Old Dominion Monarchs men's basketball

The Old Dominion Monarchs men's basketball team represents Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, United States in NCAA Division I men's competition. The school's team currently competes in the Sun Belt Conference.

Old Dominion Monarchs
2024–25 Old Dominion Monarchs men's basketball team
University	Old Dominion University
Head coach	Mike Jones (1st season)
Conference	Sun Belt
Location	Norfolk, Virginia
Arena	Chartway Arena (capacity: 8,472)
Nickname	Monarchs
Colors	Slate blue, silver, and light blue
Uniforms
Home Away Alternate
NCAA tournament champions
1975*
NCAA tournament runner-up
1971*
NCAA tournament Final Four
1971*, 1975*, 1976*
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1971*, 1975*, 1976*
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1971*, 1973*, 1974*, 1975*, 1976*
NCAA tournament round of 32
1986, 1995, 2010
NCAA tournament appearances
1969*, 1971*, 1973*, 1974*, 1975*, 1976*, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2019 *at Division II level
Conference tournament champions
1969, 1980, 1982, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2019
Conference regular season champions
1986, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2010, 2019

They were the Division II national champions in 1975, champions of the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament in 2009, and champions of the inaugural Vegas 16 in 2016. The team last played in the Division I NCAA tournament in 2019. The Monarchs are currently coached by Mike Jones.

History

See also: List of Old Dominion Monarchs men's basketball head coaches

Old Dominion University has enjoyed an impressive basketball tradition. Since fielding its first team in 1930, Old Dominion has won 1,240 games in 81 years, a winning percentage of .591. Founded in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William and Mary, the institution gained independence in 1962 and became Old Dominion College. In 1969, University status was granted and the name was changed to Old Dominion University. The Monarchs have been selected for postseason play 20 times since moving up to Division I in 1976–77, eight by the NCAA and ten by the NIT. Twenty-two players have been accorded All-American honors since 1958, including first team selections Wilson Washington (1975–76), Joel Copeland (1973–74) and Dave Twardzik (1972–73).

Early years

Tommy Scott was the first coach at Old Dominion. A 1930 Graduate of VMI, he coached the Old Dominion men's basketball team (then known as the Norfolk "Braves") for 10 seasons til 1940.He amassed a record of 84–83. Additionally, he coached the football, track, and baseball teams at Old Dominion. He retired from teaching and coaching in 1941 to pursue a business career. George Stirnweiss briefly coached Old Dominion for 2 seasons in the early 1940s, going just 4–29 during his tenure. Scrap Chandler followed as head coach of Old Dominion for 3 seasons going 27–24. The Old Dominion University Natatorium is named after Scrap Chandler. Old Dominion had two coaches in two years following Scrap Chandler in the mid-1940s. Julius Rubin and Jack Callahan went 14–8 and 21–8 respectively during their seasons.

Bud Metheny Era

Bud Metheny came to Old Dominion in 1948 and served as the baseball coach from 1948–1980 and the head basketball coach from 1948–65, compiling a 198–163 record and posting 16 winning seasons. His 198 wins were ultimately surpassed by Blaine Taylor on January 5, 2011.[1] He also served as athletic director from 1963–1970.

Sonny Allen Era

Sonny Allen was named head coach at Old Dominion in 1965, following athletic director Bud Metheny’s outstanding career. In ten years, Allen led the Monarchs to 181 wins, and a second place national finish at the 1970 NCAA Division II championships. In 1975 his Monarchs took the ultimate prize with the Division II National Championship.

Paul Webb Era

Paul Webb took control in 1976–77 and led the Monarchs to the first NIT bid in program history. Webb successfully guided the Old Dominion program to one of the nation's premier Division I basketball programs. In nine seasons, Webb won 196 victories and took the Big Blue to eight national postseason tournaments. Webb reached the NCAA tournament three times and the NIT five times. He also won 2 conference titles during his time as head coach of Old Dominion.

Tom Young Era

In 1985, the reins were turned over to Tom Young and he guided the Monarchs to a 23–8 mark in 1986 and an NCAA bid. The Monarchs advanced to the second round for the first time ever. In 1987–88, Old Dominion was 18–12 and earned a NIT bid.

