Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jeff Jones finished his 11th season at Old Dominion with a 203-131 (.608) ODU record, including a 125-33 (.791) home record at Norfolk’s Chartway Arena.
In his 32-year career, the legendary coach and former player boasts an overall record of 560-418 (.573), ranking him among the Top 100 D1 College Basketball Coaches with the most wins of all time.
One of the most respected teachers in the collegiate ranks, Jones has been a consistent winner at every school, coaching his teams to 14 postseason appearances, including 8 NCAA Tournament appearances. He has taken three schools in three different conferences to the NCAA Tournament, including an Elite 8 run in 1995 and a 1993 Sweet 16 appearance. He is a two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year (2002, 2009) and a Conference USA Coach of the Year (2019).
At ODU, Jones has led the Monarchs to a 2019 Conference USA Regular Season Championship, a 2019 Conference USA Tournament Championship, and a first-ever Top 25 ranking in 2015. Among his other overall wins: the Vegas 16 Championship (2016); two Patriot League tournament championships (2008, 2009); four Patriot League regular season championships (2002, 2004, 2008, 2009); and an ACC regular season championship (1995).
Jones remains the winningest head coach in American University history, and as the youngest head coach in Atlantic Coast Conference history, he took the University of Virginia to six postseason appearances in eight years.
Jones played in the Final Four as the starting point guard for UVA in 1980 and coached in the Final Four as a UVA assistant in 1984. He is the first person to have won the National Invitational Tournament Championship as both a player (1989) and as a head coach (1992).
Jones has also developed over 100 players who have played or are still playing professionally, including eight in the NBA (Ahmad Caver, Andre Ingram, John Crotty, Cory Alexander, Jamal Robinson, Bryant Stith, Junior Burrough, and Courtney Alexander). Eight of his former assistant coaches went on to become head coaches. Additionally, three of Jones' players have played in the NFL.
A leader among leaders, Jones was a longtime board member and the past president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (2016-2017), representing over 5,000 coaches from all levels of the sport.
Old Dominion University (2013-2023)
Overall: 203-131 (.615)
Leagues: 113-63 (.642) Sunbelt: (11-7) C-USA: (102-56)
Jones was named the 13th head men's basketball coach at Old Dominion University on April 4, 2013. In nine seasons in C-USA, ODU ranked first in the league in overall road wins (57) and road wins within C-USA play (41). Old Dominion ranked second in the league for total wins (181), as well as home victories (63) and overall C-USA wins (102). His teams have finished between first and third in the conference in six of 10 seasons.
Under Jones, the Monarchs have played in the NCAA Tournament, the NIT (including a trip to Madison Square Garden for the semifinals in 2015), the CBI semifinals, and won the Vegas 16.
His ODU teams held the longest road win streak in 2018 and the 5th longest home win streak in 2016. ODU meanwhile has led both the C-USA and the Sun Belt Conference in attendance at home games at Chartway Arena during Jones’ tenure.
Jones’ Monarchs received an NCAA Public Recognition Award from NCAA President Mark Emmert after reaching a four-year APR score of 990, which was 26 points higher than the National Average APR for men’s basketball. The honor is given to teams with an APR in the top 10% of all teams in their respective sports.
2022-2023: Jones’ 10th ODU season saw the Monarchs re-join the Sun Belt Conference and finish 19-12 overall and 11-7 in Sun Belt play. ODU ended the regular season knocking off the top two teams heading into the final weekend, Southern Miss and Marshall, at home. The Monarchs played their share of tight contests, going 6-2 in games decided by three points or less, including an Imo Essien buzzer-beating jumper at Texas State for a one-point win. Chaunce Jenkins was named to the Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference squad. Jones notched his 200th ODU win on February 24, 2023, in Chartway Arena.
2021-2022: The Monarchs finished the ’22 season 13-19 with an 8-10 mark in C-USA play. Austin Trice was named to the Second Team All-C-USA squad, while Imo Essien, P.J. Gill, Jaylin Hunter, Jadin Johnson and D'Angelo Stines were named to the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll.
2020-2021: In his eighth season, Jones put together a 15-8 overall record and an 11-5 mark in league play, which earned the Monarchs a #2 seed in the C-USA Tournament and a first-round bye. Malik Curry earned All-C-USA Second Team and NABC All-District Team honors. Austin Trice was named the C-USA Sixth Player of the Year. Three student-athletes garnered C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll accolades, while Jaylin Hunter was the recipient of the John R. Broderick Award and a C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal.
2019-2020: ODU finished Jones’ 7th season with a 13-19 overall record and a conference record of 9-9. Forward Aaron Carver was named to the C-USA All Defensive Team. Jones earned career win number 500 at Northeastern on Nov. 16, 2019.
