By Jim Halley, USA TODAY
Special to MaxPreps.com
Longtime Terre Haute (Ind.) North Vigo boys basketball coach Jim Jones has the perfect gift for his wife, Joyce — his retirement.
"This is her first 50th-year wedding anniversary present, and she's still smiling," Jones said.
Jones said he will step down at the end of this season. In 45 years of coaching, the Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer is 677-381. Before going to North, he coached at Princeton (Ind.) from 1976 to 1985.
From 1963 to 1974, he was at Spring Valley (French Lick), where he coached Larry Bird for three seasons. "He was about the skinniest, frail, 6-1, 135-pound sophomore you've ever seen, but he had a tremendous feel for the game," Jones said. "He was a tremendous passer, and he was always thinking the game ahead."
He's won 24 sectional tournaments. He has gone 17 seasons without a losing record at North but will need his team to overachieve to keep that streak alive. The Patriots (8-12) are at Martinsville in the playoffs Tuesday.
"It's been a great career," Jones said. "I just hope that I've given back a portion of what I've gotten."
Twin Titles
College football fans waiting on Terrelle Pryor's choice may have to be patient. His schedule may be full for a while, though he was at Ohio State for a basketball game Sunday as the student section chanted, "We want Pryor," according to the Associated Press.
Pryor, the USA TODAY high school football Offensive Player of the Year, scored a game- and season-high 39 points and had 24 rebounds, 10 blocked shots and six assists in an 82-68 win for Jeannette vs. Beaver Falls for the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League Class AA basketball title Saturday.
Jeannette will open the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament vs. Kane Area on Saturday. Pryor led Jeannette to the Class AA football title in December.
Super 25 Stumbles
One Super 25 boys basketball team and four Super 25 girls teams ended their seasons with playoff losses during the weekend.
The No. 15 South Atlanta boys fell 63-60 to East Hall (Gainesville) in the first round of the Georgia Class AAA tournament as Derrick Favors was held to 11 points.
In girls play, No. 4 Bellaire (Houston) was upset 50-48 by Cinco Ranch (Katy) in the Class 5A Region III game, No. 10 Winter Haven fell 33-30 to Barron Collier (Naples) in the Florida Class 5A title game, No. 17 Ben Davis (Indianapolis) lost 56-45 to Carmel in the Indiana Class 4A Southport Regional final and No. 21 Hope (Chicago) lost 58-51 to Montini (Lombard) in the Illinois Class 3A section title game.
Never Over Rice
St. Raymond (Bronx, N.Y.), No. 24 in the boys rankings, is probably getting tired of No. 16 Rice (New York).
The Ravens have lost six games this season, including all three contests vs. the Raiders. Rice defeated St. Raymond 78-59 Saturday in the New York Archdiocesan title game. Durand Scott led the Raiders with 18 points.