Oliver Purnell Era

In 1991–92, former captain Oliver Purnell returned to his alma mater and led Old Dominion to the CAA title and a trip to the NCAA. In 1993 and 1994 the Monarchs advanced to the second round of the NIT.

Jeff Capel Era

Jeff Capel took over in 1994–95 and guided the Monarchs to the second round of the NCAA after a stunning victory over third seed Villanova, 89–81 in triple overtime. Capel again guided Old Dominion to a CAA title and NCAA Tournament play in 1997.

Blaine Taylor

In April 2001, Blaine Taylor became the Monarchs fifth Division I head coach. He guided ODU to the school's most wins in a single season (28) in 2004–05, winning the CAA crown and advancing to the NCAA tournament. The following year, ODU won another 24 games and reached the semi-finals of the NIT at Madison Square Garden. The 2007 Monarchs won another 24 games and advanced to the NCAA tournament as an at-large team. In 2008, ODU reached the quarterfinals of the inaugural College Basketball Invitational (CBI). In 2008–09 the Monarchs won the championship of the inaugural College Insider.com tournament with a 25–10 record. In 2009–10, ODU captured its fifth CAA title andadvanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament after beating sixth seeded Notre Dame, 51–50. In 2010–11, ODU won its second straight CAA crown and lost at the buzzer to Butler in the NCAA tournament. In 2011–12, ODU advanced to the Quarterfinals of the CIT.

Jeff Jones Era

Jeff Jones became the head coach of Old Dominion for the 2013–14 season. Jones' teams had a 203-131 record during his 11 seasons. Jeff Jones lead the Monarchs to the 2015 NIT Final Four, 2016 Vegas 16 championship, 2019 Conference USA Championship and the 2019 NCAA Tournament where they fell to eventual Elite 8 participant Purdue in the first round. After recovering from a heart attack suffered during the 2023–24 season, Jones announced his retirement from coaching following his resignation for the remainder of the season due to health issues. Special Assistant Head Coach Kieran Donohue remained as the interim head coach for the rest of the season.

Mike Jones Era

Old Dominion class of 1995 alumnus Mike Jones was named head coach of the Monarchs on March 1, 2024.

Coaches

Current coaching staff

• Mike Jones – Head Coach
• Jamal Robinson – Assistant Coach
• James Robinson – Assistant Coach
• Ryan Nadeau – Assistant Coach
• Matt Hamilton – Director of Basketball Operations/Player Personnel
• Jason Wade – Graduate Assistant
• Odell Hodge – Special Assistant to the Head Coach
• Aidan Brami – Video Coordinator/Assistant Director of Operations

Postseason results

Division I NCAA tournament results

The Monarchs have appeared in 12 Division I NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 3–12.

ODU vs VCU in the 2011 CAA Finals

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1980	First round	UCLA	L 74–87
1982	First round	Wake Forest	L 57–74
1985	First round	SMU	L 68–85
1986	First round Second Round	West Virginia Duke	W 75–64 L 61–89
1992	First round	Kentucky	L 69–88
1995	First round Second Round	Villanova Tulsa	W 89–81 3OT L 52–65
1997	First round	New Mexico	L 55–59
2005	First round	Michigan State	L 81–89
2007	First round	Butler	L 46–57
2010	First round Second Round	Notre Dame Baylor	W 51–50 L 68–76
2011	Second Round	Butler	L 58–60
2019	First round	Purdue	L 48–61

*Following the introduction of the "First Four" round in 2011, the Round of 64 and Round of 32 were referred to as the second round and third round, respectively, from 2011 to 2015. Then from 2016 moving forward, the Round 64 and Round of 32 were called the First and Second rounds, as they were prior to 2011.

NCAA Tournament seeding history

The NCAA began seeding the tournament with the 1979 NCAA tournament.