2018-2019: Jones’ sixth season was a banner year for the Monarchs, which claimed the C-USA regular season title, as well as the C-USA Tournament crown, punching Old Dominion’s first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since 2011. The team fell to Purdue in the first round in Hartford, Ct., but finished with a 26-9 record and 13-15 conference mark. ODU’s B.J. Stith was named the C-USA Player of the Year, and he was joined by point guard Ahmad Caver on the C-USA All-Conference Team. Xavier Green was named to the C-USA All-Conference Defensive Team. Jones was named the C-USA Coach of the Year.
2017-2018: Jones compiled a 25-7 overall record in his fifth season at ODU, his third season in four years with 25 or more victories. His 96 games over the previous four seasons ranked 27th nationally. Old Dominion went 15-3 in C-USA play and finished in second place, marking another year in excellent conference play. The fewest points ever allowed in ODU history came in an 82-33 victory against UTEP. Ahmad Caver was named to the All-C-USA First Team and All-Defensive Team. B.J. Stith was named to the All-League Third Team. Five players were named to the C-USA Academic Honor Roll and the program was recognized by the NCAA for its APR.
2016-2017: In his fourth season at the helm in Norfolk, Jones and the Monarchs finished third in the C-USA with a 12-6 mark and a 19-12 overall record for the season. Old Dominion ranked No. 6 in the country for scoring defense, allowing just 61.2 points per outing. Ahmad Caver was named to the All-Conference Team, while Zoran Talley was tabbed as Sixth Man of the Year and Denzell Taylor garnered All-Defensive Team honors. The program marked a 55-14 record (80% winning percentage) when playing at home over the past four seasons.
2015-2016: Between the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, Jones led ODU to 52 wins, which ranked in the top 20 nationally. In his third season leading Old Dominion, Jones and the Monarchs won a total of 25 games, including 15 of its last 18 contests. The Monarchs fell just two points shy of punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament, losing a 55-53 heartbreaker to Middle Tennessee in the C-USA Championship, but the team went on to win the championship of Vegas 16 Tournament postseason. Point guard Trey Freeman earned First Team All-C-USA honors for the second straight season, and his scoring ranked No. 11 in the country. Freeman also led the entire country in made field goals with 323. Also in 2016, forward Brandan Stith was named to the C-USA All-Defensive Team, while teammate Zoran Talley was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team.
2014-2015: In just his first two seasons as head coach at ODU, Jones guided the Monarchs to 45 wins, including a 27-8 mark in 2015. The Monarchs finished second in C-USA in their second year in the league. During the regular season, Jones' Monarchs notched several big victories, as ODU took down nationally-ranked VCU and eventual NCAA Tournament team, Georgia State. His squad churned out 10 straight wins from Nov. 24 to Jan. 17, which included wins against C-USA foes Marshall and Charlotte as well as in-state rivals VCU, George Mason and William & Mary. ODU advanced to the semifinals of the NIT at Madison Square Garden after reeling off wins over Charleston Southern, Illinois State and an epic three-point buzzer-beating victory over Murray State. Redshirt junior Trey Freeman was named C-USA Newcomer of the Year, was an All-League first team selection and earned C-USA All-Academic Team honors. ODU won 32 straight games at home dating back to the 2013-14 season, which was the fourth-longest active home winning streak in NCAA Division I Basketball. Jones eclipsed the 400 collegiate wins milestone in the Monarchs' NIT-opener on March 18, 2015.
2013-2014: In his first season as the head coach at ODU, Jones guided the Monarchs to 18 wins, leading the nation with the biggest turnaround in total victories as compared to the year before , when the Monarchs had gone 5-25. ODU finished sixth in its first season in C-USA and advanced to the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational postseason tournament.
American University (2000-2013)
Overall: 211-182 (.537)
Patriot League: 111-73 (.603)
Jones had a 211-183 record in 13 seasons at American University and took the school to its first-ever NCAA Tournaments with back-to-back appearances in 2008 and 2009, after guiding the program to the 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2009 Patriot League championship games.
Four of Jones' last six teams at American won 20 or more games. Among the highlights:
Jones led the Eagles to a 20- win season in 2011-12 and advanced to the CollegeInsider.com postseason tournament. His 2010-11 squad went 22-9 with 11 non-conference wins, and advanced to the Patriot League semifinals.
