MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[donho]

 Be careful 'nova. That favorite label  seems to be a distraction at times. Ask the Jackets about it.

[hasanova]

Be careful 'nova. That favorite label  seems to be a distraction at times. Ask the Jackets about it.

I agree, but it's going to be pretty hard to avoid with the players they have returning and this year's finish.  Sometimes it's better to be picked lower (as in Guilford's 3rd for 2008-09) and overdeliver!

[DeWayneCarter]

Congrats to Tyler Sanborn for being a 4th team D3Hoops All-American.  I was surprised when I first read the article on the front page.  It mentioned that Henson was named to the All Final Four team and then went on to say that Henson joined a few other players who were in the Final Four as a D3Hoops All-American.  I was surpised because it didn't mention Sanborn, who was South Region Player of the Year and, therefore, should have been up for consideration as an All-American before Henson.  It was an error though.  It was Sanborn who was the All-American.  An understandable mistake given how busy the staff has been.  Congrats to all of the Quakers on a great season! 

I noticed it as well ... I was expecting to see Henson, but discovered it was Sanborn ... both deserved the recognition they received.  As you noted, it is an understandable mistake.

You never know what's going to happen from year to year ... and you never want to "count your chickens before they hatch," but things certainly look promising for Guilford next season.  The Quakers lose two seniors ... Neville and Stanley ... but Sanborn, Henson and Bonner are juniors.  Everyone else on the team is a sophomore or a freshman ... plus whoever's recruited for 2009-2010.  I would think three straight years in the NCAA tournament (8-3 record) plus this year's 3rd place finish would help there.

Unless something drastically changes, you'd have to think Guilford would be the preseason favorite in the ODAC next fall. 

Remember when I said that the ODAC would be very interesting next year? lol

[hasanova]

I'd like to say thanks and congratulations to the two Guilford seniors, George Neville and Mat Stanley.  I've really enjoyed watching you play and, more often than not, win!  Your four year record of 87-30 with three straight NCAA appearances is outstanding.  Finally, George, I know you appeared in all 117 games, which may be a Guilford record.  That's a testament to your lack of injuries, stellar play and the Quakers' postseason success!  Thanks for being Guilford College Quakers and good luck to both of you!

[hasanova]

Final Top 25 Poll is out ... Wash U is #1 of course, but then several teams from the Bracket of Death hold down spots 2-4.   From Salem, Richard Stockton is 5th, Guilford 8th and F&M 11th.  The other three teams with Guilford in the Cleveland Sectional were John Carroll 10, UT-Dallas 12 and Capital 13.  Congratulations also to both Averett and Randolph-Macon, who received votes, but did not crack the rankings.

[jeloesel]

At the Final Four in Salem, I had a lengthy discussion with the Hood coach about aspects of the "unbalanced" conference schedule used by the ODAC this season.  That discussion stimulated further reflection about the advantages and disadvantages of the "unbalanced" vs. a "balanced" scheduling for our conference.

Much of the discussion about the "unbalanced" schedule that took place on the ODAC Conversation during the season focused mainly on the "fairness" of the seeding, or stated another way, on the true reflection of team strength in ranking the teams for tournament purposes.  While that is a consideration, I think there are more important aspects that need to be discussed and evaluated.

After R-MWC became coed and began competition in men's basketball and other men's sports, it was a question of what kind of scheduling change would be adopted, not whether to continue with an 18 conference game schedule based on "home and away" scheduling with the other nine teams.  If the decision was made to continue scheduling each of the other conference teams twice for conference competition, the resulting 20 conference games would limit the number of non-conference games to five.  Adopting the "asymmetrical" schedule with 16 conference games allowed scheduling of nine non-conference opponents.  

There are several benefits from playing nine non-conference games rather than five.  
•   First, it allows for more opportunity to play against nearby teams.  Most notable, there was an opportunity for ODAC teams to play more often against USA South teams, which fosters more interaction and builds friendly rivalry between the sister conferences.  Nearby independents can also be scheduled more often, and E&H took the opportunity to schedule nearby VA Wise and VA Intermont.  Southern Virginia in Buena Vista can be incorporated into schedules of nearby ODAC teams more often.  
•   Second, it allows for continued or increased scheduling of home tournaments.  If non-conference games were reduced by four, some of these popular and traditional tournaments probably would be eliminated.  
•   Third, there is increased opportunity to travel to tournaments during the Christmas/New Year break if nine rather than five non-conference slots are available.  These trips are real treats for the athletes and good for exposure of the ODAC in the wider DIII basketball world.  
•   Fourth, it gives coaches greater choices in the strength of the teams they compete against.  It gives weaker ODAC teams the chance to earn wins that they are unlikely to accumulate during the ODAC season; coaches of strong ODAC teams may want to compete against D1 teams or national D3 powers.  
•   Fifth, it increases the visibility of the ODAC in the region and on the national stage to play more games out of conference.  Playing teams from other conference exposes ODAC teams to a greater variety of playing styles, officiating, and levels of competition.

