ODU men host breakfast meet-and-greet with fans

NORFOLK

The breakfast began with a serving of red meat.

News, in case anyone had missed it, wink, wink, that George Mason lost Thursday night, leaving Old Dominion in a first-place tie in the Colonial Athletic Association. A video highlight of Chris Cooper's buzzer-beating, game-winning tip-in at Delaware on Wednesday, and the ensuing celebration.

Cheers went up from a couple hundred fans at the "Meet the Monarchs" breakfast Friday morning at the Constant Center.

A $5 bill got them in the door. The breakfasts are a money-losing proposition for the Old Dominion Athletics Foundation, which sponsors the event. But they're less about fundraising than "friend-raising," according to Mark Benson, ODU's associate athletic director for development.

Players and fans mingle over bacon and eggs. Gossip is exchanged. There is little in the way of hard news, but plenty that humanizes young men fans often see only from a distance.

For example, this tidbit from the newest ODU player, Stuart McEwen. A native New Zealander, McEwen arrived a couple of weeks ago with a mop of unruly hair, now shorn. Why the haircut, he was asked?

A fan at James Madison told him he looked like Keith Richards, McEwen said. Being unfamiliar with the Rolling Stones' famously unkempt guitarist, McEwen did an Internet search and decided that was not a good look.

He was 1 of 5 Monarchs freshmen who rose early for a public-speaking engagement Friday. Coach Blaine Taylor views it as part of his players' overall development and a skill in short supply these days.

"Kids today are texting, emailing, Facebooking and Tweeting," he said. "And none of 'em know how to talk."

A decade's worth of ODU players have stood up at these breakfasts, which are offered several times during the season. Last year, senior Keyon Carter emceed it.

Taylor began them shortly after taking the job in 2001. Early turnouts were modest, just a few dozen die-hards. Now, the events fill the "Big Blue" room at the Constant Center. Most in attendance are athletic foundation members, but that's not a requirement.

The breakfasts are part of the behind-the-scenes efforts that keep any college program healthy and humming. ODU has led the CAA in attendance five of the past seven seasons. The program is in the midst of a fundraising campaign for a new practice gym, with about half of the $8 million cost pledged.

No one was hit up for cash directly Friday, but an event like this lays the groundwork. Subsequent breakfasts will feature sophomores, juniors and seniors.

A redshirt freshman, Dimitri Batten was attending his second.

"You get to know the fans a little more, interact and talk with them," he said.

Fans such as Chesapeake's Tom Johnson, class of '81, and his brother Larry, class of '73. They are regular attendees, along with friend Dave Shupe, class of '81.

The men said the chance to talk to players and watch them develop over the years makes them seem almost like family, and keeps them coming back.

It's not the only reason they return.

"It's a cheap breakfast, too," Tom Johnson said, as the others laughed.

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