The 2008-09 AU team capped off the season with a 24-8 overall record, matching the program's record for wins, and a 13-1 Patriot League mark. The Eagles led the nation in road wins that season with 11, and their 59.1 points per game allowed average ranked 11th nationally. Jones was named Patriot League Coach of the Year and NABC District 13 Coach of the Year in 2009.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, despite holding a 14-point lead early in the second half, the 14th-seeded Eagles fell to Villanova in Philadelphia.
The 2007-08 Eagles captured the Patriot League title and advanced to AU’s first-ever NCAA appearance after compiling a 21-12 record, which included a 67-59 win at the University of Maryland, the school’s first win there in 80 years. His team faced the Tennessee in Birmingham in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but despite leading early on, they lost 72-57. Previously, the Eagles became the first Patriot League team to beat an ACC team with a win over Florida State.
In 2001-02, AU won the regular season Patriot League title with an 18-12 record.
During his tenure at AU, Jones developed 21 players who were named All-Patriot League, 23 who went on to play professionally, two who earned Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors (Andre Ingram in 2004 and Derrick Mercer in 2006), and two Patriot League Players of the Year (Patrick Doctor in 2002 and Derrick Mercer in 2009).
Prior to American, Jones served as an assistant coach under Jerry DeGregorio at Rhode Island during the 1999-00 season.
University of Virginia (1990-1998)
Overall: 146-104 (.584)
ACC: 59-67 (.468)
Jones spent 20 years at the University of Virginia as a starting point guard, an assistant coach under Terry Holland (1982-1990), and for eight years as the head coach beginning in 1990.
After being named the youngest head coach in ACC history at the age of 29, Jones compiled 146 wins in eight years (146-104) for a .584 winning percentage. He led the Cavaliers to six postseason appearances (five NCAA, one NIT), including a 1995 NCAA Elite 8, a 1993 NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and an NIT championship in 1992, as well as one regular-season ACC championship, and four 20-win campaigns.
Virginia's win over Virginia Tech during the 1994-95 regular season gave Jones his 100th career victory, making him the second-fastest coach in school history and the fifth-fastest in ACC history to accomplish that feat. He also directed the Cavaliers to five of their top six seasons for field goal percentage defense at the time.
During his tenure as an assistant, Jones was a part of the Cavaliers' overall record of 162-95 (.630), participating in six NCAA Tournaments while advancing to the Final Four in 1984 and the Elite Eight in 1989.
As a four-year starting point guard for the Cavaliers (1979-1982), Jones was known as a leader and prolific passer. With Jones directing the potent offense, UVA compiled an overall record of 102-28 (.785) while leading the Cavaliers to two NCAAs and two NIT tournaments. With Jones as point guard, Virginia captured the 1980 NIT title and advanced to the Final Four in 1981.
Jones finished his career as Virginia's all-time assist leader (598) while also setting the single-season record with 200 assists during the 1979-80 season. Later, he saw both of those records eclipsed by his own player, John Crotty. Jones served as team captain as a senior during the 1981-82 season and played in 129 games during his career. During that time he averaged 6.6 points and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 52.2% from the field and 74.3% from the free-throw line.
Jones graduated UVA in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1982 NBA draft by the Indiana Pacers. A native of Owensboro, KY., Jones had a standout career at Apollo High School, where he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.
Off the Court
· Jones is an active volunteer for Coaches vs. Cancer, a partnership between the NABC and the American Cancer Society, and he serves on the national board of the Coaches vs. Cancer Council. With his wife, Jones has helped to raise more than $100,000 since 2018 for the American Cancer Society, which honored him in 2019 with a Champion of Hope Award. He has supported many groups working to raise prostate cancer awareness, including ZERO Cancer’s Grow & Give campaign.
· Jones actively supports veterans and has visited military bases in the Middle East three times as part of the Troops First Foundation’s “Operation Hardwood.” In 2008 and 2009 he traveled to Afghanistan and Iraq, and in 2023 he coached troops in a tournament at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.
· Jones was honored nationally as the 2015 Barefoot Coach of the Year for his work, contributions, and creation of awareness for Samaritan's Feet, which provides shoes to impoverished children domestically and around the world.
· As part of his years of service on the National Association of Basketball Coaches board, Jones organized the annual Reese’s College All-Star Game at the Final Four, choosing the players and coaches and sometimes coaching himself. At the end of his NABC board presidency in 2017, Jones was honored with the group’s Newton S. Hillard award.
· Jones’ father, the late Bob Jones, won the 1973 NCAA Division II National Title as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Kentucky Wesleyan University (1972-1980).
· Jones is the father of three children, Meghann, Madison, and Jeff, and three grandchildren, Boyd, Bess, and Langley. He and his wife, the former Danielle Decker of Virginia Beach, live in Norfolk.