After one season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for Syracuse, DeLisha Milton-Jones has been named the head coach of Old Dominion. 

“My heart is filled with excitement as I step up to lead the women’s basketball program at Old Dominion,” Milton-Jones said in ODU’s news release. 

At Syracuse, Milton-Jones worked with the frontcourt players by using a hands-on approach in practice. She was also heavily involved in recruiting the No. 4 incoming freshman class in the nation. 

It’s the second consecutive year that Hillsman has lost valuable assistants, as both Tammi Reiss and Adeniyi Amadou left after the 2018-19 season for Rhode Island. Hillsman congratulated Milton-Jones on Friday on Twitter, saying “We are thankful for all the knowledge she brought to our program and wish her the best in her next chapter.” 

Milton-Jones joined Syracuse’s staff after helping turn Pepperdine’s program around. She played in the WNBA for 17 seasons before becoming a coach. At the time of her retirement in 2016, the two-time WNBA champion ranked in the top-10 in WNBA history in points (5,571), rebounds (2,574) and steals (619) and was the all-time leader in games played (499). She also won two Olympic gold medals as a player. 

“DeLisha has experienced success at every level possible as a student-athlete, professional athlete, USA basketball team member and a coach,” Old Dominion Director of Athletics Camden Wood Selig said. “In addition, DeLisha has been a successful intercollegiate head women’s basketball coach so she knows firsthand what the job entails.”