Quick story. I had a couple summer jobs over the years to help pay my way through college. One of them required a training session with other college students. Most of the other students were extremely outgoing, except for one. He pretty much spoke only when someone addressed him. Our boss made the comment, "The quietest ones in the room usually know the most about what's really going on in the room." From that perspective, it is healthy to just sit and listen to other people - you can learn from them whether they intend to teach or not.
With the whirlwind of conference realignment, specifically to the extent that it affected Old Dominion University, it can be hard for us fans to objectively assess events from a fresh perspective. I sought the input of someone who has displayed an appreciation of both FBS and FCS football, as well as a perspective of someone in the Commonwealth.
Enter Matthew (@HokieGuru), an acquintance I made through Twitter. You can read his official qualifications below, but it's important to stress how good a guy he is. I've never once read him berate players/schools, nor make snarky comments about them. These are the type of people we enjoy at VBR Productions.
He was kind enough to answer some questions of mine, and I hope you find it as insightful as I have.
@HokieGuru, Matthew, is a blogger at Jon Pence’s site, SCACCHoops, where he has his famous Twitter 200 (of which @vabeachrep made the cut), and Jeffrey
Fann’s site, All Sports Discussion, where
he is known for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) blogger panels. Matthew is a longtime season ticket holder for Virginia
Tech men’s basketball and football. He is probably one of the few Hokies
that remember when Virginia Tech men’s basketball was bigger than football.He is probably one of the few Hokies that
remember when Virginia Tech men’s basketball was bigger than football.
Matthew is also a member of the Football Writers Association of America
and the United States Basketball Writers Association. He is also a member
of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (e.g. so he’s an accredited
member of the ACC media).
1.Your Twitter handle is @HokieGuru. What is your affiliation
with Virginia Tech (alumnus, fan, etc.)?
Well, I’ve been a Hokie for as long as I know. Much of the
early part of my Hokie love came through my uncle. I’m originally from
North Dakota (one of the very few Hokies from North Dakota) and my dad’s
brother moved to Blacksburg in 1971 - and taught at Virginia Tech for 35 years
(he retired at Emeritus Dean of the College of Education in 1996).
My cousin graduated from there with his PhD in Educational Leadership
in 1995. So, there’s a huge family connection there. We’d make
trips from Illinois to Blacksburg in the summer and the fall – I’ve gone to
Virginia Tech football games for several years (I know you’re going to ask me
some basketball questions and I’ll focus on that later in your Q&A).
I’m old enough to remember when Virginia Tech football used to lose to
William and Mary (and yes, I have much love for the Colonial Athletic
Association), but then see Virginia Tech in the national title
game. So, I’ve seen the Virginia Tech football program transform itself
into a consistent national power. I’m also old enough to remember when
Virginia Tech men’s basketball was bigger the football - that was the Charlie
Moir era.
Personally, I completed a
graduate degree from Virginia Tech in 2008 (I was on a ten year plan – don’t
hate lol). I completed a Master of Public Administration (I’m a federal
career civil servant here in the Washington, DC area). I serve on an
alumni advisory board for the Virginia Tech’sCenter for Public
Administration and Policy. I’m also a donor to
the Virginia Tech Athletic Foundation - and have season tickets to Hokies
football and men’s basketball.
In the Internet
world, you’ll see me blog at sites like SCACCHoops and All Sports Discussion.I blog and tweet about Virginia
Tech and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) athletics (a lot haha).
2.For a fan of the Hokies, you also express an exceptional
interest of FCS football programs, specifically Georgetown University and North
Dakota State. What is your affiliation with these schools?
Old Dominion fans and players hope to unseat NDSU as national champions in 2012.
Well, I’ve
been a DMV resident since 1996, so I do follow the schools in this area – plus,
I’m a Georgetown University public policy education and athletics donor, so I
do have a vested interested in the Hoyas.And I’m a Georgetown University alumnus – graduated with an Executive
Master of Policy Management in 2011.
As far as
North Dakota State University (NDSU) is concerned (I’ll also talk about the
University of North Dakota), much of that comes from North Dakota being my
childhood home.I went to undergraduate
school at Mayville State University (in Mayville, ND), but spent some academic
time at the University of North Dakota – and I almost went to graduate school in
1996 at NDSU (but decided to take a job in the DMV area) – I was so close to
going to graduate school there, that I almost had a job lined up in the
financial aid office – had the apartment lined up, etc.My uncle would have been part of the starting
backfield in 1963 – the entire backfield (e.g. tailback, fullback) from North
Dakota State College of Science (one of the state’s few junior colleges that
has football) was offered scholarships from NDSU – but he blew his knee out.
Most of my
family has ties to the University of North Dakota – my parents both received
advanced education degrees there – and one of my sisters attended law school
there.My grandfather
was a quarterback at the University of North Dakota in 1936 and 1937.I go to the “Frozen Four” (e.g. the Men’s
NCAA Division I Ice Hockey Final Four) always hoping North Dakota will be
there.
I must say
that I think the quality of FCS football is high – I’m a fan of it – and I
become a little bit disappointed when I see some teams move up to fast to FBS.I realize that teams move up to FBS football
because they are trying to bring in new revenue sources – and because of
conference realignment, sometimes moving up to FBS is necessary.I have much love for the FCS and hope it
stays around.For every Boise State success,
there are also more failures – Louisiana-Monroe comes to mind.
3.Who are some of your favorite athletes (mainly
football players) from these schools? How awesome was former NDSU and
Buffalo Bills great, Phil Hansen?
"If you're going to play hard this game, where were you the last 15 games? Don't tell me you're going to play extra hard this game. You should've been doing that all season. That's part of being a professional. That's part of being a Buffalo Bill, too." - Phil Hansen
From
Georgetown, of course, I have to the hoops players like Patrick Ewing, Alonzo
Mourning, Dekembe Motombo, Jeff Green, etc.Such a storied history there.I’m
a big fan of the new guy, Otto Porter – baller.
From
Virginia Tech, I could go on for days with this question (I will add a few
hoops players in here for good measure):Bruce Smith (teammate of Phil Hansen), Allen Bristow, Reggie Steppe, Dell
Curry, Bimbo Coles, Antonio Freeman, Cornell Brown, Jim Druckenmiller, Torian
Gray, Antonio Banks, Ace Custis, Maurice DeShazo, Corey Moore, Shayne Graham,
Andre Davis, Willie Pile, Ben Taylor, Pierson Prioleau, Michael Vick, Eric
Green, Vegas Robinson, Dwight Vick, Matt Lehr, John Engleberger, Ike Charlton,
Anthony Midget, Kevin Jones, Vincent Fuller, Bryan Randall, Lee Suggs, Ernest
Wilford, James Anderson, Darryl Tapp, DeAngleo Hall, Vince Hall, Xavier Adibi,
Jake Grove, Cedric Humes, Josh Hyman, David Clowney, Jeff King (NFL Tight End,
who also walked on to the men’s basketball team), Will Montgomery, Chris Ellis,
DJ Parker, Jimmy Williams, Roland Minor, Josh Morgan, Brandon Flowers, Justin
Hamilton, Aaron Rouse, Justin Harper, Victor Harris, Eddie Royal, Brandon Ore,
Ed Wang, Kenny Lewis, Jr., Stephan Virgil, Cody Grimm, Steven Friday, Barquell
Rivers, Jaymes Brooks, Jason Worilds, Marcus Davis, Tyrod Taylor, Dyrell
Roberts, Cris Hill, Eddie Whitley, Kam Chancellor, Danny Coale (yes, it was a
catch), Rock Carmichael, Josh Oglesby, Darren Evans, Ryan Williams, David
Wilson, James Gayle, Jayron Hosley, Davon Morgan, Prince Parker (who also
walked on to the men’s basketball team) Jarrett Boykin, Logan Thomas, Atone
Exum, DJ Coles, Malcolm Delaney, Kyle Fuller, JC Coleman, Luther Maddy, Zach
McCray – and I could go on for days.
