hello, odac fan and virginia wesleyan alumnus here...

i live in raleigh, nc so i was fortunate enough to be at the games last night. not just as an odac fan but a fan of d3 college basketball all around. very entertaining.

didn't realize whitworth travelled from washington state to greensboro. you represented your school very well last night. i really enjoyed whitworths physical play. it really seemed to bother mennonite whenever they tried to dribble the ball in the paint #44 and some of your other big men were right there to steal the ball or block passing lanes. you almost had it at the end there...a play or two away from winning against an athletic emu team is not something to be ashamed of.

just wanted to say congrats on the season and good luck in the future.

ODAC representin' congrats to all three odac teams who are still dancing and to think maybe a few more plays the other way we might have had two odac matchups tonight.

got to see the emu/whitworth game...whitworth was very physical by ultimately emu's quickness and athleticism were too much to handle, although they almost blew a 5 pt lead with under 1 minute left. emu will definitely have to take better care of the ball tonight.

the guilford/wooster game was very entertaining...when guilford went on that 12-0 run to start the game i thought it was gonna be a long night for wooster. but wooster showed some fight...although they looked pretty much like the exact same team i saw in the final four a few years ago. tyler sanborn is definitely a beast down low.

you'll have a marlin fan in the crowd supporting the ODAC again tonight and looking forward to it. not exactly sure who i'm pulling for more tonight, wouldn't mind seeing emu's cinderella story continue but also would love to see guilford back in the final four and maybe win it this time. Good luck to both teams. See you all there, I'll be the one in neutral colors.

Congrats to the Guilford Quakers, now the lone ODAC team in the dance for driving a stake thru the heart of Transylvania. Any Quaker fans that were there what did you see involving the controversial call at the end of regulation that sent Trans. to the line to send it to ot?

Well, good luck tomorrow against Averett. Averett vs Guilford should be an entertaining game. Always fun to see ODAC vs USA South.

As for the vwc game i listened to the broadcast...sounded like a well called and played game by both teams. I think the ultimate downfall of vwc was missed free throws and wideners full court man pressure i think wore the marlins out some. I think Charles Jones had 27/28 pts. But vwc doesn't have anything to be ashamed of. I think they grew up a lot in the last week and hopefully they can take that experience of at least getting a little taste of march basketball into next season.

So go get 'em Guilford. If some how some way they get a regional game at ragan brown i will try to be there, with me being about an hour 1/2  away in raleigh.

First of all i want to say i've enjoyed all the comments (even the negative ones) and i respect each and every one of you and your opinions as i have for the six years i've followed this discussion board while not commenting often but throwing in a few posts here and there. i haven't posted much because i feel if i'm gonna post something i want it to be worth saying and two i don't want to repeat anything others have said.
Second, obviously this conversation has slanted towards the reputation of vwc. I would guess that because what happened at the odac tournament. In other words if vwc gets beat by macon in the quarters which would have maintained the order of the odac with guilford and rmc going to the tournament, if that happens then we're probably not having this conversation.

But since we are having this conversation...as late as this may be coming as a former VWC student and while not an oncourt member but still a member nonetheless of the basketball team i will publically apologize to fellow odac representatives of this board and admit that yes the antics of the marlin team on the court if there all true are unacceptable and unsportsmanlike...i will say i haven't really seen some the things an earlier post was describing due to my lack of attention span or didn't happen exactly like described. The only ones i will vouch for were the jersey worn by a former player (doino-if you're not going to say his name i will) i don't know why he wore it, it could probably be viewed as unprofessional but i didn't really understand a lot things doino did but he was fun to watch. to this day i haven't seen many players play with that much raw emotion.  And the other being the 07 NCAA Championship where the marlin team didn't get up and shake the Amherst teams' hand. I agree that was pathetic and made me feel embarrassed to be a fan and alumnus of vwc.
Now the sydney game on saturday night i know got pretty chippy and i'm sorry as a vwc fan about that too. Other than the technical fouls i enjoyed that game very much and have utmost respect for hsc and their program. Again maybe b/c of my lack attention span i didn't see meyers actions but Hamiliton if you say he did i'm sorry about that the only thing i can say about it is meyers is a freshman and chalk his actions up to foolish youthful exuberance maybe he'll mature more in the next three years.
And as for Carlton and maybe other marlin members of this years team i do wish they'd find some more humility but i can't control what they do, all i can do is talk to coach about it the next time i see him (he lives right around the corner from my parents house so i do see him quite a bit when i go home)
So there's my apology. i myself will try and do better to be more respectful but at the same time i will still defend VWC b/c that's my team and more importantly its where i went to school and earned my degree. Anyway, thanks to anyone who reads this i will try to post more in the future, sorry i seem to have a tendency to write these book length posts. i'll try to keep it shorter next time.

