Jami Frankenberry

Pilot staff writer Jami Frankenberry covers Old Dominion University's men's basketball team ... and blogs about it here..

Category: ODU Basketball

CAA sneak peek

Aug 08

9:37 PM

OK, I promised not to mention the F-word around here; this blog is all hoops, all the time.

But maybe you've heard there's going to be a new team in helmet and pads stomping around ODU soon. If you're interested in that kind of thing, check out The Pilot's new site, ODUblitz.com. Maybe you've heard of the guy covering the team.

Now, back to basketball ...

The Colonial Athletic Association has released its 2008-09 prospectus.

A few tidbits to get you (and me) thinking hoops in the dog days of August :

* Ten of the CAA’s 12 teams welcome back at least three regulars.

Northeastern is the only squad that has its entire starting lineup back; Delaware, Hofstra, James Madison and ODU each have four starters back.

* Seven all-conference players return, led by VCU’s Eric Maynor, the reigning CAA Player of the Year.

Maynor, a point guard, flirted with turning pro after his junior season but decided to return. He led the league in assists (5.5 per game) and was second in scoring at 17.9 ppg. Also back are second-teamers Matt Janning (16.1 ppg) of Northeastern and ODU’s Gerald Lee (12.9 ppg, 5.8 boards).

Four third-team picks are back: Delaware G Marc Egerson (13.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg); Towson F Junior Hairston (12 ppg, 8.9 rpg); James Madison G Abdulai Jalloh (15.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg); and Georgia State G Leonard Mendez (16 ppg).

* The coaching carousel made only one stop, with Matt Brady replacing Dean Keener at JMU.

Brady led Marist to a 73-50 record over four seasons. Before that he was a college assistant coach for 17 seasons.

* Eleven D-I transfers are eligible to play this season, five of them at Georgia State.

Georgia State’s newcomers: G Dante Curry, soph., from South Florida; G Joe Dukes, jr., from Wake Forest; F Trey Hampton, jr., and F Xavier Hansbro, jr., from Ole Miss; and F Bernard Rimmer, jr., from Mississippi.

Delaware’s newcomer: G Jawan Carter, soph., from St. Joe’s

William and Mary’s newcomer: G Sean McCurdy, jr., from Arkansas

Towson’s newcomers: G Brian Morris, soph., from Richmond; F Jarrel Smith, soph., and G Jimmy Smith, soph., from Colorado State

UNC Wilmington’s newcomer :G Johnny Wolf, jr., from Xavier

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I’ll drop some more league notes on you as the summer drags on.

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Where in the world is Gerald Lee?

Aug 08

2:57 PM

Lee has been back home in Finland most of the summer, and ODU coach Blaine Taylor expects him to return to Norfolk just before school starts.

Lee, the Monarchs’ leading scorer and rebounder last season, took two classes at ODU early this summer before heading home.

Coaches have corresponded with Lee via e-mail this summer, and Taylor said Lee is “having a good summer by all reports.”

Mark your calendars

Aug. 15: Season ticket renewal deadline

Aug. 26: ODU’s annual golf tournament, Bayville Golf Club in Virginia Beach

Oct. 15: Meet the Monarchs dinner, Norfolk Yacht Club

Oct. 17: Practice begins!

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Pro-Am and schedule notes

Aug 08

12:24 PM

A few odds and ends as the summer drags on (Is it October yet?) …

The Hampton Roads 7 Cities Pro-Am has folded its tent early this season, with director James Flood calling off postseason.

Old Dominion’s four freshmen – Chris Cooper, Marquel De Lancey, Trian Iliadis and Nick Wright – used the league to get to know each other on the court during games at Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk.

ODU coach Blaine Taylor had hoped to have his freshmen get court time with their future Monarch teammates, but that ended early on when the NCAA didn’t sanction the league because of a paperwork error. Current Division I players were kept out after that.

Flood said the snafu “didn’t have anything to do with” bagging the playoffs.

“In order for a league to run everybody has to do their part,” Flood said, “and I had a couple teams that didn’t come up with their end of the bargain. They just didn’t follow through.”

Still, Cooper, De Lancey, Iliadis and Wright “got to play a ton of games and enjoyed the experience,” Taylor said Thursday. “So we move on to the next thing.”

The next thing is taking a final few breaths before school starts later this month. The freshmen and other ODU players already on-campus will continue to work out and participate in open gyms.

Who’s ODU playing?

That’s the question I hear most often, and the one Taylor is probably tired of hearing from me.

