San Jose State hires former Oklahoma top assistant Chatterton as women’s head basketball coach
After helping four different women’s basketball programs reach the NCAA Tournament as an associate head coach and assistant coach, Jonas Chatterton will try to guide San Jose State to the Big Dance for the first time in the program’s history.
SJSU announced Friday that Chatterton has been hired as the 11th head coach in school history.
Chatterton has 27 seasons of coaching experience, including stints at BYU, Colorado, Oregon State and Oklahoma. In all, Chatterton’s teams have produced a cumulative record of 501-237, a .679 winning percentage. His teams reached the NCAAs 13 times and won four conference championships. This is his first head coaching job.
“I am very excited and honored to be the new leader for the women’s basketball program at San Jose State University,” Chatterton said a statement issued by SJSU. “I want to thank Athletics Director Jeff Konya, President Cynthia Teniente-Matson, and Renaissance Search Firm for believing in me. I have had the tremendous opportunity to work at some great programs and with some of the best coaches in the country, which has led me to this great opportunity. We will build a culture that all Spartans will be proud of.”
Chatterton succeeds April Phillips, who was not retained after going 23-71 in three seasons. The Spartans were 10-22 last season, their highest win total in five years, but went 3-15 in Mountain West play and tied for last place.
SJSU has finished with a winning record just once in the past 20 seasons, a 19-12 finish in 2019-20 under Jamie Craighead Turner.
Chatterton was the Sooners’ associate head coach last season, playing a key role in program strategy, recruiting, and athlete performance. The Sooners advanced to the Sweet 16 this past season, falling to eventual national champion UConn.
“I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Jonas at Colorado and Oklahoma, and I couldn’t be more excited for him as he begins this next chapter as the head coach at San Jose State,” Oklahoma head coach Jennie Baranczyk said in the release. “Jonas is an incredible basketball mind, a relentless worker, and a coach who truly connects with and invests in his players. His impact on our program here at Oklahoma in just one year as associate head coach was remarkable. San Jose State is getting a tremendous leader and an even better person.”
SJSU Director of Athletics Jeff Konya said in the release, “Jonas’ basketball acumen really stood out during this national search. His passion for mentoring student-athletes, his commitment to excellence in academics, competition, and community make him the ideal leader to guide our program into a new era.”
Before arriving at Oklahoma, Chatterton spent a decade at Oregon State as the associate head coach, helping guide the Beavers to the 2016 Final Four, multiple Elite Eights, and three Pac-12 regular season titles. He also was associate head coach at Colorado after three seasons as an assistant.
“Seeing a coach who has worked their way to the head coaching chair is good for women’s basketball,” said Mike Neighbors, an assistant coach with the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and former head coach at the University of Washington. “Jonas has fulfilled every role an assistant could ever be asked to do. He’s swept floors and he’s coordinated defenses. He’s done laundry and he’s drawn game-winning sets. No one knows more than he that being a good assistant doesn’t guarantee success as a head coach.
“Knowing that will help him navigate those times when experience can’t have you prepared. He has built and maintained an amazing network that will be there for him, even though he won’t need it often. San Jose State got a good one today!”
Chatterton has four children: daughters Josie, Celia, and Jada, and a son, Hudson.