Jones brought his exciting and fast-paced style to Morgantown from nearby Youngstown, Ohio, where he developed his basketball reputation on the local playgrounds.

By his senior season at Rayen High School, Jones was catching interest from college recruiters that stopped by to watch high school teammate Joe James -- a mini-version of Dr. J complete with the H. Rap Brown afro and a repertoire of sweeping slam dunks. It was Jones' job to set up the three-time Northeastern Ohio player of the year for his rim-rattling slams.

They became known in Youngstown as the James and Jones Show.

"Joe couldn't dribble all that well so I would just throw him alley-oops," said Greg of his 6-foot-4 teammate.

In the meantime, Jones' own game was improving. As he began to look more for his shot, college recruiters began looking at him.

He had scholarships from UCLA, Ohio State and a package-deal offer to go with James to Michigan. However, Greg's older brother John wouldn't let him take any part in that.

"He said, 'You've been setting him up for years now so don't even think about going to Michigan,'" Jones recalled.

James wound up signing with Michigan, but Jones wasn't really interested in the Ann Arbor campus and instead turned his attention to West Virginia, a school rebuilding under second-year coach Gale Catlett.

West Virginia managed a 16-12 record during Catlett's first season in 1979 following a disappointing, 12-16 campaign under Joedy Gardner in 1978.

Catlett knew the Buckeye State well during his days coaching at Cincinnati, and his crack recruiting staff of Bobby Joe Smith, Lanny Van Eman, Gary McPherson and Lou Pelliccioni made an impression on Jones.

"Once I met them and I found out who they had coming in, that kind of turned me on," Jones said.

Another factor in West Virginia's favor was the short drive for his parents from Youngstown. Those circumstances ultimately led to Jones signing with West Virginia.

Jones's presence would eventually lead to what has now become known as the "Second Golden Era" of Mountaineer basketball.

Following an adjustment period in which Jones averaged just 4.7 points per game as a freshman in 1980, the 6-foot-1 guard broke out in a big way as a sophomore in 1981.

He averaged 15.5 points per game in helping West Virginia to a surprising 23-10 record that included a Final Four berth in the NIT against Tulsa. On the way to New York, West Virginia upset a talented Minnesota team, 80-69 in Minneapolis.

A year later, Jonesy and his teammates put together one of the finest seasons in school history.

Following a loss to Marshall on Dec. 5, 1981, West Virginia didn't lose another basketball game until Feb. 27, 1982, when WVU lost by 10 at Rutgers. The Mountaineers reeled off an '82-season-best 23-game winning streak and were ranked as high as No. 6 in the national polls.

The Mountaineers made NCAA tournament play for the first time since 1967, and averaged a Coliseum-record 11,384 fans per game. Nearly 3,000 more than the Coliseum capacity of 14,000 showed up for WVU's thrilling 82-77 win over Pitt on Feb. 24.

It was truly a memorable time for West Virginia basketball.

"We really got along well with the students," said Jones. "They would see us in the neighborhood or playing basketball at Stansbury Hall and people could relate to us. In turn, we would have the student section packed before each home game because they were a part of our family -- kind of like it is at Duke or Michigan State today."

In addition to Jones, there was 6-foot-7 forward Russel Todd, who quietly performed the dirty work around the basket night-in and night-out. Quentin Freeman and Tony Washam were two valuable guards, center Tim Kearney provided a presence in the paint, and two rising youngsters in sophomore Lester Rowe and freshman Dale Blaney proved a perfect blend.

Those players were important pieces to the puzzle, but to borrow a phrase from Reggie Jackson, Jones was the straw that stirred the drink.

He led the team on and off the court. When Greg Jones did something his teammates usually followed.

His easy-going and fun-loving nature could sometimes test the limits of authority, too. If practice was scheduled for 3:30, Jones would usually make his way down the Coliseum steps at 3:15 with a chilly dog crammed in his mouth.

WVU trainer Jack Brautigam would quickly administer the tape to his ankles, toss him those awful Pro Keds sneakers, and hustle him out to the court before Catlett's arrival signaled the start of practice.

"He would just throw up a couple of shots and he was ready to go," marveled Blaney.

"If he went too far, he would just flash that bright smile and you couldn't stay mad at him," Brautigam, the team's trainer from 1981-83, recalled.

Jones had his finest season in 1983, averaging 22 points and 4.1 assists per game to help the Mountaineers to a 23-8 record. West Virginia had built a 39-game Coliseum win streak before Jim O'Brien's St. Bonaventure team upset the Mountaineers, 64-63 on Jan. 20, 1983, and owned a 46-2 home record from '80 on when No. 1-ranked UNLV made its visit on Feb. 27, 1983.

A jam-packed WVU Coliseum and a nationally televised audience provided the backdrop for Jones's signature game at West Virginia -- a 32-point, seven-rebound, four-steal effort in leading the Mountaineers to an 87-78 win over the Rebels.

"Jones shot it well -- I didn't think he was that good of a shooter, but he shot the hell out of it," remarked UNLV Coach Jerry Tarkanian following the game.

"Greg Jones?" asked Catlett. "There is nobody better than he is anywhere in the country."

Jones was a repeat winner of the Atlantic 10 player of the year award in '83, and also earned AP honorable mention All-America honors.

The guard finished his career ranked fourth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,793 points. He holds the record for steals with 251, and his name can also be found among WVU’s top 10 in field goals, three-point field goals, three-point field goal percentage, free throws and games played.

Following his senior season, Jones was drafted on the third round by the Indiana Pacers, but was cut during training camp.

"Jerry Sichting was holding out and he came back early and took less money because I was there," Jones remembered. "Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time."

Jones also had an unsuccessful tryout with the Detroit Pistons in the midst of back-to-back all-star seasons in the CBA with the Wisconsin Flyers and the Evansville Thunder.

In 1984, Jones averaged 18.3 points and 3.9 assists per game to earn CBA rookie of the year honors. A year later, he averaged 20.2 points and 6.6 assists per game.

His finest professional season came in 1987 with Wisconsin, when he averaged 21.9 points, 7.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Jones spent a total of eight years in the CBA playing in places like Sioux Falls, S.D., Racine, Wis., and Grand Rapids, Mich.

"You would go to places that you haven't heard of or seen on the map," he shrugged. "We just took the lemons and tried to turn them into lemonade. You just hoped for the best and coped with the rest.

"My entire life was not absorbed or possessed with playing in the NBA," he added.

In addition to playing in the CBA, Jones also spent some time overseas in the Philippines.

Following his professional career, Greg worked in Illinois. When he was inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, Catlett persuaded him to come back to West Virginia and continue his education.

Now Jones, his wife Jocellyn, and their four sons Adonis, Niles, Marcus and Adarios, reside in Morgantown.

At some point Jones hinted that he may try the coaching route.

"(Former player) Diego McCoy is an assistant at Morehead State and he said 'as soon as you get finished come down here.' We'll see," he said.

In the meantime, you might just be able to find Jones back down at Stansbury Hall, where he still uses his flashy moves on kids young enough to be his own.

"You play college ball somewhere?" they ask.

"Yeah I did, " he answers.

"Where?"

"I played here," says Jones while pulling out a driver's license to prove his age to the amazement of the crowd gathered around him.

"I love it when I show them my ID," he laughs.

Just one quick look at his well-conditioned body is all you need to realize Greg Jones can still play the game. 

Now a new legion of Mountaineer fans are getting a second-hand look at what the rest of us appreciated the first time.

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