MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[sludge]

My fear is that DC leaving Randolph-Macon will uncork the team's potential, which really doesn't need uncorking.

Thanks for the updates on that BC - Ferrum game.  BC competed well there, and just came up short.  Overall, the ODAC has done remarkably well against other conferences this year.

In that Guilford - Maryville game, I think Tyler Sanborn had a double - double actually by halftime.

By the commutative law of basketball, VWC would have beaten Maryville by a whole bunch.

[hasanova]

My fear is that DC leaving Randolph-Macon will uncork the team's potential, which really doesn't need uncorking.

Thanks for the updates on that BC - Ferrum game.  BC competed well there, and just came up short.  Overall, the ODAC has done remarkably well against other conferences this year.

In that Guilford - Maryville game, I think Tyler Sanborn had a double - double actually by halftime.

By the commutative law of basketball, VWC would have beaten Maryville by a whole bunch.

That commutative law of basketball doesn't always work.    I hope the Quakers have two successful trips to Sewanee and Marietta (4 games total) and are ready for ODAC play in 2010!

Regarding Sanborn versus Maryville, I know he had the points - as he scored the first 10 for Guilford!

[hasanova]

Final in Danville:  Averett 70, Hampden-Sydney 55

I don't know any further details, but, frankly, this one surprises me a bit!

[algernon]

Final in Danville:  Averett 70, Hampden-Sydney 55

I don't know any further details, but, frankly, this one surprises me a bit!

I was at the game in Danville.  You're not going to win many games when you give up 28 turnovers ..... the passing was horrible, the play was sloppy, and the Tiger's play was well below what it has been the rest of this season.  The Tigers looked much, much better in their losses to High Point University and Guilford College.

Averett is now 1-5 in ODAC play (a win against the Tigers, but losses to Guilford, Virginia Wesleyan, EMU, W&L, and Bridgewater).  They will play at least 2 more games against ODAC opponents this season.  On top of those two, the Cougars could again play HSC in either the consolation or championship match of the Tigers' post-Christmas tournament in Fleet Gymnasium.

I hope tonight was the low point of the Tigers' season .... maybe the players were wiped out by their exams, since exams just ended yesterday .... and were given on 5 of the last 6 days (Friday, Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday).

[3sdown]

RMC Fans--

With all due respect to the traditional RMC Fans that have doubts about the team's performance this year...They are 8-0 and have beat some good to above average teams so far and also beat a solid D-I program in its exhibition game.  8-0 is 8-0.  A win is a win and a loss is a loss.  And lets remember that this is being done in a year with quite a bit of uncertainity.  Rhoades departed for VCU and Davis comes in at RMC.  Those of us that know Coach Davis know he is a stand-up guy and a great basketball mind.  But did anyone expect an 8-0 start with an upset of American in an exhibition game?  The answer is no. 

Coach Davis (proably along with Coach Rhoades help) was able to get JD Byers to stick around which got things off to a good start since he knows the players and incoming freshmen.  However, there are differences between the way programs are run between coaches (even when both of the coaches are good/great coaches).  So undoubtedly there was going to be a transition period...And this transition period has resulted in an 8-0 record! Get out of here...I'm dreaming, aren't I!

About the "separation" of the kid from the program...Good for Coach Davis.  Rhoades gave him more than his fair amount of chances and then Davis gave him a chance.  And from all accounts (now and in the past) things weren't going smoothly and it was becoming a distraction.  And based on everyone's comments about the depth of this team then things should move forward...And like Donho, while I have not seen any games this year, this kid was not the best player on the team nor the heart and soul of this team.  Period. 

I will say as I have said in previous years, especially last year after we beat George Mason.  Games are played one at a time.  And what you did the previous game means nothing in the next game.  8-0 start means nothing b/c all that matters is the next game.  And, as echoed by some fans, RMC often likes to "ride" below the radar.  (Very similar to Virginia Tech in football...When they are the underdog things go well, but when the team has high expectations then previous results have often indicated that RMC did not rise to the occasion.)  Well, Coach Davis and the players need to change this.  As the pressure increases and the expectations rise (#5 in the nation, etc.) then the team needs to show up and play every night like a CHAMPIONSHIP caliber team.  CHAMPIONS are determined when the stakes are the highest...The ODAC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.  In this sense I agree with some of the RMC posters...That I have my doubts (based on recent results), but I have my hopes as well.

