Great chatting with new Old Dominion coach DeLisha Milton-Jones, who is still in New York respecting the stay-at-home order in place due to COVID-19 but hopeful she’ll be in Norfolk by June.

We asked . . .

About “Love and Basketball.” She was part of the iconic film that just celebrated its 20th anniversary: 

“It was a very cool experience,” (though she’s not the one to bring it up during a recruiting visit). “But the kids or maybe their parents know and then I talk about it.”

As for her favorite movie ….

“Green Mile” or “Shawshank Redemption.” But “I definitely love “Love and Basketball.”

As for those (Lady) Monarch welcome videos on Twitter  . . .

“I didn’t know they were online until after they were posted. I’ve been so busy with my head in the sand trying to get things done. When I saw them, I was so embarrassed. They were so heartwarming and made me smile, for sure. They look so sweet; I can’t wait to see them face-to-face. I tweeted some of them to say thank you.”

Speaking of (Lady) Monarchs, she knew Anne Donovan and was, in fact, coached by her in the 2008 Olympics.

“What I remember about Anne is she was so graceful and gracious. She was so gentle, but you could tell there was a fierce competitor on the inside. She had a tremendous will that you could feel.”

As for her playing days . . .  (DMJ starred in the WNBA for 17 seasons.)

“I do miss it a lot. Outside of the locker-room moments and the bus rides to airports, I miss being competitive. I had a tremendous love of being the unsung MVP. I loved being a teammate. I loved playing a role that was vital to the team being successful. If it meant diminishing an attribute in myself so someone could shine more, I didn’t care. Lisa Leslie was Michael Jordan, and I was Scottie Pippen. I took a lot of pride in that Batman and Robin role.

On “The Last Dance”:

“I think it’s tremendous. I love the fact that it’s telling a story behind the scenes. I like that it’s from the athletes’ perspective. To get it from the inside out and to be in that person’s mind and hear their thought processes shows the human side of an athlete. It goes beyond the superficial stigma of an athlete. You see their intelligence and how the business works. I think it’s beautiful.”

On MJ:

“I met him when I was in Valencia, Spain. I was there to meet the owner of Formula 1. I met Michael there and him, my husband and I hung out later at a club in Valencia.”

As for Kobe:

“He meant a lot for the women’s game and he put an emotion behind his actions that allowed other people to emulate him. Everyone wanted to emulate his fadeaway. Everyone wanted to have his Mamba mentality. I saw him as a father figure and a dad to a girl. He allowed people to latch on to that by being a girl dad. The way he nurtured and cared for and supported his daughter was tremendous. Usually, Kobe was private. He allowed the world in to see his relationship with Gigi. That’s probably the greatest gift he could have left the world.”

“We shared a lot of great moments together. The last time I saw him was two years ago. I was at a coach’s clinic and he was one of the surprise guest speakers. Afterward, we sat and talked for a while and reminisced and talked about retirement.”

On hiring assistant coaches:

“It’s a process I don’t want rushed. With respect to everything that’s going on, I don’t want to disrupt people’s lives when we’re in such an unpredictable moment. I know the girls are biting at the bit. They want to know everything. They worry about whoever it is, but I’ve told them regardless of sex, background or color, they’re going to be great human beings who will add to this program.”

On taking the job at ODU:

“I’m one that really believes in coming full circle. I think it’s only fitting that ODU would mend my broken heart by hiring me after what they did to me in 1997! That came full circle. (ODU eliminated Florida 53-51 in the Elite Eight in 1997. DMJ, named the Mideast Regional Most Outstanding Player, had 18 points and 19 rebounds in the losing effort.)

Coming to ODU “was in the cards and the moment was right. I am what they need, and they are what I need. It’s a perfect fit and though it’s tumulous times, it’s been rather seamless.”

On the 2020-21 schedule:

“I didn’t make it. NIkki put together a schedule that’s going to be competitive. We want to be in the thick of things in terms of the national conversation. We want to pick up exactly where we left off. We want to be fresh on the lips and minds of the committee. Regardless of the coaching change, the players are still here committed to the level of excellence displayed last season.”

On coaching 161 miles away from her longtime friend Tina Thompson, who is at Virginia:

“We know each other well. She sent me a congratulatory message when I was hired. Our rich history goes back many years. Our first encounter was in the NCAA Tournament. They came to Florida to play, and I remember in the paper she said, ‘DeLisha who? Who is that?’ My coach, Carol Ross, used that as ammunition. ‘They don’t know who you are,’ she told me. I got hype, and we murdered USC.” (The Gators defeated the Trojans 92-78 in that 1997 second-round game.)

DMJ and TT were teammates in the 2008 Olympics and as Los Angeles Sparks.

On the move to Norfolk:

“I can’t wait to get there!”