MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[ODACfan1]

Who does everyone open with this weekend.  E&H opens with John Carroll Friday.  Where is everyone else playing?  Good Luck ODAC teams.

[mybleedinghands]

http://www.d3hoops.com/conference_info.php?conf=ODAC&team=m go to that link to see the upcoming games

[Jeremybozz]

The JMU fans on the Dukes message boards said if the Eagles and Dukes had played in 2004-2005 that Bridgewater would have won. With Easterling I am inclined to agree.
   BC  played very hard vs JMU and had for the most part  a high quality game. Playing that kind of competition will help in the ODAC.

[steelyglen]

"Yeah ... I mean, having a five-year relationship (long distance - she's at Duke) and having a football fan site is time consuming ... but nothing like the Division III fantasy league was ... PHEW!"



Good Lord man ...all that to look at and brains to go with it...I'm on the Duke campus about once a week...very impressive...the hell with the fantasy league...roadies to Durham...Can she get me State- Duke ducats? HMMMM someone I need to meet...

[Matt Barnhart (kid)]

[...]
Can she get me State- Duke ducats? HMMMM someone I need to meet...

Shoot ... forget Duke! 

I'm a Maryland and N.C. State fan ... her connections are "ridonkulous" ... how does courtside at Maryland-N.C. State last year sound (at the Comcast Center)?  Ohhhh yes ... I could have reached out and touched Mr. Hodge (see below).

Oh, and that's me with one of Lauren's bride's maids   Did I mention that her maid of honor is a Redskins cheerleader?  Yeah, not sure how I got acquainted with this group ... needless to say, Pat Cummings is excited about coming to the wedding.   Not sure if the other Pat even knows he's currently on the list. (pcole's immediate thought: dang it matt, you're just trying to get another wedding gift ... for that, i've giving you a d3football.com hat)



This year we are starting off Thanksgiving with a bang ... courtside at the RBC Center on Wednesday night.

[steelyglen]

now  "kid", I'm a State grad and a season ticketholder for hoops and football. I go back to DT and Monte Towe versus Len Elmore and Tom McMillen. Played high school ball against John Lucas when he was at Hillside In Durham. I'll be there Wednesday Night at the RBC Center... Got my ducats in hand for the Twerps on February 5th...Gary and the boys are going down! ...

SOunds like you got all the hook-ups...nice work!

[deanslist]

Steelyglen...... There is no doubt Michael is a solid player and probably a preseason 1st team all conference candidate, but do you think he will still be in the running for POY late in the season if Bridgewater is in the second tier of the ODAC like they are projected to finish?

[Greek Tragedy]

Be sure to head over to the Multi-Regional Topics Board and select your team for the new Survivor Pool! 

You might actually win something! 
Deadline is Friday before the first game's tipoff

[steelyglen]

deanslist...interesting question. If the Eagles finish the regular season 7th (as projected) I doubt Clay (or any other Eagle for that matter) would be considered a POY candidate primarily because he will, in all liklihood not had a POY type season if BC finishes there.

I only went back 15 years, but in that time the ODAC POY has come from the regular season champion less than half of the time (7). The POY has come from the regular season runner-up only once, the third place team 5 times, a 4th place team once and a fifth place team once in the past 15 years. So I suppose it is possible to finish out of the money as a team and still reap individual awards, but you are right in that at least an upper tier finish would be needed.

With that said, Clay Michael will be in the conversation for ODAC POY at years end! Hence I see an upper tier finish for Bridgewater. I certainly don't think the Eagles can hang with EMU, afterall BC lost 7 players off of last years team, and the Royals return virtually everyone! But maybe, just maybe, the Eagles can sneak up on someone else.

December 3rd is not that far away...just hope the Eagles can be competitive!

[ladyfan]

Steelyglen, Do I detect a little tongue in cheek comment in regards to EMU vs. Bridgewater. Leatherman will not have the likes of Easterly, but the other Seniors last year did not offer much that can't be replaced. Bridgewater went out and got 3 transfers, and 2 kids that will be in the top 7 rotation that have played college basketball before. Yes, they are new to their program but not to the venue. Plus, Bill will keep it very simple this year, zone defense and a little flex offense. I have a feeling that the old coach likes being overlooked so the pressure is not on.

The chance is there for a lower half finish, but only because the league has gotten a little more competitive this year. Clay will have a good year, it could be great if Fox takes some of opposing teams' attention from him.

