Colonial Athletic Association

[EPJr]

NORFOLK, VA--Former ODU basketball standout Gerald Lee has signed a contract with the Snaidero Basketball club which is located in Udine, Italy for the upcoming 2010-11 season.

Lee completed his career at ODU 1,624 career points and 670 rebounds. Last year he helped lead the Monarchs to a 27-9 record, the CAA regular season and tournament championship and the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Lee was a three-time All-CAA selection and was the 2010 CAA Tournament MVP. He was also a two-time NABC District 10 selection and two-time Collegeinsider.com Mid Major All-American.

Gerald was named the 2010 Norfolk Sports Club Tom Scott Award winner and the ODU Alumni Association's Male Co-Athlete of the Year.

During his four years at ODU, the Monarchs were 94-44 with four straight post season appearances, including the CIT post season title in 2009, and two NCAA tournament appearances. Gerald graduated in May with a degree in sports management.

http://www.odusports.com/sports/m-baskb ... 10aaa.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

Power Rankings (last year’s overall and conference standings in brackets)

1.Old Dominion [27-9 (15-3)] – The Monarchs look to make it back-to-back Colonial Athletic Association championships this season. Leading scorer and First Team All-CAA forward Gerald Lee is gone, but four starters from last year’s title team are back, led by 6’8 senior forward Frank Hassell (9.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG). Hassell anchors a frontline that will once again be Old Dominion’s strength, a luxury in a league that doesn’t feature much frontcourt depth. Teaming with Hassell are a pair of seniors: the versatile Ben Finney (8.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG) and Keyon Carter (7.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG). There are question marks about the guard play, but there are worse alternatives in this league than junior Kent Bazemore (8.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG), a defensive specialist, and senior Darius James (7.0 PPG). Head coach Blaine Taylor has done a great job in leading the Monarchs to seven straight winning seasons and six straight postseason appearances, and while a number of teams are capable of winning the Colonial this year, Old Dominion is once again the team to beat until someone knocks them off.

2.VCU [27-9 (11-7)] – In year one of the post-Anthony Grant & Eric Maynor era, VCU won 27 games, second-most in school history, reached the postseason for the fourth consecutive year, and won the CBI tournament. Not bad for what was supposed to be a “transition year” at Virginia Commonwealth. This year, the Rams have to deal with the heavy loss of First Team All-CAA center Larry Sanders, who finished in the top five in the league in rebounding, blocked shots, and field goal percentage. The burden of some of that production will fall on the shoulders of 6’9 senior Jamie Skeen (8.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG), but expect the 2010-11 Rams to be a guard-oriented squad. Second Team All-CAA senior Joey Rodriguez is the top returning scorer (12.9 per game), but also led the CAA in assists (5.8 per game) and steals (1.9 per game). Seniors Brandon Rozzell (8.8 PPG), Ed Nixon (7.9 PPG), and wing Bradford Burgess (10.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG) should all see increased production this year. VCU was a bit unfortunate in close games last year, as all eight conference losses were by five points or fewer, including a four-point overtime loss to Old Dominion in the CAA Tournament semifinals. If a few of those close losses go the other way in Shaka Smart’s second year, VCU could very well be headed back to the NCAA Tournament.

3.George Mason [17-15 (12-6)] – In 2010, George Mason showed flashes of being a league contender; a seven-game win streak last January left the Patriots with a 15-7 (10-1) record, but they lost eight of their last ten games, and subsequently bowed out in the CAA quarterfinals. But all five starters are back this season, led by senior guard Cam Long (12.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.3 SPG), a 2010 Second-Team All-CAA performer and 2011 Player of the Year candidate. Long will be complemented by a trio of juniors in forward Ryan Pearson (11.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG), guard Andre Cornelius (9.4 PPG), and forward Mike Morrison (8.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 BPG). If forward Luke Hancock (7.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG) and guard Sherrod Wright (5.5 PPG) can both blossom as sophomores, this could be one of Jim Larranaga‘s most talented teams and the most talented team in the CAA. As is, George Mason will likely be more consistent in 2011, and with that, the Patriots should be considered one of the favorites

http://rushthecourt.net/2010/09/08/summ ... more-24197

[EPJr]

Blaine Taylor, Old Dominion:

Taylor led his Monarchs to a first-round win over Notre Dame in last season's NCAA tourney

The Monarchs won the Colonial last season and went to their third NCAA tournament in the past five seasons. ODU also has scheduled well, knocking off Georgetown in two of the past three meetings. The CAA has plenty of well-respected coaches like George Mason's Jim Larranaga, William & Mary's Tony Shaver, Drexel's Bruiser Flint, Northeastern's Bill Coen, Georgia State's Rod Barnes and an upstart in VCU's Shaka Smart. But Taylor continues to be in the thick of the conference race every season, regardless of personnel.

http://espn.go.com/ncb/notebook/_/page/ ... /best-rest" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

Smart Selected To Vote In Usa Today Coaches Poll

RICHMOND, Va. – Even at the young age of 33, Head Coach Shaka Smart of the Virginia Commonwealth University men's basketball program has seen a lot of high-level collegiate basketball.

