Cornell Men's Basketball Introduces Jon Jaques '10 as the 23rd Robert E. Gallagher '44 Head Coach in Newman Arena in Ithaca, NY on April 12, 2024.

As Head Coach, Former Big Red Player Is a Slam-Dunk

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A decade and a half after serving as team captain of men’s basketball, Jon Jaques ’10 has had a remarkable start as its leader

By Melissa Newcomb

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.

Jon Jaques talks to his team in a huddle during a time out during a game against Princeton.
Caroline Sherman / Cornell Athletics
Coaching the team to victory against Princeton.

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.”

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.

Jaques’s performance in the role—formally known as the Robert E. Gallagher '44 Head Coach of Men's Basketball—has already set some notable benchmarks.

With a 18-11 record in 2024–25, Jaques led the Big Red to the most wins for a first-year head coach in Cornell basketball history.

Jon Jaques as a player goes up for a lay up against Wisconsin.
PATRICK SHANAHAN / Cornell Athletics
Scoring a lay-up during the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

Also, no other first-year men’s basketball head coach has ever taken a team to the Ivy tournament. (The Big Red made it all the way to the championship game before falling to Yale.)

And speaking of unselfishness: the team finished the season second in the nation in assists per-game—evidence of how heavily the players prioritize passing to enable another to score.

“He instilled confidence in me when I needed it the most,” says forward AK Okereke ’26. “He has served as a role model, representing the way that I should carry myself both on the court and off the court.”

An L.A. native, Jaques majored in biology and society in Arts & Sciences.

After a slow start with the Big Red—over his first three seasons, he saw action for just 108 minutes and scored 33 points—he went on to become one of the nation’s most improved players.

His senior year, he was a captain, starter, and all-tournament pick at the Legends Classic, and led the Ivies in three-point shooting.

He instilled confidence in me when I needed it the most. He has served as a role model, representing the way that I should carry myself both on the court and off the court.

Player AK Okereke ’26

That season, not only did the team win its first ever NCAA tournament game in Big Red history—it advanced all the way to the Sweet 16, defeating nationally ranked opponents Temple and Wisconsin.

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Says Jaques: “I had the classic college basketball experience that everyone dreams of: the camaraderie, relationships, coaches, team building, and everything that I enjoyed about being at Cornell.”

On the Hill, Jaques also played a different position: sports journalist.

He wrote for the Daily Sun—it’s where he met his wife, fellow Arts & Sciences alum Jasmine Marcus ’10—and went on to be published in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and elsewhere.

“There are no easy games, which, as a player, is all you can ask for,” he wrote in the Times’s college sports blog as he entered his senior season.

“The experience we will gain from these games, and have gained from our humbling first-round exits in the past two NCAA tournaments, makes me so excited to see how much damage we can do when March rolls around again.”

Jon Jaques in a blue suit and red tie with his wife, Jasmine Marcus, and two kids in Newman Arena.
With (from left) wife Jasmine Marcus ’10, son Micah, and daughter Carina in Newman Arena.

After graduation, Jaques played professionally in Israel for a year, then returned to the U.S. to begin his coaching career. After stints at Stevens Institute of Technology and Columbia, he returned to the Hill as an assistant coach in 2013, moving up to associate in 2022.

Three years later, he was a finalist for College Insiders’ National Coach of the Year award, given annually to the top first-time head coach in Division I basketball.

Jaques was a finalist for College Insiders’ National Coach of the Year award, given annually to the top first-time head coach in Division I basketball.

“As with us all, sometimes things get to be too much, and we feel overwhelmed,” says another of his players, forward Guy Ragland Jr. ’25.

“Coach Jaques always maintained a sense of calm and navigated situations with confidence and a clear mind. If it didn’t work out, he’d try again the next day. I have always admired him for that.”

Among the other highlights of Jaques’s first season: an 88-80 win over the Cal Golden Bears in December 2024—the Big Red’s first victory against an ACC team since 1951.

(The boisterous locker-room celebration afterward included dancing, wild cheers—and Jaques’s impromptu drenching by the euphoric players.)

“We’ve had a lot of success the last few years. But I keep telling the guys: just because you were good for a couple years in a row, nothing is guaranteed; if you get complacent, you’re exposed pretty quickly,” Jaques observes.

“I’m proud that we’ve kept moving forward. The guys have trusted us as coaches, and rolled with everything we’ve asked—and I’m grateful for them.”

Top: Jaques and Touchdown in Newman Arena during his formal introduction as head coach. (All photos provided.)

Published April 17, 2025

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