Episode 176: Robert Jones, The Floppy Defense

Guest: Robert Jones, Norfolk State Head Coach

Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones joins the Basketball Podcast to discuss the floppy defense and the keys to his program's success.

Head coach Robert Jones sets out on his ninth season leading the Norfolk State men’s basketball program in 2021-22 and his 15th year overall with the Spartans. He led the program to its second-ever MEAC title in 2021 and an NCAA Tournament First Four win over Appalachian State. Jones’ overall head coaching mark now stands at 142-119, including 92-32 in MEAC play.

The 2019 MEAC Coach of the Year, Jones signed a five-year contract extension following the NCAA Tournament appearance, keeping him at the helm of the program through 2027-28. He has led NSU to a .742 win percentage in MEAC play – fifth in the nation among coaches with at least 100 games coached – and made six postseason appearances in seven years of postseason play.

After serving as an assistant coach on NSU’s first NCAA Tournament squad, Jones led the 2020-21 team to a share of the MEAC Northern Division title (8-4) in addition to the MEAC Championship. It marked the first time NSU won both the regular season and tournament titles in the same year. The Spartans went on to defeat Appalachian State, the only current MEAC school to win two games in the NCAA Tournament. The program was named the HBCU Large School National Champion by the Black College Sports Network (BCSN).

Jones was named the MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Coach and the HBCU Co-Coach of the Year by HBCU All-Stars LLC/CBS Sports. He was a finalist for three CollegeInsider awards: Ben Jobe (top minority coach), Hugh Durham (top mid-major coach) and Skip Prosser (success on the court and integrity off the court). NSU went 17-8 overall in 2020-21, his seventh .500 or better overall record in eight years as head coach.

Breakdown

1:00 - Regular Season Success

4:00 - Guarantee Games

8:00 - Competing with Imperfect Roster

11:00 - Communication and Possession

15:00 - Triggers

17:00 - Number of Possessions

20:30 - Floppy Defense

23:00 - Full Court Pressure

25:30 - Technical and Tactical

29:30 - Ball Screen Defense

32:00 - Within His Zone Defense