Old Dominion hopes to learn from early season losses as Monarchs head to visit East Carolina

David Hall, The Virginian-Pilot
·2 min read
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There will be few surprises Tuesday when Old Dominion visits East Carolina.

The teams have an unusually recent history.

The Pirates (5-2) handed ODU a 73-60 loss Nov. 19 in the second of three games for both teams in the Myrtle Beach Invitational.

The Monarchs (3-4) are coming off a 62-61 win over Longwood on Friday.

ODU assistant coach Bryant Stith, filling in for ill head coach Jeff Jones, said the loss to ECU was educational.

“We learned a lot,” Stith said. “And then they’re fresh on our minds because we just played them. So we don’t have to sell East Carolina and what they do and how hard they play and how physical they are.”

The win over Longwood, which required a last-second layup by sophomore guard Mekhi Long, snapped a three-game losing streak for the Monarchs. Jones, who has been battling pneumonia, missed all three games in the skid.

Jones returned to the bench in a limited capacity against Longwood, calling plays for Stith, his former star guard at the University of Virginia, to relay to the players.

Stith and Long both said having Jones back on the bench was helpful.

“It meant a lot,” Long said. “Coach Jones on that bench is different.”

A school spokesman said Jones did not travel to ECU on the team bus.

Stith, who played 10 NBA seasons, likened ODU’s recent slump to one the team went through in the Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands early in the 2018-19 season.

That season, the Monarchs went to the Caribbean in search of a team identity, went 1-2 in the event and followed the tournament with eight straight non-conference wins. They went on to a 26-9 record, including a victory in the Conference USA Tournament title game.

“We know it’s not the same team, different dynamics,” Stith said. “But the principle is the same. We want to be able to use the remainder of our non-conference schedule to create some momentum going into our conference season.”

ODU opens C-USA play Dec. 30 at Florida International.

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com