Who is Donnie Jones? 5 things to know about the Stetson Hatters men's basketball coach

Stetson is a newcomer to the NCAA Tournament and is set to make its first appearance in 53 seasons as a Division I program.

Yet, coach Donnie Jones has been around, coaching in some capacity since 1988 when he started as an assistant at the University of Pikeville in Kentucky.

Over three-and-a-half decades with various stops along the way, Jones has compiled quite a resumé in college basketball, including the last five seasons in DeLand as the leader of Stetson.

So, what should you know about the coach of the Hatters? Here's five things that stand out:

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Donnie Jones has never been to NCAA Tournament as head coach

Jones has tasted his fair share of success in basketball, most notably being part of two national championships as an assistant under Billy Donovan at Florida.

But this will be the first time Jones has led a team to the NCAA Tournament as a head coach. He also had stints as a head coach at Marshall (2007-2010) and UCF (2010-2016).

“It means a lot,” Jones admitted after the ASUN championship game win over Austin Peay. “I’ve coached some really good teams, had some really good seasons and we couldn’t win that last game. This team was able to do it today.

“A lot of programs I’ve been at have been rebuilds with some great kids that poured their heart into it and we just couldn’t get to where we needed to go at the end. But today is an exciting day. It’ll probably hit me when I leave here more.”

Donnie Jones is one of the country's top recruiters

Recruiting talent is nothing new to Jones.

He was key in building championship programs in Gainesville, helping to lure 12 eventual NBA Draft picks, including Matt Bonner, David Lee, Mike Miller and Jason Williams. He also helped lure eventual Miami Heat standout Hassan Whiteside to Marshall.

During his time in Gainesville (1996-2007), in addition to two championships, Florida piled up 261 wins and nine NCAA Tournament appearances.

Donnie Jones is now over .500 at Stetson

Wins over Jacksonville and Austin Peay in the ASUN Conference tournament sent the Hatters to their first NCAA Tournament.

It also got Jones' record there above even.

Jones will enter March Madness with a record of 78-77 at Stetson. That includes a conference record of 44-38.

Those 78 wins already have Jones as the fourth-winningest coach in program history, trailing Herbert McQuillan (115-59), Derek Waugh (125-196) and of course, Glenn Wilkes (552-435).

Isaac Jones, son of Donnie Jones, is on the Stetson roster

Finally, at the college level, Donnie Jones gets to coach his son.

Isaac Jones, a freshman from Father Lopez High School in Daytona Beach, is nearing the end of his first season with the team. He's scored a total of 10 points in eight appearances, posting season highs in minutes (12), rebounds (four) and points (four) in a 123-43 win over Johnson (FL) on Dec. 10.

Donnie Jones shares hometown with a mythological beast

A native of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, Jones shares a hometown with a creature that was the subject of a feature film.

Richard Gere starred in the 2002 film, "The Mothman Prophecies" based on moth-like humanoid creature seen in Point Pleasant in the mid 1960s in relation to the collapse of the Silver Bridge, which connected the town to Gallia County, Ohio.

The Mothman Museum remains a tourist stop in the county seat of Mason County, on the Ohio River and can be visited seven days a week with admission costing adults $4.99 and kids under 11, $1.99. There is also a Mothman Festival, held on the third weekend of every September.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Donnie Jones leads Stetson to NCAA Tournament. Here's what to know.