MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[tigerfanalso]

I don't like "change" and feel this move is not necessary. If you can't finish in the top eight in regular season, you don't deserve to go to the tourney, my opinion. Teams finishing ninth and below are not going to win the tourney, why force the teams finishing 6th through 8th to play one more tournament game ? Makes it more difficult for those teams to make a run in Salem.

I hope the ODAC made the right decision.

Good luck and may the ODAC get at least two NCAA bids this year.

[baselinejam]

FLASH FROM ODAC HQ: "The ODAC Men's Basketball Tournament has shifted its format as all 11 squads will now make the tourney field. The top five seeds will receive a bye from the opening round of competition. Seeds 6 to 11 will open the tournament on Tuesday, February 24 with a trio of first round contests on the higher seeds' campuses. The three winners will join the top five seeds in Salem for the men's tournament that begins with quarterfinals on Friday, February 27 and carries through the championship on Sunday, March 1."

I think it is great. 6-8 are always suspect anyway. If a 9-11 can win on the road to get to Salem then more power to them!

[HSCfan]

FLASH FROM ODAC HQ: "The ODAC Men's Basketball Tournament has shifted its format as all 11 squads will now make the tourney field. The top five seeds will receive a bye from the opening round of competition. Seeds 6 to 11 will open the tournament on Tuesday, February 24 with a trio of first round contests on the higher seeds' campuses. The three winners will join the top five seeds in Salem for the men's tournament that begins with quarterfinals on Friday, February 27 and carries through the championship on Sunday, March 1."

I think it is great. 6-8 are always suspect anyway. If a 9-11 can win on the road to get to Salem then more power to them!

I love that the ODAC did this because this is the only fair way to validate the non-balanced ODAC schedule. This is the same format used in Division I-A with conferences like the ACC and Big Ten, where all teams make the conference tourney because of the unbalanced scheduling. You cannot justify a strict eight-team tourney when some teams play tougher conference schedules than others.

The ODAC is on the money here!

And I agree with baselinejam...if 6-8 truly deserve to be in Salem, then they will take care of business! If not, 9-11 will be glad to take their place.

[hasanova]

http://www.guilford.edu/about_guilford/news_and_publications/releases/OdomPosition.html

According to this announcement, Dave Odom (Guilford alumnus, former HC at ECU, WFU and S. Carolina as well as the father of HSC alumnus and Va Tech Assistant Coach Ryan Odom) will work with Guilford on a part-time basis to assist in fund-raising, recruitment and other goodwill duties. 

[FortyFour]

The new ODAC men's hoops preseason poll is out:

http://odac.bridgewater.edu/10.30.08_mbb_preseasonpoll.htm

No major suprises -
1. RMC (10 first place votes)
2. VWC (1 first place vote)
3. Guilford
4. HSC
5. Roanoke
6. Bridgewater
7. W & L
8. (tie). EMU and  E & H
10. LC
11. Randolph

[jdubyadubya]

pre-season poll: I still think VWC is going to give RMC a run for its money, and maybe vice versa. I feel a little better with HSC(new coach, new life) in 3rd and Guilford in 4th. Lynchburg just might surprise everyone with a better than 10th finish with a new coach and some renewed enthusiasm. We'll see whose crystal ball is more accurate

[HSCfan]

I don't have any major gripes with the preseason poll, because it is, for all intents and purposes, a preseason judgement in a league with so many question marks. I agree with dubya in that LC is better than that 10th place prediction, but only time will tell.

This is not a shot at VWC fans, but I have noticed the extreme confidence that you all have in your team being able to challenge R-MC. The Fish are in the same boat as a Bridgewater, Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke, even LC, in that they have one, maybe two proven players coming into the season. Heck, Macedo even admitted at the media day yesterday that half of his team hasn't even checked into a college basketball game!

VWC has Fields and Hassell, LC has Wooldridge and Echols, BC has Trawick and Oblitey, H-SC has King and Lawton...I'm just wondering why VWC fans think they have such a great shot at R-MC taking into account that they are in the same boat as every other potential contender? The Fish lost their top two scorers at 16 and 15 ppg, plus their floor general in Tucker! Not a pot-shot, just curious as to what weapons you all have concealed over there!

[jdubyadubya]

Dear HSCfan - let me take a poke at your comment.....the weapons are the M's:  McDuffie, Meredith, Meyers. Stir in Stephen Fields with Dixon and Hassell and watch out...KABOOM! Watch and enjoy.

[baselinejam]

Dear HSCfan - let me take a poke at your comment.....the weapons are the M's:  McDuffie, Meredith, Meyers. Stir in Stephen Fields with Dixon and Hassell and watch out...KABOOM! Watch and enjoy.

hey JWW- might you be putting a bit of pressure on the FY's at VWC? The past couple ODAC seasons I can only think of Trawick & Echols busting through as top scorers as frosh. It is rare to have a top 30 scorer as a freshman much less 3 of them. Hassel & Fields are outstanding. Still I don't think VW will be # 2 if they start 3 freshman. IMO you  all are going to miss Fantin every bit as much as my Generals miss Bienemann.

