Depth not the usual luxury for Lady Monarchs this season

NORFOLK

No more than 15 minutes had passed after Old Dominion had fallen to Connecticut in the Sweet 16 when diminutive point guard Jazzmin Walters made this proclamation in the locker room:

"Next year starts tomorrow."

While Walters was talking about players preparing right away for the next season, the official start comes Saturday. Old Dominion, which rose to national prominence again last year with a 31-5 record, opens with three games at the World Vision Tournament in Austin, Texas.

Three key seniors from last season are gone: T.J. Jordan, Megan Pym and Shahida Williams. Walters and senior Tiffany Green are the returning starters of a far younger Lady Monarchs team, ranked 25th in the preseason Associated Press poll. But Jessica Canady's role is expected to be just as significant. Last year's sixth woman looks ready to contend for league Player of the Year honors after a splendid preseason.

It will be up to starting point guard Walters to lead the way.

"I don't want to regret anything; it's my last year," said Walters, hopeful that the same chemistry that defined ODU a season ago will return. "You have to be patient with all the newcomers. The big thing is make sure they have their confidence at the end of the day."

ODU has won nearly all of its 17 Colonial Athletic Association tournament titles behind depth, a luxury this season's Lady Monarchs don't have yet. It will be critical how the five newcomers adjust to coach Wendy Larry's style of defense and how much they learn from a taxing nonconference schedule that includes national champion Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia and Texas.

"We're plugging holes right now," said Larry. "We're trying to get the gap to lesson between the experienced and the inexperienced, trying to find the combinations that work."

Among the freshmen, Scot Mairi Buchan put up eye-catching numbers in Europe and has the work ethic and smarts to make an impact if she can adjust to the more physical American game. Losing CAA all-time 3-point ace Jordan is a blow, but another Wilson High School product, Jo Guilford, owns a mix of skills similar to Jordan's. But Guilford suffered a slight tear in her medial collateral ligament a half hour into the initial practice. The injury is healing, but her lateral movement remains hampered.

Not having Guilford go through preseason "was huge," Larry said. "Of all the freshmen, she was probably the most impressive as far as being comfortable with herself and comfortable on the floor. "

Sophomores Shadasia Green and Jasmine Parker make up a more athletic perimeter than in the past. Green is a better scorer and more selective shooter than a year ago. Parker has the best 3-point shot on the team. The Maury graduate should make an even bigger impact than she did last season, when she made the CAA all-rookie team.

"The fire she brings, the personal edge, is very important to us," Larry said.

With three of the more vocal players having graduated, ODU also is looking to fill the leadership role. Jen Nuzzo, a regular starter for the first time in her ODU career, is a good bet. The senior always has been something of a steadying presence, but expects even more out of herself.

"I think I can expand my role a notch," she said. "I should be able to run the floor, get open and knock some shots down."

Part of Nuzzo's role as one of the captains: work with the newcomers. The faster the freshmen jell with the veterans, the more likely this ODU team can repeat the successes of its predecessors.

Vicki L. Friedman, (757) 477-6874 VickiL120@cox.net