The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(10-29-2015 07:56 AM)ODUR8R Wrote:  The buzz is palpable, excitement abounds. As the leaves fall we hear a familiar and welcomed sound of a round ball bouncing and a net swooshing to signify a completed bucket.

A pack of Monarchs have ascended to their rightful Thrones, ready and positioned to rule with an iron scepter.


Hello friends, Jim Nantz here welcoming you to another season of college basketball.

Edit: I hope that was cheesy enough...

It was! It now appears time for my annual pre-season screening of "Hoosiers."

(10-29-2015 07:56 AM)ODUR8R Wrote:  The buzz is palpable, excitement abounds. As the leaves fall we hear a familiar and welcomed sound of a round ball bouncing and a net swooshing to signify a completed bucket.

A pack of Monarchs have ascended to their rightful Thrones, ready and positioned to rule with an iron scepter.


Hello friends, Jim Nantz here welcoming you to another season of college basketball.

Edit: I hope that was cheesy enough...

Hey, even Chuck E. would have liked that post!

(10-28-2015 11:13 PM)Maryland Monarch Wrote:  JJ's first and most important recruiting job was assembling his coaching staff. I think people often overlook the team behind the team. Without a solid foundation there, the rest is futile. They've proven there worth in coaching, player development and most certainly in recruiting.

This is the primary place that I feel the prior coach struggled. He never put together the right bench to really recruit better talent. As the result, he had to coach his @$$ off to just make the tournament (and seemed to want to redshirt every recruit to get them ready for CAA play).

As soon as Jones announced officially that he was bringing his best recruiter, retaining BT's best recruiter, and adding his most talented former player that was already coaching VHSL championships back in Brunswick, I was sold. This is a very strong bench and will be hard to keep together for any length of time. Fingers crossed...

(10-29-2015 04:37 PM)FearTheLion Wrote:  

(10-28-2015 11:13 PM)Maryland Monarch Wrote:  JJ's first and most important recruiting job was assembling his coaching staff. I think people often overlook the team behind the team. Without a solid foundation there, the rest is futile. They've proven there worth in coaching, player development and most certainly in recruiting.

This is the primary place that I feel the prior coach struggled. He never put together the right bench to really recruit better talent. As the result, he had to coach his @$$ off to just make the tournament (and seemed to want to redshirt every recruit to get them ready for CAA play).

As soon as Jones announced officially that he was bringing his best recruiter, retaining BT's best recruiter, and adding his most talented former player that was already coaching VHSL championships back in Brunswick, I was sold. This is a very strong bench and will be hard to keep together for any length of time. Fingers crossed...

What a goofy assumption. The reason we are so successful is loyalty each of these coaches ask of these recruits and leads by example to the program. Nobody is going anywhere. ODU is a program these coaches realize can be a top 20 year in year out. Everyone is totally committed.

(10-29-2015 06:01 PM)blewbyu Wrote:  

(10-29-2015 04:37 PM)FearTheLion Wrote:  

(10-28-2015 11:13 PM)Maryland Monarch Wrote:  JJ's first and most important recruiting job was assembling his coaching staff. I think people often overlook the team behind the team. Without a solid foundation there, the rest is futile. They've proven there worth in coaching, player development and most certainly in recruiting.

This is the primary place that I feel the prior coach struggled. He never put together the right bench to really recruit better talent. As the result, he had to coach his @$$ off to just make the tournament (and seemed to want to redshirt every recruit to get them ready for CAA play).

As soon as Jones announced officially that he was bringing his best recruiter, retaining BT's best recruiter, and adding his most talented former player that was already coaching VHSL championships back in Brunswick, I was sold. This is a very strong bench and will be hard to keep together for any length of time. Fingers crossed...

What a goofy assumption. The reason we are so successful is loyalty each of these coaches ask of these recruits and leads by example to the program. Nobody is going anywhere. ODU is a program these coaches realize can be a top 20 year in year out. Everyone is totally committed.

i don't think anyone is questioning the coaches loyalty to the program or players. But a turn around such as ODU's is remarkable, particularly for a mid-major. And continued success (which is basically the expectation at this point) is going to open terrific advancement opportunities for the staff.

Just to clarify, I wouldn't think loyalty is an issue if Bryant Stith got a much higher paying offer and moved after some time. I'd call that a real possibility and it would make a lot of sense if he took it.

In the meanwhile, we just have to do the best we can while we have all of them together.

BTW, BT had an incredible bench (with a ton of NBA experience) when he first got here and those guys had to move on as well. I don't fault any of them. He just didn't reach in choosing his replacements.

There was no reason for the Stith boys to come here other than to be with their father, so I'm guessing there's a 3-year window of him not going anywhere. And in 3-4 years, Jeff will be 56 or so, certainly not old by any stretch, but may want out. Stith would be a strong candidate . . Richardson. I have no idea. . . Donohue has followed Jeff from AU to here and I don't really know how much coaching he actually does. His next move might be to take the place of someone on the staff if they leave.

