About those personal fouls

   Bobby Wilder's bunch has been guilty of more than a few personal fouls this season, enough to concern fans and, to a degree, even the head coach.

   There are lousy personal fouls. Like barking too much at opponents (really, doesn't a hard hit say it better?) and dirty play.

   Ah, dirty play. We laugh when Paul Newman's character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid gives the "There'll be none of this" speech while emphasizing his point with, uh, some of this.

   Honestly, Wilder's over the barking and the cheap shots too, and swears (well, swearing is a problem now, isn't it) that he's getting it in check.

   But ... there's always a but ... some of it is just plain youthful mistakes.

   "We're trying to teach them to play fast and I'd rather have them playing fast and making fast mistakes that are correctable mistakes," Wilder said. "The other night Mychael McJunkins hit someone on the sidelines and got 15 yards for a late hit. Was it a late hit? Maybe. He needs to learn where that fine line is.

   "Part of the issue is that in a normal program I'd be coaching up the incoming freshmen on what's acceptable and what isn't. With us being a first-year program, I'm having to coach up a whole team."

   So, yes sports fans, the Monarchs' coaching staff is aware of it. And doing something about it.

   * ODU's 10 straight games to start the season has a silver lining: The team is off next week and the coaching staff will get a jump on recruiting.

   It's an evaluation period, which means the coaches cannot be in contact with recruits. But they can visit high schools and junior colleges and prep schools and talk with coaches and get transcripts of players' grades.

   ODU's coaches will fly out on Sunday and spend Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday making the rounds in their respective recruiting areas. When they return, the Monarchs will return to practice on Thursday.

   "We'll practice Thursday and Friday in preparation for VMI, which means we'll get a head start on that game," Wilder said. "But everybody's taking a manditory day off on Nov. 14.

   And what will Wilder do that day?

   "Daddy stuff."

   * Pep rally: Friday night behind the Constant Center, beginning at 5:45. Enough said.

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