Corey Moore had significantly less of an impact for the Buffalo Bills than fellow Hokie Bruce Smith. Suffice it to say, Bing provided no pictures of Moore as a Bill.
For NDSU, I
would say Phil Hansen (yes, you’re right, he’s awesome), Tyrone Braxton, Joe
Mays, DJ McNorton, Marcus Williams (such
a dynamic athlete at CB – has a chance to be NDSU’s best football player ever –
if he had a better jump shot, he’d be playing hoops at Wake Forest – his on the
ball defense is epic – he could be player of the year in FCS football this year
– I have no idea how he escaped from the Twin Cities – what was Minnesota Gopher
Recruiting Nation thinking?Their first
priority should be to have a “State of the Twin Cities”, like Howard
Schnellenberger had for the “State of Miami” – put a wall around the Twin
Cities and keep the best players in – thankfully, they let Marcus go to NDSU -
and beat them twice), Sam Ojuri (has such outstanding vision for a young
RB) – and a QB who is putting it all together, Brock Jensen.Oh yes, just so you know, NDSU is defeating
Colorado State on the road this year.I
look for NDSU to repeat as FCS champions.
Without his play to run down Lorenzo White on a screen play on 1/3/1993, the Buffalo Bills would not have completed their record comeback against the Houston Oilers. That play cemented him as one of my favorite Bills.
For North
Dakota, I would say Weston Dressler (who is with the Saskatchewan Roughriders
of the Canadian Football League).He is
a dynamic slot receiver who should be in the NFL today.I will say, too, that I’m huge college hockey
fan – and I follow the North Dakota team very closely.Pretty good collection of players here. Big fan of
Zach Parise, Jonathon Toews, and Travis Zajac.Phil Jackson, of course, is a North Dakota alumnus – I’m sure most of
your readers have heard of him – I guess he was Michael Jordan’s coach – and
coached Kobe Bryant at LA J
4.For the longest time, there were only two FBS
programs in Virginia - the Hokies and UVa. What is the general feeling of
fans of these schools about Old Dominion becoming the third FBS program in the
commonwealth?
I can’t
really speak for Virginia, but I think that Hokies fans would be very
supportive of the move.To maximize
athletic budgets, I think it’s important for Virginia Tech and Old Dominion to
play each other in football.We should
absolutely be keeping this money in the state.It is good for the Commonwealth of Virginia, as a whole, for the state’s
colleges to play against each other in athletics (e.g. football, men’s
basketball, if not all sports that field athletic teams).
And if you
get a ticket to the Virginia Tech game at Old Dominion, Joe, I’ll be asking to
go with you because this will surely be the most expensive football ticket in
the history of the Commonwealth haha.
5.What are your thoughts on ODU's quick rise from no
program to FBS in a matter of years? What do you see as
the different challenges the program will face to succeed at this higher
level?
I don’t like what conference alignment has done to the Colonial Athletic
Association (CAA), but I’m very old
school in that respect.I will not
only miss Old Dominion in the CAA for football, but their conference hoops
tourney is one of the best in country – and I will miss the Monarchs in that
event (even as someone who is not a CAA alum, I love the CAA hoops tourney –
every offensive and defensive possession in that tournament is played like it’s
the team’s last possession – fought so hard!!).The CAA, for the most part, is Virginia’s conference – and I think, has
much respect from the nation.Having
said that, what ODU has done from having no football program, to making the FCS
playoffs in a couple of years – and then transitioning to FBS football, is
nothing short of remarkable.There is
only one program that I know of that’s made similar sorts of jumps and that
would be South Florida – that’s pretty good company.
There are several challenges, including financial, attendance, and
recruiting challenges.First, of course,
the biggest challenge of moving from FCS to FBS is the money involved – this
will certainly apply to ODU – but it’s one that I think ODU is well equipped to
address.The big cost will be the
additional 22 football scholarships that ODU will have to fund.But, those aren’t the only expenses – there’s
also the added cost of extra coaches and support staff (like academic tutors) –
and then there are additional scholarships that have to be funded for women’s
sports for Title IX compliance.I figure
ODU needs to consistently raise an additional five million dollars per year
(and will go up in future years, due to inflation).ODU will meet this challenge because of an
extensive donor and alumni base.
Second,
there’s also the challenge of attendance, but ODU students, alumni, fans, and
friends of the university will absolutely fill those seats (ODU has niche here
because if its donors and alums don’t fill the seats, there’s also the greater
population base in the 757).Third,
football recruiting is always a challenge – the Monarchs might not pull in
consistent, highly-rated Rivals prospects, but they will pluck one away here
and there.There are many, many good
football players in the 757 that won’t play at Virginia Tech or Virginia – but will
play at ODU.ODU has a 757-recruiting
niche that other schools looking to make the move from FCS to FBS don’t have
(lots of good football being played in the 757).
Gratuitous Old Dominion football picture.
I thank @VaBeachRep for inviting me to participate in this Q&A!!
It was the first day of my
International Marketing class, a business elective I took my senior year at Old
Dominion.With a last name that starts
with “S,” I typically didn’t pay close attention to names that were read aloud
early in roll call.But one of the names
Dr. Ford announced early did indeed catch my attention when he spoke it:
“Marina Di Giacomo.”
Wait, what? Marina Di Giacomo
(pronounced “de-JOCK-eh-mo”)?THE Marina
Di Giacomo was in my class?
Looking back on things it of course
made sense, as she was an upperclassman like myself.It didn’t hurt that she hailed from Argentina
and was taking an international marking class.Nevertheless, your ears tend to perk up when
you hear the name of one of the greatest athletes to ever play in the Colonial
Athletic Association.
Let’s fastforward more than a
decade to the present day, at which point ODU has announced its plans to move
from the CAA to Conference USA effective July 1, 2013.The announcement brought out an unexpected
mix of reactions – it was not one of singularly “WE’RE GOING TO PLAY FBS
FOOTBALL!” (which, in full disclosure, was one of the reactions).It took some time to find the appropriate
angle from which to share my full thoughts on the move.
In this post I’ll share my
favorite memories of Old Dominion in the CAA (as well as those of some
esteemed fans other of schools).They
are basketball-centric since the Monarchs have only played three seasons of
football, none of which occurred when I was attending classes.This is the only way I can paint a picture of
whether I think ODU’s move to C-USA will be the right move or not.
So, what WILL decide whether the
change in conferences was correct or not?
Well…it’s all about Di
Giacomo.
*******************
I can remember watching a few
CAA conference tournament games in the early 90’s, when Odell Hodge was leading
the way for the Monarchs.This was in
the middle of Jim Kelly and the Buffalo Bills making four straight Super Bowls,
so my primary sport of choice was football.Still, my sister was a student at ODU at the time so I naturally
followed the basketball Monarchs.
Gratuitous Jim Kelly picture.
With that said, these are my
earliest memories of college basketball.
I simply didn't watch the sport until I was in high school. I’m doing as much of this post by memory as I can, intentionally not
searching online for specifics.It’ll
feel more authentic this way.
I can’t remember too many
specific games with Hodge.I just
remember seeing him make so many point-blank shots at the rim, wondering why he
wasn’t dunking like NBA players.The CAA
didn’t have anyone like him at the time (though I’m well aware that David
Robinson’s Navy teams preceded Hodge, they were out of the conference by Hodge’s
days in the 90’s).