Years	'80	'82	'85	'86	'92	'95	'97	'05	'07	'10	'11	'19
Seeds	9	10	12	8	15	14	14	12	12	11	9	14

Division II NCAA tournament results

The Monarchs have appeared in six NCAA Men's Division II basketball tournaments. Their combined record is 14–7. They were national champions in 1975.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1969	Regional Semifinals Regional Third Place	Oglethorpe Norfolk State	L 60–68 L 102–113
1971	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Game	Stetson Norfolk State Puget Sound Kentucky Wesleyan Evansville	W 89–65 W 102–97 W 81–80 OT W 97–83 L 82–97
1973	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals	Fayetteville State Roanoke	W 80–74 L 87–88 OT
1974	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals	Rollins Norfolk State	W 80–77 L 76–89
1975	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight Final Four National Championship Game	Baltimore Randolph-Macon North Dakota Tennessee State New Orleans	W 95–72 W 83–76 W 78–62 W 77–60 W 76–74
1976	Regional Semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight Final Four National Third Place	James Madison Baltimore Cheyney Puget Sound Eastern Illinois	W 86–77 W 73–58 W 90–85 L 78–83 L 74–78

NIT results

The Monarchs have appeared in 11 National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 11–11.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1977	First round	Villanova	L 68–71
1979	First round Second Round Quarterfinals	Wagner Clemson Purdue	W 83–81 W 61–59 L 59–67
1981	First round	Georgia	L 60–74
1983	First round	South Carolina	L 90–100
1984	First round	Notre Dame	L 62–67
1988	First round	Ohio State	L 73–86
1993	First round Second Round	VCU Miami (OH)	W 74–68 L 58–60
1994	First round Second Round	Manhattan Bradley	W 76–74 L 75–79
1999	First round Second Round	Seton Hall Butler	W 75–56 L 68–75
2006	First round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals	Colorado Manhattan Hofstra Michigan	W 79–61 W 70–66 W 61–51 L 43–66
2015	First round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals	Charleston Southern Illinois State Murray State Stanford	W 65–56 W 50–49 W 72–69 L 60–67

CBI results

The Monarchs have appeared in two College Basketball Invitational. Their combined record is 3–2.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2008	First round Quarterfinals	Rider Virginia	W 68–65 L 68–71
2014	First round Quarterfinals Semifinals	South Dakota State Radford Fresno State	W 72–65 W 82–59 L 64–71

CIT results

The Monarchs have appeared in two CollegeInsider.com Tournaments. They were champions of the inaugural tournament in 2009. Their combined record is 6–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2009	First round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final	The Citadel Belmont James Madison Bradley	W 67–59 W 70–62 W 81–43 W 66–62
2012	First round Second Round Quarterfinals	Coastal Carolina USC Upstate Mercer	W 68–66 W 65–56 L 73–79

Vegas 16 results

The Monarchs appeared in, and won, the first and only Vegas 16. Their record was 3–0.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2016	Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship game	Tennessee Tech UC Santa Barbara Oakland	W 75–59 W 64–49 W 68–67

Chartway Arena

Since moving into Chartway Arena in 2002, the Old Dominion men's basketball team has experienced a high winning percentage with an outstanding home court advantage.

Chartway Arena

Year	Home Record	Attendance	Average Per Game	National Ranking
2002–03	8–6	82,742	5,910	#95
2003–04	11–4	85,424	5,695	#96
2004–05	14–1	90,327	6,021	#91
2005–06	14–1	103,725	6,915	#78
2006–07	15–2	105,851	6,227	#88
2007–08	13–4	114,857	6,756	#82
2008–09	16–3	114,911	6,048	#88
2009–10	15–0	104,930	6,995	#76
2010–11	14–2	123,922	7,745	#66
2011–12	11–6	128,563	7,142	#73
2012–13	2–15	112,335	6,608	#77
2013–14	12–6	104,008	5,778	#92
2014–15	20–0	140,072	7,004	#69
2015–16	11–4	112,604	7,037	#68
2016–17	11–4	98,590	6,572	#81
2017–18	12–2	88,851	6,346	#79
2018–19	14–2	105,916	6,620
2019–20	10–4	83,215	5,944
2020–21	9–1	2,500	250
2021–22	10–4	69,741	4,982
Overall	242–71 (.776)