But don’t hold your breath.

As I’ve said before the CAA slate isn’t out yet and won’t be for a few more weeks. Adding to the tedious process of schedule-making is that ODU – along with Virginia Commonwealth, George Mason and Northeastern – is one of the league’s most attractive TV draws.

Said Taylor: “We’re dealing a lot with the league and ESPN and our facility. If ESPN wants the ODU game at the Constant Center, we have to make sure we have the arena. We do have other events there that we have to work with.”

The Monarchs still are working out a contract to play Marshall this season, and Taylor said for another slot ODU is “dealing with as many as 10 other schools.”

In other words: Keep waiting.

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Another opponent lined up

Jul 08

12:44 PM

Add Marshall to the list of foes on ODU's 2008-09 schedule.

Coach Blaine Taylor said today the Monarchs are negotiating for a home-and-home series with the Thundering Herd.

The Monarchs will travel to Huntington, W.V., this season, perhaps around Thanksgiving weekend. Marshall then likely would come to Norfolk next season.

Here’s what the Monarchs’ slate looks like so far: home games vs. Winthrop, Alabama-Birmingham and Richmond; away games vs. Charlotte and Bucknell.

About Marshall: The Thundering Herd finished 16-14 last season, losing in the first round of the Conference USA tournament as the eighth seed.

Guard Tirrell Baines was named to the C-USA All-Freshman team after averaging 11.4 ppg and 5.7 rpg last season. Guard/forward Markel Humphrey (13.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) was third-team all-conference last season as a junior. The Herd’s leading scorer, guard Mark Dorris, was a senior last year.

So what’s taking so long for the rest of the schedule to come together? One reason is that the Colonial Athletic Association still is working on finalizing games, and a league spokesperson said that will take a few more weeks.

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Travel Report

Jul 08

10:05 AM

Talked to ODU coach Blaine Taylor on Tuesday afternoon. He was between recruiting treks.

The summer break is over for Taylor and his staff.

Assistant coaches Rob Wilkes and John Richardson are in Las Vegas, where four summer tourneys are scheduled through Saturday. The week in Las Vegas, Taylor said, “is so big you could have six guys there and not cover it.”

Meanwhile, Taylor and assistant Jim Corrigan are headed to Florida for a recruiting stop. The Super Showcase is taking place in Orlando.

Florida is chock full of tourneys and is a popular stop during the summer for college coaches looking for talent. Taylor said he and his staff “will all head through Florida at one time or another.”

ODU has one scholarship to give for next year, so the coaches are looking for younger players for beyond next season. Right now, it’s too early for Taylor to pinpoint a dire “need” for that lone scholarship, and don’t be surprised if it takes a while to find the right player.

“With so few scholarships we’re being patient,” Taylor said. “We’ve always been comfortable with taking a scholarship into the spring, but we’ve got some kids really interested in us.”

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Where does ODU rank?

Jul 08

10:27 AM

A few things found while trolling the internet (did I mention that summer was a slow time for news?):

Ranking hoops programs

ESPN is ranking the nation’s men’s basketball programs http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3481843#caa.

ODU comes in tied at No. 76 with Montana (Blaine Taylor’s former school) and UAB (a Monarchs opponent this coming season). Two more of Old Dominion’s opponents this season aren’t far behind: No. 79 Winthrop and No. 80 Bucknell.

The Monarchs are the top-rated team in the CAA, followed by Drexel (93), VCU (94) and George Mason (100).

Got tix?

In case you missed the GIANT reminder on odusports.com: The last day to order basketball season tickets and to make a Big Blue Club donation to qualify for re-seating is Aug. 15.

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Court changes at ODU

Jul 08

11:22 AM

The Monarchs’ basketball digs are getting a bit of a makeover this summer.

Nothing major, mind you. Just a little splash of new colors at the ODU practice facility and Constant Convocation Center.

Coach Blaine Taylor said mid-court at the Ted will stay similar with the Monarch lion logo still prominent, noting “the sizing and color schemes might be tweaked a bit.”

Added Taylor, “The color in the lanes and end zones have been twisted a little bit to utilize a little more gray and light blue.”

The practice court will be done early next month, followed by the arena floor in September.

Included in the new design will be the extended 3-point line to 20 feet, 9 inches – pushed back a foot under new NCAA guidelines for the 2008-09 season.

The 3-point line for women's basketball will remain at 19-9 next season, so college courts will feature two arcs.

