Ever-changing Monarchs play beyond the numbers

Step away from the stat sheet.

Don't linger too long on the numbers. The frigid (27.5 percent) 3-point shooting, the chilly (39 percent) overall marksmanship and the tepid (63.7 percent) effort from the free-throw line. Gaze not upon the negative assist-to-turnover ratio.

If you are a fan of the Old Dominion men's basketball team, it could cause you to wonder how the squad has won a single game, much less five.

"If we valued ourselves (on stats alone), we'd probably just cancel the rest of the season," coach Blaine Taylor said Thursday.

It has been a disjointed season to this point, with injuries, illness and suspension combining to give the Monarchs (5-3) a different look from one game to the next.

With more pieces yet to add, the ride continues tonight when ODU heads to New England for the third time in three weeks to meet Fairfield in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase in Springfield, Mass.

The Monarchs have played well up North, beating South Florida and playing Kentucky close in Connecticut and knocking off Northeastern last Saturday in Boston. They'll need no less of on an effort against a Fairfield team expected to contend for its conference title.

The Stags are 5-4 against a schedule that includes three teams from major conferences. They beat Arizona State last month and are coming off road wins at Niagara and Canisius.

"They come in with a winning record, a marquee win and momentum," Taylor said.

ODU comes in with those ugly numbers, but some positive ones as well. The team is 11th nationally in steals at 10 per game and is outrebounding opponents on the season. Though the Monarchs have a truckload of turnovers (123), they've got fewer than their opponents.

Taylor believes shooting percentages will climb as things average out over time. Kent Bazemore, slowed by injury and illness, is hitting 31.6 percent. Trian Iladis, considered the team's best pure shooter, is at 33.3.

"It's going to be more meaningful to look at our conference statistics when we're about halfway through, to see where we really are," Taylor said.

By then, ODU presumably will have integrated Donte Hill and Richard Ross into the mix. Tonight's game will be the last without them. They'll become eligible next week against Central Florida.

Roles should be more settled. In the latest shuffle, Iliadis, the only player on the team with more assists than turnovers, has been moved to point guard from shooting guard.

"I kind of enjoy it," Iliadis said. "Being here for my fourth year now, I know the plays like the back of my hand. It hasn't been easy, but it's been less of an adjustment than it would have been in years before."

Iliadis has plenty of potential ball-handling help. The Northeastern game provided a glimpse of a by-committee approach ODU might continue to use. Bazemore and Nick Wright helped beat Northeastern's pressure defense. Marquel De Lancey and Dimitri Batten are also capable ball-handlers.

Reducing turnovers will take a team effort, Iliadis said.

"I think we've just got to slow down our minds," he said. "Sometimes when we get the ball and see full-court pressure, we try to go a bit too quickly. We need to relax a bit, and we'll be fine."

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