With his wealth of knowledge and experience in various levels of college basketball, Smart has been selected as the Colonial Athletic Association representative for the USA Today Coaches Poll for the upcoming 2010-11 campaign.

The poll is released weekly throughout the year on Monday evening, beginning with the preseason poll which will be announced late in October.

The committee is made of 31 coaches across the country, with each conference having one representative on the panel.

After a four-year playing career at Kenyon College, Smart served as a member of the coaching staff at college powers such as Dayton, Akron, Clemson and Florida.

In his first year at the helm of the Rams last year, Smart echoed in the nation's most wins by any first-year head coach with 27, which included a run to the 2010 College Basketball Invitational Championship.

Some of the other panelists include NCAA Championship coaches Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) and Gary Williams (Maryland) as well as Tommy Amaker (Harvard), Dana Altman (Creighton) and Phil Martelli (Saint Joseph's).


http://vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb/201 ... 0915nf9jes" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

http://www.maxpreps.com/news/E0J1T8EZEd ... -trail.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

DELAWARE
Verbal commitments: Larry Savage, Marvin King-Davis, Kaleed Lewis-El, Jarvis Threatt
Analysis: Coming off a 7-24 season in 2009-10, Delaware is a surprise in this category but keep an eye on head coach Monte Ross and the Blue Hens in the Colonial Athletic Association. Whatever Ross is selling, recruits are buying.

"When I first started talking to Delaware I wasn't going to rule it out but I knew the basketball team wasn't really that good," said Threatt, who officially visited the campus last week. "But after seeing the team and meeting the coaching staff, I said, 'I could see myself playing here.'

"Coach Ross was a big part of it. When you see the head coach at the AAU games, that means a lot. He preached to me that he would look out for me on and off the floor. He sold it to me well."

In addition to Threatt, a clutch and competitive 6-1 point guard from Highland Springs (Va.), the Blue Hens will add backcourt help from Lewis-El, a standout at defending New Jersey state champion Trenton Catholic Academy.

Savage is an undersized forward playing in a prestigious high school program at Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) that Threatt describes as a "workhorse."

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH
Verbal commitments: Treveon Graham, Pierria Henry, Briante Weber
Analysis: With an intriguing freshman class already on campus including Ohio guard Rob Brandenberg, California 7-footer D.J. Haley and 6-9 Juvonte Reddic, head coach Shaka Smart could really solidify his program with another solid recruiting effort.

Early indications point to that happening. Henry had a great junior season at South Charleston (W.Va.) and surprised many by not waiting around for major-conference offers.

The biggest development for VCU came Monday when McDonogh 35 (New Orleans) super-sleeper Jernard Jarreau pledged to the Rams. At 6-10, Jarreau can handle the basketball on the perimeter and has a confident stroke from beyond the 3-point line. Since making the commitment reports say he will keep his options open with Virginia Commonwealth as the leader.

[EPJr]

Six former CAA players in NBA training camps according to ESPN

Ricardo Marsh, F 29 6-8 240 Old Dominion Hawks
Jose Juan Barea PG 26 6-0 175 Northeastern Mavs
Larry Sanders PF 21 6-11 235 VCU Bucks
Eric Maynor PG 23 6-3 175 VCU Thunder
Matt Janning SG 22 6-4 175 Northeastern Suns
Gary Neal PG 25 6-4 210 Towson Spurs

[AZGrizFan]

Blaine Taylor, Old Dominion:

Taylor led his Monarchs to a first-round win over Notre Dame in last season's NCAA tourney

Holy GOD!!!

Blaine! Feel free to push away from the feebag, dude! You're gonna have a frickin' heart attack!

[EPJr]

Blaine Taylor, Old Dominion:

Taylor led his Monarchs to a first-round win over Notre Dame in last season's NCAA tourney

Holy GOD!!!

