Former UVA player, coach Jeff Jones hospitalized after suffering heart attack in Hawaii

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Former Virginia head basketball coach and star guard Jeff Jones, now the head coach at Old Dominion, suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized in Honolulu on Wednesday night, according to a news release by ODU.

The Monarchs are in Hawaii for the Diamond Head Classic tournament, which started Thursday. Kieran Donohue will coach ODU as interim head coach until Jones recovers. Jones, 63, “is resting comfortably and expecting a full recovery,” according to the school’s press release. Doctors are holding Jones for observation for 48 to 72 hours.

ODU (3-6) opened the tournament this evening against TCU.

Jones and his family thanked Dr. Brandon Itagaki and staff at the Honolulu Straub Medical Center and ODU associate head athletic trainer Jason Mitchell for their care.

During his 10 seasons at ODU, Jones has compiled a 203-131 record with the Monarchs, but during his years as a head coach, Jones ranks among the nation’s top 100 in wins with a record of 560-418.

Beloved as a point guard for Terry Holland in the early 1980s, he remains one of the most popular Cavalier players and coaches, having succeeded Holland as UVA’s head coach in 1991.