The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(03-06-2024 10:23 AM)mac Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 09:56 AM)ODUR8R Wrote:  I get the optimism

We kinda need to see if he can coach at this level first. I think many fans are "double counting" a lot of his perceived strengths. And not acknowledging that the two previous coaches were actually above average basketball coaches and quick to harp on their obvious flaws being that we have decades of data.

Well, let’s put it this way. He wasn’t the head coach but he has been coaching against Duke , UNC, Villanova, UCLA, #1 ranked Purdue ,Michigan, Illinois and many others that are at at way different level than we are. And yes I know he wasn’t the head coach. It’s not like this guy is coming from Longwood! And he has been on the winning side of some of those games including UNC, DUKE, UCLA .

I hope he crushes it

(03-06-2024 10:25 AM)ODURallyFox Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 09:27 AM)The Flagship Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 09:12 AM)benny_t Wrote:  So some people complain when the post are too negative but also if there is too much enthusiasm.

Most people don't have a problem with negative or enthusiastic comments. It's when the word "too" is in front of those descriptors. Of course, "too" is defined by the reader.

But far worse is when incorrect information is used as a basis for the negativism or enthusiasm. But we don't need to rally around that topic here.

You caught it.

(03-06-2024 10:39 AM)The Flagship Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 10:25 AM)ODURallyFox Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 09:27 AM)The Flagship Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 09:12 AM)benny_t Wrote:  So some people complain when the post are too negative but also if there is too much enthusiasm.

Most people don't have a problem with negative or enthusiastic comments. It's when the word "too" is in front of those descriptors. Of course, "too" is defined by the reader.

But far worse is when incorrect information is used as a basis for the negativism or enthusiasm. But we don't need to rally around that topic here.

You caught it.

Its easy to pluck my fans and doubters out in the crowd. But instead of taking underhanded indirect jabs at me, just shoot me straight next time.

(03-06-2024 08:43 AM)monarx Wrote:  Pardon me for being a little excited. I feel like a cloud of doom has finally lifted off of the program. I haven’t had hope for the Monarchs in hoops for years now. I know it won’t happen overnight, and may be a bit over hyped at the moment, but it’s been too long since there was any reason for optimism with this program. So yeah, I’m going to enjoy it and revel in this rebirth of Monarch basketball. Bring on the Mike Jones era! Maybe we will win at least one conference tournament game next season.

Its cool to be enthusiastic. But our head coach is rather unproven as a head coach at the college level.

Our program is in a full rebuild. To put things into perspective, we need new coaches, new players, new donors, new NIL money, etc. The only things that do not need to be rebuilt is the facilities.

The excitement for me wont begin until I watch improvement with the simple xs and os and fundamentals of playing basketball. The on-court attitude/swagger of the players and coaches has to change too.

(03-06-2024 09:12 AM)Stat Geek Wrote:  You can be excited without posting silly stuff about the worst team in the conference putting the conference on notice. What would your reaction be when Coastal has a new coach and they put the conference on notice as well. Im guessing a chuckle. Its just silly.

When Coastal has the best fan support and facilities in the conference, then get back to me.

Maybe some just don't realize what a drag on this program JJ was. This program's default puts it in the upper echelon of the Sunbelt. Now that we are out from under the JJ cloud, it is not unreasonable to expect that we will be back there quickly.

(03-06-2024 10:39 AM)The Flagship Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 10:25 AM)ODURallyFox Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 09:27 AM)The Flagship Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 09:12 AM)benny_t Wrote:  So some people complain when the post are too negative but also if there is too much enthusiasm.

Most people don't have a problem with negative or enthusiastic comments. It's when the word "too" is in front of those descriptors. Of course, "too" is defined by the reader.

But far worse is when incorrect information is used as a basis for the negativism or enthusiasm. But we don't need to rally around that topic here.

You caught it.

It's not like it was subtle.

(03-06-2024 09:12 AM)Stat Geek Wrote:  You can be excited without posting silly stuff about the worst team in the conference putting the conference on notice. What would your reaction be when Coastal has a new coach and they put the conference on notice as well. Im guessing a chuckle. Its just silly.

Comparing ODU to Coastal in basketball? History shows a huge difference in the success of two programs throughout many different coaching staffs.

This past preseason, ODU was predicted to finish 3rd (I believe) in the conference in Men's Basketball. I don't recall anyone saying that was silly at the time even though ODU ended up winning the title of "worst team in the conference" instead of vying for the conference title. In a few months we'll be doing the same predictions for football without really knowing what is going to happen during the season. It's what fans do.

