Mike talks with Mike Jones, Head Coach of Old Dominion Men's Basketball, to talk about their recent road trip, this week's trip to the peach state, the adversity they've faced, the lessons learned and a lot more.

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Monarch Nation, welcome back to the Monarchist Basketball Show.

Uh, we are joined today by coach Mike Jones.

How are you doing coach?

Coach Mike Jones: I'm doing great, Mike.

How are you?

I'm doing fantastic.

So it's been a minute since we've talked a lot to.

You guys have racked up quite a few miles the last couple of weeks, um, with three road games, one all the way up in Detroit, Michigan against Eastern Michigan.

Um, but the one thing that stands out to me is this team continues to fight through a lot of adversity.

Um, I mean, the injuries are kind of stacking up on you.

Uh, how would you assess this group's kind of like resiliency and effort?

Coach Mike Jones: Uh, I think it's been tremendous.

Uh, again, I'm, I'm proud of our guys because we have had so many, you know, just things that we weren't necessarily planning for.

You know, you go all the way back to the beginning of the season with emo, uh, you know, having to, you know, announce that he's not gonna play, um, you know, due to his health.

And then you have the injuries we've had throughout, you know, you know, Robert Davis getting hurt.

In practice, the second game of the season, uh, you know, Steph Walker now being out for the year, Devin Caesar being out, uh, for the extended period of time that he's been out, you know, in the AB game, Danny Pounds going out and missing the next couple of games.

And, you know, Big Cal breaking his nose and having to miss time.

Like, just, you know, we've been able to kind of Roll with the punches.

Um, you know, be was sick last week.

Jayden, he had the same thing.

Jayden Johnson had the week prior, uh, you know, to the point where Jayden wasn't able to be, uh, you know, much of a player for us against coastal Carolina.

Um, it's just, but again, I think these are things that every program and the nation's kind of going through right now.

You know, this is time where everybody gets sick and everybody's banged up.

Nobody's 100%.

So I've been proud of Um, you know, our guys kind of stepping up and, you know, fighting through and, you know, we got plenty of guys playing injured, but they're still giving us, you know, all that they have.

So, um, you know, it'd be nice to be healthy, but nobody's healthy at this point in time of the year.

Yeah.

Um, lots of injuries, but I mean, you guys continue to fight through it.

And example, one of that is at app state.

Um, you guys hosted them a few weeks prior and did not have much luck.

And you guys go down to Boone and kind of shocked the conference, beating them 78 77.

Obviously, Donovan Raymond's play off the bench was a big part of that.

But what can you tell us was your big takeaway from that game at app?

Coach Mike Jones: Um, so just the physicality that we played with, you know, app is big and as physical as any team in our league.

Um, and we felt like the first game that really was A shock to our guys in terms of the physicality of the game and, you know, us not necessarily responding to that as well as we.

Would have liked to, um, so going into the 2nd contest, um, just the, the fight that it was going to take, um, you know, us responding and being able to play through the physicality that they bring to the table.

Um, and I thought I guys answered the call with that.

Um.

Very well.

Uh, kind of worried about it going into it because Steph being one of our most physical guys, you know, it was our first time playing without him.

Um, and knowing that he wasn't going to be there.

Um, but again, you mentioned Donovan, like, you know, he showed up big time for us and, uh, you know, Danny gets hurt in that game.

So now we're even smaller.

That's another guy with size and, you know, the ability to play at a physical way.

Um, we were down him as well.

So, you know, being able to fight that out was, was really, was really good.

Now, following that up, you guys go up to Harrisonburg and face off against James Madison.

Um, I'm not sure what you would equate this game to, but James Madison has their way and win 68 to 54.

Coach Mike Jones: Yeah.

I mean, I think the game at app took a lot out of us, but, you know, regardless, you know, we, I mean, that's a tough place to play.

Uh, You know, I would love to have an opportunity to go back up there again.

Obviously, we will next season.

Um, you know, who knows if we'll face them again.

Uh, you know, they're playing very, really well.

You know, kind of our nemesis has been, you know, Freeman.

Um, he's gotten to going against us both games.