Just my .02

Unfortunately, it's the downside to having success. Someone else will want your coaches.

Let's hope that the NBA and P5 schools want to steal our coaches for a long time coming.

(10-30-2015 10:21 AM)jumpshooter Wrote:  There was no reason for the Stith boys to come here other than to be with their father, so I'm guessing there's a 3-year window of him not going anywhere. And in 3-4 years, Jeff will be 56 or so, certainly not old by any stretch, but may want out. Stith would be a strong candidate . . Richardson. I have no idea. . . Donohue has followed Jeff from AU to here and I don't really know how much coaching he actually does. His next move might be to take the place of someone on the staff if they leave.

Just my .02

if it gets to the point where we're so successful that the P5 comes calling its definitely a good thing and I'm not going to complain...we have a couple of things in our favor if we want to retain JJ in this scenario - 1- he's WS's buddy. 2 - His wife has her own career in DC. which is why I think he stayed at AU for as long as he did (just my assumption) so he may not want to go very far from there. not that there aren't good options near DC, it certainly limits the prospects if that is a real concern of his...regardless, I think we're three years away at minimum and that's with consistent top 25 teams and a sweet - 16 or two (or better) in that span. I think we would all sign up for that even if the coaches leave.

I think the key lesson here is that if a program loses a coach (and good ones do all the time), there is no reason that the next hire cannot do as well or even better as long as you are smart with hires--and our AD has been more than solid with his hires IMO. Seeing Jeff Jones do his work over the first 2 years is living proof. And there is no reason to think that the next one cannot be as good or even better, especially with the AD we have.

I just wanted to praise Coach's great choices on the bench. Maryland Monarch first noted it and I am giving him/her the absolute +1000.

(10-30-2015 11:07 AM)ODU_NYG Wrote:  

(10-30-2015 10:21 AM)jumpshooter Wrote:  There was no reason for the Stith boys to come here other than to be with their father, so I'm guessing there's a 3-year window of him not going anywhere. And in 3-4 years, Jeff will be 56 or so, certainly not old by any stretch, but may want out. Stith would be a strong candidate . . Richardson. I have no idea. . . Donohue has followed Jeff from AU to here and I don't really know how much coaching he actually does. His next move might be to take the place of someone on the staff if they leave.

Just my .02

if it gets to the point where we're so successful that the P5 comes calling its definitely a good thing and I'm not going to complain...we have a couple of things in our favor if we want to retain JJ in this scenario - 1- he's WS's buddy. 2 - His wife has her own career in DC. which is why I think he stayed at AU for as long as he did (just my assumption) so he may not want to go very far from there. not that there aren't good options near DC, it certainly limits the prospects if that is a real concern of his...regardless, I think we're three years away at minimum and that's with consistent top 25 teams and a sweet - 16 or two (or better) in that span. I think we would all sign up for that even if the coaches leave.

JJ would take an ACC job in a heartbeat. I predict he'll be the next coach at Wake Forest, unless their new guy is successful. I would like to see Bryant Stith as the next coach at ODU if that happens.

Today is signing day....

https://twitter.com/Trecarlton5/status/6...8183106560

All four recruits = signed, sealed, and delivered:

https://twitter.com/coreyevans_10/status...5967248384

http://www.pilotonline.com/sports/colleg...71d15.html

7 new players for the squad in 2016-2017, Jones and staff did a great job reloading. The future is very bright.

I think we're better at every position next year except PG (and that says way more about Freeman than the guys who will be filling his shoes). A bright future, indeed.

Congratulations to Xavier Green, Tre Evans, Alassane Kah, and Randy Haynes on becoming the newest members of the ODU Monarchs mbb team!

This class looks like it could turn out to be one of the best ever for ODU. Kudos and congratulations to the entire ODU mbb staff on a job well done!

(11-11-2015 12:56 PM)paintedblue2 Wrote:  Congratulations to Xavier Green, Tre Evans, Alassane Kah, and Randy Haynes on becoming the newest members of the ODU Monarchs mbb team!

This class looks like it could turn out to be one of the best ever for ODU. Kudos and congratulations to the entire ODU mbb staff on a job well done!

+ 1

(11-11-2015 12:56 PM)paintedblue2 Wrote:  Congratulations to Xavier Green, Tre Evans, Alassane Kah, and Randy Haynes on becoming the newest members of the ODU Monarchs mbb team!

This class looks like it could turn out to be one of the best ever for ODU. Kudos and congratulations to the entire ODU mbb staff on a job well done!

The class that had Darius James, Ben Finney, Kent Bazemore, Key on Carter and Frank Hassell will be really, really tough to beat. Such a beast of a class.

Good luck to these four for sure.