MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[allsky7]

Randolph-Macon went from a 22-7 NCAA Tournament team last year to a 14-12 6th-place team this year.  It's not surprising that they had difficulties, since they lost Wansley and Gill to graduation, as well as Alex Irmer, Nick Annacone, and Derrick DeLaGrana, all freshmen, to who-knows-what?

Next year may be even more challenging for the Yellow Jackets, since they lose 4 of their 8 or 9 most productive players to graduation (Hawley, Krovic, Sutherland, and Sisson).  They'll have Carlson, Dixon, Short, Varela, and Hunter coming back, presumably, but there are some ODAC teams that are losing very little to graduation (Roanoke, Bridgewater, Washington & Lee, for instance).

Succinct analysis as ever.  Hopefully we can recruit to fill in the void left by these four seniors.  I've got faith in Rhoades, though, and I think we'll be back in 2008.

I was lucky enough to make it to the game.  And also see the upset of Guilford, although I missed the HSC and EHC game, which sounded very interesting when talking to the broadcasters from HSC.  And congrats to HSC for upsetting VWC today...Congrats to a very good team and a great program.  Congrats to Bubba for overcoming all of the criticism and winning the big one giving his team a chance to win the ODAC Tournament and go to the NCAA Tournament.  

About Macon...I have followed from a far throughout this season.  I became so frustrated that I wouldn't post on D3Hoops b/c I knew I would post things that I may regret.  Looking at box scores on a regular basis and only seeing a handful of games it was obvious that there was no consistency in regards to the play on the court.  And this had nothing to do with the coaching staff.  

I have faith in Coach Rhoades...He has proven it year in and year out...And probably proved it this year b/c to be honest there were many times throughout this season that RMC did not appear to even be the 6th place team in the ODAC and he managed to take a team (and a young team) to a winning record.  The game against Roanoke College was the season in a capsule.  Great first half in which the team played traditional Macon defense and played solid offense working to get the best shot for an open man.  They were mentally in the game.  The 2nd half was a different story...Lack of defensive concentration and flat out panic and impatience displayed on the offensive end.  No mental toughness at all.  Lack of execution on the part of the players.    

Coaches coach and players play.  Great coaches put players in the best possible position to succeed.  And there is such a thing as "free will" in which players have to make the right decisions and plays on the court for ultimate success.  Coach Rhoades has over his career at RMC put all of his players (Mike LaGuardia, Doug Cunningham, Jared Mills, Tim Smith, Jamal Brunt, Tim Smith, Kurt Bergmann, Buck Porpatich, Marshall Rumney, Tom Ridder, Ryan Stein, to name a few, but there are many more) in the best possible position in order to be successful.  And all of them have been successful and are successful after leaving RMC.  This is no doubt the fact in regards to this year's team although it was a struggle this year.  I admire the seniors this year...It was a tough  season for them and the team.    

HOWEVER, I must say (since I am always a straightforward person) that when I sit and watch the team (such as I did on Thursday) this season, then also hear stories (even if 1/10th of the informtion is true) about the program in the stands, and then hear tid bits of information from people closer to the program than me I get pissed off and it makes me mad.  After leaving the game on Thursday night I ranted to an individual (affliated with a different ODAC sport) on the phone for 40 minutes on my ride back to my home.  And this is the only advice that I could come up with in regards to the situation:

1.  To the players--Play the Game the Macon Way.  If you don't know what "this way" is then go back and watch tapes of teams from Rhoades' earlier years or even venture back to when Rhoades was an assistant for Coach Nunnally...And if that doesn't give you enough go back even further to the Kurt Axe and Nathan Davis years...And if that doesn't help you then keep going to RMC's DII years.  Or ask Rhoades for some numbers of former players/coaches and give them a call.  Learn what playing at Macon is all about.  It is not just about playing...It is about doing it the Macon Way and having character.  

2.  To the parents--Sit in the stands and cheer.  Listen to your son and say "Do what the coach tells you to do!"  Say yes sir, no sir.  Tell your son "If you aren't playing then practice more, practice harder.  Work out in the morning, at lunch, and at night.  Run 10 miles a day.  Dribble 2 hours a day.  Make 1,000 jump shots a day."  Be a parent not a 2nd coach.
3.  To the coaches--Remain true to your principles.  You are some of the best coaches in DIII Basketball if not all of college basketball.  You have had numerous opportunities to take your show other places and have chosen not to b/c of your dedication to RMC.  If players and parents don't want to do it your way then send them down the highway.  
         

     Cannon can make talking about the grass growing an interesting conversation.  (in a good way) Funny, I had a conver with him yesterday at the H-S game about E&H.
     Coach Smith is an outstanding young coach. His problem is that he is not Tony Shaver. You get spoiled when you have someone like TS for so long and expect to win every year. The reality is everybody can't win all the time. Just keep fighting the good fight. Do you think LC or EMU would like to trade places with the Tigers right now? Congrats to Coach Smith and the Tiger program on a huge win yesterday.
     R-MC's situation is very similar to H-SC's. Coach Nunnally was there for a long time and Jacket fans are used to winning. When you have a down year all the critics come out of the woodwork. There are hundreds of hall of fame caliber coaches sitting 15 or 20 rows up in the bleachers. 
     H-SC is on the right track. Yesterdays win was big but a  W today for the Tigers over Roanoke should shut up the fair weather friends for a while. I have no doubt R-MC will be back as well.
     

[algernon]

Check out d3hoops projected field at http://www.d3hoops.com/salem/07/projected.htm

Of course, there are games to be played today, but this is my broad sense of where the ODAC teams will play.  Nationally, 10 teams will play on Thursday,  44 teams have their first game on Friday evening, and 5 teams get a bye and don't play until Saturday.