All monarx did was express his own thoughts and predictions of success regarding ODU Men's basketball at some point in the next few seasons. He's not alone in those thoughts.

(03-06-2024 10:33 AM)ODUR8R Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 10:23 AM)mac Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 09:56 AM)ODUR8R Wrote:  I get the optimism

We kinda need to see if he can coach at this level first. I think many fans are "double counting" a lot of his perceived strengths. And not acknowledging that the two previous coaches were actually above average basketball coaches and quick to harp on their obvious flaws being that we have decades of data.

Well, let’s put it this way. He wasn’t the head coach but he has been coaching against Duke , UNC, Villanova, UCLA, #1 ranked Purdue ,Michigan, Illinois and many others that are at at way different level than we are. And yes I know he wasn’t the head coach. It’s not like this guy is coming from Longwood! And he has been on the winning side of some of those games including UNC, DUKE, UCLA .

I hope he crushes it

I think people put way too much focus on whether someone can coach a game this day in age. In game coaching, in my opinion, is about the 4 most important thing in setting coaches apart in the current game unless you have someone who is an absolute savant.

With that said, I am not too worried about Mike Jones's ability to "coach" at this level. I think if he could coach at Dematha for 19 years, he can coach at the college level. The more important things are can he develop players, can he recruit, can he lead, and can he build a program that engages all the people it needs to engage, ie. donors, fans, the community.

I think player development is something that can be gleaned without him being a college coach, especially considering the level of talent he dealt with at Dematha.

Recruiting can be evaluated without being a head coach in college.

Can he lead? This one is something you should be able to get a feel for with his experience, but you don't know for sure until he has his own program.

Can he build a program? This is the only one that I think is a question mark for someone who hasn't been a college head coach, but he seems to be saying and doing the right things with the right level of enthusiasm so far.

Out that whole list, we don't know if he can do any of that at our level.

In-game coaching is a piece like everything else. Its different scheming up how to play against JMU instead of whatever random catholic schools he faced, many times with having the resources of having the best players in the area.

We will see if he can develop college players. Im assuming his staff selections play a big role in that.

He was decent recruiter in his short time at VT and Maryland. Both brought him in to hit DC and there were mixed results, certainly not bad. But selling Maryland is a lot different than selling Old Dominion.

None of us know if he can lead, but you can take a reasonable guess that he can.

None of us know if he can build a program, thats a complete unknown.

Im excited for him and I believe he will do a good job here. But, people are delusional if you think going from a coach with the track record of Jeff Jones to one with the track record of Mike Jones (almost nothing outside of high school) automatically puts us in the upper echelon of SB teams and those teams need to be put on notice. Love Mike and he would have probably been my 2nd choice once I found out who he expects to bring, but we should be way more cautiously optimistic. But, some of us get clouded by our hatred of prior coaches.

(03-06-2024 09:12 AM)benny_t Wrote:  So some people complain when the post are too negative but also if there is too much enthusiasm.

I don’t see negative posts. If anything, the ODAF is now starting to grow. Also, I think more big donors will come out to help ODAF & NIL. Give it till this summer, when all the dust has settled. I due have one negative comment, Wood waited to long. Maybe timing is a blessing.

(03-06-2024 09:12 AM)Stat Geek Wrote:  You can be excited without posting silly stuff about the worst team in the conference putting the conference on notice. What would your reaction be when Coastal has a new coach and they put the conference on notice as well. Im guessing a chuckle. Its just silly.

Well, if they posted it on the ODU forum or the Sun Belt forum I'd laugh. If it was posted in their forum, I'd let people be excited.

(03-06-2024 01:35 PM)Stat Geek Wrote:  Out that whole list, we don't know if he can do any of that at our level.

In-game coaching is a piece like everything else. Its different scheming up how to play against JMU instead of whatever random catholic schools he faced, many times with having the resources of having the best players in the area.

We will see if he can develop college players. Im assuming his staff selections play a big role in that.

He was decent recruiter in his short time at VT and Maryland. Both brought him in to hit DC and there were mixed results, certainly not bad. But selling Maryland is a lot different than selling Old Dominion.

None of us know if he can lead, but you can take a reasonable guess that he can.

None of us know if he can build a program, thats a complete unknown.

