Jeff Jones leaves AU this week with a legacy of being the winningest coach in AU basketball history. With his departure, it is clear that there are some big shoes to fill.
While this season did not play out the way that he might have hoped in his last season at AU, it will be difficult to forget his successful tenure as men's basketball head coach. A household name for many basketball fans, his 212 wins in 13 seasons at AU lifted our program to an admirable level.
This success peaked in the 2008 and 2009 NCAA tournaments, when AU fought its way to being Patriot League champions and into the first round of March Madness two years in a row.
But with Jones gone, having left for an arguably more rewarding position at Old Dominion University, what is AU to do? Those great seasons were certainly not without the hard work of Jones' coaching and successful recruitment of talented players.
It is no easy task to recruit the best players to come here, and right as AU's current recruits are deciding where to play next year, Jones' departure poses a big obstacle. With such a young team and only one senior coming back next year, this will be a big shock for potential newcomers.
Being a city school also poses a challenge. As our university teams must compete for viewers with local professionals like the Nationals and Capitals, it is difficult to make a name for ourselves without a supportive fan base. And vice versa, it is the success of a school's teams that can have a huge impact on the university's name nationwide.
AU is not a widely known name for this reason. Even after victories, athletic successes are not always hot topics on campus. Jones' name, however, will carry on and be recognized at ODU.
Jones helped to solidify some sense of school spirit in AU athletics. There is little argument against the notion that collective student support for AU sports teams is poor, and the loss of an athletics director and a head coach in one year certainly will not help.
In times like this, students must come together and realize the importance of AU athletics. Attendance at basketball games has been respectable in past years but has plummeted more recently.
What we have lost in Jones' departure, we can make up for in campus unity. Students' presence in the stands at these games makes a huge difference both nationally and on campus, factoring in the success of our teams.
While our next coach has a lot of work to do, students also share the burden. Let us wish Jones well and help carry on his legacy of success by showing up to games and cheering our Eagles on in our journey back to the top. .≠ E
edpage@theeagleonline.com
