NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion men’s basketball head coach Mike Jones announced on Tuesday his seven-member recruiting class for the 2025-26 season.
“We are so excited to add to our Monarch Basketball Family seven guys that will bring a tremendous amount of talent, experience, and versatility,” said Jones. “Three players that will be seniors, two transfers that have multiple years of eligibility, and two incoming freshmen represents an incoming group that is balanced, and one that we believe will impact winning. We are so excited to get started.
Elijah Flowers
6-7, Fr., Guard/Forward
Washington, D.C./Potomac School/Brewster Academy
Flowers started off his high school career at The Potomac School, helping the Panthers reach the state playoffs every year that he was there and earning All-Conference honors as a junior and senior. He then played the 2024-25 season at Brewster Academy, where he added another All-Conference nod as well as 2024 MADE Hoops All-Circuit Team honors.
Jones on Flowers
“Elijah brings a very versatile game on the wing that has tremendous upside. He works hard and his development will be amazing to watch. He is going to have an amazing career here.”
Zacch Wiggins
6-5, Fr., Guard
Greensboro, N.C./Grimsley High School/Wesleyan Christian Academy
Ranked a three-star recruit by 247 Sports, Wiggins started off his high school career at Grimsley High School, helping the Whirlies capture a conference title his sophomore year, before enrolling at Wesleyan Christian Academy. Wiggins reached the state tournament each year, earned All-Conference honors all four years, and All-State selections as a sophomore, junior, and senior.
Jones on Wiggins
“Zacch provides us with so much versatility and positional size. His ability to score and defend at the 1, 2 and 3 spots will be a huge asset and will impact winning from Day One.”
Drew McKenna
6-8, So., Guard/Forward
Laurel, Md./Glenelg Country School (Georgetown)
The top-ranked junior in the state of Maryland, McKenna forwent his senior season at Glenelg Country School, where he averaged a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. After not seeing any action in 2023-24, he made two starts in 20 games for the Hoyas this past season. His totals included 35 points (1.8 ppg) and 33 rebounds (1.7 rpg) in 144 minutes played (7.2 mpg) while shooting 35.9 percent from the field and 54.5 percent at the charity stripe. His best outing came against Washington State in the opening round of the 2025 College Basketball Crown on March 31. He contributed nine points, six rebounds, two steals and one assist in an 85-82 win over the Cougars.
Jones on McKenna
“I have known Drew for 5-6 years and have watched his work ethic drive him. He brings positional size and versatility to the wing. A former Top 40 player in his class, Drew is used to winning and that mentality is invaluable. He will be able to produce in so many ways for us. We are lucky to have him.”
Jared Turner
6-8, Jr., Forward
Silver Spring, Md./Gonzaga College HS (Northeastern)
Turner earned First Team All-State, Second Team All-Conference and All-Met Honorable Mention honors as a senior at Gonzaga High School. A three-star recruit according to 247Sports, he started his collegiate career at Northeastern from 2022-24. In his two seasons with the Huskies, he eclipsed 400 career points and 150 rebounds while shooting 43 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from distance, and 60.4 percent at the line.
For the 2023-24 season, he played in 31 games and made 15 starts, logging 23.5 minutes per outing. He led the team with 68 makes from beyond the arc, was third on the team in steals with 23, and scored in double figures 10 times. Turner set a career high of 19 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the perimeter in a November 21 victory over Georgia Southern.
Jones on Turner
“Most people immediately think of Jared as a shooter - AND HE IS. But he also does much more. He is a very cerebral player that makes plays for others. His shooting ability does allow him to stretch the floor and provides spacing that is impactful to our entire team. He can play multiple positions and at 6’8, will create mismatches - Jared is a proven winner.”
Jordan Battle
6-2, Sr., Guard
Norfolk, Va./Norfolk Collegiate/Hargrave Military Academy (Utah Valley/Salt Lake CC/Coastal Carolina)
Battle scored over 2,800 points in his time at Norfolk Collegiate, earning Tidewater Conference Player of the Year and First Team All-State honors with the Oaks. He also set a single-season school record with 928 points. Following a season at Hargrave Military Academy in 2020-21, he played in 19 games as a freshman at Utah Valley in 2021-22 and redshirted his sophomore year. Battle then transferred to Salt Lake Community College, where he averaged 13.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game through 34 games and 28 starts, helping his team to a 30-4 record.
He spent this past season in Conway, South Carolina, where he was the leading scorer for Coastal Carolina with 12.8 ppg. He also led the Sun Belt in both three-point field goal shooting (42.7 percent) and free-throw shooting (80.8 percent) while making 30 starts in 31 games.
Jones on Battle
“We are so pleased to have such a talented 757 native join us. Jordan brings an infectious energy, elite shot making and an ever-improving playmaking mindset. His experience also is something that will impact us. We truly hope that Jordan is an example to the immense talent in the 757 that ODU is a place to thrive and WIN.”
KC Shaw
6-5, Sr., Guard
Charlotte, N.C./Mooresville (Winston-Salem State/Maryland Eastern Shore)
Shaw earned Team MVP, Conference Player of the Year, and All-District Player of the Year honors at Mooresville High School, where he averaged 21.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. He started his collegiate career at Winston-Salem State, averaging 3.6 points with 2.4 rebounds in 27 games in 2022-23 and 10.8 points with 4.8 rebounds through 25 games in 2023-24.
He transferred to Maryland Eastern Shore for the 2024-25 season, where he earned Third Team All-MEAC honors and was named to the HBCU All-American Team. He started 28 of the 29 games he appeared in and was the team’s leading scorer with 522 points (18.0 ppg). He shot 45.4 percent from the field, including 26 percent from distance, and made 65.7 percent of his shots at the line. His other season totals included a team-high 172 rebounds (5.9 rpg), 91 assists, 27 steals, and 11 blocks. He was selected MEAC Co-Player of the Week on November 18 after scoring 27 points at Miami (Ohio) and 30 points at ODU.
Jones on Shaw
“We have seen firsthand the scoring ability that KC brings. For someone who is so hard to guard, his ability as a playmaker often gets overlooked. KC can play on or off the ball and also is a very capable defender. He was an immediate target for us when he entered the portal and we are so fortunate that he is on our side now.”
LJ Thomas
6-4, Sr., Guard
Plant City, Fla./Bull City Prep (NC State/Austin Peay)
A four-star recruit by ESPN coming out of Bull City Prep in Durham, North Carolina, Thomas spent two seasons at NC State from 2022-24. He appeared in a combined 42 games for the Wolfpack and averaged 2.5 points and 1.8 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor and 50 percent from the arc.
He then transferred to Austin Peay for his junior year in 2024-25 and made 29 starts in 31 appearances for the Governors. He paced the team with 14.2 points and 3.9 assists per contest and had team highs with 23 double-figure scoring games and 10 20-point performances. He was voted ASUN Newcomer of the Week on November 11 after averaging 20.5 ppg in wins over NAIA member Union University and Butler. He also recorded a triple-double of 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a nonconference meeting with NAIA member Brescia on December 29. It marked just the third triple-double in program history.
Jones on Thomas
“LJ brings a tremendous amount of experience to the PG position. He is a proven playmaker and scorer at the collegiate level and his competitive is as high as I’ve ever been around. Monarch fans will love the passion that he plays with. He affects our ability to win immediately.”