Odell Hodge, one of Old Dominion's all-time greats.
The Kent Caluko shot
occurred, and while we won’t rehash the specifics of the shot, it was the shot
that made me hate James Madison more than any other CAA school.In present day I have a much better grip on the
deeper rivalry between Old Dominion and Virginia Commonwealth, but at that time
it made the Dukes Enemy #1.It helped
that this was they heyday for Lefty Drissell at JMU, and both teams were
annually battling for first place in the conference.
Now seems like an appropriate
time to get some input from Mat, the guy who operates VCURamnation.com.Serious fans of either school could go on for
hours about the rivalry and why they hate the other school.I have my own thoughts but don’t want to make
this post focus on any particular rival.
The only thought I will
share is that it’s appropriate that if one school were to leave the CAA, then
it’s better that the other one did as well.It adds another dimension to the rivalry – Rams fans can claim that they
got into a better basketball conference and didn’t get “left behind” without
the other.Monarch fans can claim that
they got into an FBS conference and didn’t get “left behind” without the
other.Win-win.
Here's Mat's perspective.
As a VCU fan, I'm very excited about my team's future in the Atlantic 10, a move I was very much in favor of, and as a basketball only school, a move I think my Rams had to make. With that said, I just CAN'T BELIEVE not only will WE not be in a conference with two of our biggest rivals in ODU and Mason, but NONE of the three will share a conference starting in 2013. After years of CAA domination and rivalry, that is numbing to me. Let's not kid ourselves though, those rivalries, while taking a hit in frequency, will live on. As a VCU fan who's watched our crosstown rivalry with UofR survive realignment, I'm confident these rivalries will remain intact for years to come, until who knows, perhaps we find ourselves sharing a conference once more (I'm talking to you in particular George Mason).
I also very much enjoy the thought of the solid (and sold out) OOC games we have now garunteed ourselves by these moves. I think these three really have a brotherly relationship of sorts, all be it the type of sibling rivalry that is dangerously close to unsafe. We hate each other, but we're quick to defend how tough each of us are as an opponent when we see one of the Mason/VCU/ODU trivalry squared up against a BCS foe. As far as memories are concerned, rivalries such as these are almost always responsible for your best and worst. No better feeling than knocking ODU or Mason out of the CAA tournament, no worse feeling than watching them beat you on your court, or perhaps worse than that...have to watch their fans storm the Coliseum floor to raise the CAA Championship trophy. Take this last season for example, got my heartbroken by a miracle three-point road buzzer beater at Mason, only to be vindicated weeks later as VCU jumped out to a 30-4 start in the conference semis at the CAA tournament. If there's one thing I'll miss most about George Mason, it's the near garunteed win come conference tourny time. They were usually good for a pass into the next round. Old Dominion? Not so much.
It's almost fitting that ODU and VCU left the CAA at the same time. With that, each teams fans are able to argue about who made the better conference switch, and how each other's program screwed up with how they went about it. Classic. In the state of Virginia, there's no better college hoops rivalry than VCU and ODU. The Rams hold a 45-42 all-time edge, but how beautiful is that? Just three games seperate the two...ALL TIME. That's a rivalry. I love exiting the CAA after having just won the CAA crown, but hate knowing our last two tournament matchups -- and three of our last four -- against the Monarchs, resulted in losses. On a positive note, I'll never forget the look on Gerald Leigh's face as Larry Sanders through down a monster jam in the 2009 tournament final, but I'll also never forget the two following seasons when Leigh's teammate Frank Hassell bullied the Rams to back-to-back crowns. I'll reflect positively on last season's road win in Norfolk, but never be able to erase the memory of Brian Henderson's late "heroics" in 2008. I'd say I'd miss the rivalry if I really thought it was going anywhere.
******************
Turning our focus back
chronologically to 1994, I thought at the time that ODU’s season was over
before it started – Hodge had injured his leg and would miss Petey Sessoms’
senior season.Furthermore, Oliver
Purnell left during the offseason for the head coaching job at Dayton.Insert a Player-of-the-Year season by Sessoms
and some fine point guardsmanship by freshman Brion Dunlap, and the Monarchs
had an incredible season.
After capturing the CAA’s
conference title, the Monarchs faced third-seeded (fourth-seeded?) Villanova in
the first round of the NCAA tournament.At this point in time (1995) the stars were aligning for me to attend
Old Dominion myself.My grades and SAT
scores were nothing to sneeze at, but my family situation prevented me from
looking outside the Hampton Roads area for college.I am thankful to have had ODU essentially in
my backyard.It didn’t help that they
offered a partial scholarship.
So despite only being a
junior in high school, I already considered myself a Monarch.Watching Sessoms put up 35 points in .a triple
overtime game was memorable, but moreso was his defense on Kerry Kittles.Playing three overtime periods took its toll
the following round, as ODU lost to Tulsa.(Old Dominion’s move to Conference USA ensures the chance for the Monarchs to exact
some revenge against this conference foe almost two decades later.)
Unfortunately this would be
the highlight of the Jeff Capel era.
The incoming class of
freshmen the following year would prove to be among the best Monarch classes to
date.The group included Skipper
Youngblood, Mike Byers, Mark Poag, Reggie Bassett and future NBA first round
pick Cal Bowdler.I honestly don’t
remember too much of their first couple seasons, as I was heavily involved in school
activities my senior year of high school and my first year of college.
While the team failed to make
the NCAA tournament my freshman year, they went back in the ’97-’98 season,
losing by four to New Mexico.The class’
junior year was a bit disappointing.Their performance supremely suffered towards the end of the season, and Capel had little
faith beyond the starting five.In the
game when they were eliminated from the CAA tournament, the starters seemingly
played literally the entire game and played exclusively zone defense.Byers went off for a ridiculous number of
points and hit what would’ve been a game-tying three-pointer had he gotten the
shot off a fraction of a second sooner.
I remember being excited for
the following season, though, because they were losing only Brion Dunlap and
had an exciting rising sophomore in Michael Williams.The lightning-quick, highly-recruited guard
admitted that he wouldn’t have considered attending ODU had they not won that
NCAA game against Villanova. (He was a high-level recruit for the CAA at the time, anyways.) He didn’t
have the college career expected of him, but after a year of getting his feet
wet, he was expected to perfectly complement the senior class.
This was the season I truly
started studying the game.I learned
that despite being among the team’s top scorers, Capel asked Byers to focus his
energy on defense.The guard accepted
this role, knowing that the offense would revolve around Bowdler.From all accounts before the season, the
near-seven-foot forward from Northern Virginia took his game several higher
levels during the offseason.Also
returning that season was Mark Poag, who had set a record earlier in his career
for most treys made in a single game without a miss (nine).Bassett never became the offensive force
Bowdler did, but by his senior season he was a defensive force in the paint.
Bowdler is the last Monarch to have been drafted by an NBA team.
New to the team were guards
LaVar Hemphill and Pierre Greene.The
former left after only a couple seasons, not being able to get the playing time
he felt he deserved.(This is my
recollection; truth may be different, as I was a fan watching from the
outside.)I enjoyed watching Greene play
over the years, as his on-and-off-the-ball defense was rivaled over time only by
Brandon Johnson, who we’ll discuss later on.
This Monarchs squad started
out something like 9-1, with the lone loss being to the UNC Tar Heels in some
early-season tournament sponsored by a bank.(Was it BB&T?)You could see
the confidence of this team was extraordinarly high, specifically Bowdler.He went head-to-head with Brendan Haywood and
won the individual battle, though not the game.The Tar Heels’ point guard Ed Cota drove the lane late in the game and
scored on a difficult layup for the deciding points.
