Old Dominion's 2026–27 Sleeper Case: Can a Rebuilt Backcourt Change the Sun Belt Race?
2026-09-26
Old Dominion finished 12–21 overall and 7–11 in the Sun Belt last season. MMH's 2026–27 Sun Belt preview puts the Monarchs 11th in a crowded 14-team league. That is precisely why this is a sleeper feature: there is enough individual upside to make a top-half finish conceivable, and enough uncertainty to keep it from being our base case. The No. 11 placement is an editorial projection, not the output of MMH's locked game model. ODU's 2025–26 record and returning group
Coach Mike Jones has assembled a rotation with several different routes to improvement. The question is whether players who have shown flashes at other stops can make those skills fit together in Norfolk.
A proven Sun Belt scorer returns to the league
Adante' Holiman is the swing player. In 2024–25 at Georgia Southern, he averaged a team-best 16.9 points, made 81 threes and shot 38.6% from deep. He earned third-team All-Sun Belt honors. That is more directly relevant to this league than an eye-catching number from a distant competitive level. But Holiman did not appear for Arizona State in 2025–26, so the production is two seasons old. ODU's upside depends on him returning to that scoring form, not simply wearing the uniform. ODU's Holiman signing
Khoi Thurmon brings a different kind of uncertainty at point guard. He earned NJCAA Division I All-America recognition after averaging 14.8 points at Panola College in 2024–25. At Oakland last season, he appeared in all 32 games but averaged 2.5 points and 1.3 assists. The junior-college season suggests scoring and playmaking capacity; the most recent Division I season says ODU should not count on that same volume immediately. The important question is whether he can organize an offense with Holiman and the bigger wings without turning the ball over or forcing shots. ODU's Thurmon signing
Then there is Bubu Benjamin, a 6-foot-7 guard who led Tarleton State with 13.9 points per game in 2024–25. His role changed at George Washington last season: 5.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 20.3 minutes per game, with 26.6% shooting from three. He provides size and another possible ballhandler, but ODU needs a useful version of his earlier production rather than assuming the Tarleton numbers will return automatically. ODU's Benjamin signing
The frontcourt can give the guards margin
Jotham Nweke arrives from Division II Wayne State, where he made the GLIAC All-Defensive Team. In league play he averaged 6.2 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocks. Seven-foot newcomer Lucio Martini averaged 7.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 17 minutes per game for Fulgor Fidenza in Italy's Serie B last season. Those are encouraging but different competitive contexts. If they defend and rebound at the Sun Belt level, the new guards can afford a learning curve. If they cannot, the offense will have to be efficient immediately. Nweke signing · Martini signing
The holdovers matter as well. Zacch Wiggins and Scottie Hubbard give Jones some familiarity amid the arrivals. The audited MMH rotation file estimates Thurmon and Holiman as the starting guards, with Nweke and Martini in the frontcourt and Benjamin among the major perimeter options. Those are projected roles, not an official depth chart. ODU 2026–27 roster
Three tests for a real climb
- Can Holiman provide efficient lead scoring? His Georgia Southern season is the strongest evidence for a leap. It is also separated from this fall by a year without game appearances.
- Who creates the next good shot? Thurmon's latest Division I role was small; Benjamin's scoring fell at George Washington. The trio needs a clear division of ballhandling and scoring duties.
- Does the size travel? Nweke's defense and Martini's interior presence must translate against Sun Belt opponents. Stops and defensive rebounds would give this new offense room to develop.
ODU hosts VCU in an October 17 exhibition and opens the season against Western Michigan on November 2. Those games can show how Jones arranges the backcourt, though the league schedule will be the stronger test of whether its production holds up. ODU nonconference schedule
MMH outlook
Old Dominion is a higher-variance pick than a team built around returning starters. A healthy, productive Holiman; reliable creation from Thurmon and Benjamin; and a frontcourt that defends could carry the Monarchs well above 11th. The countercase is equally concrete: too much of the projected offense depends on rediscovering earlier form, and much of the interior résumé comes from outside Division I. That combination makes ODU worth a deeper look before it makes ODU a title favorite.
All statistics above describe prior seasons at the players' stated schools or leagues. The 2026–27 roles and conference finish are MMH editorial judgments as of September 26, 2026.