NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Norfolk State hopes that head basketball coach Robert Jones isn't going anywhere for awhile. After another strong season from the green and gold, Jones is being rewarded with contract extension.
Jones and the Spartans agreed to a one-year extension that keeps him at the school through the 2028-2029 campaign. The extension is applied to the seven-year contract he signed after last season.
"I'm just happy and blessed to be part of the Spartan family going forward and continuing and hopefully keep the party," Jones said on Friday.
Norfolk State is coming off back-to-back MEAC championships and NCAA Tournament appearances, including a First Four win over Appalachian State in 2021. The Spartans finished last season 24-7, 12-2 in the MEAC. 11 players return from last year's squad, including MEAC Player of the Year and Lake Taylor product Joe Bryant.
"You need a lot of luck to make it happen," Jones said of potentially earning three straight NCAA Tournament berths. "Not just be good, you have to have a lot of luck to make it happen, but I think setting ourselves up for a third time and being in a favorable position is great."
Jones pointed out that for awhile the program was stuck on getting to the conference championship game and losing, or qualifying for a lower profile postseason tournament. Now the program has taken the next step. That growth is a big reason Jones is sticking around, as he wants to see the green and gold continue its ascension and reach new heights.
"It's kind of like that baby that you're seeing go from a baby to a teenager," he said. "Now you see it get to an adult and I'm trying to see it get to that adult. It takes a lot to get me from here now."