A last-second layup by Ed Cota dashed ODU's upset bid against the Tar Heels.
This game served to be the
ultimate symbol of the season – it started out great as the Monarchs showed on
a national level that they could compete with a top-five program, but little
breakdowns (especially late) cost the team the victory.Poag was hitting from outside early, while
Bowdler put up more than 20 points in outplaying more-heralded UNC post
players.
Looking back there were a few
random highlights of that season.I’ll
never forget listening on the radio as the Monarchs struggled against
an inferior Central Connecticut team, needing a late three-pointer by Freddie Bryant to
take the lead and secure a victory.In
Blaine Taylor’s program, Bryant would struggle to get playing time except in blowouts, but he was there when ODU needed him in ’98-’99.The Monarchs’ second loss that season was at
George Washington.They were led by Shawnta
Rodgers, a 5’3” guard who was seemingly everywhere.If I recall he led his team in points and
rebounds that game…and several other games.
There was also a home game
against St. Joseph’s, an A-10 power at that time.The Monarchs would hold on for a narrow win
but the two things that stood out didn’t happen during the game.First, ODU’s mascot Big Blue tried to tackle
St. Joseph’s mascot during a timeout.The latter is “manned” by a student on scholarship who must flap his
wings from start to finish, every game – even during timeouts, halftime,
etc.The St. Joseph’s mascot took
exception to Big Blue’s actions, who probably didn’t know the significance of
the symbolism, and there was a brief scuffle.It was not Big Blue’s
finest hour.
The other thing I’ll never
forget about that game is the post-game commentary of their coach, Phil
Martelli.He was asked about the play of
Bowdler, and he was effusive in his praise.The jist of what he said was that Bowdler had NBA-talent and would
undoubtedly make the league.
St. Joseph's mascot, The Hawk, is no fan of Big Blue.
But what stands out most
about this season was not the Monarchs, but the team that beat them to win the
conference.I can’t recall the George
Mason Patriots being particularly relevant prior to the late 90’s, but the tide
turned with one specific player: George Evans.That Patriots team loved to press the ball, maybe not to the extent of
Nolan Richardson’s “40 minutes of hell” but it was certainly more than just a
casual press.
Mr. Evans joined the armed
services (I don’t remember which branch) right out of high school, coming back
to play four years of collegiate basketball for GMU.He was almost literally a man amongst boys.Back then I was ignorant about what was truly
important in life, and I couldn’t believe that this grown-up was allowed to
play against kids almost ten years his junior.
Now that I’ve got a better
grasp on what truly matters in life, and appreciate what Mr. Evans did for our
country, I can objectively look at what he did over his career and admire
it.He was a three-time CAA player of
the year and made his program relevant.Part of that was his physical maturity and years of armed services
training, but none of that creates the ability to put the ball in the basket.
Old Dominion hosted George
Mason late in the regular season, and my memory of watching it on TV was ODU’s
countless number of turnovers near halfcourt.Had ODU had a point guard of Dunlap’s caliber (he graduated following
the previous season), I think ODU could’ve handled the pressure and scored
enough in the half court to win.That
didn’t happen.Weeks later Old Dominion
also couldn’t get past GMU in the CAA tournament, and landed an NIT invitation.
The Monarchs hosted a
forgettable team in the first round, then traveled to play at Butler.I don’t recall his name but the Bulldogs were
led by a power forward who was 6’4”.I
thought for sure Bowdler would come in and dominate that game.Instead it was Butler’s forward who proved to
be the real force, and the Monarchs’ season ended against the Bulldogs (not for
the last time).
One aspect lost from that
season was the selflessness of Skipper Youngblood.He came in the same recruiting class as Bowdler et al, but he was
asked to sit out his fourth year for the health of the program.Capel didn’t have any other established post
player lining up for playing time, so he requested that Youngblood redshirt that year to play a fifth.Skipper may also have been aware that his playing time in ‘98/’99
would’ve been limited.Like a true
trooper, he put the good of the program ahead of himself and the success of a
25-win team.
Skipper Youngblood, playing at the Old Dominion Field House.
Unfortunately the next few
years of ODU basketball are forgettable, but some of the players stand
out.I was a student orientation
counselor for three years so I got to meet all the incoming classes of
freshmen.I’ll never forget how
impressive Ricardo Marsh, Rasheed Wright and Joe Principe were as people – 18
year olds with good heads on their shoulders.Principe was a 6’11” forward/center who was signed late in the recruiting
process.He only lasted a couple years
and didn’t get much playing time.I’ll
never forget the other students at orientation wanting me to stand back-to-back
with Joe.I’m generously listed at 5’7”,
so there were a few chuckles from the crowd impressed by the other Joe’s
height.
Advancing to the second round
of the NIT was no small feat for a CAA team back in the late 90’s.But none of Capel’s subsequent squads came
close to even that level of performance, finishing with losing records.Old Dominion’s administration was planning on
moving into a new basketball facility soon enough, and they felt the need to
change the direction of the program.They parted ways with Capel within days after ODU was eliminated from
the 2000-2001 CAA tournament.
There aren’t too many
positive memories from those last few years.Andre McCallum and Clifton Jones each transferred in and were eligible
to play beginning in ’98-’99 and remain two of my favorite players.McCallum was as athletic as anyone Blaine
Taylor has been able to recruit, though was forced to play out of position at
PF.Think of a shorter Nick Wright but with
ACC-level explosiveness to attack the rim (he DID transfer from NC State.)Meanwhile Jones had one of the best
all-around understandings of the game, with the matching skill set to do
everything on the court from the wing.He was a little slow to be a slasher from the wings but he could shoot,
distribute and rebound.
One of my other favorite
memories was the emergence of Heath Burris, from nearby Greenbriar Christian
Academy.I remember thinking it was
awesome that a walk-on fought his way to earn playing time for the Monarchs,
and he had a couple nights of lights-out shooting from deep to push ODU over
the top.(In hindsight, though, I
acknowledge that it says more about the level of scholarship players Capel
recruited that forced him to play an overachieving walk-on.)The final name that stands out is John
Waller, III.He was the pure-shooting,
instant offense Blaine Taylor’s teams could have used the last couple years.
A lot of fans were unhappy with
the former coach because of the results on the court, the level of the players
he was recruiting and his lack of salesmanship.While he didn’t win enough for my liking, I’ll give him credit because
of the type of people he brought in to play.Lost in college athletics is that kids are there to get an education and
to learn leadership skills, not to win at all costs.Players like Bowdler, Marsh and Greene made
me proud to have Capel as my team’s head coach for five of my five and a half
years as an undergrad/graduate student.
Jeff Capel will always have at least one fan from Old Dominion.
**********************************
The demise of ODU basketball
at that time coincided with the near-extinction of the CAA itself.At the time there were nine schools in the
conference, but three were soon to depart.American University left because it correctly predicted the increased level
of spending by other schools, and it didn’t want to compete with them.East Carolina had played FBS football (then
“D1”) as an independent most of its existence, but left to join Conference USA
as an all-sports member.
Richmond essential led the
rally to keep all other CAA teams together while swinging a backdoor deal to
depart for the A-10.When these
departures were announced (all were effective following the 2000-2001 season),
the presidents of the remaining schools voted the bar the three schools
from competing in the postseason tournaments.I can remember listening to Tony Mercurio on ESPN Radio 1310 at the time
and thinking, “The CAA’s falling apart and ODU’s in trouble.”
