By Bert Leeson
NORFOLK, Va. – For just the second time in program history, Old Dominion University has hired an alumnus to coach its men’s basketball team, as ODU Director of Athletics Dr. Wood Selig announced that Mike Jones will be the 14th head coach in program history. Jones was introduced to the media and public in a press conference Friday morning in the Big Blue Room of Chartway Arena.
“This is an exciting day for Old Dominion University, ODU Athletics and our men’s basketball program! I am honored to extend a warm Monarch welcome to Mike Jones as he rejoins our great institution and – most importantly – the ODU family. He is no stranger to our campus or our community,” ODU President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D. said. “I so enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him on both a personal and professional level over the course of the past few days. He is a man of great character with the desire and determination, as well as the grace and grit, to succeed. I am confident that he will build upon the strong foundation established by Jeff Jones. Under his leadership, the future is bright for our men’s basketball program!”
Jones is the second ODU alumnus to be head coach of his alma mater, joining Oliver Purnell, who Jones played for his first three seasons at ODU. He also is the third African American head coach in program history, along with Purnell and the late Jeff Capel.
“We are excited to welcome ODU alumnus Mike Jones back as our 14th head men’s basketball coach. It was imperative that our new head coach check all the essential boxes including ability to recruit both high school and transfer student-athletes, player development, coaching acumen, style of play, community engagement, impeccable character and a proven history of success. Mike Jones checks all those boxes,” Selig said. “In Mike Jones, ODU has a leader who has seen success at the highest level and knows what it takes to sustain competitive excellence. The fact that he is one of us is icing on the cake. Welcome home Coach Jones, I know the Hampton Roads community is ready to fill Chartway Arena and help you win Championships.”
An Old Dominion alumnus that played for the Monarchs from 1991-95 and was a part of two tournament championship teams and one of the greatest wins in ODU history, Jones returns to ODU after spending this season as an assistant coach at Maryland.
“I could not be more excited. This is an opportunity of a lifetime! Representing a world class university under the leadership of President Hemphill and AD Selig, my family and I cannot wait to officially be Monarchs,” Jones said. “ODU is home to me and WE are ready to work to build the program back into something that Norfolk and the entire Hampton Roads community will be proud of.”
After a highly successful 19-year stint as the head coach at DeMatha High School in Maryland, Jones joined the college ranks in 2021 as the associate head coach at Virginia Tech. He spent two seasons in Blacksburg and helped the Hokies to a 42-28 record in those two years. In his first season, Virginia Tech defeated No. 7 Duke to win its first-ever ACC Tournament Championship. His second season saw the Hokies notch wins over No. 18 North Carolina and No. 6 Virginia and advance to the NIT.
As the head coach at DeMatha High School, Jones won nine Washington Catholic Athletic Conference regular season titles, eight WCAC Tournament crowns, four Maryland Private School Tournament championships and a national championship in 2006. During his tenure nine of his players went on to play in the NBA. Jones went 511-119 (.811) while at DeMatha and has won more than 600 games as a head coach including his games with USA Basketball.
In addition to his experience of developing players at the high school level, Jones has extensive ties to USA Basketball. After serving in three coaching roles with USA Basketball alone in 2019, Jones was named a co-recipient of the 2019 USA Basketball Developmental Coach of the Year award. He led the 2019 USA Basketball Men’s U16 National Team to a gold medal at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Brazil, was a lead coach at the 2019 USA Men’s Junior National Team July minicamp and was a court coach at the 2019 USA Men’s Junior National Team October minicamp.
Jones has also served as head coach of the USA Nike Hoop Summit Team three times, in 2013, 2014 and 2018, and he served as the USA’s Hoop Summit assistant coach in 2012 and 2017.
He got his start with USA Basketball as an assistant coach for the 2004 Youth Development Festival East Team. He won three gold medals with USA Basketball men’s junior national teams, including the 2011 U16 team and 2012 and 2016 U17 teams. Prior to 2019, he was a coach at the annual USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team October minicamp eight times (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018).
Jones played at Old Dominion from 1991-95, was a two-year starter for the Monarchs and earned All-CAA honors as a senior. Jones scored 19 points in ODU’s triple overtime win over No. 3 seed Villanova in the first round of the 1995 NCAA Tournament. One of the best three-point shooters in Monarch history, he led ODU as a senior with a 42.6 percent three-point shooting percentage, a clip that ranks as the sixth best in a single-season in program history. His 168 career three-pointers are also sixth most. He scored 1,166 career points in 111 games played.
He replaces Jeff Jones who retired in late February after 11 years at the helm of the program.
COURTESY OLD DOMINION ATHLETICS
