Jake “Jiggy” Jones named RCC’s Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach
Starting Monday, Robeson Community College will have a new athletic director and head baseball coach.
Jake “Jiggy” Jones will assume the position, leading RCC’s inaugural athletics program and playing a pivotal role in the start of a new chapter in the history of the college.
As soon as Jones heard about the position, he applied for it immediately, and as he says, “the rest is history.”
“This is something that you pray for,” Jones said. “Growing up in the video era, it’s like a video game and this is something that I’ve always wanted to do – to create your own team, make your own players…It’s something I’ve dreamed of doing for 30 years. It’s like a fantasy coming true, and it’s a blessing to be a part of.”
He adds, “Everyone knew that I always wanted to be a head coach. This is an amazing opportunity, and I’m excited every day when I wake up, it’s like a dream come true, it’s just amazing.”
So, who is Jake Jones?
Born and raised in Reidsville, Jones comes to Robeson Community College with many years of experience in athletics.
“I spent two years at Barton College as the assistant coach,” Jones stated. “Those were some of the best years that Barton saw with their baseball team… Working under Keith Gorman was an amazing opportunity. Coach Gorman is a former Juco National Championship coach so I will have plenty of opportunity to look for guidance from him.”
More recently, Jones served as the coach at Leesville Road High School in Raleigh. During his time there, Jones says the LRHS has had the highest winning percentage in the history of the school, and his enthusiasm and coaching ability has led at least one of his players to commit to RCC next fall.
“The first player to commit was Brett Kutner, my student at Leesville Road,” Jones said. “As soon as I left LRHS, he committed to the team and Justin Houston, the assistant coach from Leesville will be joining us as well. We had a tight knit group at Leesville, and I hope to be able to create the same thing at Robeson Community College.”
And, as Jones just found out today, joining the athletics coaching staff will be Angel Zarate, who played for the Cleveland Guardians and UNC Tarheels.
As far as his vision for how he wants the athletics program to be lead and what he hopes it becomes known for, Jones had this to say.
“Athletics is a great way to mold young people into being successful in life, not just in athletics, and that’s important to remember,” Jones said. “We look after the kids first and then everything else will fall in line… you have to have faith and believe, and leave it all to God, and when you do that, the wins will come.”
Following in his father’s footsteps, Jones says athletics has always been a part of his life.
“The stadium at Rockingham County High School is named after my father, Sam Jones…my Dad was the head baseball coach and athletic director there,” he said.
When Jake was in high school, he broke 4 school records in his first football game and gained a bit of notoriety with media in the Greensboro market.
“They couldn’t figure out who I was,” Jones laughed. “They were predominately calling me everything but my first name… so then I became known as “Who Jake Jones?”
Nowadays people call Jake by a different nickname.
“Now everybody just calls me Jiggy,” Jones said with a smile. “It’s a nickname that stuck when I was at Wake Forest Fungo, a college summer league that was an amazing experience with a team full of Juco Bandits…After we won, I stated to dance, and that’s when I became known as ‘Jiggy.’”
As “Jiggy” starts his position on Monday, he’ll have a lot on his plate, with needing to fill an additional 34 positions on the men’s baseball team and coordinating efforts for the women’s softball team.
“I’m excited, it’s fun, recruiting is fun,” Jiggy said. “I know the President and the Executive Vice President are super excited about the athletics program and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of Robeson Community College, and I can’t wait to start.”