In regards to Dec.3; the Eagles will be very competitive. As of right now the game looks like a toss up. That's why it's going to be so much fun. I think everyone's optimism is that Coach Dean has done a great job bringing in the likes Whiting, All State 1st teamer Parks, Delaney Brown, point gaurd LaRoger (last name ?). If he keeps working the recruiting trail like that they will (maybe already have) pass Bridgewater as the Beast of the Valley. The excitement is certainly there!

[mybleedinghands]

i don't know much of anything about the EMU freshmen, but Delaney Brown is a baller! Good shooter, good athleticism, and more of an off-guard than a point guard. He also was a prime contributor on a heritage pioners squad (their 2nd best player behind Frisco Sandige whow ent to D1 Delware State) that made it to the final four of the state championship the past 2 years, so he's a winner! He should definitely be a top contributor on the team in years to come! Kirby Dean has certainly done an excellent job in recuiting (as can be shown by how well the freshmen did last year), and has really positioned the emus to become championship contenders in the conference. If it weren't for the top 3 teams in the odac preseason poll returning as much as they do, I would have easily put EMU in the top 3. IF Kirby Dean hasn't received a raise of a contract extension or something, then EMU needs tog et working on that!

[steelyglen]

ladyfan... tongue in cheek from me? About BC v. EMU? No way! Just ask anyone on this board! By your own admission
("...they will {maybe already have} pass Bridgewater as the Beast of the Valley. The excitement is certainly there! ") and the admission of others on this board, there is NO WAY the Eagles can be in that conversation. Add Sager and Arrington among others to the mix and as I said I hope the Eagles can just be competitive. I mean look at Scottie's quote,"IF Kirby Dean hasn't received a raise of a contract extension or something, then EMU needs tog et working on that! " As I said earlier, nothing less than a top 3-4 ODAC finish, an 11-12 conference win mark, a 20+ overall win season and a dominating sweep of Bridgewater should be acceptable to Royal nation. Anything less should be considered highly dissappointing and borderline failure!

Oh and by the way...it is Easterling...not Easterly!

[deanslist]

Steelyglen....I think Bridgewater will finish higher than their projected 7th. I don't believe they'll beat out VA Weslyan, RMC, HSC, EMU, or Roanoke. So I'm selecting BC to finish 6th at the end of the regular season. That is also the order of my predictions of the top 6 teams in the ODAC. Not much different besides EMU switching places with Roanoke and BC jumping ahead of Guilford I believe it is.  So if you think BC will be an upper tier team, who do you have them leap frogging according to the preseason poll? I know preseason polls and rankings mean very little, but I'm curious now that you said BC will be a top tier (top 5) team. Also, I was at the Bridgewater-JMU game a couple of nights ago and was wondering how much Leatherman and BC fans are expecting Drewer, Fox, and Cathlin to support Maupin and Michael in the scoring mix?

[steelyglen]

deanslist...not sure of the pecking order in the ODAC. I believe preseason polls are to give us fans something to crow or whine about. I know there are coaches within the ODAC who will vote their team 10th (or thereabouts) every yearin the preseason, so I always take the pre-season poll with a grain of salt. I believe the ODAC is as wide open as it has been in a while, but given BC's history of upper tier finishes, I wouldn't bet against them.

As for Bridgewater I think this team will do things by committee. Michael is a legitimate star in the ODAC and will get his most every night. Maupin is also a proven commodity and I expect him to be very solid this season. Behind those two I think different players will step up as the season progresses. Because this roster is so young (at least from an ODAC experience standpoint), it will take time for guys like Fox, Cathlin, Glover, Drewer, Cunningham and Oblitey to find their niche within Coach Leatherman's system. One thing is also key, these kids will have to learn how to perform "off of the floor" as well to be able to play for the Eagles. Enough said there. I know the coaching staff is very high on the above mentioned players, but it will take time.

Leatherman's system has always allowed every player on the floor the opportunity to contribute and has allowed every player on the roster the opportunity to EARN minutes, regardless of class (fr. v. sr.) or high school clippings. You perform in practice and act like you've been there before, you get your shot.

Especially in the early going, I think team will be very good one night and not very good on other nights. The Pa. tournament this weekend will be a very stern test for this young team!

[Matt Barnhart (kid)]

[...]
Especially in the early going, I think team will be very good one night and not very good on other nights. The Pa. tournament this weekend will be a very stern test for this young team!

Yeah, I'm hoping for a win over Dickinson and keeping it respectable with York.  But I won't be surprised if we come away 0-2, seeing Cathlin and Drewer won't be making the trip.