Courtesy of Norfolk State Athletics
NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State director of athletics Dr. Melody Webb has announced that head men’s basketball coach Robert Jones’ contract has been extended through the 2031-32 HBCU basketball season.
“We are ecstatic to announce this contract extension for men’s basketball head coach Robert Jones,” Webb said. “Coach Jones has been a part of every historic milestone this program has accomplished at the Division I level, building a winning culture that stands alone at the top of the MEAC. I am confident that this team will not only maintain the prestigious standard that Coach Jones has set in place but continue to grow and reach unprecedented heights.”
Accumulating over 230 wins across 12 seasons as the head coach of the Norfolk State men’s basketball program, Jones has guided the Spartans to their greatest run of the team’s Division I era. Most recently, NSU defeated South Carolina State 66-65 to win the 2025 MEAC Tournament Championship and advance into the NCAA Tournament.
“With success comes suitors, but I’m happy to be a Spartan,” Jones said. “Thank you to Dr. J and AD Webb for their continued support. Also, thank you to Spartan Nation for their unwavering desire to keep making this program great. Let’s do it again next year! BEHOLD!”
Three of the Spartans’ four MEAC Tournament titles have come during Jones head coaching tenure, and the other (2011-12) came while Jones served as the team’s associate head coach. Norfolk State has won five MEAC Regular Season crowns under Jones, owning a record of 135-45 in league play during his time at the helm.
Coach Jones Accolades
Jones continues to rack up team and individual accolades while representing Norfolk State in HBCU basketball. CollegeInsider.com named him a finalist for three prestigious accolades this season – the Hugh Durham, Ben Jobe, and Skip Prosser Man of the Year awards. He also earned MEAC Tournament Most Outstanding Coach honors following the victory over SCSU.
Jones led Norfolk State to its first nonconference postseason championship in the program’s Division I history in the 2023-24 season, defeating Purdue Fort Wayne 75-67 in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) championship game. Christian Ings earned MVP honors for the event, helping the Spartans erase an 18-point deficit in the championship showdown.
Jones has been a frequent finalist for the Hugh Durham Award, winning the accolade in 2022. The Hugh Durham Award is presented annually to the top mid-major coach in college basketball.
Jones has received the MEAC Coach of the Year award three times—2019, 2022, and 2024—as well as the BOXTOROW HBCU Coach of the Year award in 2022 and 2024.