MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[jdubyadubya]

You know, I think RMC and HSC are very good this year and I don't see much getting in their way. The Marlins have to play catch up because they began the season so miserably. I'm surprised by the slow starts of Bridgewater, Lynchburg and EMU. I thought they'd be better this year early on. It's a race for the top and RMC and HSC are very, very strong it appears. Gurus are gurus but I'd appreciate hearing from the real experts on their takes on the season's start.

[jeloesel]

I generally do my evaluation between Christmas and New Year.  I had considered delaying further this year to allow a few more things to sort out, but I could be persuaded otherwise.

[eagleslam]

JWW...

Are you serious?  H-SC and R-MC are undefeated, but VWC has only one loss in the league.  Granted, it is to one of those teams you mentioned.  I do believe it may very well come down to the ODAC Tournament to see who goes to the NCAA from the league this year, but it's only December.  Let's wait at least a month before we see who needs to catch up.  Macon has won all of their games, but they were close.  H-SC has not played well their last couple of games, one of which was to LC.  So they are no means out of the woods yet as far as being so far ahead they don't have to worry about it.

As for the other teams you mentioned, they have not surprised me at all.  Coming into this year, no other team lost as much from last year as BC.  A young team is going to have its ups and downs, and will usually struggle early in the year.  Their one win came against a team that was picked below them, and their two losses to teams picked above them.  They have not been playing well, win or lose.  But again, they are young and hopefully will get better as the year goes on.

EMU and LC have been at the bottom, or near the bottom of the ODAC for a while now.  These teams, although improved, do not know how to win.  EMU has lost some close games to teams that simply know what to do in "crunch time".  They don't.  They've never been in that situation before.  I know last year at 5-2, teams started focusing on them and not overlooking them.  I also know they won 2 out of their last 11 to finish 7-11.  Not an accident.  Teams are focusing on them this year as well, and when one team has more talent and more experience in close games than another team, the first team usually wins the game.

LC, according to Scottie's posts, have had some chemistry problems and a lot of "in house" issues.  How can a team with less talent and less experience in close ball games have those things and win?

[hasanova]

The Quakers are only 4-3, 2-1, but I still say they will be a contender in the ODAC this year.  All three losses were on the road - the first in a day game in Florida to an NAIA #6 the day after an OT night game, the second to a DI team, and the third to a W&L team that couldn't miss.  Except for the surprising (to me) loss to the Generals, I think the team is where I expected them to be at this juncture.  No one seems to mention Guilford, but I think you should.  They may not win the ODAC this year, but they WILL help decide it. 

[algernon]

I think the top contenders are going to be HSC, RMC, VWC, and Guilford.  Roanoke and EMU will also be real tough wins for anyone in the ODAC.

I also think that the ODAC has a real good shot at a couple of NCAA spots, with the expansion to 58 teams.  Any team that finishes the ODAC tournament as runner-up and no worse than a 20-7 record should have a good shot at the NCAA tournament.  I could see the runner-up as very likely having that good a record.

[mybleedinghands]

Guilford has, quite frankly, surprised me with how well they have overcome the losses of Genaro Lawhorn and Kerry Atkinson. Not many teams would be able to overcome the unexpected (well, unexpected to a degree) losses of it's two best players.

[deanslist]

Even though EMU has .500 overall record and 1-3 in the conference, I still see EMU making a strong push back into the top 5 by seasons end! Personally I believe the Royals just came off there toughest 4 game stretch of the season (@ Roanoke, home against BC, home against VWC, @ RMC). Yeah, they were only able to pick up one W during those 4 games but seeing them be very competitive against all those teams (especially VWC and at RMC) is very promising for EMU fans. Yeah, I agree the team has let some games get away down the stretch but those experiences will only benefit them when they arise again in ODAC play. Kirby and his staff has done a great job of building a competitive program here again in Harrisonburg, but they're not just satisfied with being competitive! Good EMU over the holiday break.

[Jacketlawyer]

Here's an article from the RTD today regarding E&H basketball.  Written by Bob Lipper.  Pretty amusing!!  Would like to know what everyone thinks.  Snowing and sleeting here today, so post away!!





Small (nurturing), vibrant (challenging) and Methodist (let's everybody be reasonable, OK?), Emory & Henry is way out there mainly in a geographic sense -- five hours from Richmond, several fast breaks this side of Bristol and well-removed from neon and nonsense.