Blaine! Feel free to push away from the feebag, dude! You're gonna have a frickin' heart attack!

in BT's defense
he is doing so since that picture was taken
he should look good by BB season

[EPJr]

The George Mason men's basketball team will face Charlotte in the opening round of the 2010 Charleston Classic as announced on Monday. The Patriots and 49ers will square off at 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 18 at Carolina First Arena in Charleston, S.C.

The full field for the tournament was announced on Monday with Coastal Carolina and USC Upstate joining the field. The opening day will begin with Georgetown taking on Coastal at Noon and at 2:30 p.m., USC Upstate and Wofford will face off. The evening session will begin at 6 p.m. with East Carolina playing North Carolina State.

Mason will play either ECU or N.C. State the following night with the 20th as an off day. The event's final day is Sunday the 21st with Mason playing one of the four teams from the other side of the bracket. The team that makes it through the field undefeated will be crowned champion.

http://gomason.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl ... 10aae.html

[EPJr]

2010-11 CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

1. Old Dominion
2. George Mason
3. VCU
4. James Madison
5. Hofstra
6. Drexel
7. Northeastern
8. William & Mary
9. Delaware
10. Towson
11. Georgia State
12. UNC Wilmington

First Team All-CAA
Chase Allen, NU
Denzel Bowles, JMU
Charles Jenkinds, Hofstra - POY
Cam Long, Mason
Joey Rodriguez, VCU

Second Team
Kent Bazemore, ODU
Jawan Carter, UD
Ben Finney, ODU
Quinn McDowell, WM
Julius Wells, JMU

http://www.vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb ... 101847dkvs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[89Hen]

2010-11 CAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH

12. UNC Wilmington

[EPJr]

By Patrick Stevens

CSNwashington.com/D1scourse.com

It is an annual routine. The CAA convenes its basketball media day and nearly everyone talks about the league’s ample depth.

And it’s a valid point … at least until someone bothers to look at the preseason rankings.

Old Dominion, George Mason, Virginia Commonwealth. Or maybe VCU, Old Dominion, Mason. Maybe it’s Mason, VCU, Old Dominion.

Order them together any way you wish. In any case, it’s the same three teams having a serious say over the how the conference will shake out. And less than four weeks before the season starts, it appears all three heavyweights will again be factors in the conference race.

Old Dominion, the defending league champ, is again the conference favorite. Mason, the nationally known entity thanks to its 2006 Final Four run, is expected to bounce back after a young team faded in the final month of last season. VCU, which has exported a player to the NBA in consecutive seasons, isn’t expected to fall far.

And it begs the question: Even as some teams sporadically enjoy strong seasons and others (Northeastern comes to mind) are nearly on the same level, how do the three Virginia schools remain titans of the solid, competitive league.

“They’ve got great coaches, and those guys have always had great success,” Drexel coach Bruiser Flint said. “Because of that, kids always want to be involved in that. So they do a good job of getting kids in year in and year out. Kids want to be involved in those environments and those type of situations, so you keep it going.”

http://www.csnwashington.com/10/19/10/C ... feedID=287" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

http://www.caasports.com/SportSelect.db ... EASON=2010" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

UPDATED: Nov. 1, 2010

1. Butler (16) 0-0 752 1
2. Gonzaga (15) 0-0 723 7
3. Wichita State 0-0 651 13
4. Old Dominion 0-0 636 5
5. Murray State 0-0 527 6
6. Wofford 0-0 477 10
7. Northern Iowa 0-0 418 2
8. Oakland 0-0 396 9
9. Missouri State 0-0 390 24
10. Fairfield 0-0 360 NR
11. St. Mary's 0-0 333 3
12. UC Santa Barbara 0-0 300 25
13. Ohio 0-0 298 NR
14. VCU 0-0 294 21
15. North Texas 0-0 273 17
16. George Mason 0-0 266 NR
17. Western Kentucky 0-0 236 NR
18. Creighton 0-0 212 NR
19. Weber State 0-0 209 16
20. Siena 0-0 190 8
21. Loyola Marymount 0-0 189 NR
22. Coastal Carolina 0-0 170 14
23. Detroit 0-0 153 NR
24. Appalachian State 0-0 145 23
25. Cleveland State 0-0 127 NR


OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Long Beach State 106, Iona 104, Akron 61, Pacific 57, Princeton 55, Sam Houston State 53, Kent State 51, Morgan State 50, Stephen F. Austin 49, College of Charleston 48, Belmont 47, Morehead State 47, Ball State 42, East Tennessee State 40, Portland 35, Montana 33, Stony Brook 31, Milwaukee 29, Wright State 28, Quinnipiac 27, Boston University 26, Cornell 26, Illinois State 24, Davidson 23, Central Michigan 22, Harvard 21, Bradley 20, Lipscomb 17, Denver 16, IUPUI 15, Jackson State 13, Northeastern 13, Valparaiso 13, William & Mary 12, Green Bay 12, James Madison 10, Texas-San Antonio 10, South Alabama 9, Lafayette 8, Miami 7, American 6, Middle Tennessee 5, Western Carolina 5, Florida Atlantic 4, Lehigh 4, Eastern Michigan 3, Arkansas-Little Rock 2, Arkansas State 2, Montana State 2, Northern Colorado 2, Robert Morris 2, Cal State Fullerton 1, Holy Cross 1, South Dakota 1.


http://www.collegeinsider.com/mmpoll/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

UPDATED: Oct. 27, 2010

1. Gonzaga (12) 0-0 709 -
2. Green Bay (11) 0-0 693 -
3. James Madison (7) 0-0 656 -
4. Arkansas-Little Rock (1) 0-0 606 -
5. Bowling Green 0-0 599 -
6. Princeton 0-0 517 -
7. Marist 0-0 461 -
8. Liberty 0-0 457 -
9. Middle Tennessee 0-0 440 -
10. Hartford 0-0 395 -
11. Old Dominion 0-0 369 -
12. Lehigh 0-0 310 -
13. Illinois State 0-0 297 -
14. Florida Gulf Coast 0-0 284 -
15. South Dakota State 0-0 276 -
16. Toledo 0-0 241 -
17. Chattanooga 0-0 233 -
18. Vermont 0-0 228 -
19. Oral Roberts 0-0 211 -
20. Creighton 0-0 208 -
21. Western Kentucky 0-0 173 -
22. Butler 0-0 165 -
23. Gardner-Webb 0-0 149 -
24. Delaware 0-0 147 -
25. St. Mary's 0-0 143 -


OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Missouri State 141, Boston University 139, Lamar 96, Montana 93, Eastern Illinois 73, East Tennessee State 73, VCU 61, UC Davis 40, Appalachian State 37, Samford 33, Hampton 30, North Carolina A&T 25, Pepperdine 25, Central Arkansas 22, Iona 21, Eastern Michigan 20, Northern Iowa 20, Eastern Washington 18, Robert Morris 18, UC Riverside 17, American 14, Columbia 11, Southern University 11, Sacred Heart 10, South Carolina Upstate 9, Harvard 8, Oakland 7, High Point 6, Loyola Marymount 6, Kent State 5, Louisiana Tech 5, Portland State 5, Long Island University 2, UMBC 2, Stephen F. Austin 2, Cal Poly 1, Cleveland State 1, Hofstra 1.

[EPJr]

Ken Pomeroy's CAA Men's Basketball Predictions
http://kenpom.com/conf.php?c=CAA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
says he expects the CAA to be the 13th best conference. Here are the predicted CAA records:

Old Dominion: 14-4
Virginia Commonwealth: 14-4
George Mason: 12-6
Delaware: 9-9
Drexel: 9-9
James Madison: 9-9
Northeastern: 9-9
Hofstra: 9-9
Towson: 7-11
William & Mary: 6-12
North Carolina-Wilmington: 5-13
Georgia State: 4-14

[EPJr]

RAMS FEATURED IN EIGHT-TEAM FIELD FOR 2011 CHARLESTON CLASSIC

RICHMOND, Va. – The Rams already have part of next season's schedule locked down.

ESPN released the eight-team field for the fourth annual Charleston Classic, which is set to be held Thursday, Friday and Sunday, Nov. 17, 18 & 20 at Carolina First Arena in Charleston, S.C.

Along with the Black & Gold, the 2011 field includes Georgia Tech from the ACC, LSU from the SEC, Saint Joseph's from the Atlantic 10, Seton Hall from the Big East, Tulsa from Conference USA, Western Kentucky from the Sun Belt and Baylor from the Big 12.

[dbackjon]

Interesting that only 1/3 of the CAA competes in the CAA for football...

[GannonFan]

Interesting that only 1/3 of the CAA competes in the CAA for football...

Well, in two years the number will be 1/2.

But not terribly surprising considering the CAA's football history. It was the Yankee, and then the A-10 when the NCAA passed the rule about voting and not being an all sport conference, and then the CAA took over in '07 after never sponsoring football itself. That's quite the fractured past for a group of football opponents.