Quote from: GP05 on March 03, 2009, 05:06:23 PM
It's disappointing to see ODAC fans that know the game genuinely wish the Marlins to lose.  I understand not enjoying their style of play.  I even understand objecting to the attitudes of individual players.  I don't, however, feel it reasonable to wish losses on a team that has represented the conference through a National Championship and a National Runner-Up.  The ODAC is respected more nationally today than they have been in the 10 years I've been following the league.  Ben Strong and the improved play throughout the conference deserves partial credit.  However, the variable that has driven our conference forward into the national spotlight the most has been the Marlins making back to back championship appearances and the heroics of Adair and Balenga.  When I come across basketball fans that happen to know of the ODAC, these are the events and names I hear.

I'm not making this point to convince everyone to love Virginia Wesleyan.  Rather, I would only hope that ODAC fans would respect the team.  I would never route against an ODAC team in postseason play, let alone the team that has recently brought the conference further respect and notoriety.  It's disappointing that other so-called ODAC fans can do so.  I can assure you that the Virginia Wesleyan campus, students and faculty alike, would have been pulling for any ODAC teams in the coming weeks... thugs or not.      

I guess conference loyalty isn't important to some.  In some cases it doesn't even appear to be as important as loyalty to fun teams to watch.  I don't agree but to each his own.  

Here's to being an ODAC fan.  Go GC and VWC!

Amen brother! Even though its kind of a moot argument. Its hard to pull for a rival. You don't see UNC fans pulling for Duke. You don't see true redskins fans pulling for the cowboys. i guess it stretches to the d3 level as well.
As for the "thuggish" qualities being attributed to vwc, i think its just a clash of differing styles of play thats all. I think it has more to do with the culture of the area. It is well known that vwc hasn't been around nearly as long as many of the other schools in the odac so where other odac schools may have more financial wiggleroom to recruit players from various areas, vwc does not. So its not financially conducive for vwc to go out of the state to recruit players. So macedo has to find a niche somewhere else. And he has...there's a wealth of talent in the hampton roads area. I know other odac schools are more upper middle class/wealthy driven areas/institutions and thats fine. That's what makes them great and prestigious colleges and universities. VWC has made a niche getting players from hampton roads who more or less may come from a different place. you can call it whatever you want 'the hood' or the city or whatever. I think it amazing that macedo has been able take lower income kids and say hey' here's an opportunity to get a degree and play some great college basketball if you're willing to work hard for it. and from experience i know its been like pulling teeth at times for coach to get these kids to work hard everyday on the court and in the classroom but they're making strides and its a beautiful thing when you see a kid like adair or balenga or carlton get the picture. so God Bless em when they step on that court they want to play the game with a little fire and swagger.  Best of luck to Guilford and of course the Marlins in the 'Dance.

speaking of recent odac alumni like jeff monroe and brandon randall anybody know what some of those guys are doing these days? i know brandon adair and ricky easterling are playing overseas but did monroe or randall play anywhere after they graduated? what about ben strong? is he playing overseas?

Quote from: oldfish on March 02, 2009, 01:29:39 PM
Someone please explain to me what just happened?

I was up in Marlinville for the HSC game 9 days ago and the Marlins did not look good.  In fact, I contemplated posting my thoughts on the game (not good) and writing this year off as a rebuilding year where youngsters were getting some quality minutes.  For the first year since I left VWC (over a decade ago) I didnt even follow the ODAC tourney!  When I checked the scores last night I couldnt believe what I saw...VWC - ODAC Champs???

My only concern is that the new kids will think its OK to just turn it on at the end of the season.  The team I saw vs. HSC was a middle tier ODAC school at best.  Did VWC really turn it around or would those of you, in the know, attribute the win to something else?

