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.
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.”
More on the frosh:
Iliadis, a shooting guard, follows fellow Australians Alex Loughton and Sam Harris to ODU and said “the Australians that have come through here had a good experience.”
Iliadis’ summer-school classes include public speaking and college algebra, and he wants to major in Biochemistry.
As for the playing in the pro-am: “It’s good to get to play with my teammates, guys that I’m going to be playing with for the next four years.”
De Lancey on the pro-am: “It’s very important for chemistry, and it doesn’t hurt that we’re playing in this competitive league. We can learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses. It’s a big benefit that we have a chance to bond as a team as freshmen and then come in the fall and be able to gel with the rest of the team.”
As for the “rest of the team,” an insurance snafu quashed plans for a handful of current Monarchs, including Kent Bazemore, Ben Finney, Frank Hassell and Darius James, to play in the pro-am.
Taylor said those veterans now are taking a breather this summer and participating in open gyms on campus.
Look for more on the freshmen in my story, which is slated to run Friday. (Originally, it was to run Thursday, but the Sports page was a little crowded.)
On the schedule
The Monarchs’ 2008-09 slate is not yet complete, but here’s what we know:
Taylor has said ODU will play Winthrop, Alabama-Birmingham and Richmond at Constant Center. The game against UAB – scheduled for late November – is the school’s homecoming.
The Monarchs also will visit Bucknell early in the season.