Virginia Wesleyan - no bye, but probably hosting a Friday/Saturday group.

Hampden-Sydney OR Roanoke - AWAY game(s), very possibly at Ramapo, Johns Hopkins, Alvernia, Catholic, Mississippi, or Maryville.  Maybe somewhere in Ohio.  (If the Tigers win, I'm hoping for Catholic or Johns Hopkins.)

Guilford - the Quakers are definitely on the bubble.  D3hoops appears to have selected them as the very last of their 18 Pool C bids.  According to D3hoops, the Quakers and other teams who are similarly very much on the bubble "need to hope that Mississippi College, Amherst, WPI, Centre and likely Johns Hopkins win. All could snipe a Pool C bid."  The teams just mentioned play at 2pm, 12pm, 12pm, 2:30pm, and 3pm today, respectively, for those who are interested in checking out the results this afternoon.

We are leaving within the hour for Salem and hoping to celebrate the Tigers' 10th ODAC championship in the last 19 years.

[mattgrubb]

oh just like old times
HSC-Roanoke

We would love to see either team make the short trip to Maryville
probably HSC more than Roanoke b/c coach Moir has been man enough to bring his teams to Maryville in the recent past

I would have to say i am pulling for the Maroons today, but in a perfect world Round 1 of the tourney would be HSC at Maryville

Go Maroons

[allsky7]

oh just like old times
HSC-Roanoke

We would love to see either team make the short trip to Maryville
probably HSC more than Roanoke b/c coach Moir has been man enough to bring his teams to Maryville in the recent past

I would have to say i am pulling for the Maroons today, but in a perfect world Round 1 of the tourney would be HSC at Maryville

Go Maroons

     Matt....I'm an MC guy and certainly not an expert on the H-S scheduling process but I will defend H-S here. I would love to see H-S and MC play more often. I'm not sure I would say that H-S not coming to MC has anything to do with being "man enough". One...there aren't many open spots on the schedule in a 10 team conference. Two...Salem is over two hours closer to Maryville. Why are they going to drive 365 miles when they have numerous out of conference teams to play much closer?  GO TIGERS against Roanoke!!!  If MC plays H-S in the NCAA......GO SCOTS  8)

[allsky7]

At the half:

Hampden-Sydney  42
Roanoke  14

Unbelievable!!!   8)

[allsky7]

At the half:

Hampden-Sydney  42
Roanoke  14

Unbelievable!!!   8)

Maroons coming back.  About 9 to go.   

H-S   54
RC    40

[allsky7]

At the half:

Hampden-Sydney  42
Roanoke  14

Unbelievable!!!   8)

Maroons coming back.  About 9 to go.   

H-S   54
RC    40

Final

H-S  77
RC    62

      Valiant comeback effort by the Maroons. Congrats to the Hampden-Sydney Tigers....ODAC CHAMPS!!

[hasanova]

Yes, congratulations to the Hampden-Sydney Tigers.  They're certainly peaking at the right time!  Good luck in the NCAA tournament.

[GCAlumnus]

not much of a poster but more of a reader, but lookin at the comments on Coach Rhodes... having listened to him several times as a speaker, he is without a doubt, one of the brightest and enthusiastic individuals i have ever met, any critics of his team this year should remember that as a player he did lead a his college team (lebanon valley) to a national championship and was d3 national player of the year. Any critics of Rhodes should remember and see if they can muster those kind of laurels. He'll be coaching on t.v. one day, without a doubt.

[sludge]

Congratulations to the H-S Tigers.  Well done, and well deserved.  They must've found fire somewhere.

Hanging out with fingers crossed,
--- Sludge

[algernon]

Congratulations to the H-S Tigers.  Well done, and well deserved.  They must've found fire somewhere.

Hanging out with fingers crossed,
--- Sludge

And I've got my fingers crossed for you too, Sludge.  Guilford deserves a bid, for sure.  D3hoops is projecting that they won't get one, but I hope that prediction is wrong.

The Tigers had an unbelievable start to their game, leading by a score of 26-4 with 9 minutes to play in the first half.  The halftime score of 42-14 had Hampden-Sydney fans pretty excited!

Roanoke had a 20-5 run during the first 7 minutes of the second half, and Hampden-Sydney's lead was reduced to 47-34 with about 13 minutes to play, but the margin between the two teams stayed between 12 and 18 points for the rest of the game until Roanoke finally got it down to 10 points with 1:10 left to play ..... but that was too late, and Hampden-Sydney finished up with a 77-62 win.

Mike Edwards, the tournament MVP, hit 5 of 5 from behind the arc and ended up with 27 points.  Tyler Murray was named to the All-Tournament Team and had 15 points and 14 rebounds in 39 minutes of action.  Turner King, another All-Tournament Team member, got 13 points and 6 rebounds.  The Tigers' former teammate, A. J. Dowell, had 20 points for the Maroons.

The Tigers win their 2nd ODAC championship in the last 4 years, their 4th in the last 7 years, and their 7th in the last 11 years ............. for a total of 10 ODAC championships since their run began in 1989.  Most of the players in the post-game team victory picture are holding both hands open, with 10 fingers to represent 10 ODAC championships.  EXCITING!!

[seminoletiger]

I'm extremely proud of you guys.  Go Tigers!  And good luck in the tourney!

(fingers also crossed for GC)

[hasanova]

I'm extremely proud of you guys.  Go Tigers!  And good luck in the tourney!

(fingers also crossed for GC)

Men's field is in.  GC, VWC and HSC give the ODAC three teams!  Whew!

[Llamaguy]

Congrats VWU, HSC & GUILFORD!

Hasa,
You can breathe now! 

[algernon]

CONGRATS TO GUILFORD!!