Spanish River’s Jones thankful for support in reaching 400 victories

Spanish River boys basket- ball coach John Jones hit a career milestone Friday in his 27th season of coaching.

The Sharks defeated district rival Boca Raton 95-93 in a key district contest, giving Jones his 400th career win. He holds a 401-263 career mark following Tuesday’s win over Park Vista.

“Reaching 400 wins is a nice feather in my cap,” Jones said. “But along the way, there have been way more lives that have been impacted by my teachings.

“I’ve always cared about growing the person, and believed by doing that, their game would grow.”

Jones arrived at Spanish River 31 years ago and began coaching the junior varsity boys team. He took over the varsity four years later.

“I stepped foot on this campus looking to impact lives using the classroom and the sport of basketball,” Jones said. “I honestly can’t believe I still stand in the place I started. Spanish River has given me every oppor- tunity and all the support needed to be an effective teacher and coach.”

Dur ing his 27 seasons with the Sharks, Jones won one district championship and one regional championship, played in four district championship games and advanced to the 2012 state Final Four. Jones said his favorite memory during his long career was coaching the 2012 Sharks — “a selfless, high-character group, who only cared about winning, not who got the credit,” he said.

“They suppo r ted and cared for each other like no other group I’ve had, and loved to be coached.”

This season’s Sharks rank No. 9 in the current Palm Beach Post Top 10, with a 5-1 record.