[DeWayneCarter]

You know Macedo isn't gonna let the Marlins fall behind. You can guarantee that they are gonna be the same tough defensive team they have always been.

[hasanova]

I don't have any major gripes with the preseason poll, because it is, for all intensive purposes, a preseason judgement in a league with so many question marks. I agree with dubya in that LC is better than that 10th place prediction, but only time will tell.

This is not a shot at VWC fans, but I have noticed the extreme confidence that you all have in your team being able to challenge R-MC. The Fish are in the same boat as a Bridgewater, Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke, even LC, in that they have one, maybe two proven players coming into the season. Heck, Macedo even admitted at the media day yesterday that half of his team hasn't even checked into a college basketball game!

VWC has Fields and Hassell, LC has Wooldridge and Echols, BC has Trawick and Oblitey, H-SC has King and Lawton...I'm just wondering why VWC fans think they have such a great shot at R-MC taking into account that they are in the same boat as every other potential contender? The Fish lost their top two scorers at 16 and 15 ppg, plus their floor general in Tucker! Not a pot-shot, just curious as to what weapons you all have concealed over there!

Sometimes I feel Guilford gets a bit overlooked when this forum starts talking about ODAC hoops.   Maybe it would be better if we were a charter member or in Virginia!    For example, please take the statement "The Fish are in the same boat as a Bridgewater, Hampden-Sydney, Roanoke, even LC, in that they have one, maybe two proven players coming into the season."  Here's my point:  Guilford is coming off back-to-back 24-5 NCAA tournament seasons.  Granted, they lost key players in Strong, Kimbrough and Belkoski, but the Quakers return Sanborn and Henson, which seems to fit the "proven players" definition ... plus there are Neville, Anderson, Stephenson and Stafford, another 6"9" freshman.  For all intents and purposes, not a bad team and one that will, I think, be a contender for one of the top 3-4 spots.   Let the games begin!  Peace

[HSCfan]

Again, dubya, I love fans that are passionate about their teams, and I can't say that I am not somewhat of a "homer" myself when it comes to the Tigers. But, although H-SC has brought in two very good transfers that I feel will have a huge impact (one that could, potentially be flat out one of the best players in the league when its all said and done ), I also know that other teams have surely brought in freshmen classes and transfers that they feel the same way about that I have no knowledge of. For the Marlins' sake, I hope those newcomers are big contributors right away. But like baselinejam said, it is very rare for freshmen to come in and dominate immediately.

I just think its dangerous to look past the incredible losses the Fish experienced. Fantin, TonTon and D'juan were great players that opened up the door of opportunity for a lot of players, including a Terrell Dixon who was great knocking down open shots he got from the threat of the three aforementioned players. Stephen Fields is a legitimate stud, no argument there. But a lot of guys are going to have to "up" their roles from last year and I think its dangerous to hinge your hopes on unproven freshmen, no matter how good they are supposed to be.

I think everyone should give those players time to get used to the speed, physicality and demands of the college game before we annoint them all freshmen of the year.

[HSCfan]

Hey Hasa! My apologies for leaving out Guilford...I was in a rush and put down the first names that came to mind from a players' standpoint! I would definitely put Henson in that category, but honestly, I don't know if I am quite sold on Sanborn yet. No doubt he has improved over summer knowing that he is now the man in the middle, but I can only go off of his track record. He will certainly be a rebounding force on both ends of the floor, but will he be able to step up his scoring? Can he handle, with the same grace and composure, the same attention that Strong handled with such ease? Questions that will be answered....please get here Nov. 15!!!!!

[sludge]

I take my eye off here for a few days and you guys go hog wild!

Regarding remarkable freshmen:  if VWC can pull a Trawick out of its gullet, then we're all gonna have a heap of trouble!  Trawick is not your usual anything.

Sanborn won't have to handle the kind of attention Strong got, and I bet he'll use his different assets very well this season.  Neville is also very well proven, but both those guys need to go easy on the whistles.  Henson's a real pleasure and TC Anderson is solid for sure.  Stephenson and Bonner will probably step up, and Mat Stanley will be a team leader in his way.  Some of the new guys looked pretty good.

Guilford won't be your walk-over game.  The defense will really be there.

[Mr. Ypsi]

HSCfan, you gave a start to answering the question I hadn't yet asked - thanks!

My question: no sane person expects Sanborn to be the second-coming of Strong, but does he have the makings of a dominant center?  Now that he is The Man on the inside, is he more likely to blossom, or wilt receiving the attention previously given to Ben?

(And just before I hit 'post' I see sludge has provided even more of the answer.   You guys are good - any tips for Vegas or Wall Street? )