A lifelong friendship carried through the game of basketball

Photo Courtesy of Alexa Wootten

Some people are lucky enough to have 10-year friendships or maybe 20, but anything more than that is rare. Maryland men’s basketball coaches David Cox and Mike Jones have been friends for over 30 years, and it has all been through the game of basketball.

Both natives of Prince George’s County, their friendship began when they were 13-years-old playing for the Allentown Go-Getters.

“[Jones] was actually already on that team,” Cox said. “It was a very, very good team. They had already previously won a national title. I was playing for a not so good team. Fortunately, they picked me up and I was able to kind of tag along with them for a couple of years and that’s when our bond started.”

Then it was time to play high school ball. Cox went to St. John’s College High School and Jones to Dematha Catholic High School — the top two teams in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference. Dematha was ranked No. 1 and St. John’s No. 2 their senior seasons.

They got the opportunity to play together one last time, their senior year, for the District All-Star team — now known as the Capital Classic. Jones was happy to report they won the game against the Suburban All-Stars.

“It was again an opportunity for us after going through four years of high school not being on the same team to get back and play against each other once again before we go off to college, and, again, try to kill each other,” Jones said with a big grin.

And they played against each other in college too. Cox at William & Mary and Jones at Old Dominion.

“I don’t think I have ever beaten this guy, in high school and or college,” said a smiling Cox.

Despite Jones and Cox going their separate ways, they still cheered each other on from afar. Jones happily watched as Cox became an assistant coach at Georgetown, head coach at Rhode Island and then an assistant coach at Maryland. And Cox did the same as Jones took over the DeMatha boy’s basketball program and then went on to become the associate head coach at Virginia Tech.

And now it’s come full circle, with the two back on the same team once again.

“Mom always told me if you can’t beat them, join them,” Cox said with a laugh. “So when there was an opportunity to get Mike over here, knowing who he is as a coach, who he is as a person, you know, I didn’t hesitate to give him a call.”

Cox came to Maryland in 2022 after Kevin Willard was named the new head coach, and he was promoted from an assistant to an associate coach for the Terps this past spring. Jones was named as an assistant coach on Maryland’s staff this past April.

“One of the first things that Cox said to me when we got on the floor together for our first workout,” Jones said as Cox nodded along. “He said Lester Butler will be proud of both of us, and Lester Butler was our head coach on the Allentown Go-Getters.”

Cox was quick to celebrate on social media that he was getting to coach with a teammate, opponent, and friend. 

“I would imagine this is what it feels like working with a brother,” Cox said.

Jones says he hates to simplify it, but history shows that all they do is win, and they take pride in doing their part to bring that mindset to the program.

“There’s so much that translates between this game of basketball and life, so we’re trying to give some of that as well and we’re also trying to win a national championship,” Cox said.”So doing all of that together, here for our home state university, a program that has so much pride in it, we don’t take that for granted at all.”

Cox said life and basketball — so much translates between the two. It’s true, as a game of basketball has been the center of a life-long friendship.