Im excited for him and I believe he will do a good job here. But, people are delusional if you think going from a coach with the track record of Jeff Jones to one with the track record of Mike Jones (almost nothing outside of high school) automatically puts us in the upper echelon of SB teams and those teams need to be put on notice. Love Mike and he would have probably been my 2nd choice once I found out who he expects to bring, but we should be way more cautiously optimistic. But, some of us get clouded by our hatred of prior coaches.

I see the point, but the other side of the coin is JJ had already proven he was a very mediocre coach at the mid-major level at American. What did he have, 2 NCAAs in like 13 years or something? Once he left the privilege and advantages of the ACC he was very average. We dont know what we get with Mike at the collegiate level, but that's part of why we can have hope. Nobody knew JC3 would be great, nobody knew Grant or Shaka would be great. But they were, and MJ could be too. And Mike has done more than those three did before becoming head coaches. We knew what we were getting with Jeff. With Mike the skys the limit for now.

Some people seem to think it's their job to reign-in other people's hopes and expectations.
I personally have very high hopes for what I think Mike Jones can do for our basketball program. My expectations are that he and the team will achieve something very positive (i.e. 20 win season, and/or NCAA bid) within three seasons.

(03-06-2024 02:47 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 01:35 PM)Stat Geek Wrote:  Out that whole list, we don't know if he can do any of that at our level.

In-game coaching is a piece like everything else. Its different scheming up how to play against JMU instead of whatever random catholic schools he faced, many times with having the resources of having the best players in the area.

We will see if he can develop college players. Im assuming his staff selections play a big role in that.

He was decent recruiter in his short time at VT and Maryland. Both brought him in to hit DC and there were mixed results, certainly not bad. But selling Maryland is a lot different than selling Old Dominion.

None of us know if he can lead, but you can take a reasonable guess that he can.

None of us know if he can build a program, thats a complete unknown.

Im excited for him and I believe he will do a good job here. But, people are delusional if you think going from a coach with the track record of Jeff Jones to one with the track record of Mike Jones (almost nothing outside of high school) automatically puts us in the upper echelon of SB teams and those teams need to be put on notice. Love Mike and he would have probably been my 2nd choice once I found out who he expects to bring, but we should be way more cautiously optimistic. But, some of us get clouded by our hatred of prior coaches.

I see the point, but the other side of the coin is JJ had already proven he was a very mediocre coach at the mid-major level at American. What did he have, 2 NCAAs in like 13 years or something? Once he left the privilege and advantages of the ACC he was very average. We dont know what we get with Mike at the collegiate level, but that's part of why we can have hope. Nobody knew JC3 would be great, nobody knew Grant or Shaka would be great. But they were, and MJ could be too. And Mike has done more than those three did before becoming head coaches. We knew what we were getting with Jeff. With Mike the skys the limit for now.

Look at what American did with him vs. all of the other coaches that were not Jones. Jones had 8 seasons with a Kenpom between 100 and 200 with 1 season at 112. In the 11 seasons since Jones left, they have had 2 seasons under 200 (the immediate 2 years that were with Jones players). After that, Brennan put up a bunch of 300+ seasons. The coach before Jones had no sub 200 seasons. I know the last years were not good for Jones, but what he did at American, with their resources, was impressive. How do you use UVAs resources against him but ignore Americans resources? The ending to Jones tenure was very disappointing, but he was a very good coach for UVA, American, and the first 6 years at ODU. There is no need to act like he was a terrible coach that ruined ODU. No one thinks Blaine ruined ODU though he left it in shambles as well.

Im excited for MJ. There is an unknown for sure. But for our health, we should probably put some realistic expectations on him.

(03-06-2024 03:51 PM)Stat Geek Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 02:47 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 01:35 PM)Stat Geek Wrote:  Out that whole list, we don't know if he can do any of that at our level.

In-game coaching is a piece like everything else. Its different scheming up how to play against JMU instead of whatever random catholic schools he faced, many times with having the resources of having the best players in the area.

We will see if he can develop college players. Im assuming his staff selections play a big role in that.

He was decent recruiter in his short time at VT and Maryland. Both brought him in to hit DC and there were mixed results, certainly not bad. But selling Maryland is a lot different than selling Old Dominion.

None of us know if he can lead, but you can take a reasonable guess that he can.

None of us know if he can build a program, thats a complete unknown.

