Milexa Cardona is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication student assigned to cover West Point High School for AZPreps365.com.

Monique Jones, volleyball coach at West Point High School, has experienced her fair share of obstacles in life, often related to her life as an athlete and coach.

During Jones’ athletic career, she underwent heart surgery her college freshman season and endured six knee surgeries, having her first ACL surgery in the eighth grade. 

“I was just hungry,” said the first-year head coach. “I always wanted to be on the court.”

Although many would shrivel in the face of adversity, Jones had a different perspective on dealing with injuries. 

“I think it kind of helped me with my mental toughness,” she said. “Knowing that if I can overcome heart surgery and ACL surgery, then I can overcome anything.

"I can share that with the girls, too, and tell them it’s OK they’re out for a couple weeks. They can still be a good teammate. They can still fight back because it’s going to help them in the long run.”

Despite her hardships, Jones was amongst her team's statistical leaders throughout her tenure at Drake University where she was named the team’s MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. 

Jones grew up playing basketball and volleyball from the age of six and as a sophomore she was faced with the decision of having to choose which sport she was going to lay to rest in order to focus on the sport she would pursue at the collegiate level. 

“I just knew I loved basketball,” Jones said. “Volleyball was just a sport that kind of kept me in shape. It was fun, but it wasn’t my true passion.”

The transition from player to coach was one Jones was anticipating. She coached basketball and volleyball at the NAIA level in Iowa prior to moving to Arizona. Jones was looking for a fresh start and began her life as a teacher and basketball coach at West Point High School when a remarkable opportunity came knocking at her door.

Pepperdine University offered Jones an assistant coaching position. Jones said, “I took a leap of faith.” With the support of her friends, family and co-workers, she packed her bags and moved to Malibu. 

West Point Athletic Director Joshua Wray expressed his admiration for Jones and described her as a “great leader.” 

“I gave her a big hug goodbye and bought a Pepperdine shirt,” Wray said. “But it was a very sad day to see her go.” 

While at Pepperdine, Jones found herself juggling her job and mental health issues. 

“As coaches, it’s part of our job to set our mental health aside,” Jones said. "To make sure that we are taking care of those 18 to 23 year olds that are in college, away from home and away from family.” 

Mental health awareness in sports has grown. However, the conversation is typically centered solely around the athletes while coaches might be discussed as a contributing factor to the issue rather than as victims as well. 

When Jones’ time at Pepperdine came to an end, she had the option to remain at the college level but she chose to go back to West Point and focus solely on her teaching career. Her experience of coaching during the era of the transfer portal led her to the realization that relationship-building is something she considers to be paramount. 

“It's harder to establish relationships with girls when you know they might only be there for a year or two,” Jones said. “It's also hard to build a program, too.”

West Point senior right side Nailah Lambeth believes her coach to be a “mom figure” to the team as they have developed a bond with Jones rather quickly during her first year as head coach. 

“You can always talk to her about anything,” Lambeth said. “She’s always been big about our mental health, on and off the court.” 

Lambeth gave the example of a “mental health form” that Jones makes for her team at the end of every week. 

“She makes us a Google form asking questions like, ‘How are you feeling this week? How are you feeling about school? What can I do better as a coach at practice?’” 

Jones’ ability to curate relationships with the kids in her program has been noticed by others in and around the program. Assistant coach Tarynn White says Jones’ honesty and communication is what allows for that connection. 

“It’s really different from what I've had as a coach,” White said. “So it's nice to see that balance of a hard coach, but you can also have fun with the girls and have a better relationship than most coaches do.” 

White, just like Wray, welcomed Jones back with open arms.

 “I told coach Mo when she came back that I was going to coach wherever she was,” White said. 

West Point volleyball has shown much promise this season with a record of 9-6 and according to those around her, Jones can be attributed for the program's success. When discussing Jones’ future at West Point, everyone agreed on one thing, 

“She can take us to a state championship.”