NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion's men's basketball program plays its first season in the Sun Belt Conference in 2022-23 and with a few exceptions, has little history against most of its 13 new conference rivals. But if coaches at other schools look at video of the Monarchs last season to learn about ODU, "they're wasting their time," ODU coach Jeff Jones said.
Jones radically remade his roster in the offseason, adding one freshman, four from the transfer portal and two junior college transfers. As many as four newcomers could start.
So might a very familiar face. Jason Wade has begun summer workouts with the Monarchs after missing the last 2 ½ seasons. The 6-foot-4 swingman from Richmond was felled by a knee injury in January of 2020, and then less than a year later, suffered a torn Achilles tendon.
His recovery has taken longer than expected, but Jones said "Jason has been cleared to play and is working very hard to regain his form" before his injuries.
It surely would be too much to ask to count on Wade for the 10.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game he averaged before going down with an injury. But if he remains healthy, he will add a dose of experience, talent and heart that ODU has been missing.
Wade is talented, but was ODU's best player prior to being injured primarily because of how hard he worked, in practice and in games. His father, Ronnie, played at ODU and his mother, Linda, is a Monarch alum.
ODU lost its top four scorers to graduation, or the transfer portal, and a handful of other players also left, necessitating a complete reboot.
But a major overhaul was needed. It's no secret that ODU struggled last season. The Monarchs had good, but not great, talent and yet finished 13-19. ODU won the Conference USA title in 2019.
Jones didn't say this, but I will – last year's team lacked cohesion and at times played without the mental toughness usually associated with ODU basketball.
Jones and assistant coaches Bryant Stith, John Richardson and Chris Kovensky focused on recruiting good talent, but more importantly, looked for players who are motivated.
"We wanted to bring in a group that was hungry, who had a chip on their shoulders, that had something to prove and would accept coaching," he said. "All of these guys have faced some kind of adversity.
"They all have something to prove. We have good talent, but I'm banking on their motivation, that they are all hungry to win, as much or more than their talent."
Most players are on campus in summer school and have been playing with as much energy in summer workouts as Jones had hoped for.
Several of the newcomers have scored and rebounded well while playing at a high level.
Tyreek Scott-Grayson, a 6-foot-5 wing player from Brick, New Jersey, played two seasons at UAB before transferring to Northeastern. He averaged 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in seven games at Northeastern, after averaging 8.1 points and 3.3 rebounds at UAB, including a career-high 30 points in a game against Rice.
Ben Stanley, a 6-6, 225-pound forward from Baltimore, transferred from Xavier, where he was hobbled with injuries. He played at Hampton in 2018-20 and was a 2020 All-Big South choice after averaging 22 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He scored 40 points and had 11 rebounds in a victory over Howard and finished the year tenth in the nation in scoring.
Dericko Williams, a 6-8, muscular forward from Kinston, North Carolina, led Tallahassee Community College in scoring with 11.4 points and rebounding with 7.7. He transferred to community college from UNC Greensboro. He was a consensus top 100 high school player as a senior.
Faizon Fields, a 6-9 forward from Memphis, Tennessee, averaged 9.6 points and 8.7 rebounds for Chipola Junior College in Florida. Chipola finished 30-6 and advanced to the junior college Final Four.
Tre Brown, a 6-2 guard from Tacoma Washington, transferred from Drexel. He previously played at Coastal Carolina and Colorado St. Pueblo, where he averaged 14.3 points and shot 86 percent from the free-throw line in the 2020-21 season.
Chaunce Jenkins, a 6-4 guard from Newport News, transferred from Wichita State, where he played on an NCAA Tournament team as a freshman. He played sparingly this past season, averaging 2.3 points per game.
Bryce Baker, a 6-4 guard, made 47 percent of his 3-pointers in the Under Armour basketball circuit. He helped lead two different high schools to state championships in North Carolina and played at Donda Academy prep in Simi Valley, California. The school was established by Kanye West.
Jones said all six of the transfers will be in the mix for playing time. "If they're not going to be in the mix, then you would bring in a freshman," he said.
Dericko Williams, he said, "is a freak athlete. He's every bit the athlete that Austin Trice was.
"Austin was active 12 feet in. Dericko is like that all over the place. He has a great, great motor.
"You want athleticism and skill, but if you don't have a motor, you're not doing anything with it.
"We want that hunger, that intensity. That is one of the main things that has me thinking that this team has potential."
Mekhi Long, a junior who transferred from Rhode Island, is ODU's top returner. He averaged 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds last season and also has a high motor.
Jones recalls that during his first season, ODU was coming off a 5-25 record and lost its best two players.
"But that team was hungry," he said. "They'd been beaten down. They just wanted to win."
The Monarchs won 18 games.
"They won a lot more games than expected with less talent," Jones said.
As the staff recruited players to replace those lost last year, they preached about ODU's storied basketball history.
"The six transfers would concur that this is a great opportunity for them individually, and for them to help a program with a strong history to bounce back from a bad year, to do something special.
"I think going into a new league is flipping the page, so to speak."
Jones said many Sun Belt teams have also suffered major losses to the transfer portal, and says mid-major programs had better get used to that.
"I told the Board of Visitors recently that the transfer portal taketh and giveth" Jones said. "It takes away your best players. But it gives in the sense that you get guys for whatever reason haven't been successful at the Power 5 level.
"I'm looking forward to our first season in the Sun Belt. There are good coaches in the league and like Conference USA has a lot of athletes.
"It's a great opportunity for us. I know our players are looking forward to it."
Sun Belt Conference Basketball
East Division
Appalachian State
Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
James Madison
Marshall
OId Dominion
West Division
Arkansas State
Louisiana
Louisiana Monroe
South Alabama
Southern Miss
Texas State
Troy
Minium: ODU Men's Basketball Coach Jeff Jones Cautiously Optimistic After Remaking His Roster