Im excited for him and I believe he will do a good job here. But, people are delusional if you think going from a coach with the track record of Jeff Jones to one with the track record of Mike Jones (almost nothing outside of high school) automatically puts us in the upper echelon of SB teams and those teams need to be put on notice. Love Mike and he would have probably been my 2nd choice once I found out who he expects to bring, but we should be way more cautiously optimistic. But, some of us get clouded by our hatred of prior coaches.

I see the point, but the other side of the coin is JJ had already proven he was a very mediocre coach at the mid-major level at American. What did he have, 2 NCAAs in like 13 years or something? Once he left the privilege and advantages of the ACC he was very average. We dont know what we get with Mike at the collegiate level, but that's part of why we can have hope. Nobody knew JC3 would be great, nobody knew Grant or Shaka would be great. But they were, and MJ could be too. And Mike has done more than those three did before becoming head coaches. We knew what we were getting with Jeff. With Mike the skys the limit for now.

Look at what American did with him vs. all of the other coaches that were not Jones. Jones had 8 seasons with a Kenpom between 100 and 200 with 1 season at 112. In the 11 seasons since Jones left, they have had 2 seasons under 200 (the immediate 2 years that were with Jones players). After that, Brennan put up a bunch of 300+ seasons. The coach before Jones had no sub 200 seasons. I know the last years were not good for Jones, but what he did at American, with their resources, was impressive. How do you use UVAs resources against him but ignore Americans resources? The ending to Jones tenure was very disappointing, but he was a very good coach for UVA, American, and the first 6 years at ODU. There is no need to act like he was a terrible coach that ruined ODU. No one thinks Blaine ruined ODU though he left it in shambles as well.

Im excited for MJ. There is an unknown for sure. But for our health, we should probably put some realistic expectations on him.

Fair and some info regarding how far they fell afterwards that I didnt know. Regarding the comparison part (in bold), I think ODU and American have much more in common than UVA and ODU. Recruiting with an ACC patch, a lot of extra money and games on TV is a lot easier. American and ODU are in a more similar situation which makes his time at UVA a bit of an outlier. I feel a similarly about Mike Jones recruiting. While Im optimistic he will be successful, recruiting at DeMatha, VT and UMD is a lot easier than recruiting for mid majors.

(03-06-2024 08:49 AM)mac Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 08:37 AM)beenjamminmore Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 08:05 AM)Stat Geek Wrote:  Im excited for Mike Jones to put his print on the team, but any predictions at this point are pie in the sky. He's never even been a head coach before and we are putting the league on notice? (b)Fans are extreme :)(/b)

I suppose we can file this under Breaking News.

I am very optimistic about the direction our mens basketball program is heading with the Mike Jones hire. I understand the excitement of the fans. We know Jones has deep connections throughout the HS and college basketball world, and this should help in recruiting. He can obviously coach the game well even though he does not have extensive experience at the college level.

I think most of us are expecting a lot from Mike Jones, and those expectations are far from baseless. I think getting back to the NCAA's within 3 seasons is not unrealistic.

It is definitely great to see so many long time fans who had all but given up on their hopes and expectations expressing how excited they are about Mike Jones being here.

GO MONARCHS!!!

I’m one of those fans my friend. Was going to most games since the mid 1970’s. When Covid hit I stopped going. Saw no reason to come back after that first year. Went to the last game we played against VCU at the Ted. That was enough for me.

Now though, just based hope for the future alone, I’m getting back in the fold, can’t wait to get my tickets. Hearing all kinds of stuff that “may” be happening. Can’t wait! No clue of course if we will be back in the tournament again in three years. BUT, I love what I’m seeing already from Mike Jones.

There is hope and light ahead!

Second best Monarch news I've had in a week... First Mike Jones and now I learn my buddy Mac will be back at the Ted. Can't wait to see you brother!

(03-06-2024 01:35 PM)Stat Geek Wrote:  Out that whole list, we don't know if he can do any of that at our level.

In-game coaching is a piece like everything else. Its different scheming up how to play against JMU instead of whatever random catholic schools he faced, many times with having the resources of having the best players in the area.

We will see if he can develop college players. Im assuming his staff selections play a big role in that.

He was decent recruiter in his short time at VT and Maryland. Both brought him in to hit DC and there were mixed results, certainly not bad. But selling Maryland is a lot different than selling Old Dominion.

None of us know if he can lead, but you can take a reasonable guess that he can.

None of us know if he can build a program, thats a complete unknown.