There is a replica log house at E&H that conjures the college's 1830s origins, a Sunday-go-to-meeting church, a pond where ducks paddle contentedly, pastoral scenes and engaged students. You want radical, go to Berkeley or Bennington. You value reflection and moderation, Emory & Henry delivers.

Well, unless you mosey over to the King Center on basketball nights.

That's where Bob Johnson, revolutionary, holds court.

Bob Johnson is in his 26th season as the Wasps' hoops coach -- they're ODAC members, incidentally -- and his first as an extremist. His philosophy: Press and run for 40 minutes, score as often as you can, hoist 3-pointers till your elbows ache -- and if the other team hits triple digits and beyond before you do, well, that's the price of innovation.

"I think if you talk to guys in our league, they'd say we were on the edge -- but we're over the edge, brother," Johnson said. "We're halfway down the canyon wall now, with 'Acme Dynamite' painted on my head."

Roadrunner basketball as orchestrated by Johnson and his son, Casey, at Atlee High ("I'm a little crazy; he's certifiable," dad observes) dates to Loyola Marymount's zany explosions of the late '80s, when the Los Angeles-based Lions made waves with their we'll-trade-our-3-for-your-layup approach.


Johnson was steering E&H to the Division III playoffs on a regular basis in those days with an up-tempo (but textbook) motif. Problem is, ODAC success and points got harder to come by. Once a gung-ho airborne Ranger and now teacher of a Western-traditions course at Emory ("I'd like to think I've got imagination"), Johnson writhed uncomfortably on the bench.

"It got to be like I was going to the dentist every day, like root canal," he said. "Every game came down to one possession or one pass. It was almost like having a job. It's the last thing I wanted."

Out with the orthodox, in with the eccentric. Johnson introduced the new look late last year and has now ratcheted up the pace. Players are substituted in five-man units every few minutes and urged to shoot early and often. Opponents are pressed from the get-go and encouraged to sprint to the basket.

Early returns? Not so hot. The Wasps launched 87 treys against Guilford and scored 136 points and lost by 11. They prevailed 150-110 and fell 150-101 in back-to-back outings. They're 2-5 and 0-3 in the ODAC. They're still a work in excess.

"I know a lot of guys in the business and most people don't think you can be successful doing this -- and I'm not sure yet," Johnson said. "We've got to do some tweaking. It's not going exactly as I'd hoped. But I knew it'd be a roller-coaster going in."

Still, on brighter notes, attendance at the King Center is up, the joint jumps and players are overcoming their fear of flying.

"This isn't life or death," Johnson said. "I've been to war, and this ain't war. You can get excited and there's an adrenaline rush, but, my God, it's a basketball game. We want to learn to give our all in what we do. We want to learn to take chances when they're not going to result in someone's demise. I think we want to have fun at what we're doing."

Johnson calls the process "our grand experiment." Deep in southwest Virginia, it's a mad, mad, mad, mad scientist's world.

[jeloesel]

A nice selection of Johnsonisms.

[yj424]

Also there is an article on Coach Johnson's son, Casey, who is running the same plan @ Atlee HS.

[hasanova]

Here's an article from the RTD today regarding E&H basketball.  Written by Bob Lipper.  Pretty amusing!!  Would like to know what everyone thinks.  Snowing and sleeting here today, so post away!!

I enjoyed reading it very much.  Thanks for attaching it.  Regarding the reference to the Guilford game, however, I think the number of attempted three-pointers was even more than the 87 cited in the article.  If memory serves me right, the actual total was an-NCAA record 97!

[Jacketlawyer]

I am not gettin' over those 87 treys, and you think there were more?  Wow.

[3sdown]

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768729214&path=%21sports&s=1045855934844

This is the link to the article on Casey Johnson, Head Coach at Atlee.  He played in the ODAC both at Emory and Henry College and RMC.  He is running the "System" up there as well...And beat Armstrong the other night with it.

[jeloesel]

It was 97.  The 87 was a typo, but what proof reader would catch that?   

http://www.ehcsports.com/mbasket/box06/ehcgc1.htm

[Jacketlawyer]

97. . . . wow.  All I can say is wow.  How in the heck do you play any defense?  Or do you?