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On the road again

Jul 08

10:55 AM

Coach Blaine Taylor and his staff are hitting the recruiting trail this week. They’re looking for a player that will get the Monarch’s lone scholarship (yep, just one) next season. They’re also likely to look at some underclassmen.

But could the next Monarch be right under their noses?

Two players from South Hampton Roads say they’re drawing recruiting interest from a handful of schools, including Old Dominion: King’s Fork’s Jamar Wertz and Norcom's Darius Theus.

Wertz, a 6-3 guard, was a first-team All-Tidewater selection last year after averaging 17.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3 steals per game. He helped the Bulldogs make a surprising run to the Group AAA state tournament last season.

Theus, also a 6-3 guard, was second-team All-Tidewater after averaging 16.5 points, 6.1 boards, 5.6 assists and 3.3 steals per game last year. Theus was especially good in postseason, scoring 24.3 points per game.

With only one scholarship to give, Taylor and his staff figure to wait a while to make sure they get the right guy.

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Meet the new guy

Jul 08

3:08 PM

You've met me. Now meet the newest member of ODU’s staff. It’s Joel Hines, who joins the Monarchs as director of basketball operations after coaching for one season at Kecoughtan High School in Hampton.

At 24, Hines was the youngest varsity boys basketball coach in the Eastern Region, and perhaps the youngest Group AAA coach in the state. He turns 25 in October.

Hines follows another Peninsula coach, John Richardson, as director of basketball operations. Richardson spent three years in the post before recently being promoted to ODU assistant coach. Hines, who is from Northern Virginia, said it’s “strictly coincidence” that two Peninsula coaches have been picked for coach Blaine Taylor’s staff.

“John was a staple in the Peninsula and won championships,” Hines said. “He’s a legend over there. I don’t have the reputation he has over there.”

But Hines, who didn’t play high school basketball, can coach. At T.C. Williams High in Alexandria, Hines led the junior varsity squad to a 16-3 record and a district title in 2006-07. In his only season at Kecoughtan, the Warriors made the Eastern Region tournament for the first time since 1995.

“I thought I was ready to coach high school basketball,” Hines said, “and we did some good things.”

So what does the director of basketball operations do?

“My hands are in a lot of things,” said Hines, who graduated from ODU with a sports management degree in 2005. “I’m dealing with things in the basketball program and in the university and the community.”

Hines said he’ll help coordinate a residential camp and golf tournament in August. One of his first tasks was to help ODU’s incoming freshmen get situated: “It wasn’t that long ago that I was here, so I’m familiar with what they’re going through and what they’re experiencing.”

Schedule notes

Taylor said Thursday that the Monarchs will visit Charlotte for an early season game this year and will get a return game at ODU the following season.

“Right now, we’re negotiating that return date,” Taylor said.

As for the rest of the schedule, “We’re still working on some games.”

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The blog tips off

Jul 08

11:42 AM

Welcome to the ODU men’s basketball blog.

So what if the Monarchs’ first practice is more than three months away. You wanna read about ODU hoops year-round, right?

Maybe you’ve heard I’m the new beat writer. The other guy bolted for a sport that kicks off in 2009. But we’re not going to mention the f-word here. It’s all hoops, all the time.

I’m taking over the beat at a great time for ODU men’s basketball: coach Blaine Taylor and ODU have shaken hands on a new contract; the Monarchs are coming off the program’s most successful four-year run ever (94 victories); and along with last season’s leading scorer and rebounder, Gerald Lee, the roster is loaded with young talent. It’s going to be fun.

For now, the blog will feature occasional news and notes and update you on the Monarchs’ schedule and other off-season happenings as I get them.

It’s July, and summertime can be slow on the news front. But I’ll check in every now and then to feed your voracious appetite for ODU men’s hoops, and I’ll do even more as the 2008-09 season approaches.

In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment on the blog or drop me a line at jami.frankenberry@pilotonline.com.

Now, let’s get on with it …

Speaking of newcomers

I've been working on a story on ODU’s newest recruits. Chris Cooper, Marquel De Lancey, Trian Iliadis and Nick Wright arrived on-campus about a week ago. (Wright’s from Suffolk, so he didn’t have far to go.)

Some fans got their first glimpse of those four in last week’s pro-am at Booker T. Washington High School. They’ll play together all summer.

Taylor expects the rugged competition will help the incoming freshmen.

“Guys are playing against college-age or adult-age players and playing with levels of players that exceed what you did in high school,” Taylor said. “So it’s quite a different experience.”