MBB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[baselinejam]

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

How could QC ever get overlooked with you on the board?

Sanborn & Strong together were a lot to handle. Sanborn will be in the limelight this year. Can he answer the call all by himself? (double cliche - I've never been noted for inspired prose like Hasanova)

[HSCfan]

Yes! I have made a solid contribution! Thanks Ypsi! I know that sludge says Sanborn won't have to handle the same attention, and to a point you are right...but I think that being 6-10 alone will draw some extra attention from most teams because they simply don't have one guy that size, and there will be a need to keep him as far from the hoop as possible. Strong was not only a great scorer against a double team, he was equally, if not more potent, finding open cutters and dishing assists out of a double team. That will be an adjustment for Tyler, one that I'm sure Coach Palombo and his staff will help Tyler along with.

GCQ definitely has some guards that will be a handful...I don't know if Rhett Bonner has been mentioned yet, but he will have the opportunity for a full year with the Quakers as well. Like I said, so many unknowns will make for an exciting year! I don't think it is fair to annoint any team (as much as it breaks my heart as a Tiger follower!) as a front-runner in challenging Macon!! Not until we get a few weeks of games under our belts...do you all agree?

[sludge]

Wait a minute, how are you going to keep Sanborn far from the hoop?

If VWC has a Trawick coming in, I'm willing to anoint the right now as the challenger to RMC.  I could probably work with Hasanova to  find some fish oil and pour it over their heads in honor of the occasion. [That word never looks right no matter how I try to spell it.]
Short of that, I'm not ready to anoint anybody for second place, even those nasty Tigers.

As for RMC, maybe we could anoint them with castor oil, that would slow 'em down.

[hasanova]

Good morning sludge, HSCfan and Mr. Ypsi!  As someone just said, I'm sure I won't let Guilford be forgotten!   lol  There are indeed a lot of questions about this year's team:  will Sanborn thrive without Ben, who will round out the starting five, will Henson have a great season, what will Bonner do with a full year, which freshmen will contribute?  As sludge said, however, Guilford will not be a gimme even post-Strong!

All teams are just weeks from the races
With pre-season smiles on their faces!
The one who'll be tops
Will pull out the stops
And press clippings won't untie their laces!

It should be a fun season!

[FortyFour]

About VWC this year and their ability to compete with RMC, time will tell.  But here's what we do know, they do return Stephen Fields (13.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Norman Hassell (11.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg), and Terrell Dixon as a floor general.  Fields posted an Honorable Mention season despite being arguably the third option for the Marlins last year.  That's a solid nucleus for a team, and arguably about as good as any three players any team is returning in the ODAC this year.

As for the incoming class, the past several years has shown that Macedo can grab impact freshman - with Adair, Balenga, and Fields coming to mind.  This is not to say that any of the new faces will be an impact freshman of the caliber of those three (especially Adair, who was a once-in-a-decade type performer), but every indication that I've seen is that there are some potentially special players in this group.

[osnapitsodac]

I would like some info on these future VWC all americans who are they

[osnapitsodac]

watch out for Johnathan Mudd looks really good but its preseason so idk lol

[baselinejam]

I would like some info on these future VWC all americans who are they

Pllleeeease let them step on the court 1st. 

[HSCfan]

Wait a minute, how are you going to keep Sanborn far from the hoop?

If VWC has a Trawick coming in, I'm willing to anoint the right now as the challenger to RMC.  I could probably work with Hasanova to  find some fish oil and pour it over their heads in honor of the occasion. [That word never looks right no matter how I try to spell it.]
Short of that, I'm not ready to anoint anybody for second place, even those nasty Tigers.

As for RMC, maybe we could anoint them with castor oil, that would slow 'em down.

Alright, alright...I get the message! My word choice (of "annoint" this time) is poor! I was certainly not insinuating that the Tigers be the top contender, I need to see proof on the game floor!

And how would I keep Sanborn away from the rim? Like I said, the goal is to keep him as far away as possible...kind of how Strong used to "gently wedge" Troy Kaase off the block . He will get attention like Strong because he is 6-10 and needs very little to get a shot off over much smaller defenders. Whether teams choose to front him and give helpside or allow the entry and then dig, Sanborn will see more attention than the average ODAC big man because his size will allow him the chance to score a bit easier than most.

[oldfish]

I dont have any inside info on VWC's new players but the coaches of the ODAC seem to agree that they have some special talent coming in with a 2nd place ranking?  BUT..(and there is always a but) with this many first year players seeing time there are going to be some real ups and downs.

[ODACHOOPS]

I don't know if the coaches of the ODAC necessarily gave VWC a #2 ranking due to their "potentially talented freshman class."  I would have to say that VWC got the #2 ranking because they return 3 starters (yes I am counting Fields as a starter) from a team that won 20 + games and made it to the NCAA tourney.  That combined with how much talent the ODAC lost last year and how down many teams will be this year compared to last year. Game Day can't roll around quick enough so all this talk can be settled on the court.

[osnapitsodac]

well darn and yes i would count fields as a starter He certanly showed me last year that he was ready to be one.

[ecrugger]

Macon beats Mason 73-72. 

[y_jack_lok]

Write up from the GMU website.
http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/110508aaa.html

[odacfan1225]

1st of tonights game at mason was amazing.  back and forth the whole night even though mason only had the lead once.  I remember a while back someone said that macon might beat richmond but several posters said that would be stretching it.  we can now put that to rest.  Macon is the real deal.  They just hustled so much tonight and looked amazing.  If they play this well against the defending CAA champions then the odac better watch out.  Several Mason players were over 6'7 and outweighed Macon as well but Macon was just a better team tonight.  Justin Short led the team with great D, leadership, and a good start.  He did not shoot great in the second half but other then that played great.  The score was 33 to 36 macon at the half and thats with jordan brown only playing about 5 minutes in the first due to foul trouble.  He lit it up in the second half though with several 3s and one 3 point play.  Macon shot over 50 percent from 3 and was just on tonight.  And I figure some people that werent at the game prolly think that Mason did play their good players b/c its was just an exhibition.  While they didnt play their traditional lineups their staters played extensively as well as there 1st couple ppl off the bench.  Their role players did not get in the game.  This was not Mason playing bad this was Macon playing great and forcing mason into a bad game.  I think the trip the had over the summer to Chile helped a lot.  They are not just starting to play together yet they have been playing together for a while now.  This was a HUGE win for Macon and the odac as I hear HSC beat longwood.  Congrats to RMC and HSC especially since coach rhoades father just passed and the assistant had to coach for 9 days.  I am sure the win was very special to him!

http://rmc.edu/News/MBBall09-gmu.aspx