On Tuesday morning, The UIC Flames Deputy AD Frank Cuervo spoke to HBCU Legends about the program’s head basketball coach search and said early reports are “ahead of the game” and have an “ongoing open search.”
He was referencing an earlier report from Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68, stated that Norfolk State Spartans coach Robert Jones is negotiating with the University of Illinois Chicago to become the program’s new head coach.
“The job has not been offered, and to say that we are in negotiations with someone at this point would not be accurate. We’ve met with candidates, and up to and including today, we’ll continue to meet with candidates,” Cuervo said.
Coach Jones, 44, and the No. 1-seeded Spartans are preparing to host the CIT game with the Alabama A&M and Austin Peay contest winner.
Norfolk State lost to Howard University, 80-74, in the 2023-24 MEAC Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinal. Jones and NSU had NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament visits in 2021 and 2022 and won the MEAC regular-season title three times in 2019, 2022, 2021 (Nothern Division), and 2023.
During his eleven seasons at Norfolk State, Jones has been considered one of the best basketball coaches in HBCU sports. He’s led the Spartans to a coaching record of 210-149 in his tenure and earned three MEAC Coach of the Year honors.
Jones is a native of South Jamaica, New York.