Im excited for him and I believe he will do a good job here. But, people are delusional if you think going from a coach with the track record of Jeff Jones to one with the track record of Mike Jones (almost nothing outside of high school) automatically puts us in the upper echelon of SB teams and those teams need to be put on notice. Love Mike and he would have probably been my 2nd choice once I found out who he expects to bring, but we should be way more cautiously optimistic. But, some of us get clouded by our hatred of prior coaches.

Hey, we agree on something!

Well said

(03-06-2024 04:04 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 03:51 PM)Stat Geek Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 02:47 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 01:35 PM)Stat Geek Wrote:  Out that whole list, we don't know if he can do any of that at our level.

In-game coaching is a piece like everything else. Its different scheming up how to play against JMU instead of whatever random catholic schools he faced, many times with having the resources of having the best players in the area.

We will see if he can develop college players. Im assuming his staff selections play a big role in that.

He was decent recruiter in his short time at VT and Maryland. Both brought him in to hit DC and there were mixed results, certainly not bad. But selling Maryland is a lot different than selling Old Dominion.

None of us know if he can lead, but you can take a reasonable guess that he can.

None of us know if he can build a program, thats a complete unknown.

Im excited for him and I believe he will do a good job here. But, people are delusional if you think going from a coach with the track record of Jeff Jones to one with the track record of Mike Jones (almost nothing outside of high school) automatically puts us in the upper echelon of SB teams and those teams need to be put on notice. Love Mike and he would have probably been my 2nd choice once I found out who he expects to bring, but we should be way more cautiously optimistic. But, some of us get clouded by our hatred of prior coaches.

I see the point, but the other side of the coin is JJ had already proven he was a very mediocre coach at the mid-major level at American. What did he have, 2 NCAAs in like 13 years or something? Once he left the privilege and advantages of the ACC he was very average. We dont know what we get with Mike at the collegiate level, but that's part of why we can have hope. Nobody knew JC3 would be great, nobody knew Grant or Shaka would be great. But they were, and MJ could be too. And Mike has done more than those three did before becoming head coaches. We knew what we were getting with Jeff. With Mike the skys the limit for now.

Look at what American did with him vs. all of the other coaches that were not Jones. Jones had 8 seasons with a Kenpom between 100 and 200 with 1 season at 112. In the 11 seasons since Jones left, they have had 2 seasons under 200 (the immediate 2 years that were with Jones players). After that, Brennan put up a bunch of 300+ seasons. The coach before Jones had no sub 200 seasons. I know the last years were not good for Jones, but what he did at American, with their resources, was impressive. How do you use UVAs resources against him but ignore Americans resources? The ending to Jones tenure was very disappointing, but he was a very good coach for UVA, American, and the first 6 years at ODU. There is no need to act like he was a terrible coach that ruined ODU. No one thinks Blaine ruined ODU though he left it in shambles as well.

Im excited for MJ. There is an unknown for sure. But for our health, we should probably put some realistic expectations on him.

Fair and some info regarding how far they fell afterwards that I didnt know. Regarding the comparison part (in bold), I think ODU and American have much more in common than UVA and ODU. Recruiting with an ACC patch, a lot of extra money and games on TV is a lot easier. American and ODU are in a more similar situation which makes his time at UVA a bit of an outlier. I feel a similarly about Mike Jones recruiting. While Im optimistic he will be successful, recruiting at DeMatha, VT and UMD is a lot easier than recruiting for mid majors.

I share monarx enthusiasm. Definitely cannot get worse than our recent woes. But I think ODU has hit a homerun with this hire. Mike Jones has some serious connections around the country. He has said he's going to schedule Power 5 schools and he's going to have to put together a squad that can compete on that level and I think he will. The mid major recruiting difference is definitely going to be a factor, but I don't think this Coach Jones is going to be even looking at 3 star recruits. His Dematha connections and the fact he's been at 2 Power 5 schools recently will prove invaluable. Can't wait to see what the next chapter looks like. We should see some action in the next month as the portal opens up. I think once you see a couple Power 5 transfers commit and if we can lock in our recruiting class there will be a clearer picture of just how different things are going to be.

(03-06-2024 08:04 AM)AdoptedMonarch Wrote:  Whatever bad juju was put on us after that Sprite bottle was thrown after the Butler loss, we've by now more than paid our dues to the Gods of MBB Karma.

