Mary Smith-Jones, of Beverly, New Jersey, discovered basketball at an early age, watching and playing with her five brothers. By the time she attended Allentown High School (1984 to 1987), she was breaking school records.
Smith-Jones was the first female player in Allentown High School history to score 1,000 points and also holds the school record for most points, blocked shots, and rebounds per game. She was named to All-Conference and All-State teams all four years and earned a full scholarship to play basketball at Virginia State University. After a few months there, she missed home too much and returned to New Jersey.
Following outreach by MCCC Coach Charlie Ross, Smith-Jones suited up for the Vikings in 1988 and 1989. In her first season, she scored 46 points in a game vs. Bucks County Community College, tying the record set by the legendary Terry Dorner in 1982. She was selected for All-State and All-American teams.
Smith-Jones transferred to Cheyney University, where she played for two seasons. She was nominated as the no. 1 rebounder in the country and was named All- State and All-Conference both years. After college, she played a season of professional women’s basketball in Fribourg, Switzerland.
Smith-Jones studied Business at MCCC and earned her B.S. in Business Administration at Cheyney University. She earned her master’s degree in Special Education and Certification in Special Education at Georgian Court University, along with a second master’s degree in Educational Leadership K-12. This spring, she was awarded her Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Widener University.
Smith-Jones began her career in education as a teacher at the N.J. Training School for Boys and Burlington County Institute of Technology (BCIT). She then moved on to administration, first as an assistant principal at Camden County Technical School and then as a vice principal at De Lasalle Vocational School. She was a principal and county apprenticeship coordinator at Mercer County Technical Schools from 2011-2018 and retired from MCTS as a high school principal in August 2021. She is currently starting her own business in educational services.
Smith-Jones mentored students not only in the classroom, but also on the basketball court. She was on the coaching staff for freshman girls basketball at Allentown High School and served as head coach at BCIT from 2000 to 2005. She also coached high school boys and girls cross country at BCIT. She worked with younger players at numerous youth basketball camps.
Smith-Jones was inducted into the inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame class at Allentown High School (2009) and the Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Athletics Hall of Fame (2016).
Smith-Jones met her husband, Charles Jones Jr. at Cheyney University. They have been married for 20 years. She has two stepsons.
