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(10-26-2015 09:42 PM)paintedblue2 Wrote:  

(10-26-2015 05:31 PM)ODUsmitty Wrote:  

(10-26-2015 10:49 AM)paintedblue2 Wrote:  Here is a good article about Tre Evans' committment to ODU by Dave Johnson of the DP. I like what he had to say about coach Jones.

http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-okla...-post.html

What I find interesting is Evans' discussion of Jones' system being a good fit for him. Was not too long ago that we were lamenting not landing highly-regarded recruits while we were playing successful, yet rock-fight style, basketball. Many contended that the rock-fight style discouraged some potential recruits in the past; now it looks as if the freedom given Freeman and the guards is working in our favor. Personally, I was vocally worried when Jones was hired that his system would be brutal to watch and too slow. Like much of that hiring process, I was wrong and very happy to be so.

I think a major difference between BT and JJ is what is generally referred to as gravitas. BT was a down-home kind of guy, who while tough, and straight forward, never seemed to have the same coaching chops as JJ. To use a boxing analogy, I believe JJ to be a smooth prizefighter who worked his way up the ranks, and is a true tactician, whereas BT was more of a street brawler, who almost always had a punchers chance.

I think when it came to recruiting BT was more limited because of his style and background. Although JJ spent some years in the wilderness of the Patriot League, he still posesses everything that got him to the fairly high points he reached both as a player and a coach at UVA. I think he knows the higher caliber kids are within his reach, and it seems like BT never quite felt that way. I'm guessing that to some extent recruits can sense that. None of this is to discount that BT was a very good coach for ODU, or his background at Montana, and Stanford, but more to state the reasons why I think ODU's ceiling became much higher as a result of hiring Jeff Jones.

Well put. I think that's a very accurate statement.

I was worried about jj's time "in the wilderness" as well and how quickly he would be able to get back to that UVA level, if he was able at all, at least from a recruiting standpoint.

I never questioned his actual coaching ability, the guy has been a winner everywhere he has gone.

Now that he's recruiting at a high level once again, the sky is the limit.