Jonas Hayes facts for kids
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Georgia State |
| Conference | Sun Belt |
| Record | 38–57 (.400) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | August 9, 1981 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1999–2000 | Western Carolina |
| 2001–2004 | Georgia |
| Position(s) | Forward |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2005–2006 | Morehouse (assistant) |
| 2006–2007 | South Carolina State (assistant) |
| 2007–2012 | Belmont Abbey (assistant) |
| 2013–2018 | Georgia (assistant) |
| 2018–2021 | Xavier (assistant) |
| 2021–2022 | Xavier (associate HC) |
| 2022 | Xavier (interim HC) |
| 2022–present | Georgia State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 42–57 (.424) |
| Tournaments | 4–0 (NIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| NIT (2022) | |
Jonas Hayes was born on August 9, 1981. He is an American college basketball coach and a former player. Currently, he is the head coach for the Georgia State team. Before this, he worked as an assistant coach and then as an interim (temporary) head coach for the Xavier Musketeers. He also coached as an assistant for several other teams, including the Morehouse Maroon Tigers, South Carolina State Bulldogs, Belmont Abbey Crusaders, and Georgia Bulldogs. As a player, Hayes played college basketball for the Western Carolina Catamounts and the Georgia Bulldogs.
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Playing College Basketball
Jonas Hayes started his college basketball journey in 1999. He and his twin brother, Jarvis, first went to Western Carolina University. They played for the Western Carolina Catamounts.
Western Carolina University Years
During his first year at Western Carolina, Jonas played in 24 games. He averaged 8.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He was very good at shooting, making 63.0% of his shots from the field. This was the best percentage in his conference and one of the best in the entire NCAA Division I. After one season, Jonas and Jarvis decided to transfer to the University of Georgia in 2000.
University of Georgia Years
Because of transfer rules, Jonas had to sit out his second year of college. He started playing again in his third year (junior season). He averaged 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. That year, he helped the Georgia Bulldogs team get into the NCAA Division I Tournament. He had a great game with 14 points and 14 rebounds in their first win against Murray State.
In his fourth year (senior season), Jonas averaged 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds. In his fifth and final year of college basketball, he had his best season, averaging 11.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Jonas graduated from the University of Georgia in 2004. He earned a degree in child and family development.
Coaching Career Highlights
After finishing his playing career, Jonas Hayes started coaching. He first worked as an assistant coach at Frederick Douglass High School in Atlanta.
Early Coaching Roles
In 2005, Jonas became an assistant coach for the men's basketball team at Morehouse College. He stayed there for one season. Then, he moved to be an assistant coach for the South Carolina State Bulldogs. In 2007, Belmont Abbey College hired him as an assistant coach, where he worked until 2012.
Returning to Georgia
In 2012, Jonas Hayes went back to his old school, the University of Georgia. He first worked as an operations coordinator for the men's basketball team. In 2013, he was promoted to assistant coach. During his time as an assistant under coach Mark Fox, the Bulldogs had three seasons where they won 20 or more games. They even made it to the NCAA Tournament once and the NIT Tournament twice. Jonas is known for helping players like Marcus Thornton and Yante Maten improve their skills. He stayed at Georgia until 2018.
Xavier Musketeers and NIT Championship
In 2018, Jonas Hayes became an assistant coach for the Xavier Musketeers. In 2021, he was promoted again to associate head coach. This is a very important role, just below the head coach. In 2022, after the head coach left, Jonas was named the team's interim (temporary) head coach. He led the Xavier Musketeers to win the NIT championship in 2022. This was only the second time in the school's history they won this championship!
Leading the Georgia State Panthers
On April 6, 2022, Jonas Hayes was announced as the new head coach for the Georgia State team. He has been leading the team since then.
Head Coaching Record
Here is a summary of Jonas Hayes's record as a head coach:
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xavier Musketeers (Big East Conference) (2022) | |||||||||
| 2021–22 | Xavier | 4–0 | NIT Champions | ||||||
| Xavier: | 4–0 (1.000) | ||||||||
| Georgia State Panthers (Sun Belt Conference) (2022–present) | |||||||||
| 2022–23 | Georgia State | 10–21 | 3–15 | 14th | |||||
| 2023–24 | Georgia State | 14–17 | 8–10 | T–7th | |||||
| 2024–25 | Georgia State | 14–19 | 8–10 | T–8th | |||||
| Georgia State: | 38–57 (.400) | 19–35 (.352) | |||||||
| Total: | 42–57 (.424) | ||||||||
|
National champion Conference regular season champion Conference tournament champion |
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Family Life
Jonas Hayes has a twin brother named Jarvis. Jarvis was born five minutes before Jonas. Jarvis used to be a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. Now, he works as an assistant coach for his brother Jonas at Georgia State University.