Also...Is there a better "big game" coach in the ODAC than Macedo...I dont see how.  

oldfish- yeah i know what you mean. i've been following vwc for the last eight years (worked for them for two) and this marlin team has been the toughest to read. at times they've looked as dominant as the 05-06 team (blowing out roanoke on the road) other times they've looked like adair's freshmen year where they were competitive in a lot of games but lost some close ones at the end of games, and others they've looked like the team that lost to e&h in the odac quarterfinals.
I think a lot of that is because they are a young team with loads of athletic ability but lack at times in discipline and experience. When those three things come together hopefully in the next two years it should make for one hell of a basketball team.

As for their run at the ODACs i was as surprised as you..i figured they'd beat randolph, i could even see them beating macon in a close game (surely not by 13) but really didn't see them going any further than the quarters.
But where i really saw it come together was the sydney game in the semis. i really saw a team start to come of age.
VWC was up 14 at the half and up by 16 at one point and sydney made a run. i thought: oh no here's the 04 ODAC final all over again. i had old visions of jeff monroe and brandon randall taking a similar 14 point lead and 36 minutes of beautiful basketball and turning it on its head. But this vwc team didn't blink. they took everything sydney had to throw at them and stood strong and won the game.
I was so proud of them. and they faced similar adversity against w&l (who i was impressed with) and won.

Thats the biggest thing i see...is if this team of mostly rookies and sophmores is showing this much resliency now it can only pay off in the next one or two years. and you should know macedo...he'll have them ready to play and won't let them rest in their laurels. just my two cents (sorry its long)

Marlins off to a great start! Up 17 at the half 44-27. As long as they don't have one of those marlin breakdowns in the second half they've got this one. Surprisingly, Ton Ton hasn't scored yet but neither has Shattuck (with 3 fouls). Go Marlins!!! Don't get complacent on me.

Thanks to all the Guilford seniors for a great four years!

Sorry about y'alls defeat. Its a tough pill to swallow.

This guilford team was fun to watch for three years. I remember watching ben strong my senior when went down to ragan-brown after losing to e&h and got our heads handed to us again at guilford and thinking this kid is gonna be pretty good. I don't think its over for Strong, at least i hope not. Wouldn't that be somethin' if he were to end up at Schwinnegen playing with adair.
Anyway good luck and great job. You at guilford should still be very proud of yourselves. That line up is right there with that line up that featured connors, lawhorn, swindoll, and clyborne. probably better.
Just imagine what could have been if kerry atkinson would have remained a quaker...oooh scary thought.

well i guess i stand corrected. I guess St. Mary's confidence found its way to the basketball court tonight. Wha..Happened? Guilford looked and sounded primed and ready to use their ncaa tournament experience from last year to make a run. Alright, with vwc the lone odac team on the dance floor let's get our second wind and make another run to salem. It's interesting how not many people seem to be paying much attention to vwc this year being without adair i guess they expect not much out of them this march. Kind of like it like that. Kind of has 05-06 feel if you know what i mean. don't know how long v'dub can keep dancin' but, we'll see. Balenga shot it well tonight which hopefully is a good sign that Mr. March is in the building but some other guys have got to give solid minutes. Ursinus will not be an easy game. I'm very interested to see how they plan to stop this Shattuck kid who's averaging 22ppg. Maybe Ursinus' lopsided victory over Baptist Bible will give them a false aura of confidence. Some interesting things to note:
-Ursinus has 20 game winning streak, they haven't lost since Dec. 19. (Streaks don't last forever, will it end tomorrow night)
-These two teams could have faced each other in the second round of the 2006 NCAA tournament if they had beaten Farmingdale State.
-VWC's field hockey coach is a graduate of Ursinus. (maybe she'll be faxing macedo some pointers..lol)
-Very early in the season Ursinus played against our own W&L and only won by 5.

Looking forward to a dog fight in PA tomorrow night. Keep it rollin' v'dub.

I wouldn't worry about the statements of St. Mary's: Seems like just a lot of empty hot air to mask the reality of their own demise tonight. Some teams tend to do that as defense mechanisms. I know its irrelevant example but i remember watching the videotape of the washington redskins 1991 superbowl season and the part before the atlanta falcons game the tape shows jerry glanville and one of his players blowing some hot air just before they get blown out 56-17. So Guilford should not, SHOULD not have any problems with St. Mary's.