In my opinion, a GOOD season is winning a lot of regular season games and then making it to at least the semi-finals or finals of the ODAC tournament with the potential for getting an NCAA tournament bid.  A GREAT season is winning the regular season ODAC title, winning the ODAC tournament, and making it into the sweet Sixteen.  A CHAMPIONSHIP season is winning the NCAA and everything along the way.  GOOD seasons (while respected) are average at RMC.  The standard at RMC is a GREAT season.  And RMC expects to be making progress to winning the National Championship.  These are the expectations that come with RMC Basketball thanks to its tradition (Webb, Nunnally, Rhoades, and now Davis). 

So...I am happy that with the transition to Davis from Rhoades that RMC has positioned itself to have nothing less than a GOOD season with the potential to have a GREAT season.  Time will only tell on the National Championship...I will worry about that once RMC has had a great season (winning the sectional in the NCAA tournament).  All I do know is that this takes playing at a CHAMPIONSHIP level one game at a time and being able to handle the pressure/expectation of winning the ODAC Tournament and advancing deep into the NCAA Tournament. 

This mental/pyschological leap of playing at a CHAMPIONSHIP level in the ODAC Tournament and then carrying it into the NCAA Tournament has been the issue.  The only way to overcome this is to DO IT.  Best of luck to the players and coaching staff in accomplishing this feat this year.  As a Yellow Jacket fan I will be cheering for you along the way to accomplish this goal in late February and early March.  That is when the caliber of RMC teams are determined, not in the regular season.




   

[y_jack_lok]

Overall, the ODAC has done remarkably well against other conferences this year.

Better than any other conference, in fact. Below is the content of a post on the SLIAC site (Midwest Region) from a friend who keeps these kind of stats.

"Point to ponder...

Of 43 D3 conferences, the SLIAC ranks 41st of 43 in Win Loss record vs non conference D3 schools.

Win Loss % for The SLIAC is .294
Only the NEAC out east at .255 and the UMAC in the upper midwest at .146 are lower.

Top conference is [the] ODAC at .809, and the UAA (Wash U) at .782."

Bold emphasis above is mine. The ODAC percentage has dipped a bit now with the H-SC loss to Averett.

[deanslist]

EMU has postponed the game tomorrow at Averett because of the snow that is suppose to arrive.  They will now have a 3 week break between games. That long of a break makes me a little nervous, especially the first game back being a conference game on Jan. 2 against a tough Hampden Sydney team! Let's hope the guys keep their fitness up and are able to get in the gym a lot over the holidays. The one positive, this should help to get everyone healthy for the ODAC schedule.

[donho]

  Nice post 3sdown!!
    If I my go back to a post by 78rmc. He mentioned the play of guys like Mills, Bergman and Wansley. The player that I feel RMC has been missing for a few years now is a TIM SMITH. Tim was a players player and a coaches player. Could he shoot ? No. Could he Pass? not really. Could he post up? No.  Could he score? Yes when needed. Could he play defense? Yes. And if you punched him in the mouth, he punched you back twice!With out a doubt my favorite player at RMC over the past ten years. Every good team needs a Tim Smith. Every great team HAS a Tim Smith.

[rmc1982]

  Nice post 3sdown!!
    If I my go back to a post by 78rmc. He mentioned the play of guys like Mills, Bergman and Wansley. The player that I feel RMC has been missing for a few years now is a TIM SMITH. Tim was a players player and a coaches player. Could he shoot ? No. Could he Pass? not really. Could he post up? No.  Could he score? Yes when needed. Could he play defense? Yes. And if you punched him in the mouth, he punched you back twice!With out a doubt my favorite player at RMC over the past ten years. Every good team needs a Tim Smith. Every great team HAS a Tim Smith.

....and a great young man!!He and Jamal Brunt were always my son's favorites at basketball camp. He was a workman,a Kurt Rambis, sort of.Always showed up,gave you 150%, and was a winner,plain and simple.The epitome of a team player......

[3sdown]

Agree about Tim Smith and Jamal Brunt.  Those two were the glue to Rhoade's early years at RMC.  Unfortunately, I have not been able to see the Jackets play this year, but hopefully they have an individual or two that are the glue to the team.  And from my perspective this can't be the "go to guy" either.  It must be someone different from your marquee player. 

[2RMCFans]

Great posts by R-MC mens' hoops watchers!  We can all see things differently and we 2 fans certainly aren't trying to say R-MC is "the greatest R-MC team ever", is going to win the conference, or appear in post season play.  We're simply saying, we've attended every home game and a few away (for years) and we LOVE WHAT WE ARE SEEING!  Not ALL of it, but most of it. 