(My other thought when
listening to Mercurio was always, “How does this guy have a job when he
belittles callers and adds nothing positive about local teams?”But thankfully moving to Baltimore after
graduation alleviated that second problem.)
Back on point: those
departing schools were hurting the conference, and they deserve whatever they
get.I didn’t have problems with ECU or
AU leaving, because they were upfront about their intentions.It was how Richmond left that got me a little
riled up.The presidents of the
remaining schools voted to exclude the departing schools from partaking in the
CAA hoops tournament, and I felt it was justified.My personal feelings a decade ago are the
reason I can’t get upset with presidents of current CAA schools doing the same
to Old Dominion when it left.That topic
could get a post until itself, but I’ll let sleeping dogs lie.
I believe at the time (and
this may remain true), a basketball conference needed at least five member
schools to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.The CAA had six, but who was to say that those
six members would stay with each other beyond that season?
The CAA was in serious jeopardy.
Personal note: I started
graduate school the fall of 2000.I had
four classes in the spring 2001 semester, with classes on four consecutive
nights.Then that summer I started studying
for the CPA exam, which I didn’t take until November 2001.I share this so you understand how
preoccupied with real life matters I was during this CAA crisis.
At some point, the CAA
announced that it was taking four teams from the America East Conference: Towson,
Drexel, Hofstra and Delaware.I was
familiar with Hofstra and Delaware because of their basketball success at that
time.I knew Hofstra as the Dutch and
could remember them hosting Delaware for the AE title on ESPN(2?) one year.
Frankly I can’t say that I
had ever heard of Towson or Drexel prior to this, but I wasn’t as big a college
basketball fan at the time as I eventually became.Thankfully Towson joined the CAA within
months before I moved to Baltimore, although I was surprised at how little the
local media covered the Tigers.
Regardless, the CAA was
saved, and that was good enough for me at that point in my life.The same couldn’t be said about the Monarchs,
though.As mentioned above, ODU had
planned on building a state-of-the-art facility that would be basketball’s new
home.The name would bare that of Ted
Constant, the same man for whom the College of Business and Public
Administration building was named.But
they needed a change of pace for the program.They needed someone who knew and could coach basketball as well as
Caple, but who was better at reaching out to the community (i.e., deep
pockets).That man turned out to be
Blaine Taylor, a former assistant from Stanford.All I knew about him was that he was an
assistant coach at a school with significant NCAA tournament success at that
time.
Blaine Taylor had heading coaching experience at Montana prior to his years as an assistant coach at Stanford.
Taylor had one more season of
coaching at the old field house before Constant was open.If I recall he coached one game at the
Norfolk Scope, and hated it so much that he shifted full-time to the field
house.It’s at this point in my life
that I moved to Baltimore, and unfortunately I couldn’t experience the
transformation of Monarch basketball in person the same way that I experienced
its decline.I followed from afar and
made only one or two games per season, due to traveling demands at work.
However, while I myself may
not have seen much action at the Constant Center, one of the most esteemed fans
of Northeastern basketball was kind enough to share his thoughts.Northeastern and Georgia State univerisities
joined the CAA beginning in the 2005 season.I knew of the former from Reggie Lewis, and I knew the latter from Left
Drissell.Previously the CAA’s physical
footprint was from Wilmington to Long Island, with half of its ten members in
Virginia.Adding NU and GSU expanded
that from Atlanta to Boston.
Mike Brodsky of Northeastern
was kind enough to share some of his favorite Northeastern moments in the CAA
with us, and are presented below.
My ODU memory – first time at the Ted, January 2011. ODU is leading NU about 26-9. Gene Spates hits a hail Mary 3 to cut the lead to 12. We go on an amazing run and silence the Ted. It was part of a run where NU beat ODU and VCU in the same week in Virginia, and we beat Mason at home earlier that week. After the game, the ODU President (An NU Alum) comes down to the locker room to talk to our team. Total Class. Here’s the details of the game…
I was there with a fellow NU alum, and Chase Allen’s aunt. I think we were the only 3 NU fans in the Ted that night. We were sitting near some obnoxious rednecks who were calling NU a hockey school all game. I usually don’t say anything to opposing fans, but as the game wound down he and his family left early and I said to him “Cletus, where you going? Having a party with your uncle-brother or something?” He said “NU Sucks” I said “I guess they didn’t teach you math at ODU, 50 is greater than 40.” He said “I didn’t go to ODU.” I said “I could never tell.”
***********************
The things I was juggling as
a young professional took precedent over being as devoted to ODU basketball
from afar as I could have when I was a poor student near campus.There was nothing memorable about Taylor’s first
couple teams, although I remember a young forward/center scoring 48 points
against Charlotte.That player, Alex
Loughton, would be the key player to bring the Monarchs back to prominence in
the CAA.
Before we get there we must
pay homage to one of the best four-year runs of play within the CAA, courtesy
of Brent Blizzard and the UNCW Seahawks.His squad reached the tournament final all four years, with the lone
loss being a 37-35 painful display of basketball against George Mason.Blizzard had one of the most decorated
careers as any player in the CAA, and how he ended up NOT making the NBA is
beyond me.I feel even worse for him
that his career ended on a last-second three-pointer by Maryland, which was
even worse considering how many Terp fans I now knew.It’s all they showed on local TV for
weeks.I just remember thinking how far
that team could’ve gone had that last shot not gone in.
The second season after
Wimington lost in that 2003 NCAA tournament, it was Old Dominion’s time to
rise.Recruiting his own talent,
Taylor’s records went on the following upward trajectory: 13-16, 12-15,
17-12.Then in 2004-2005, Taylor’s team
had a local talent in senior Kiah Thomas on top of Loughton, Isaiah Hunter and
Drew Williamson.The Monarchs went 25-5
during the regular season, then defeated Virginia Commonwealth in overtime of
the CAA final.
That Monarch squad probably
had a good enough resume to receive an at-large bid had they not beaten the
Rams, but thankfully we never needed to know.Old Dominion drew Michigan State in the opening round and went
toe-to-toe with them, eventually losing by eight or nine points.Loughton did his share with more than 20
points and ten rebounds (again, I’m going by memory as much as I can for this
story).
And then…the magical
2005-2006 season happened.If your
Twitter handle involves the words “defiantly” and “dutch,” you may want to skip
the next few paragraphs.
The Monarchs were the
preseason favorite as they brought back the one-two senior punch of Loughton
and Hunter, and the only player they lost to graduation was Thomas.But the team struggled to maintain the
success it experienced in 2004-2005, and they had to “settle” for an NIT
run.(More on that in a bit.)
It would be an injustice to
not touch on the 2005-2006 seasons of UNCW, George Mason and Hofstra.Wilmington won the CAA tournament (the last
time a non-VA school won the title), beating a Hofstra team in the finals
that had defeated GMU in the semi-finals.The quality of the CAA at this point was its highest to date, and is
only surpassed by the ’10-’11 season.There was room in the NCAA tournament for all three of these teams.Unfortunately, only two made it (UNCW and
at-large GMU) while Hofstra was relegated to the NIT with ODU.
Let me be the 10,000,000th person to make the joke, "Hofstra getting snubbed from the NCAA tournament was a punch in the nuts."
Here’s what I remember.George Mason entered the endearing ESPN
bracket buster weekend with a solid resume and eeked out a three-point win on
the road against a phenomenal Wichita State team. The Shockers themseves made the Sweet Sixteen that year. Following that
weekend the Patriots obtained a top 25 ranking in one of the two national polls, then
lost their next game at Hofstra by double digits.Less than two full weeks later the Patriots
lost to Hofstra in the CAA tournament.
