K.C. Jones Finds Life After Celtics in ABL

Call it a coup for women's professional basketball.

Former Celtics head coach K.C. Jones has said "so long" to the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is now coaching in the American Basketball League (ABL), a women's professional league.

He took the job as head coach of the New England Blizzard in May 1997 - without ever having seen an ABL game - after a return to the Celtics as an assistant in 1996.

In Jones's rookie season, the Blizzard finished 24-20, second place in their conference.

So what's the difference between coaching men and women? "In the NBA it's dunk, dunk, dunk, and one on one," he says from his home in Sudbury, Mass. "In the ABL, it's about fundamentals - passing, rebounding, and defense. The future of women's basketball is wide open, and I wanted to be a part of it."

Jones is one of only seven men - including Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson - to have won an NCAA title, an Olympic gold medal, and an NBA championship. During his five years as head coach of the Celtics, Jones led the the team to two championships in 1984 and 1986.

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