Players

First team All-Americans

Year	Player	Ref.
1972	Dave Twardzik
1974	Joel Copeland
1974–75	Gray Eubank
1976	Wilson Washington

Academic All-Americans

Year	Player	Mention
1974–75	Gray Eubank	1st. Team
1976	Dave Moyer	Honorific Mention
1976	Reese Neyland	3rd. Team
1994	Kevin Larkin	3rd. Team
2006	Alex Loughton	3rd. Team

Lefty Driesell National Defensive Player of the Year

Year	Player
2010	Kent Bazemore

Retired numbers

Fltr: Leo Anthony, Dave Twardzik, and Kent Bazemore, whose numbers were retired by the University

Old Dominion Monarchs retired numbers
No.	Player	Tenure	No. ret.	Ref.
5	Leo Anthony	1958–1961	1961
14	Dave Twardzik	1969–1972	1972
24	Kent Bazemore	2008–2012	2016
32	Joel Copeland		1974
33	Odell Hodge	1992–1997	2010
44	Kenny Gattison	1982–1986	1992
45	Mark West	1979–1983	1984
52	Wilson Washington	1974–1977	1978

Old Dominion University Hall of Fame members

OD Hall of Famer Leo Anthony (#5) in a game c. 1961

Monarch Men's Basketball Hall of Fame
1980	Leo Anthony
1980	Tommy Scott (Coach)
1980	Rufus Tonelson
1981	Sonny Allen (Coach)
1981	Dave Twardzik
1982	Joel Copeland
1982	Fred Edmonds
1982	Harry Lozon
1983	Bud Metheny (Coach)
1983	Button Speakes
1983	Wilson Washington
1984	Dick St. Clair
1985	Tony Zontini
1986	Woody Barnes
1986	Randy Leddy
1987	Kirkie Harrison
1987	Everett Tolson
1988	Jack Harris
1988	Oliver Purnell
1988	Mark West
2008	Bob Pritchett

Old Dominion players in the NBA

10 former Old Dominion players have gone on to play in the NBA.

• Kent Bazemore (2012–2022)
• Cal Bowdler (1999–2002)
• Ahmad Caver (2022)
• Mark Davis (1988–1989)
• Chris Gatling (1991–02; 1997 All-Star)
• Kenny Gattison (1986–1996)
• Dave Twardzik (1972–76 ABA, 1976–80 NBA) – 1977 NBA Champion & #13 retired with Portland
• Ronnie Valentine (1980–1981)
• Wilson Washington (1977–1979)
• Mark West (1983–2000)