I won’t argue that Mason did
or did not belong in the NCAA tournament.Personally I think they did.But
Hofstra finished the regular season with more than 20 wins, a great RPI and two
wins against GMU.They also belonged
in.What makes it worse for Hofstra fans
is the subsequent Final Four march that George Mason engineered.
In their own first round
game, the Seahawks jumped out to a lead of nearly 20 points against George
Washington.They would surrender that
lead and eventually lose the game.Sadly
this was the last highlight UNCW has experienced in basketball.From 1994 through 2002 Jerry Wainwright led
the team to a 136-103 record (57%), including two NCAA trips and an NIT
appearance his last three years.Wainwright’s replace, Brad Brownell, went 83-40 (67%) in the next four
years with two NCAA appearances in that stretch.Since they bumbled contract discussions with
Brownell, their head coaches have gone 66-119 (36%).In four of these six seasons, the team had
won ten games or less (including two seasons of seven wins).
(Note: I did research those
records, because I needed to display specifically how far UNCW has fallen.)
I always appreciated
Wainwright’s teams.He and Coach Capel
were personal friends, and the latter always spoke highly of the former.The Seahawks always played tough defense for
40 minutes under Wainwright.Brownell
continued Wainwright’s success.To see a
program with proven winners that I grew to respect fall on such hard times has
been difficult for this CAA fan.If your
team can’t win a regular season or a tournament, it’s at least a little less
difficult to endure when you lose to a program you respect.It’s been hard watching UNCW fall on such
hard times, which we won’t further chronicle here.A quick Google search or reading the CAAZone
boards will get you all the background you’ll need.
These were happier times for the good fans of UNCW.
While Hofstra didn’t suffer
long-term like UNCW has following 2005-2006, that doesn’t mean its postseason
that year was any easier.Loren Stokes
was one of the smoothest players I can remember watching.He played without showing any sense of
effort.I remember teammates Antoine
Agudio and Carlos Rivera being really good players, but Stokes just stood
out.If I could draft players from other
schools I would’ve wanted on ODU, Hofstra’s top two were Charles Jenkins and
Stokes (in that order).
But with things as they
were, Hofstra ended up playing in the NIT.I know they won at least two games because they ended up hosting Old
Dominion, who had won three games to reach the NIT’s elite eight.There are two things I remember about the
Monarchs’ win: my best friend came over to watch the game with my roommate and
me, and Isaiah Hunter seemingly couldn’t miss in the second half.It was among the most impressive offensive
performance by a Monarch I can remember (at least the second half).
Loren Stokes, my favorite Hofstra Dutchman other than Charles Jenkins.
Fans of opposing CAA schools
have reasons to despise coaches and players of other schools.I find it hard to despise players because
they’re young men still trying to figure out the world.As for coaches, I can’t think of anyone in
the CAA who genuinely rubbed me the wrong way.Coach L pissed off some ODU fans for supposedly cheering in the open
when NU knocked off the Monarchs in the CAA tournament.I didn’t see it so I can’t hold that against
him.What I did see and hear, though,
was him giving ODU attention when he could’ve talked 100% George Mason.
Coach L lost some fans leaving GMU for Miami, but...actually, I got nothing.
Following Old Dominion’s win
over Hofstra, they lost in the NIT semifinal pretty badly to Michigan (?).Arnaud Dahi blew out a knee, Loughton’s
season-long injuries caught up to him and Hunter just couldn’t make shots.So ended the career of Alex Loughton, who
finished in the top ten among Monarchs in both scoring and rebounds.Hunter himself remains in the top 20 of all-time ODU
scorers.
********************************
Having graduated Taylor’s two
best players at that time, I assumed Old Dominion would take a step back in the
CAA following its NIT run.Little did I
know that the ’06-’07 would be even better than what Loughton and Hunter
provided the prior year.
As high as my expectations were for the 2005-2006 season, my
expectations for 2006-2007 were conversely as low.The team graduated its two best players since
Cal Bowdler in the late 90’s, and I didn’t know what to expect with an injured
Dahi coming back.But this was the
season that I began to understand how good a program Blaine Taylor was developing.
On a Sunday afternoon during November, I was watching
football at the house when I changed the channel to ESPN.On the ticker at the bottom, I was pretty
sure I had misread that ODU defeated Georgetown University.With it being a Sunday I had to wait for
the scroll to get through all NFL scores again before I could re-read that
statement.
Sam Harris alert!
It turns out that I read it right the first time.Georgetown had started that season in the top
10 and had yet to lose, while ODU traveled to play them at their on-campus
facility.Sam Harris had more than his
share of blocks and rebounds, while the Monarchs had hit their 3’s.That was a pretty good combination that
resulted in a “W.”
There weren’t too many other games that stood out until the
team ripped off ten consecutive wins during conference play.Things started coming together for the team
when Brandon Johnson learned how to play on the court at the same time with
Drew Williams.Both were point guards
and Johnson needed to adjust to not being the primary ball handler.(This has been a staple of Old Dominion –
generally unspectacular results during non-conference play while the players figure out their new
roles, then taking off in late-January once players understand how their skills
fit together as a team.)
What helped the backcourt was the emergence of Valdas
Vasylius.A Lithuanian who attended
nearby Norfolk Collegiate High School, “VV” was sort of a wrecking ball his
first three years – a bruising power forward who carried the proverbial “you’d
hate him unless he was on your team, then you’d love him” mantel.Nothing he did the previous three seasons
made me think he had First Team All-CAA talent.Simply put, he was a fouling machine who excelled at clogging the middle,
defending and rebounding.
Vasylius blossomed as a senior, earning First Team All-CAA honors.
But a light in his head apparently turned on his senior
season and he carried the Monarchs to a 24-8 regular season.My favorite game was a February night at home
against Towson.My boss let me go home
early for my birthday, which I spent with friends watching ODU on TV.Vasylius just ripped the Tigers apart inside,
scoring upwards of 30 points.It was
like he had learned the line between playing physical ball and mauling your
opponent overnight.
The next thing I remember was ODU’s CAA quarterfinal game
against that same Towson team.Future
San Antonio Spur Gary Neal kept his Tigers unfathomably close, and had it not
been for Brian Henderson’s randomly assertive shooting, the Monarchs would’ve
lost.Had they lost to that Towson team,
Old Dominion wouldn’t have received an at-large bid, which they needed after
losing to GMU in the semi-final round.
For whatever reason I wasn’t overly concerned about ODU
getting an at-large bid.All the
“experts” I read and heard thought their play over the final third of the
season coupled with the road win over ranked-GU was enough.But what about Drexel?They had seemingly beaten everyone out of
conference (in both road and neutral venues), finishing fourth in the standings
with a 23-8 record.Man, that team had
some talent – Bashir Mason, Frank Elegar, and Chaz Crawford formed quite a
trio.
Elegar (left) sums up the thoughts of Drexel fans after being denied an NCAA at-large berth.
But it wasn’t meant to be.We found out during the announcement of the very first bracket that the
Monarchs got an at-large bid, and waited painfully for Drexel’s name to be
called…to no avail.The Dragons received
a pretty high seed in the NIT but lost at home in the first round to an ACC
team (NC State?).I don’t know how much
this played into the committee’s decision, but ODU beat Drexel both times
during the regular season.If this was a
criterion to pick one team over the other, why didn’t the selection committee
take Hofstra over George Mason the prior season?Was there a two-invitation cap the committee
placed on the CAA at the time?