[EPJr]

Trailing by four points with a little more than 13 minutes to play, VCU exploded behind its press, went on an extended run and whipped Wake Forest 90-69 in the second round of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Wake Forest.

The Rams will play the South Region winner in the semifinals next Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
VCU led by 13 in the first half but settled for a three-point lead at intermission. The Demon Deacons took their first lead at 46-45 and had a 53-49 advantage when VCU unleashed its press.

Led by Darius Theus, the Rams reeled off 12 points in 83 seconds and didn’t stop.

http://www.vcuramnation.com/2010/11/vcu ... est-90-69/

[EPJr]

WILMINGTON, North Carolina - UNCW coughed up an early 17-point lead before rallying from an eight point deficit to force overtime and outlast Liberty, 69-64, in a wild men's basketball game Tuesday night at Trask Coliseum.

The Seahawks improved to 1-1 after handing Buzz Peterson his first career victory at UNCW in his home debut.

Four Seahawks scored double-digits in the contest. Senior guard Chad Tomko paved the way with a team-high 15 points and added seven assists and two steals. Sophomore center Matt Wilson poured in 13 points, junior guard Trevor Deloach had 12 and senior guard Ahmad Grant collected 10 points.

Sophomore forward Antwan Burrus led Liberty with 16 points. Junior guard John Brown added 14 points and junior guard David Minaya chipped in 11 more.

UNCW built a 37-23 lead at intermission before Liberty staged a furious comeback in the first 12 minutes of the second half. Back-to-back dunks by Brown kicked off a suffocating 21-2 run as the Flames took control, 46-43, with nine minutes remaining in regulation.

http://www.uncwsports.com/ViewArticle.d ... M_ID=19800" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ODUfanRazor]

Good day for the CAA all around.

VCU beats Wake.
UNCW beats Liberty
Northeastern beats Southern Illinois on the road despite some horrible officiating.

VCU and ODU both have big tourneys coming up, hopefully both teams can represent the CAA well.

[andy7171]

Towson ran Coppin State out of the Towson Center last night.
89-74

Reshaun Polk scored 29 and Braxton Dupree grabbed 14 rebounds. This is a fast Tiger team.

[EPJr]

ST. THOMAS - Old Dominion University big man Frank Hassell had his best game of the tournament, and the Monarchs' defense extinguished a hot-shooting Tu Holloway en route to a 67-58 victory over Xavier to win the Paradise Jam men's basketball tournament Monday.

It was ODU's second appearance in the tournament championship at the UVI Sports & Fitness Center - ODU fell to Wisconsin in the 2005 Paradise Jam final - and the Monarchs (4-1) were led by Hassell, who finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.

After knocking off Clemson in the second round Sunday, senior guard Ben Finney predicted big things for his team, which competes in the Colonial Athletic Association.

"We feel like we belong up here with all the big teams," said Finney, who scored 8 points against Xavier and was named the tournament MVP. "A lot of teams underestimate us because of the conference we play in. We always have a lot to prove. We're the team to beat, and other teams are going to have find it out the hard way."

The Monarchs opened up a comfortable 33-25 lead and made sure to get Hassell and the rest of the front court involved early in the second half



http://virginislandsdailynews.com/sport ... -1.1067797" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[EPJr]

NEW YORK, N.Y. – After defeating Wake Forest last week, a beat writer for the Demon Deacons wrote an article about the maturation of Jamie Skeen, the starting forward for the Virginia Commonwealth University men's basketball team, since he left Wake two years ago.

On Friday afternoon, Skeen showed the whole nation that maturation process, leading his Rams to a 89-85 victory over PAC-10 power UCLA in the third-place game of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden.

"It's really just about our team executing our game plan," Skeen said. "We have so many guys that can score on different nights and tonight just happened to be my night. I really felt like we missed an opportunity against Tennessee and we just wanted to come out and prove that we can play with three high-level programs."

The Charlotte, N.C. native finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots, while shooting 8-of-13 from the field. Junior Bradford Burgess and senior Joey Rodriguez joined him in double-figures with 15 and 14 points, respectively.

"Our guys knew coming in if we played the way we know we can, we can play with anybody in the country," Head Coach Shaka Smart said. "We had outstanding performances from so many different guys today and that's what makes this a great win."

Skeen came out on a mission scoring six of the game's first eight points to quickly give the Rams an 8-0 cushion just under three minutes into the contest.

http://www.vcuathletics.com/sports/mbkb ... 112602gl9t" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;