NCAA Basketball rewind: Most impactful coaching hires after 2013 season
By Joey Loose
6. Jeff Jones (Old Dominion)
In recent times, Old Dominion was a pretty successful mid-major program, making several NCAA Tournaments since the turn of the century. However, the 2013 season had been rough, and it marked the final year for the Monarchs in the CAA. Joining a new conference and needed a bit of a rebuild, the program was looking for new leadership and found a pretty good name to get things done.
Jeff Jones had already had quite the eventful coaching career before the Monarchs brought him in. He had spent two decades at Virginia, as player, assistant, and then eight years as head coach of the Cavaliers. He also spent thirteen seasons as head coach of American, leading the Eagles to a spattering of success. Responsible for an Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen at Virginia, Old Dominion was certainly getting a winner, and win games he did.
Even while adjusting to a new conference, Jones put Old Dominion back into contention. In his first eight seasons, they’ve finished top 3 in Conference USA six times, making the NCAA Tournament in 2019. His Monarchs also won the inaugural Vegas 16 championship and have won more than two thirds of their conference games. Jones continues to put this program in position for success and was certainly one of the solid hires from this cycle.