Seasons

Statistics overview

Season	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Independent (1930–1966)
1930–31	Tommy Scott	11–10
1931–32	Tommy Scott	7–9
1932–33	Tommy Scott	8–6
1933–34	Tommy Scott	10–4
1934–35	Tommy Scott	11–6
1935–36	Tommy Scott	10–6
1936–37	Tommy Scott	8–8
1937–38	Tommy Scott	15–4
1938–39	Tommy Scott	8–14
1939–40	Tommy Scott	4–16
1940–41	George Stirnweiss	4–15
1941–42	George Stirnweiss	0–14
1942–43	Scrap Chandler	12–10
1944–45	Scrap Chandler	6–6
1945–46	Scrap Chandler	9–8
1946–47	Julius Rubin	14–8
1947–48	Jack Callahan	21–8
1948–49	Bud Metheny	11–5
1949–50	Bud Metheny	9–10
1950–51	Bud Metheny	11–10
1951–52	Bud Metheny	12–13
1952–53	Bud Metheny	8–12
1953–54	Bud Metheny	12–10
1954–55	Bud Metheny	7–15
1955–56	Bud Metheny	8–12
1956–57	Bud Metheny	11–10
1957–58	Bud Metheny	12–9
1958–59	Bud Metheny	15–8
1959–60	Bud Metheny	12–6
1960–61	Bud Metheny	16–4
1961–62	Bud Metheny	18–3
1962–63	Bud Metheny	13–13
1963–64	Bud Metheny	13–10
1964–65	Bud Metheny	10–13
1965–66	Sonny Allen	7–17
1966–67	Sonny Allen	14–12
1967–68	Sonny Allen	19–7
1968–69	Sonny Allen	21–10
1969–70	Sonny Allen	21–7
1970–71	Sonny Allen	21–9
1971–72	Sonny Allen	14–10
1972–73	Sonny Allen	19–9
1973–74	Sonny Allen	20–7
1974–75	Sonny Allen	25–6			NCAA Division II Champions
1975–76	Sonny Allen	19–12
1976–77	Paul Webb	25–4			NIT 1st Round
1977–78	Paul Webb	11–15
1978–79	Paul Webb	23–7			NIT Quarterfinals
ECAC South Conference (1979–1982)
1979–80	Paul Webb	25–5			NCAA 1st Round
1980–81	Paul Webb	18–10			NIT 1st Round
1981–82	Paul Webb	18–12			NCAA 1st Round
Sun Belt Conference (1982–1991)
1982–83	Paul Webb	19–10	12–2		NIT 1st Round
1983–84	Paul Webb	19–12	9–5		NIT 1st Round
1984–85	Paul Webb	19–12	12–5		NCAA 1st Round
1985–86	Tom Young	23–8	11–3	1st	NCAA 2nd Round
1986–87	Tom Young	6–22	1–13
1987–88	Tom Young	18–12	9–5		NIT 1st Round
1988–89	Tom Young	15–13	7–7
1989–90	Tom Young	14–14	7–7
1990–91	Tom Young	14–18	5–9
Colonial Athletic Association (1991–2013)
1991–92	Oliver Purnell	15–15	8–6		NCAA 1st Round
1992–93	Oliver Purnell	21–8	11–3		NIT 2nd Round
1993–94	Oliver Purnell	21–10	10–4		NIT 2nd Round
1994–95	Jeff Capel	21–12	12–2		NCAA 2nd Round
1995–96	Jeff Capel	18–13	12–4
1996–97	Jeff Capel	22–11	10–6		NCAA 1st Round
1997–98	Jeff Capel	12–16	8–8
1998–99	Jeff Capel	25–9	10–6		NIT 2nd Round
1999–00	Jeff Capel	11–19	6–10
2000–01	Jeff Capel	13–18	7–9
2001–02	Blaine Taylor	13–16	7–11	7th
2002–03	Blaine Taylor	12–15	9–9	6th
2003–04	Blaine Taylor	17–12	11–7	4th
2004–05	Blaine Taylor	28–6	15–3	1st	NCAA 1st Round
2005–06	Blaine Taylor	24–10	13–5	4th	NIT Semifinals
2006–07	Blaine Taylor	24–9	15–3	2nd	NCAA 1st Round
2007–08	Blaine Taylor	18–16	11–7	4th	CBI Quarterfinals
2008–09	Blaine Taylor	25–10	12–6	3rd	CIT Champions
2009–10	Blaine Taylor	27–9	15–3	1st	NCAA 2nd Round
2010–11	Blaine Taylor	27–7	14–4	2nd	NCAA 1st Round
2011–12	Blaine Taylor	22–14	13–5	4th	CIT Quarterfinals
2012–13	Blaine Taylor	5–25	3–15	11th
Conference USA (2013–2022)
2013–14	Jeff Jones	18–18	9–7	6th	CBI Semifinals
2014–15	Jeff Jones	27–8	13–5	2nd	NIT Semifinals
2015–16	Jeff Jones	25–13	12–6	T-3rd	Vegas 16 Champions
2016–17	Jeff Jones	19–12	12–6	T-3rd
2017–18	Jeff Jones	25–7	15–3	2nd
2018–19	Jeff Jones	26–9	13–5	1st	NCAA 1st Round
2019–20	Jeff Jones	13–19	9–9	T-6th
2020–21	Jeff Jones	15–8	11–5	2nd East
2021–22	Jeff Jones	13–19	8–10	5th East
Sun Belt Conference (2022–Present)
2022–23	Jeff Jones	19–12	11–7	5th
2023–24	Jeff Jones	7–25	3–15	14th
Total:		1426–1025 (.582)
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

External links

• Official website