MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[hasanova]

Can someone post your NCAA team's profiles in here:

http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=6299.0

Done.

And done well, IMO!  +K

Thanks.

[donho]

 Oldfish, no guessing needed, but if you are guessing you guessed correctly.

[FortyFour]

Donho,

I too am a little curious about those sentiments about the Fish?  I find it hard to root against any ODAC team in the Big Dance, so I am curious about those feelings.

[donho]

 Fortyfour,   Goes like this ,if the Ravens beat the Steelers this year I do not watch the Super Bowl.  I do not like to watch the Ravens play. I do however enjoy watching the Steelers play.

[FortyFour]

Fair enough...gotcha.

[2RMCFans]

We had a tough time getting out of Salem late yesterday and were digging out all day today with the campus closed (doesn't happen often!)

Good luck to the Quakers and the Marlins in post season play.  May all their associated travels be safe (without blizzards). 

Signing off until next November with best wishes to all for a great off season.

[matty]

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)

[matty]

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?

[hasanova]

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?

I can't tell you about the others, but Ben Strong's playing in Israel:

http://www.mhbasket.co.il/default.asp?lang=en

[3sdown]

I agree with DonHo regarding VWC...I don't wish them harm in anyway, but I do not wish them to win.  And I wouldn't go watch them play if they gave me a LazyBoy at center court with all of the Jack Daniels and Coke in the world (as well as some good eats) unless they were playing RMC.  While RMC has a rivalry with HSC...I do not have a deep seated dislike of them, but rather have respect for them.  Yes I want to beat them, but would cheer for them if they were in the NCAAs.  However, that is not the case with VWC.

HSC website says Brandon Randall is employed in Williamsburg at Budweiser Brewing Co. and that Jeff Monroe is in law school at UNC-Chapel Hill.  If you remember Matt McKeag he is a head coach at Robinson Secondary School in Alexandria, VA.  And David Willson is an Assistant Coach at Elon University. This info comes out of the HSC Media Guide located on their website.

[Pat Coleman]

2nd year in a row RMC gets the SHAFT

Randolph-Macon had a sub-.500 opponents winning percentage and no wins against regionally ranked teams. Resume very similar to St. Mary's (Md.), which was also left out.

Adding secondary criteria doesn't help -- means Randolph-Macon is 0-2 against regionally ranked opponents instead of 0-1. Means RMC drops 50 points in winning percentage.

Anecdotally, the most impressive win is beating Roanoke by five at home. They lost to the seven seed in the conference quarterfinals.

Guilford's resume isn't much better but out of region they did have a victory against a regionally ranked team (McDaniel) and, of course, they beat RMC, so they were on the table ahead of them. Trinity (Texas), which we believe got the last spot in the tournament from the South Region, had a better opponents winning percentage. Anecdotally, lost by one point to UW-Stevens Point in overtime.

[oldfish]

I'm a little shocked to see such animosity towards VWC.  I would be interested to know where this stems from as I (and most other posters) always rooted for the other ODAC teams in NCAA play.

I would like to think that this hostility stems from a healthy respect that the schools have for each other and knowing how difficult it is to have prolonged success at this level.  Unfortunately, the tone of the negative posts does not reveal ANY respect for what VWC has accomplished

Anyway, I wish Guilford and VWC the best of luck in the NCAA's!  Interesting that the only two teams that made the NCAA's out of the ODAC are VWC and a school coached by a VWC grad?

[hasanova]

Well, I will root for any and all ODAC schools in a postseason tournament.  If an ODAC team does well on a national stage, it reflects positively on all of us.  Virginia Wesleyan suffers a bit in comparison to many of the other ODAC institutions in historical longevity and financial backing.  Both are factors that any reasonable person knows take, well, time.  A school founded in 1960 will never be as old as a school founded in the 18th or early 19th century, but the passage of time lessens the stark contrast.  In VWC's case, this will probably not happen in our lifetimes.

From a posturing perspective, however, the Marlins men's basketball team ... and its fans ... have probably not done themselves any favors by either openly or tacitly promoting themselves with catch phrases such as "the thugs from the beach."  This is not an endearing phrase to other institutions built on reputations steeped in academia, the social graces and philanthropy.  It's like wearing Fubu when convention says wear black tie ... neither are right or wrong, but both are struggling with the juxtaposition of centuries old norms meeting 21st century modern.

Now, to be fair, the overwhelming majority of students (and student athletes) at all ODAC colleges are outstanding people who care about their studies, their teammates, their opponents and the rules of sportsmanship.  By billing yourself, even subconsciously, in a way some regard as antisocial, you cloud the great things the overall college accomplishes and you shroud all student athletes under a slightly tainted cloth.  It's not fair, but it's how the human mind works.

Personally, I'm glad the Marlins are in the ODAC and I'm glad the men's basketball team is in the NCAA tournament.  I will root for you until you play the Quakers and would expect nothing less in a role reversal.

Go Quakers!  Go Marlins!  Go ODAC!

[jdubyadubya]

Correction Hasanova: the descriptive phrase "thugs from the beach" was not created or promoted by VWC student athletes, administration, faculty, alumni, or friends. It was a label put on them because of their aggressive play. After all, they are perceived as a little different by the likes of some of the more established schools in the ODAC. I can assure you that no one who is associated with Virginia Wesleyan or its athletic programs would ever refer to their teams as such. No, that comes from elsewhere. 

[odacfan1225]

2nd year in a row RMC gets the SHAFT

Randolph-Macon had a sub-.500 opponents winning percentage and no wins against regionally ranked teams. Resume very similar to St. Mary's (Md.), which was also left out.

Adding secondary criteria doesn't help -- means Randolph-Macon is 0-2 against regionally ranked opponents instead of 0-1. Means RMC drops 50 points in winning percentage.

Anecdotally, the most impressive win is beating Roanoke by five at home. They lost to the seven seed in the conference quarterfinals.

Guilford's resume isn't much better but out of region they did have a victory against a regionally ranked team (McDaniel) and, of course, they beat RMC, so they were on the table ahead of them. Trinity (Texas), which we believe got the last spot in the tournament from the South Region, had a better opponents winning percentage. Anecdotally, lost by one point to UW-Stevens Point in overtime.

RMC beat number 13 Ursinus early in the year.  And if that isnt important then neither should the very small losses on the road against ranked teams early in the year.  RMC was 20 and 5!   20 and 5!!! This is what makes d3 very frustrating.  20 and 5 is deserving of post season play.  (I took away the 6 b/c it was to D1 richmond).  And yes they lost to vwc the 7 seed.  but so did every1 else that played them in the tournament!  they were no 7 seed.  things arent always what they seem on paper.  if you have seen rmc in person you know they are deserving.  not to mention justin short is deserving of being mentioned for an all american team