Um, and when we were still in the game, he's the one that kind of led them to, you know, kind of stretching the lead out of both times.

So, um, something we've got to do a much better job individually against him.

Um, and then we just got to score the ball better.

Um, you know, games we've, we haven't done that well.

Um, their defense has a lot to do with that, but we've got to score the ball better.

We've got to scheme better to get the ball where we want, how we want it.

And, uh, you know, we, we've gotten to the point now where we're, I think, playing way more unselfish, um, and, and, and getting the ball moving.

But, um, that wasn't our best night in, in showing that progress that we have made.

All right.

Following that up, you hosted Texas State.

Um, this was a game.

I think old Dominion was actually the underdogs in and you guys kind of controlled them from start to finish winning 75, 64, a great win, great home environment.

What was your big takeaway from this game?

Coach Mike Jones: Uh, just the biggest thing for me was that again, we, we showed up.

Um, it was again, Texas state plays extremely hard, uh, Pope and those that their entire team there, you know, Turner, they're, they're really, really physical.

Uh, and I thought we responded well to that.

Uh, probably our most complete game in terms of game plan stuff.

Uh, you know, defensively, especially I thought we did a good job.

You know, we had, you know, I would say two semi lows in the game in terms of scoring that, you know, kind of has been our Achilles heel this season.

But, you know, we got out of those pretty quickly.

Um, it was great to see that.

Um, just a lot of things that I think, you know, we, we could build on and, you know, hope that we're able to, in these last six conference games, be able to do more of.

Now, this game, uh, it felt to me like the toughness that Sean Durugordon was showing and that fight he was showing kind of fed to the rest of the team because you saw other guys get involved getting down on the floor like they might not normally do.

It was good to see.

Coach Mike Jones: Yeah.

I mean, just again, things that we're starting to, you know, see other guys do are things that we've been trying to celebrate and trying to encourage as much as possible, you know, Sean's offensive rebounding and just his attacking the glass has become contagious to other guys.

You know, we put Scotty Hubbard, uh, and meaningful minutes and he immediately gets in and gets an offensive rebound.

Um, you know, Caden Diggs is able to get out there and do some things that we're we're seeing him kind of grow into the young man that we all, you know, know and, you know, are so excited about his future.

Like these are things that, you know, some of the older guys and the example they're setting is starting to, it's rubbing off on the entire team, especially the young guys.

Now, Caden's mid range game looks like it could be pretty special.

Um, you just gotta shoot it more often.

Coach Mike Jones: Yeah, um, and again, he, he's, he's trying to find his way.

Like, you know, he's, he's a freshman.

You know, when he takes a shot, uh, if he misses, especially, he's wondering, should I have taken that shot?

Should I have passed the ball?

And just, you know, part of the growth process for any freshman is getting to the point where that's not a thought.

Like, you know, when you're supposed to shoot it, you shoot it.

If you miss it.

So what?

Like, hey, let's get back on defense or hey, let's go give him a rebound.

Um, and as he's growing, he's starting to get to that point where he's not thinking about whether or not he was supposed to shoot it or not.

And he is playing with that confidence.

Um, and again, just I haven't been bashful about saying that his best basketball is ahead of him.

Um, he works hard.

Um, He's going to be just fine.

All right.

And then this last weekend, part of the max sunbelt challenge, we went up to Ypsilanti, Michigan and face off against EMU losing 76 to 70.

Uh, honestly to me, this felt like you guys were playing five on eight and I know you won't say it, but it felt that way to me.

Uh, they shot, they had 10 more free throws.

Um, that's kind of a hard, everything else seems pretty balanced in this game.

I mean, rebounds are balanced.

Field goal percentage was pretty close.

You guys hit more threes.

Only difference was fouls.

It felt like,

Coach Mike Jones: yeah, I mean, we, we played a good percentage of zone.

Um, usually teams that are playing zone don't foul as much.

Um, yeah, it just, it just, it wasn't a great performance by us by any stretch of the imagination.

We didn't play well enough to win.

Um, so regardless of any other factor in the game, like we needed to play better, I needed to coach better.

