It’s December 21, 2009—the championship game of the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival basketball tournament. After an 11-point deficit at the half, the Big Red men’s team has tied the score against St. John. With just seconds remaining, forward Jon Jaques ’10 has the ball.
The senior captain sinks a deep 3-pointer—his fifth of the night. It not only propels the Big Red to a win, but ends a 40-year losing streak against its Big East rival.
Now, a decade and a half after that game, Jaques is working to give a new generation of players their own unforgettable moments on the paint. On the Big Red coaching staff since 2013, Jaques recently wound up his first season at the program’s helm.
“I want us to be the best teammates we can,” says Jaques. “Every coach says that, but I enjoy it when the guys are playing together, for each other, being unselfish. I’m fortunate that the culture here is such that it’s the expectation to care about each other, on and off the court. And hopefully, it shows in how we play.”
