NEW HAVEN, Conn. – James Jones, the Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of Men's Basketball, has been named to a four-person class receiving the Joe Lapchick Character Award. The other honorees are Mike Brey, Lisa Bluder, and Ernie Johnson.
 
Created to honor the legacy of former St. John's Head Coach Joe Lapchick, the award's mission is to celebrate what is good in the game of basketball by honoring those who have demonstrated honorable character throughout their careers.
 
Jones, Yale's all-time winningest men's basketball coach, has amassed 434 career victories, including 230 Ivy League wins—second most in conference history. This season, he has led the Bulldogs to a 16–4 overall record and a 5–2 mark so far in Ivy League play, tying them for first in the conference. Last season, Jones guided Yale through a historic campaign, finishing 22–8 overall with a dominant 13–1 record in league play.
 
Additionally, he has led the Bulldogs to seven Ivy League championships (2002, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2025), four Ivy League Tournament titles (2019, 2022, 2024, 2025), five NCAA Tournament appearances (2016, 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025), and nine total postseason berths. He is a four-time Ivy League Coach of the Year (2015, 2016, 2020, 2023) and a three-time NABC District 13 Coach of the Year. During his tenure, the Bulldogs have recorded at least 10 Ivy League wins in 10 seasons and have finished fourth or better in the conference for an impressive 24 consecutive years.
 
The quartet will be honored at a luncheon on Sept. 18 in New York.