Bazemore looms large in ODU season's 1st big test

NORFOLK

Kent Bazemore's status Wednesday night was "available if needed."

Was he ever needed, after Old Dominion scored just 15 points in the first half of a 53-43 win over Howard.

Bazemore checked in early in the second half and gave ODU (2-1) an adrenaline boost in just nine minutes of action. It was the second straight game in which the Monarchs' best player was placed on a limited-minutes regimen in hopes of speeding his recovery from offseason foot surgery.

ODU hopes to reap the benefits of that approach this weekend, when it faces the biggest test of the young season at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tipoff in Uncasville, Conn.

The Monarchs play South Florida today and either Penn State or No.2 Kentucky on Sunday. It was one thing to "get out of Dodge," as coach Blaine Taylor put it, with Bazemore playing single-digit minutes against Howard. It would be quite another to do it against major conference teams this weekend.

How much Bazemore will play is unclear. Taylor said only that he's hoping this week's conservative approach will pay off "in the near future, hopefully, that he can feel more at full strength."

Whether the dynamic "Baze" plays more, the Monarchs should benefit from the return of junior forward Nick Wright, who makes his season debut after a three-game suspension. The 6-foot-8 Wright gives ODU another player up front, where the team has been particularly thin.

"He can really help us defensively, on the glass, shot blocking," Taylor said. "And he knows what we're doing. He's been in practices and games for years."

In Wright's absence, freshman Jason Pimentel has gotten off to a solid start, averaging six points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes, and Anton Larsen has averaged 4.3 points.

Freshman Dimitri Batten has picked up some of Bazemore's scoring slack, averaging a team-high 10.3 points.

Batten's stamina remains an issue, though, and is yet another area where Bazemore can help. After Bazemore spelled Batten for a few minutes against Howard, the redshirt freshman returned and canned a pair of 3-pointers.

ODU played three games in five days and will be playing on consecutive days for the first time this season. It also will be stepping up in competition.

South Florida (3-0) was picked to finish 14th in the 16-team Big East, but is the most athletic team the Monarchs have faced. The Bulls have been led by 6-7 forward Victor Rudd Jr. (16.7 ppg) and 6-10 Augustus Gilchrist (12.7 ppg., 9.3 reb).

"They've been quite good and competitive," Taylor said. "They've had a hard time getting wins in the Big East, but so have a lot of people."

Ed Miller, (757) 446-2372, ed.miller@pilotonline.com