Brooks Buffington recently completed his seventh season as head coach of the Jones College men's and women’s tennis programs.
The women have sported a collective 121-14 record with four conference titles and the men are 101-36 in Buffington's seven seasons with back-to-back MACCC Championships. He's guided the Bobcats to an additional five combined region titles and 11 NJCAA National Tournament appearances.
The ladies ended the 2023 season 22-3 and ranked 11th in the final ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings sponsored by Tennis-Point and claimed MACCC and NJCAA Region 23 Titles. The men finished 12th in the ITA with a 19-5 mark and won a second straight conference title.
Both programs once again competed in the NJCAA National Tournament in Texas, with the men boasting their first-ever Top 10 finish (10) behind a pair of consolation doubles championships at No.'s 2/3, and the women placing 12th.
Buffington received the 2021-22 NJCAA Herschel Stephens Coaching Award for his service and dedication to the NJCAA Coaches Association after leading the men to three trips to the national championship in a five-year period.
Jones swept the 2022 MACCC Men's and Women's Players of the Year in Tomi Nader (men's) and Addy Seward (women's).
Jones has been equally impressive off the court under Buffington's watch. The Bobcats have boasted dozens of ITA Scholar-Athletes and had one of the state's and nation's top GPAs year in and year out to win MACCC and NJCAA Academic Teams of the Year.
Jones has also twice swept the ITA's coveted Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Awards in the junior college division. Ally Brooke Chism and Trey Hilton received the recognition during the 2021 season and Danielle Viljoen and James McWilliams during the 2020 season.
McWilliams took home honors as a College Sports Communicators Academic All-American, a first in Jones College history.
Prior to Jones, Buffington was a tennis paraprofessional coach for six years at Northwest Rankin High School, spent four seasons at Hartfield Academy as head coach and was a three-year head tennis pro at Reservoir YMCA. He was also the head tennis pro at Castlewoods Country Club from 2007-2014.
Buffington played collegiately at Jones during the 2003-04 seasons and finished his career at Mississippi College. He received Jones' Bobcat Award as a sophomore and MC's Choctaw Award his junior and senior seasons.
He's been playing in the USTA League since 2007 and his team won the 2013 USTA 4.5 Adult League National Championship. For the past five years, Buffington has been a USTA NTRP 5.0 Player. He's been a USPTA elite professional since 2008.
Off the court, Buffington is co-chair on the ITA JUCO operating committee, ITA rules committee member, ITA Operating Council, ITA JUCO Women's and Men's Tennis Region III Rankings chairman, NJCAA Men's Tennis Coaches Association Vice President and MACCC Tennis Coaches Association President.
Buffington is married to the former Sarah Spraberry of Southaven. The couple celebrated their eight-year wedding anniversary in May 2023. They are proud parents of James and Anne Elizabeth.