Like we, we didn't, excuse me, we didn't get the job done.

So, um, yeah, it, it, this time of year.

That can cost you.

Um, luckily that wasn't a sunbelt game and you know, we get to get back on the horse this Thursday.

Absolutely.

So we're 25 games deep into the season.

Um, last summer when you were first hired, we had the opportunity to talk with you and you talked about your planning, the lessons, all the stuff you write down and take notes of.

I would love to hear what your biggest lesson so far has been in your first season as a coach of Old Dominion.

Coach Mike Jones: Um, so there's a lot of those.

Uh, you know, I think one of the things that I've seen in us as a program, um, in terms of us fighting through all the things that we're going through, um, just to continue to believe in what we're doing, uh, the patience that this requires, but also.

not sacrificing what we are capable of now for patients.

And I hope I'm explaining that the right way.

Like I firmly believe our team firmly believes that we are capable of winning and playing at a high level today.

Um, everything we're doing is building something so that we can do this consistently for years and years and years.

But the building process that this requires, we want to make sure that we do not overlook the fact that we are capable of getting it done now.

Um, and.

In terms of learning this year, uh, I just want to make sure that there's a healthy balance of that and I don't go too far in one direction too far.

We're building too far with winning now, you know, in the future, we'll be able to balance both of those.

Just fine.

But in year one, me personally being able to balance the two of those, uh, as well as I possibly can.

Um, I don't think I did a great job of that in December before Christmas, uh, I think we have done collectively as a staff done a much better job after the new year with that.

And as we're saying that it's a daily focus, like, we have to make sure that everything we're doing is building for the future, but everything we want to also give us the best chance.

We can win the best chance to win now.

All right, so I'd love to.

So 1 of the things I've noticed throughout the season is obviously Sean and Robert are pretty consistently.

good offensive threats throughout this year.

Um, but when we're, we're winning, I mean, you mentioned it with the JMU game, uh, we have more balanced scoring throughout the lineup.

Uh, guys like Jaden Johnson or Cal stepping up or Donovan Raymond or Caden Diggs coming off the bench.

and putting in some points when you only have those two guys going.

How can you get the other guys to get going and feel like that?

Uh, they need to help pick up the rest of the team.

Coach Mike Jones: Yeah, I mean, it's something that, you know, sometimes it's easier to do when we're able to get out and transition.

It's easier to do when, uh, just the flow of the offense is much better.

The ball doesn't stick and there's way more ball and body movement.

Um, And that it's, it's, it's no one's fault.

It's just things that we have to celebrate.

And, you know, one of the things about bringing a team like this together and all these new faces and all of these guys coming from different programs and trying to mold that together, like you got to realize that a lot of these guys used to when things break down, they were the answer.

Like, okay, so things are not going well.

Give me the ball.

Things are not going well.

I've got to make something happen.

And you've seen at times this year where that's been a problem because now you've got five guys just looking at each other because they're all used to being the answer to the questions.

Whereas there's been other times when.

They have played together and we have flowed and everybody's been on the same page and sharing hasn't been an issue and we play at a much higher level.

So, um, that consistency and being able to do that, that is the one of the things that no matter what, it just takes time.

It literally just takes time.

And then if you couple with that, just our youth and the experience that our guys have, you know, Robert Davis is only a sophomore, big Cal is a junior, but he's hadn't played before.

You know, Jane Johnson is a freshman.

Um, uh, and then, so you, you know, Caden is a freshman, you know, Donovan, this is his first time playing like just a majority of our roster, this, this is all new to them, being able to coach them up, being able to get them all on the same page.

Again, that's my job.

Um, and I enjoy doing it.

It's just not the easiest thing to do.

All right.

So, last week I shared a picture of the 92 CAA championship team and thinking about it of all the similarities between that team and this team.

I mean, it's kind of crazy.

Coach Purnell's first season as head coach, you were a freshman on that team.

Um, you guys started slow and you guys figured it out in conference play.

You run through the CAA tournament and make it to the NCAAs.

What was it about that team that made them not quit and continue to get better as the season went along?

