Men’s Basketball at ODU

Men’s Basketball at Old Dominion University (ODU) has been a part of the institution since 1930, when it was known as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary. Home basketball games take place at Chartway Arena at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The basketball program is currently part of the Sun Belt conference.

History

When the Norfolk Division was established in 1930, the men’s basketball team played against local junior colleges and were coached by Thomas L. “Tommy” Scott, who served as the athletic director and coach of the football, basketball, baseball, and track teams. During the 1974-1975 season, ODU won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II National Championship under the helm of coach Sonny Allen. In 2012, it was announced that ODU would join Conference USA effective July 1, 2013. In October 2021, it was announced that ODU would rejoin the Sun Belt Conference and the first men’s basketball season in the Sun Belt was the 2022-2023 season.

Head Coaches

Thomas L. “Tommy Scott” (1930-1940)

Thomas L. “Tommy” Scott, a former football standout at Virginia Military Institute, served as the athletic director of the Norfolk Division from 1930 to 1941 in addition to coaching the football, basketball, baseball, and track teams. In Scott’s first six years, the basketball, baseball, and football teams were a combined 197-60-2

George Stirnweiss (1940-1942)

Joseph C. “Scrap” Chandler (1942-1946)

Julius Rubin (1946-1947)

Jack Callahan (1947-1948)

Arthur “Bud” Metheny (1948-1965)

Sonny Allen (1965-1975)

Paul Webb (1975-1985)

Tom Young (1985-1991)

Oliver Purnell (1991-1994)

Jeff Capel (1994-2001)

Blaine Taylor (2001-2013)

After Taylor was fired in February 2013, Jim Corrigan served as interim head coach for the rest of the season.

Jeff Jones (2013-2024)

During his tenure as coach, Jones amassed a record of 203 wins and 131 losses. During the 2018-2019 season, the men’s basketball team were Conference USA regular season and tournament champions and went to the NCAA tournament. In December 2023, Jones suffered a heart attack while the team was playing in a tournament in Hawaii. Kieran Donohue served as the interim head coach for the rest of the season. Coach Jones retired in February 2024.

Mike Jones (2024-Present)

Mike Jones, who played for the Monarchs from 1991-1995, was selected the new head coach in March 2024 to succeed Jeff Jones.

Resources

1. Intercollegiate Athletics Records, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.

References

1. Bookman, Steven and Jessica Ritchie. Old Dominion University: A Campus History Series.  Arcadia Publishing. Charleston, South Carolina, 2017.
2. Old Dominion University Athletics Website, Old Dominion University, accessed 2021-10-26.