Also, VWC dances another day. 80-75 over WPI

Quote from: LCasid on March 05, 2008, 12:56:33 PM
Hornet Head Men's Basketball Coach John Swickrath Announces Resignation

http://www.lynchburg.edu/x12205.xml

sorry to hear that, nice guy. shook his hand once when he came up to macedo's office before a game. He seemed like a promising coach. lynchburg was a tough team in 03-04. That trapping stuff they did was annoying but effective in spurts. any reason why they stopped doing that? Anyway, i wish him the best of luck. Woolridge is a very good player, hopefully the next guy they hire will be able to utilize his talent and athleticisim.

can you feel the madness in the air yet? I think it could be an interesting tournament especially on the left side of that bracket. VWC or Guilford? Who do y'all think has the toughest road to Salem? It may be easy to pick VWC because they will most likely have to win on the road and road games in the ncaa tournament especially in Pennsylvania haven't been very kind to the Marlins. But with teams like Wash U (final four team in 07) UW-Stevens Point (former champion) Wooster (final four 06, 07), UW-Whitewater and Mary Hardin Baylor waiting on the horizons, Guilford's run might be just as tough. Any thoughts?
Anyway, good luck to Guilford and VWC in the dance. Ursinus is a little far for me to drive to follow Wesleyan but Greensboro is kind of in my backyard so I will look forward to watching and pulling for Guilford on friday and maybe saturday. Wouldn't it be sweet to have an all-ODAC final in Salem in a few weeks? Keep your fingers crossed.

congratulations to guilford for their ODAC title and automatic bid. It's definitely a testament to how far they've come since last year and what a difference a year makes. The hard work has paid off and you all deserve it and you showed you deserve to be ODAC champs all season long. I've always had a lot of respect for guilford and coach palombo. And its probably all the more sweeter that guilford finally beat vwc at ODACs. It had to hurt losing to vwc three years in a row (04, 05, 06). Anyway, enjoy it, celebrate and get ready to represent the ODAC. I think v'dub will get a bid, their national ranking all year will probably help that. so maybe we'll get to see y'all again.
On the game...I listened to the game. First year i hadn't been able to attend the ODAC tournament in about 6 years, the year before i got involved in basketball at vwc. After Guilford took control  early the game really took on a mundane feel and then in the second half, vwc showed signs of life and rallied from 18 down. The last 3 minutes of the game were exciting to listen to. It's interesting guilford dominated the overtime because i know vwc worked so hard to get the game tied and even had an opportunity with 3 secs left. I guess they just ran out of steam which is interesting b/c i think if a previous vwc team was out their with adair and fitch, vwc might have been able to pull it out. So, also an example of what a difference a year makes.
Anyway, congrats on a great odac season. and let march madness begin!! ODAC represent!!

Quote from: jdubyadubya on January 10, 2008, 03:35:09 PM
The Marlins have the dreaded southern swing weekend coming up. The gym at E&H will probably be sweltering. The Quakers will probably have their place packed to the rafters. I would kill to be there but I'll have to rely on Nova for an objective report after Sunday's game.

Quote from: jdubyadubya on January 11, 2008, 08:57:29 AM
d-mac says he's not sold on VWC this year but their two losses were by a point each and they are beating their opposition by an average of 15+ points. BUT, there are some who will say that their schedule has been soft to date. We'll see starting tomorrow afternoon at E&H and then at Guilford Sunday(the real test). As I said in an earlier post, this weekend has always been a grueling swing for the Marlins. I, of course, wish them well.

JWW...Hey, matty here. how is life? i really miss travelling with the team. although the two years i travelled with vwc the one trip i don't miss is this weekends road trip from hell. I remember my and pete's senior they scheduled the men's and women's games together, so they made us travel with the women's team for that 7 1/2 hour trek out to e&h. That year we lost both games on that trip en route to losing like 3 in a row. macedo was pissed. luckily we ended pulling it together and winning the odac but i'll always remember that trip.
anyway, i will be at the guilford game on sunday, it will be my first view of the mighty marlins this season. From what i understand Hassell has started playing well so that Hassell/Strong matchup should be interesting to watch, at least until Strong scores on him three times in a row and macedo puts someone else on him. And hopefully balenga will get his three point trigger going. anyway hope to see you at the sydney or macon game