Coach Mike Jones: Again, same, similar type of vibe that I'm describing now.

Like just, we kept believing in coach.

We kept believing in what he was telling us.

We kept believing in one another.

Um, and You know, a long time ago, you know, the, the, all the long time O. D. U. fans are realized like that was also our first year in the C. A. A. Coming from the Sunbelt.

Uh, so my freshman year, first year in the C. A. A. No one in the C.

A. A. Really pressed that much.

So coach came in, he brought a pressing style with him.

And I remember in the non conference that year we were pressing teams and they were getting layups and dunks like Like it was like their job.

Um, and there were definitely times where we're just like, man, I don't know if this is working, but we kept with it, kept with it, kept with it, kept with it, and literally the second half of the CA schedule, it started to click and we started to really see how good we could be.

to the point where when we got to the conference tournament, you know, the first game was tough, but we got over that first game and it was just like, man, like we really can do.

We're in the semis like we really can do this.

And, uh, and we got it done.

And it was coach Penel led us to that.

We had some older guys on the team that led the young guys.

Um, and I'll never forget just the feeling of Whatever our record was, we didn't feel like that was our record.

We felt like we're better than that.

Um, and obviously in March that year, we got a chance to prove it.

Oh, that's fantastic.

So this coming week is a trip to Georgia, the peach state.

Uh, first game is against Georgia state on Thursday.

What can you tell us about this Panther team and this first matchup with them in 2025?

Coach Mike Jones: Yeah, so they're really good.

They're really good.

Um, you know, obviously they're today they're five and seven in our league.

You know, a couple of games out of three games out of second place, four games out of first place, but they're in a log jam tie for eighth.

Um, I think there's four or five teams tied for eighth place.

Um, they've got two big, uh, McMullen and Edwards number 33 and number four that are just

just monsters down there.

They're very physical.

They play with an extreme motor.

Um, they're a little bit different.

You know, McMullen doesn't do much outside of the paint.

Edwards is capable of doing stuff away from the basket and at the basket, but they both play just so hard.

One's right handed, one's left handed.

Um, so you've got those two guys and then you've got guards that Just, I mean, they shoot, they, they get, you know, Hamilton gets shots up, you know, Brown is a young point guard, but he, he does a really good job with them.

Um, you know, they're, they're really just, just a handful.

And then, uh, lane number 11 lefty.

Uh, if he makes a shot, like, you know, he might make six, seven in a row.

Um, they're not very deep.

They only play seven, maybe eight guys.

So they're, you know, kind of limited in terms of.

the number of guys they play, but they, they're one of the leading scoring teams in the league.

You know, they get up and down.

Um, it'll be, it'll be a game that, you know, we're able to play more of the pace we want to play, but we had to make sure we play under control.

But, um, you know, Thursday is gonna gonna be quite the challenge.

All right.

And following that up, we go down to Georgia Southern on Saturday for a three PM tip off.

Uh, obviously our fans got a look at this team.

Uh, I'm hopeful we can go 2 and 0 this week and keep that push for top four finish.

Coach Mike Jones: Yeah.

I mean, just everything now is all about the seeding.

Like, you know, we, if you walk into our film room, you know, we have the conference standings up on the wall.

Uh, you know, up there and we adjust them after every Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday slate and then on the other wall, we have the conference bracket and we don't have any of the teams labeled into what seed they are.

Um, but obviously those are up there to be daily reminders to us is, you know, what we're doing, like, where we are.

And then what we're going for, and it, you know, just with the whole conference tournament format, that seating is incredibly important.

I think that's why the Texas State game was so critical, because I do believe that that will have tie break implications.

This week's games are going to also have that, you know, not just our two games, but everybody's two games like this, this, this is going to be a huge week in some conference play.

So, uh.

Georgia Southern.

You know, they got us up here.

Uh, you know, if we're anywhere near them in the standings, like this, this game is important again for tiebreak reasons.

Um, but then also just to continue to try to get as high as we can, uh, to give ourselves a chance to, to, to, to make some magic here in March.

All right, and before we let you go, um, next week is the last week at home for OD fans to get a chance to watch this team in person.

