NORFOLK, Va. (WTKR) — In a team meeting on Sunday, Imo Essien says Jeff Jones had one message for his Old Dominion men's basketball squad.
"Tough times don't last, tough people do."
Jones saying that after the school announced on Sunday night that the Monarchs' head coach will undergo treatment for prostate cancer and will not return to coach the team this season.
Jones was sidelined after a heart attack suffered during the Monarchs' trip to Hawaii for the Diamond Head Classic on December 20, 2023. He subsequently had a stent procedure.
"I would like to thank the ODU Community for their kindness and well-wishes after my heart attack. I would also like to thank Drs. Hemphill and Selig for their steadfast support,” Jones said in a statement from the school. “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."
This is the fourth time Jones has undergone treatment since he was first had surgery in June of 2015. He learned of the recurrence shortly after he returned from Hawaii.
"Extremely disheartening to have to sit there in his face and hear that and to see the emotions run through is body," Essien said.
"That was hard to hear. Very difficult. I feel for him, we all feel for him," said guard Jason Wade.
Jones is in his 11th season as the head coach of Old Dominion. Assistant coach Kieran Donohue will continue in his role as the team's interim head coach.
"My professional relationship with Coach Jones began in 1988 and now spans five decades," ODU athletic director Wood Selig said in the school's statement. "His competitiveness and passion for the sport of basketball is second to none. Coach Jones absolutely loves ODU, our student-athletes and staff."
"Therefore, I appreciate how difficult a decision stepping back is for Coach Jones. Throughout his career, he has always put his team and coaching staff first. All Monarch fans and supporters should now put Coach Jones first and support his efforts to regain the health required to lead our program."
The players said they weren't sure what to expect when the meeting was called but had a feeling the status of Jones was going to be addressed when they arrived and saw him in the film room waiting.
"He's always been one to put the basketball program first," Donohue said. "This was the decision that he needed to make. This was the right decision for him."
Wade and Essien both have a different perspective with the situation. Wade has battled through two major leg injuries in his college career, while Essien had to miss time last season after collapsing during a game at Georgia Southern.
Both remember Jones being the first to give them full support.
"He was very patient with me and understanding," Essien said. "He gave me some space to reflect and be with my own family and I'm trying to return that favor. Let him, his wife, his family really be there for him but I'm extending an extra hand."
"When someone has your back, you gotta have theirs," Wade said. "Ever since I stepped on campus, he's had my back the whole time. So I'm glad that I'm going to be able to do the same for him."
ODU is currently 4-14 on the season with six straight losses. Given the frustrations on the court, Jones encouraged the team in the meeting to stay together.
Wade ensured his coach they'll listen to him.
"He went around to hug us and I said, 'Coach, no messages needed,'" Wade recalled. "'Every day you step in this gym and compete as hard as you do is inspiration enough for me.'"
The Monarchs return to action at Chartway Arena on Thursday against Marshall.