The nine game non-conference schedule also allows for better distribution of games during the season.  
•   First, it is much easier to schedule non-conference games during the long Christmas-New Year break.  
•   Second, the non-conference games are played during November/December/early January, and only one or two conference games are played before the vacation break.  If a 20 game conference schedule would be adopted, the schedule would almost be split between a pre-break season and a post-break season.  Under the "unbalanced" schedule, the bulk of the conference games take place after the non-conference games are completed by time students return from the long holiday.
•   Third, the "unbalanced" 16 game schedule has eliminated the need for the long and tiresome Saturday/Sunday trips.  Especially for the schools at the edges of ODAC territory, these were "trips from hell."  Not needed now.
•   Fourth, the 16 game ODAC schedule distributes the most of the games to a Wednesday/Saturday regularity.  Because of the odd number eleven members, on occasion there need to be three games per week or a single game per week, but those are not the norm.  Remember the annual lament by Steelyglen about the killer schedule that Bridgewater would face in January/February to get all the conference games squeezed into the relatively short time available before the tournament?  I don't recall any posts on the ODAC thread this year complaining about unbearable concentrations of games, especially on the road.  A result of the "unbalanced" schedule, I think.

Of course, the league schedule balances over time.  Roanoke had to play its sole game at Randolph Macon this year, but the Yellow Jackets will travel to Salem next year.  Moreover, the reshuffling of which teams you play once and which you play twice every two years makes certain that what may be a slight disadvantage over a two year period may become a slight advantage over the next two year span.  

It may only be a fluke of the competitiveness of the ODAC this year, but I don't think that playing 20 games this year instead of 16 games would have resulted in a better tournament.  There were some great matchups in the tournament, and it wouldn't be fair to ask for more from regular season play.  It was all about Virginia Wesleyan and W&L getting hot at tournament time, not where they were seeded.  When a seven seed plays an eight seed for the championship, it appears to me that seeding was largely irrelevant.  

I was skeptical about the merits of an "unbalanced" 16 game schedule going into the season, but I think it worked out much better than I could have hoped.  It's not perfect, but I think it has substantial advantages over a 20 game ODAC schedule.   I'd expect there will be  tinkering of the system as more experience is gained over the next few years.  It's worth keeping, IMHO.

Finally, congratulations to Guilford for an outstanding season and thanks for representing the ODAC so well in the NCAA tournament.

[hasanova]

Thanks for your thoughtful post regarding the schedule.  I can see the pros and cons as well.  If there's one thing I don't like about an 11-team conference, however, it would be the inability to have everyone playing an ODAC game on the same days, expecially on Saturday's late in the season.

Thanks also for your kind words about Guilford's season. 

[sludge]

Thanks or the perspective, JL and hasanova. 
And I agree with DeWayne - I think the ODAC will be very interesting next year, probably a dogfight.

[Jacketlawyer]

Thanks for the post Jim.  Interesting points. 8)

Enjoyed it this year guys, as always.  It'll be interesting to see what R-M does next year.  Justin Short will be hard to replace.

See ya on the football board in a few months!!

[tigerfanalso]

Next year will be exciting for ODAC b'ball; however I think Guilford will be the dominant team followed by VWC. It will be a fist fight between the rest of the league. I'm looking forward to it, as always.

Best to all. Enjoy the Spring & Summer. Before we know it Football Season will be here !!!!!!

[donho]

   I knew this day would come but it still sadens me. Best of luck to Coach Rhoades and his family. Guess now I will have to follow VCU.

[HSCfan]

Congratulations to Coach Rhoades on joining the VCU staff. His intensity and recruiting skill are perfect for the Division I level, and it will be fun watching the Rams next year and well into the future!

[FortyFour]

Here's a link to the Times-Dispatch story about the VCU staff, including Coach Rhoades: http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/college/college_basketball/article/VCUBGAT15_20090415-190629/257303/


That's a pretty impressive staff for a mid-major program.

[Mr. Ypsi]

And now the questions:

Who will coach RMC?

Will RMC lose any recruits?

Anyone have speculation (or, gasp , knowledge) about answers?

[hasanova]

Congratulations to Coach Rhoades on joining the VCU staff. His intensity and recruiting skill are perfect for the Division I level, and it will be fun watching the Rams next year and well into the future!

My congratulations to Coach Rhoades as well.  I saw a move such as this coming ... but just not this year!  It will be interesting to see who takes the reins at RMC.