Old Dominion men's basketball coach Jeff Jones to miss rest of season to undergo prostate cancer treatments
Jones was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015 and suffered a heart attack in December
Old Dominion men’s basketball coach Jeff Jones won’t return to the sideline during the 2023-24 season.
Jones, who hasn’t coached since suffering a heart attack before the Diamond Head Classic, will miss the rest of the season to undergo prostate cancer treatments.
Jones, 63, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2015 and 2018.
“I would like to thank the ODU community for their kindness and well-wishes after my heart attack,” Jones said in a statement. “I would also like to thank Drs. Hemphill and Selig for their steadfast support. This was an extremely difficult decision to make, but I am confident that interim coach Kieran Donohue, the staff, and the players will continue to battle for the remainder of the season. I want to thank them for their hard work and resilience and I would like to thank all of Monarch Nation for continuing to be the best fans in the league. You all make me grateful and proud to be a Monarch.”
Jones suffered a heart attack on Dec. 20 in Hawaii as Old Dominion prepared to play in the Christmas tournament. The school said Jones was resting comfortably a day after the heart attack and was expected to make a full recovery.
Donohue has been serving as the team’s interim coach since Jones’ heart attack. Old Dominion is currently 4-13 and 0-5 in Sun Belt play.
Jones has been Old Dominion’s coach since the 2013-14 season, and the team has gone 203-131 in games he has coached. Before he was at ODU, Jones was the head coach at Virginia from 1990 to '98 and at American from 2000 to '13.