Count me as among the unrealistically enthusiastic. My only very miniscule request is that someone stuff Wood Selig into a gym locker and lose the key. We can then all comfortably stand by andexpect nothing but rainbows and unicorns next season and in the seasons to follow.

Welcome Mike Jones. We're here for the miracles.

I think I threw one at a Butler fan as I was boarding the train after the game.

(03-06-2024 04:56 PM)oduhoops71 Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 04:04 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 03:51 PM)Stat Geek Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 02:47 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(03-06-2024 01:35 PM)Stat Geek Wrote:  Out that whole list, we don't know if he can do any of that at our level.

In-game coaching is a piece like everything else. Its different scheming up how to play against JMU instead of whatever random catholic schools he faced, many times with having the resources of having the best players in the area.

We will see if he can develop college players. Im assuming his staff selections play a big role in that.

He was decent recruiter in his short time at VT and Maryland. Both brought him in to hit DC and there were mixed results, certainly not bad. But selling Maryland is a lot different than selling Old Dominion.

None of us know if he can lead, but you can take a reasonable guess that he can.

None of us know if he can build a program, thats a complete unknown.

Im excited for him and I believe he will do a good job here. But, people are delusional if you think going from a coach with the track record of Jeff Jones to one with the track record of Mike Jones (almost nothing outside of high school) automatically puts us in the upper echelon of SB teams and those teams need to be put on notice. Love Mike and he would have probably been my 2nd choice once I found out who he expects to bring, but we should be way more cautiously optimistic. But, some of us get clouded by our hatred of prior coaches.

I see the point, but the other side of the coin is JJ had already proven he was a very mediocre coach at the mid-major level at American. What did he have, 2 NCAAs in like 13 years or something? Once he left the privilege and advantages of the ACC he was very average. We dont know what we get with Mike at the collegiate level, but that's part of why we can have hope. Nobody knew JC3 would be great, nobody knew Grant or Shaka would be great. But they were, and MJ could be too. And Mike has done more than those three did before becoming head coaches. We knew what we were getting with Jeff. With Mike the skys the limit for now.

Look at what American did with him vs. all of the other coaches that were not Jones. Jones had 8 seasons with a Kenpom between 100 and 200 with 1 season at 112. In the 11 seasons since Jones left, they have had 2 seasons under 200 (the immediate 2 years that were with Jones players). After that, Brennan put up a bunch of 300+ seasons. The coach before Jones had no sub 200 seasons. I know the last years were not good for Jones, but what he did at American, with their resources, was impressive. How do you use UVAs resources against him but ignore Americans resources? The ending to Jones tenure was very disappointing, but he was a very good coach for UVA, American, and the first 6 years at ODU. There is no need to act like he was a terrible coach that ruined ODU. No one thinks Blaine ruined ODU though he left it in shambles as well.

Im excited for MJ. There is an unknown for sure. But for our health, we should probably put some realistic expectations on him.

Fair and some info regarding how far they fell afterwards that I didnt know. Regarding the comparison part (in bold), I think ODU and American have much more in common than UVA and ODU. Recruiting with an ACC patch, a lot of extra money and games on TV is a lot easier. American and ODU are in a more similar situation which makes his time at UVA a bit of an outlier. I feel a similarly about Mike Jones recruiting. While Im optimistic he will be successful, recruiting at DeMatha, VT and UMD is a lot easier than recruiting for mid majors.

I share monarx enthusiasm. Definitely cannot get worse than our recent woes. But I think ODU has hit a homerun with this hire. Mike Jones has some serious connections around the country. He has said he's going to schedule Power 5 schools and he's going to have to put together a squad that can compete on that level and I think he will. The mid major recruiting difference is definitely going to be a factor, but I don't think this Coach Jones is going to be even looking at 3-star recruits. His Dematha connections and the fact he's been at 2 Power 5 schools recently will prove invaluable. Can't wait to see what the next chapter looks like. We should see some action in the next month as the portal opens up. I think once you see a couple Power 5 transfers commit and if we can lock in our recruiting class there will be a clearer picture of just how different things are going to be.

I agree with you, but you'll have to reel it in some there oduhoops71. Expressing that much optimism on here is frowned upon by some.

Mike Jones is the 8th men's basketball coach that I have seen during my time following ODU. Improving on the results of #7 isn't that hard of an act to follow. That alone is enough to elicit euphoria upon getting a new coach, especially one like Mike Jones that appears promising.