Old Dominion hired Maryland assistant Mike Jones as its next head coach, the school announced Friday.
Jones is an Old Dominion alum who led the Monarchs to the NCAA Tournament as a player in 1992 and 1995. This is his first season on Kevin Willard's staff at Maryland after spending the previous two seasons as associate head coach with Mike Young in Virginia. Technology.
“I couldn't be more excited. This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Jones said. “ODU is my home and we are ready to work to turn the program into something that Norfolk and the entire Hampton Roads community can be proud of.”
Before moving on to college, Jones established himself as one of the nation's elite high school coaches. He coached at DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland for 19 years, leading the Stags to a 511-19 record and nine Washington Catholic Athletic Conference regular-season titles.
Jones has extensive experience with USA Basketball, including as coach of the 2019 national under-16 team that won the gold medal at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Brazil.
“It was imperative that our new head coach check all the essential boxes, including the ability to recruit both high school and transfer student-athletes, player development, coaching acumen, style of play, community involvement, impeccable character and a proven track record of success. Mike Jones checks all those boxes,” athletic director Wood Selig said at a news conference announcing the hire. “In Mike Jones, ODU has a leader who has been successful at the highest level and knows what it takes to maintain competitive excellence. The fact that he is one of us is icing on the cake.”
Jones replaces Jeff Jones, who announced his retirement Monday after a 32-year career as head coach. He had been at Old Dominion since 2013, leading the Monarchs to the NCAA tournament in 2019 after winning the Conference USA regular season and conference tournament championships. Jones also spent 13 seasons as head coach of the American University Eagles and led Virginia to five NCAA Tournament appearances in the 1990s.
Jeff Jones took a leave of absence in January after suffering a heart attack in December and then began treatment for prostate cancer for the fourth time.
Old Dominion (7-23, 3-14 Sun Belt), which has been led by interim coach Kieran Donohue since Jones departed the team, concludes its regular season at Georgia Southern on Friday.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
