NEW ORLEANS — The Sun Belt Conference announced its Preseason Coaches’ Poll on Monday afternoon and Old Dominion men’s basketball was slotted third in a vote of the league’s 14 head coaches. Junior guard Chaunce Jenkins was picked to the Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team.
ODU received one first-place vote and totaled 154 points to finish third. App State was just ahead of them in second with two first-place votes and 159 points. JMU was selected to win the league with seven first-place votes and 176 points. Rounding out the top five were Southern Miss and Louisiana.
A native of Newport News, Va., Jenkins was named All-Sun Belt Third Team last season after averaging 13.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He played in 31 games and started 17 of those. An electrifying leaper who will get to the rim, he scored in double figures in 23 games with a stretch of six straight and 11 out of 12. Jenkins had 23 points and five rebounds in win over Norfolk State. He hauled in season-high nine rebounds against Virginia Wesleyan and dished a season-best seven assists at Georgia Southern in his first Sun Belt Conference start. The 6-foot-4 guard had five games of 20+ points scored including 23 points in the regular season finale against Marshall and a season high 24 against Virginia Tech in the Charleston Classic.
The Monarchs return six players from last year’s 19-12 team and have nine newcomers joining the mix as they’ll open with an exhibition game against Virginia State on October 25 at 7 p.m. The regular season opener is against Virginia Wesleyan on November 6 also at 7 p.m.
“This preseason recognition for Chaunce is well deserved. He is picking up where he left off after a great offseason of hard work,” said ODU Head Coach Jeff Jones. “The preseason polls are great for the fans and media but have zero bearing on the season whether you are picked ninth, third or first. Hopefully our players recognize how much hard work is ahead in order for us to become the team we believe we can be.”