losing by one point in the title game to Ben Davis. His record at Merrillville was 522-206, and his career record in 43 years as a head coach was 653-337.
East is a 1958 graduate of Selma High School and a 1962 graduate of Ball State University. He coached at Chester Center, Connersville and Lawrenceburg before going to Merrillville. He was BSU Alumnus Coach of the Year and IBCA District 1 Coach of the Year in 1995.
East is a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, the Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame and the Merrillville Coaches Hall of Fame. His coaching career has included trips to four continents (Africa, Australia, Asia and Europe) to give clinics and coaching national teams.
George Griffith
George Griffith compiled a 366-138 record and a state title in 20 seasons at South Bend LaSalle and Richmond before become executive director of the IBCA.
A 1960 graduate of Brighton High School, Griffith attended Ball State University where he was a basketball manager before graduating in 1965. He began coaching as an assistant at South Bend Adams for seven years, then became head coach at South Bend LaSalle for nine seasons. He then moved to Richmond and served as Red Devils as head coach for 11 seasons, compiling a 213-74 record in the Rose City with his 1992 team winning the state championship and his 1985 and 1987 teams finishing as state runners-up.
Altogether, his teams won 13 sectionals, nine regionals, three semistates and one state title. Griffith was IBCA District 4 Coach of the Year in 1988 and 1993. He was the Indiana All-Star coach in 1987.
Jim Jones
Jim Jones coached at Springs Valley, Princeton and Terre Haute North, amassing a 680-382 record in a career spanning 45 seasons.
A 1955 graduate of Oolitic High School and a 1960 graduate of Indiana University, Jones’ teams won 25 sectionals, six regionals and one semistate during his career. He coached at Springs Valley from 1963-73, where he mentored a young Larry Bird, and served as the school’s athletic director for five years. He then moved to coach Princeton, which he guided to the State Finals in 1983. He then coached at Terre Haute North from 1985-2008. In Terre Haute, Jones' Patriots won 13 sectionals and four regionals.
Jones was recognized with IBCA District 5 Coach of the Year honors in 1976 and 1985. He was chosen an HBCA Coach of the Year in 1993. He also was the Indiana All-Star coach in 1998 and was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.
