ATHENS —– Three-year UGA letterman Jonas Hayes has joined the Georgia basketball staff as program coordinator, according to announcement Thursday by Bulldog head coach Mark Fox.

Hayes returns to Georgia after five seasons as an assistant basketball coach at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C. Previously, he had also served brief stints as an assistant coach at South Carolina State, Morehouse College and his alma mater, Douglass High School in Atlanta.

“I am really excited to have Jonas join our staff,” Fox said. “He will be a valuable asset as we move forward. He is a smart and talented young man who will be a great example to our players. I am excited to have a former player who is so passionate about Georgia become part of our team.”

Hayes earned three letters as a prominent player on three successful Georgia teams between 2002-04. He started 41 of 88 games for the Bulldogs, scoring 759 points (8.6 avg.) and pulling down 435 rebounds (4.9 avg.). His career scoring high of 25 points came at a most opportune time, when the 2004 Bulldogs upended 3rd-ranked Georgia Tech 83-80 in double overtime. Among his other career highlights included his first collegiate 3-pointer, a 30-foot bank shot at the buzzer that won a game for the Bulldogs at Colorado on Dec. 3, 2002.

Two of the three teams on which Hayes played reached post-season play, including the 2002 NCAA Tournament and 2004 NIT.

“I am thrilled to be coming back to Georgia,” Hayes said. “I can’t tell you how blessed I feel to be joining Coach Fox’s staff. UGA holds a special place in my heart. I’m just ready to get started, ready to do whatever I can to help build the program.”

Native Atlantans, Hayes and his twin brother Jarvis transferred to UGA after playing their freshman seasons at Western Carolina University. Jarvis earned 1st-team All-SEC honors in each of his years at Georgia before he entered the NBA Draft in 2003. He played seasons in the NBA and continues to play professionally overseas.

He entered his name after his sophomore season, but then withdrew it and returned for his junior year (2000-2001 season), leading the Bulldogs in scoring with 18.3 ppg)

If KCP does go, I’d hate to see Jones redux. As I recall, he was also a projected lottery pick for that draft. But he fell, and fell, and fell, and the cameras just watched him sitting in the green room until the Hawks (who traded the pick to Philadelphia) finally called him before he fell out of the first round completely.