Boys hoops coach Brown out at Jones Senior

TRENTON - Kenneth Brown was fired Monday after four seasons as head coach of the Jones Senior High School basketball team.

Brown said he was told by athletic director Bill Franklin that a faculty member was pursuing the job and that according to the rules of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, Franklin was required to give it to the faculty member. Brown is not a member of the faculty at Jones Senior.

"I got fired today," Brown said. "I knew this was going to happen. If Mr. Franklin would've had it his way, I would've been gone a long time ago."

Brown compiled a 70-28 record since taking over head coaching duties in the 2003-04 season. He led the Trojans, who finished 22-5 last season, to within two wins of the Class 1-A state championship in 2007-08.

"I've had four wonderful years," Brown said. "A lot of people have been coaching a long time and they haven't had that kind of record."

The NCHSAA regulations read, "A head coach of an interscholastic athletic team should be a bona fide member of the faculty and as such shall be responsible for the supervision of athletic teams during all practices, games, and trips. Local superintendents may employ non-faculty persons as head coaches for varsity or junior varsity teams, with the concurrence of the local board of education and until such time as a suitable bona fide faculty member becomes available to serve as head coach."

Before serving as head coach of the Trojans, Brown spent 15 seasons as an assistant to longtime Jones Senior head basketball coach Al Hobbs. He graduated from Jones High School in 1969 and later played two years on the Lenoir Community College basketball team.

Brown said he got several phone calls from people in the community showing their support on Monday. He made it a point to thank Lenard Jarman, Michael Wilder, Sandra Ward and Hobbs for their help throughout his tenure at Jones Senior.

"I appreciated all the fans that believed in what I was trying to accomplish," Brown said. "We had the greatest fans in the world."

Brown said he will continue to coach AAU basketball and wouldn't rule out a return to the high school level.

"If the opportunity comes, I probably would take it because it's all about the children," he said. "That's what I always tried to push."