I was able to take off work the middle of the day to watch
the Monarchs battle their first round opponents, the Butler Bulldogs.Old Dominion raced out to a “blistering”
20-19 lead at halftime, but wound up losing by about ten points.The team (or at least specific individuals
that I won’t name) just looked out of sorts, although they got an inspired
performance from a freshman forward by the name of Gerald Lee.The young man from Finland provided ten
points and rebounds apiece, but it wasn’t enough to jump-start the entire team.
So what was so special about this season?The at-large berth by itself in a vacuum is a
sufficient point of pride.That it was
earned following a season where expectations weren’t met is a bonus.But the key was the discovery that there was
now a program in place.Coach Taylor
graduated his two best players but didn’t miss a beat thanks to strong performances
by Vasylius and Williamson.Williamson
was a contributor from his freshman year, but the improvement in Vasylius’ game
was eye-opening.Did ODU have a head
coach teaching his kids in a system so that by the time they’re called upon as
upperclassmen, they execute his style of play?
I cannot overstate how important this season was, though it
doesn’t seem as memorable to other Monarch fans.It’s all about how you interpret things.
********************************
The team did suffer the drop off in ‘07/’08 that I expected
the previous season.Brandon Johnson’s
play couldn’t overcome the loss of Williamson’s court presence, and while Lee
led the team in scoring and rebounding, he wasn’t assertive enough as a
sophomore to lead yet.The season ended
with a loss at UVA in the CBI tournament.Johnson, who won CAA Defensive POY, proved to be Taylor’s best defender
to date, and was even better than the aforementioned Pierre Greene.
Lee would mature into a CAA Tournament MVP, but he wasn't quite ready to lead as a sophomore.
(Quick note – the team’s 18-16 record that season was the first
time in four years the team failed to win at least 20 games.In the four years since then, the team has
averaged more than 25 wins per season.That is one more stat I admit to researching for this post.)
The next few years were a build-up to an amazing 2010/2011
season.The ’08/’09 season rivaled the
‘06/’07 season in terms of my enjoyment in following the team grow.We’ll pick up with the last regular season
game.On that Saturday I visited a
friend in Harrisburg.For dinner we went
to Hooters because we figured it was the only place that would’ve shown a
random ODU-Northeastern game on Comcast.We also like their food.Wink.
Larry Middleman: "Did you SAY 'wink,' or DID you wink?"
Michael Bluth: "He said that too, Dad."
There was an artificial point of pride on the line for the
team this game, or at least for the fans.Since the CAA expanded to twelve teams, the top four teams at the end of
the season were given first round byes.The other eight teams played that Friday.Since that format was introduced, the
Monarchs had always finished the regular season among the top four seeds, thus
never having to play on “Pillow Fight Friday.”
Entering this game in Boston, fourth place was on the
line.Northeastern was going to be a
top-four seed no matter what, but another team held a tie-breaker for fourth
place over Old Dominion should the Monarchs lose.I think maybe one team (ECU?) is the only CAA
team to have won four games to win the CAA tournament, so getting that bye is
somewhat important.A win meant a
top-four seed; a loss meant an introduction to Friday of the CAA tournament.
The game was close throughout, and I don’t recall either
team having a significant lead.The
Huskies were leading by three points with only a few seconds to go in the game,
but ODU had the final possession.Following a timeout, senior Jonathan Adams took a pass near the top of
the key, squared up, and drained a three-pointer to force overtime.I don’t remember much about overtime other
than the Monarchs winning, but that one shot is something I’ll never forget.
Similar to the previous discussion of Vasylius, it showed
the ability of Taylor’s seniors to assert themselves when needed most.Adams was the lone senior in his class, and
he hit at least two game-winning shots that year (against Charlotte and William
and Mary).He never put up the
statistics that Monarch fans expected, but he was a smart player who could do
everything to help a team win.It will
be that one shot at the end of regulation by which I’ll remember Mr. Adams, who
was a multiple CAA All-Academic selection and once a CAA basketball scholar of
the year.
But the story of the ‘08/’09 season was the postseason run
in the CIT.A new tournament introduced
that year, the College Insider Tournament seems to be aimed at mid-major
schools that failed to make the NCAA or the NIT tournaments.Initially I scoffed at the idea of ODU
playing in another tournament like it did the prior year, but after they won
their first two games, I liked the idea of it.
Before Hassell took the Monarchs to the NCAA's against Notre Dame and Baylor, he had to pay his dues in the CIT.
It was giving the team additional experience.Redshirt sophomore Frank Hassell carried the
team to the CIT title, earning tournament MVP honors along the way.It was refreshing to see him assert himself
like a veteran after (understandably) playing like a sophomore earlier in the
season.A consultant who was doing work
for us needed someone to watch the NCAA tournament with, so we went to Buffalo
Wild Wings.He couldn’t understand how I
could be excited about ODU winning a tournament that “no one cares about.”But I saw a team with only one senior, a
junior forward who made First Team All-CAA, and a redshirt sophomore showing
immense progression at the end of the season.
In other words, I saw potential in the future.
****************************
The CAA could muster just one team to the NCAA tournament
(via the automatic bid) since sending two following the 2007 season.George Mason was still getting decent
publicity, especially when the media would ask, “Who’s this year’s George
Mason?”It was good for that school and
in general the CAA, but no teams were strong enough in the conference to earn
at-large bids since ODU’s in 2007.
But teams would begin raising their play drastically in
‘09/’10.Four teams (ODU, VCU, William
and Mary and Northeastern) all won at least 20.
While the number of wins was nothing new, the quality of the teams had improved. The Rams themselves won the CBI tournament in Shaka Smart’s first year as
head coach.The Huskies and Tribe would
both earn bids to the NIT, though they were both robbed in the seeds they
earned (and were NCAA-caliber despite both getting snubbed).
But that season came down to the final weekend and CAA
tournament in my mind.Old Dominion lost
its lone game to NU that season, and thus Bill Coen’s squad had the
tie-breaker.The Monarchs hosted the
Rams in the regular season finale.I
don’t recall exact statistics but Gerald Lee outperformed future NBA first
round pick Larry Sanders, who simply didn’t look interested in playing college
ball anymore.
Lee outplayed Sanders twice in a matter of days.
As an ODU alum it may sound as if I’m taking a shot at a VCU
player, but that’s as objective an assessment as I’ll ever give.Generally I don’t take shots at people in
sports, unless it’s Dan Marino.So I am
being genuine when I recall that Larry Sanders looked unfocused and completely
uninterested in playing basketball that day.Old Dominion held on for a three-point win after hitting late free
throws, and their first regular season title since 2005 was theirs.
After trouncing Towson in the quarters of the tournament
next week, Sanders would have another shot at taking down the Monarchs.Aided by the home town advantage of playing
five miles from their campus, the Rams held a double-digit lead with a dozen
minutes to go.But at that point Coach
Taylor instituted a zone defense and VCU suddenly had no offensive flow.Again, a senior (Marsharee Neely) hit a big
three out of a timeout to jumpstart the team’s offense.
In classic fashion between the CAA’s biggest rivals, the
game would go to overtime.The teams
punched and jabbed at each other until the defining play of the game occurred. Someone passed the ball to Ben Finney on the
wing.A Ram jumped the passing lane and
nearly nabbed the ball, but it eluded him and landed in Finney’s hands.The forward squared up and nailed a trey to
give Old Dominion a lead it would not relinquish.
I’m not going to give that moment or game justice by writing about
it.Just watch the video.I cannot remember another sequence in
basketball that made me jump out of my seat like that. (I also can't believe Finney's play isn't included in the highlights. SOUTHERN BIAS! ...oh wait...)
