The Monarchists

The Monarchists are back with another edition of The Monarchists Basketball Show, joined by Mike Jones to break down the season, what went wrong, and what comes next for Old Dominion Monarchs Men's Basketball.Coach Jones gets brutally honest about expectations vs. reality, roster construction challenges, and the evolving landscape of the Sun Belt Conference. From recruiting JUCO talent and navigating the transfer portal to building a defensive identity that can win in March – nothing is off limits.🔥 Topics include:- Season recap and tough lessons learned- Fixing the defense without sacrificing offense- Transfer portal strategy (April 7–21 window)- JUCO recruiting insights from Kansas- How to build a roster to survive the Sun Belt gauntlet- Rule changes that NEED to happen in college basketballCoach Jones also delivers a powerful message to Monarch Nation about the future and why ODU basketball is far from finished.💙 Subscribe now and stay locked in with the BEST and ONLY ODU podcast on the planet.⏱️ Chapters00:00 – Intro (ODAF Support)01:00 – Season recap: expectations vs reality02:30 – Tough non-conference schedule lessons04:00 – Fixing scheduling strategy moving forward05:00 – Sun Belt expectations & roster evaluation06:00 – Year 1 vs Year 2 roster construction07:30 – Offensive improvement vs defensive struggles08:45 – The challenge of finding two-way players09:30 – Recruiting breakdown: JUCO scouting in Kansas11:00 – Evaluating players beyond film12:00 – The importance of coaching networks13:30 – Truth vs bias in recruiting intel15:00 – JUCO vs Division I mindset differences17:00 – What players value about ODU facilities18:30 – Building culture through recruiting20:00 – Transfer portal strategy explained21:30 – Selling opportunity at ODU22:30 – Coach Jones’ growth as a head coach24:00 – Sun Belt style diversity & challenges26:00 – How close the Sun Belt really is27:30 – Rule change #1: Goaltending review issue30:00 – Rule change #2: Unlimited correct challenges32:00 – Officiating consistency debate35:00 – Building a roster to beat multiple styles38:00 – Vision for ODU basketball’s future39:00 – Message to Monarch Nation