8-0 is indeed, undefeated, so let's give credit to the players and the coaches where due.  No one has mentioned this, but we can clearly see the influence of Asst Coach Jeremy Dixon (08) on the improvement of 2 big guys, Braxton and Campion, under the basket (especially defensively).  Way to go, Dix, and thanks for your contributions to this team!

Enough has been said about DC, but we personally will miss him.  A mercurial player for sure, but a kid who has gutted it out to stay at R-MC for a degree and to play basketball.  We wish him the very best and we absolutely support whatever decision Coach Davis made in this regard.  And, kudos to whoever posted above in praise of Asst Coach JD Byers-- he is an awesome asset to the R-MC program!

As for not having a "go-to" guy, Justin Short (09) was in the audience for Wooster.   Does anyone need to be reminded that in many games last year, Short all but carried the team on his back for close wins?  Thanks, but we'll take a balanced, deep-bench Jackets team any day.  The talent of guys like Brown, Pugh, Jones, Croskey and Desgain is undisputed... who's going to take the helm?  We love having choices!

Okay, maybe the guys weren't tired at the end of the Wooster game, but they sure were breathing hard from where we were sitting... maybe it was just the excitement of winning that game. 

GO JACKETS!!! 

[3sdown]

28RMCFans--

You should love what you are seeing.  8-0 is a great start and it sounds like the team is playing well.  No problem with that approach.  My only point is that we have seen a lot of this before only not to rise to expectations in February and March.  Agree with you on Dix...I am sure this has been important to the improvement of the big men.

Regarding the go to guy...Yes, depth is necessary, but so is a "go to guy".  You ever seen CHAMPIONSHIP teams without a "go to guy".  Those teams are rare if they exist at all.  It takes a well-rounded, deep team, but among the depth there must be a few key roles filled.  A "go to guy", one shut down defensive player, and a "glue" player/s.  Only those fans that have seen games know whether these exist on the roster?  Could someone who has seen games provide the names of the individuals that currently fill the roles or are "developing" into these roles?

[2RMCFans]

3sdown:  in our opinion, both Braxton and Brown ARE playing shut down defense - and again, we can see the influence of Jeremy Dixon here.  Also, Jones but with fewer minutes of play, and Voelkel-- but less consistently. 

This team is still gelling & your glue and go to players will hopefully emerge in January, but we've seen clutch points from any one of Braxton, Jones, Brown, Desgain, Pugh or Croskey-- just depends on who's on the floor.   

One thing that stands out among these guys, especially with Brown, is the assists & teamwork.  Brown almost seems to like enabling other guys to score as much he enjoys scoring-- his no-look passes are beautiful.  Braxton seems to be the player who provides the emotion to fire up the team. 

Who knows how long the wins will last, but we're very proud of the start this team and its coaches have made.

GO JACKETS!!!! - and thank goodness the players are not stuck in Ashland with more than a foot of snow on the ground!

P.S.  that ODAC stat above (wins v. non-conf. opponents) is incredible!  Way to go, ODAC teams.

[hasanova]

Just got back from my son's wedding in Asheville, so playing ODAC catch-up.  If any of you have ever been west on I-40 through the NC mountains then you know about the long continuous grade up Black Mountain.  I'd already seen about a half dozen cars in the guard rails before that and then had to dodge several cars doing 360's and even 720's on the way up.  The scariest sight was the SUV laying on its roof in the east-bound, downhill lanes.  Anyway, we made it safely, there was over a foot of snow and the wedding was great!  Some expected guests, including my Mother and brothers, couldn't get through, but everyone's safe.  The bride's family, from California, were stuck on I-26 for six hours (it's normally a 45 minute drive) trying to get to the hotel from the airport, but I'm sure there are many tales to tell up the eastern seaboard!

Anyway, to hoops, the Quakers improve to 8-1 with 71-58 and 96-72 wins over Huntingdon and Rust, respectively, at the Lon Varnell Classic at Sewanee in Tennessee.  Tyler Sanborn had two double/doubles, scoring 27 in each game and grabbing 24 total rebounds.  Guilford's next action is just before New Year's when the Quakers travel to Marietta, OH to take on Ohio Wesleyan.  The winner of that game faces the winner of Grove City and Marietta.  The losers, of course, meet in the consolation game.

[jdubyadubya]

Nova - yikes, glad you are safe. Your kids will tell their kids about the storm of the century(or, two centuries!)