NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The college basketball season tips off Monday and marks the first game for new Old Dominion head coach Mike Jones when the Monarchs host Buffalo at Chartway Arena.
The former Monarchs star from the 1990s had been the head coach at DeMatha High School in Maryland before making the jump to the college ranks, where he has been an assistant at Virginia Tech and Maryland.
After months of retooling the roster and hiring a new coaching staff, the next chapter of Jones’ career is about to begin.
“Monday is my Christmas,” Jones said. “It does seem like it’s taken forever to get here, but to be honest, I’ve needed every minute of preparation time that we could have.”
Jones takes over a team that went 7-25 last season. Jeff Jones had previously guided the Monarchs for 11 seasons, but retired after last season, a season in which he coached just nine games before suffering a heart attack. Kieran Donohue took over as interim coach for the rest of the season.
A few players remain from the old regime, but for the most part, the roster has been overhauled.
“Gonna try and play faster,” Jones said. “But everything will stem from what we do on the defensive end.”
Buffalo vs. Old Dominion, 7 p.m. Monday at Chartway Arena.