We host Marshall and Georgia State, but almost as important, is the Chartway Promise Foundation and their goal to send Isaiah Pettaway and his family on a lifetime vacation.

Isaiah is a young man battling sickle cell disease.

I think this is a fantastic partnership we got going on with Chartway here to reward this family for all their battling.

I'm sure, I guess if you buy a ticket to either game next week.

A dollar of that will go towards this vacation for him and his family.

Just really proud of ODU to be doing something like this for a young man.

Like him.

Coach Mike Jones: Yeah, absolutely.

And, um, you know, I got to, you know, hear a little bit about Isaiah story last week, um, as we did a couple of promos and, you know, promo video goes out and, you know, I'm so blessed to have the career that I've had and the people that I've coached.

So, um, I didn't get his permission to say his name or his family's name, so I won't, but 1 of my former players, his family, his mom saw the video.

And I immediately get a message that says, Hey, uh, obviously we're playing like we can't make the game, but we would like to help with this.

So we want to buy some tickets.

Um, hopefully you guys can give them away, but we want to buy some tickets.

So, like, literally, we're going through the process now to get them the information for his foundation to be able to.

You know, help along with, you know, making Isaiah's wish come true.

So I'm so proud to have a small part of this.

Um, and I look forward to just seeing the look on that young man's face when, uh, you know, he's informed of, you know, what, what the ODU community has done for him.

Yeah, that's really fantastic.

Looking forward to seeing him get that.

Uh, I guess it's like a, I think it did like a check last year.

I don't know.

But

Coach Mike Jones: yeah, I don't know what it is.

I just like, I know, uh, this is definitely something that, you know, this young man will never forget one, his family will never forget too, but then everyone that is affiliated with our program and our school community.

You know, we should all be proud to be able to do something like this because, you know, as much as we want to win and we hate to lose, you know, just, you know, who Old Dominion University is for all the things that are tangible in terms of being able to measure success and things like that.

This is something that, you know, you can't put any value on.

Um, and again, we're, we're blessed to be able to do it and we're being a blessing to Isaiah and his family.

All right, fans.

So if you want to take part, buy tickets to the Marshall or Georgia State home games.

Harry Minium has a great article talking about Isaiah's story and giving you more instructions on how you can help.

Thank you, coach, for joining us.

Coach Mike Jones: One more thing.

Um, I don't want to forget, like, you know, next Saturday will be senior night as well.

Um, and, you know, we, we, uh, Emo, RJ, and then Sean, the three of those young men, um, you know, this is supposed to be the last time they're able to put that, that jersey on.

Um, uh, we're going to do something special for Emo.

Um, we'll worry about that next week.

But, um, I want to make sure monarch nation realizes that this is, you know, the last opportunity to these young men, you know, and everything they've been through, you know, RJ, just in the two years, he's been here.

You know, playing for two different coaches, three different coaches, actually, um, playing for Coach Jones, Coach Donahue, and now myself, um, and just him and what he's gone through in the two years he's been here.

Sean has been here less than a year, um, and obviously it's endeared himself, uh, to our fan base because of how hard he plays and then obviously.

You know, Emo, the time he spent here, the struggles that he's gone through.

Um, but just the person that he's been, the representative he's been for our program and for our school.

Um, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate those three young men, um, in the right way.

So, you know, sat next Saturday will be huge for them.

Um, and I'm looking forward to monarch nation, drawing them with as much love as they possibly can, uh, because no matter what those three young men deserve it.

All right.

So thank you, coach, I apologize for my lack of oversight on senior day.

It's something we usually try to highlight.

Um, but fans get out of the blue room early for that game.

Make sure you're in your seats in time to watch them be honored with their families.

Obviously, you're right.

Sean has really endeared himself with us.

Um, we're all big fans of what he's done.

R. J. Has been a great Monarch and Imo that smile and his attitude.

Throughout all of this has been infectious.

Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Thank you coach for joining us.

Uh, good luck this week and go Monarchs.

Coach Mike Jones: Thanks Mike.

Go Monarchs.