Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones has once again made waives online — this time for comparing the state of his HBCU basketball program and other mid-majors to JUCOs.
Shortly after Norfolk State guard Brian Moore Jr. announced he was hitting the transfer portal on Tuesday, WAVY New’s James Kattato posted an interview where Jones compared the state of mid-major college basketball to community college.
“This is now a glorified JUCO. This is like Norfolk State Community College,” Jones said in the interview. “And when I say that, not because of the people or anything like that — but it’s just the way it is. JUCO coaches, I have so much more respect for them these days, because they have to get a new team every year/every two years. Now we gotta get a a new team every year/every too so we’re basically a glorifed JUCO.”
Moore came to Norfolk State from Murray State where he was a part-time starter during the 2023-2024 season averaging 9.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. He was named first-team All-MEAC after averaging 19 points during the regular season before helping NSU win the MEAC Tournament a week later. He’s not alone — only one player eligible to return from the three MEAC All-Conference programs hasn’t hit the portal in the first few days.
“Until mid-majors — and not just Norfolk State — get the money that high majors have, we’re never going to be able to keep kids for a long time. It’s easy to get ‘em but it’s hard to retain ‘em. You can get them because there’s a lot of kids that want the opportunities. But once they get the opportunity and they blow up, it’s hard to retain ‘em. Because now the big boys are going to come.”
Another example is former Norfolk State guard Jamarii Thomas. Thomas got inconsistent playing time at his first school — UNC-Wilmington. He transferred to the HBCU for the 2023-2024 season, had a breakout year and was named the MEAC Player of The Year. He hit the transfer portal following the season, first committing to VCU and ultimately landing in the SEC at South Carolina.
Jones didn’t sound bitter in his comments, but he did express the feeling that many college basketball coaches in the HBCU and mid-major world are dealing with at the moment.