With the semifinals win, the Monarchs had a 25-8 record and
effectively punched a ticket to the NCAA tournament, regardless of whether they
would defeat William and Mary in the final round.I met two friends at a TGI Friday’s to watch
that final round with me.Honestly I
felt emotionally hung over from the win against VCU, with the feeling that ODU
was in the tournament regardless.I was
thankful Northeastern lost to the Tribe, as Bill Coen’s squad had the backcourt
and enough defensive grit to outlast Old Dominion.Matt Janning and Chaisson Allen were
phenomenal together.
William and Mary played exceptionally tough, never letting
the game get out of hand, but the Monarchs came away with the win.I don’t recall Lee having that big of a game,
but Finney and others kept hitting their 3’s.Who doesn’t remember ESPN cutting to UCONN’s women basketball at the end
of the first half, just to show the Lady Huskies break the all-time winning
streak?
That Old Dominion would defeat Notre Dame in the first round
of the tournament and had Baylor on the ropes until late is important, but not
the story.For me the season was further
validation that Coach Taylor had built a program.The seeds for this season were planted in the
‘08/’09 CIT tournament championship.The
end result of making the round of 32 was a nice destination, but the journey
made it worthwhile.
*******************************
The 2010/2011 season is still fresh enough in the reader’s
mind that we’ll skim past many specifics.But there are a couple highlights to discuss, the first of which was
going to see the Monarchs play at Towson.Thanks to a half court three at the end of the first half, the Tigers
either tied the game or took a small lead over ODU.Mind you, this is the same Towson team that
would go on to lose every conference game…plus one very special wintercoat.The Monarchs struggled to win by
four.The lesson – don’t take any
opponents likely.
In summary: the Pat Kennedy era at Towson.
Later in January I drove to Hofstra at the invitation of one
Defiantly Dutch fan.It was the lone
regular season matchup between Hofstra and ODU, and had big implications on
standings at season’s end.I’ve shared
this story before, and you can read about me meeting him and Gary Moore here.The Monarchs won the game but
Jerry and his wife still took me to Wayne Chrebet’s place afterwards.And they didn’t poison my food!Also, it was the only time I got to see
Charles Jenkins in person.What a
player.
The final memory of that season was Senior Night.I got goosebumps watching Hassell, Finney,
Keyon Carter and Darius James get introduced at home for the last time.As good as the Bowdler/Bassett/Poag/Byers
quartet was, they were surpassed by this group of seniors.I can’t think of a senior class at Old
Dominion that was beloved as a whole as that group of guys.
And that makes their loss in the NCAA tournament to dreaded Butler
that much harder.As fans we never want
to see our team’s season end with a loss…but losing on a last-second putback in
the first round?I physically ached a
couple days for those guys.They were a
part of the second wave of ODU’s revival under Blaine Taylor.The first wave was Loughton’s junior and
senior seasons (making the NCAA tournament, then the NIT Final Four).This second wave (consecutive CAA tournament
titles, winning 27 games each of those years) just seemed more personal because
of the people involved.
Hassell and James, two cornerstones of Old Dominion's recent success.
But this wasn’t just a landmark year for the Monarchs; it
was the first time the CAA sent three teams to the NCAA tournament.Old Dominion beat Virginia Commonwealth in
the tournament final, but VCU and George Mason both got at-large bids.The former won its first round game while the
latter made it to the Final Four.
I feel bad for Drexel’s coach, Bruiser Flint, for how
incompetent the refs were in the quarterfinal game that his team lost.It was this game that brought me over to the
dark side of believing the “southern bias” conspiracy theory.
This past season was a bit different for me, in that I
covered games as a member of the media.I shared that story (you can read it here) so I won’t rehash it.The one thing I must repeat, though, is how
amazing all the SID’s were for each school.I was writing for a website but they treated me like a peer to professional
writers whose work I’ve read for years.
*****************************
So there are my thoughts and memories on Old Dominion
basketball.Hopefully it was somewhat
enjoyable, although I think if you’ve made it this far then it couldn’t have
been too bad.
But I started this post by talking about the school’s move
from the CAA to Conference USA.Hopefully the reader understands the pride I’ve taken in ODU, but I’ve
genuinely wanted the best for the conference as well.Since the move was announced on May 17, I’ve
been taken over by cognitive dissonance.Football, the sport I grew up watching, has been successful at ODU and
is the reason the move is happening.But
the CAA and its members are the only college rivals I’ve grown up caring about.
Gratuitous ODU football picture.
On the one hand, the CAA offers quality football with
natural rivals in close proximity.On
the other hand, Conference USA offers more media exposure, which has already
assisted in recruiting and fundraising.There are countless other pros and cons to list for both sides.That’s not what I want to discuss here.
My initial question revolved around whether this is a good
or bad move for Old Dominion, and my response is that it’s all about Di
Giacomo.This is somewhat of an abstract
response because the question itself can be addressed along multiple
metrics.How do you define “success” in
college athletics?Is it winning?Is it fundraising?Is it raising public awareness of your
institution?
I use Di Giacomo as an example of my metric.She graduated as literally the most prolific field hockey player in NCAA history, accounting for a record-414 points while
finishing her career second in goals scored (167).She won the CAA POY all four years of her
career and led the Lady Monarchs to two national titles, including her senior
year.
Di Giacomo in action.
But it’s not the winning or individual accomplishments that
impressed me.It was how she handled
herself in class and on campus.The few
times I interacted with her, she was courteous and respectful.She treated everyone in the classroom in such
a way.You would never know that she was
the best in the world at what she did outside the classroom.What’s impressive to me about her (in order)
is that (1) she graduated, (2) the manner in which she conducted herself, and
(3) her accomplishments on the field.
So in judging whether the move to Conference USA is good, I
ask myself this – will there be more Marina Di Giacomo’s?Or will Old Dominion start recruiting kids
who don’t graduate and aren’t good ambassadors for the school?In general, will Old Dominion continue to
recruit and graduate non-student-athletes like myself, who take pride in their school and are
thankful for the opportunities it provides?
I question the extent to which the well-being of the
students has been considered when conference changes have occurred.For all I know, every change was made with
the students prominent in the minds of presidents and athletic department
personnel.But what I DID hear is how
much money each school will get from conference TV deals and what this means in
terms of prestige.
This is a metric I personally may never get to observe.As I’m no longer a student, I can’t just go
on campus and interact with student athletes without being creepy.I believe Old Dominion sports will be fine in
the long run; the athletic department has operated on a solid foundation for
decades, and Hampton Roads has genuinely support the big-time sports since the
Ted was completed and football started up.
In fact, here are the words of Ben Moore and the rest of the team at PantherTalk.com. Ben is a native of Hampton Roads so he's seen the evolution of ODU athletics from a different perspective than a graduate like myeslf.
-Favorite GSU vs. ODU memories: Comparing our athletic departments and athletic achievements. ODU sets the standard. A big shout out to ODU for doing everything right.
-It hasn't been good. Since joining the CAA, we're 0-2 in football and 1-10 in men's basketball (lone victory was a 55-54 win in 2009 in the Rod Barnes Era).
-Georgia State resident wild man Preston Stancil going back and forth with ODU basketball star Kent Bazemore.
-"ODU > GSU. In everything. We want to be them.
-Nothing but respect and admiration from the Panther Family to Old Dominion. And personally, as a Hampton born, Virginia Beach bred sports fan, I'm really happy for the Monarchs success.
But will Old Dominion University continue to attract,
educate and graduate individuals like Di Giacomo?If not, then I’ll get a little less enjoyment
out of ODU sports.But if it does, then
the move to Conference USA is a success.
