The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Maybe we should drop down the MEAC to be the best program in Hampton Roads.

(03-11-2023 04:40 PM)monarx Wrote:  I just saw NSU lost by 1 in the MEAC final. They’ve also been to the tourney recently too. With the recent history of incompetence, are we now in danger of losing our status as the best program in Hampton Roads? I know we’ve beaten them Head to head, but is that enough? Seems they’ve had more overall success lately.

The MEAC is on the verge of collapse. All the teams that can afford to move out have (Hampton & NC A&T to the CAA; Bethune Cookman and Florida A&M to the SWAC)

I became an ODU basketball fan not only because I was a student, but because my freshman year we won the regular season CAA championship, the CAA tournament outright, and even beat Notre Dame in the first round of the NCA tournament. The Monarch Maniacs were at their peak, the Ted was ALWAYS rocking, I felt like we were a program with deep tradition and strong, rabid support from fans, alumni, students, and even the national press (ESPN and the like). When I came to ODU I knew little of their athletics history but learned up quick and realized we had something special. Hell, my sophomore year we won the CAA and made it to the tournament again, with that heartbreaking last second loss to Butler. That's my memory of ODU basketball as a student and the foundation upon where my fandom sits. Wendy was in her final years coaching here and I went to just as many Women's games as I did Men's games (every single home game unless I was home on breaks), and I cherish those memories to this day.

When I look at our program now, I just feel like we are existing. We're not bad enough to a total blow up of the program, but not good enough to play in post season tournaments. The constant limbo of disappointment in conference tourneys with no post season payoff has drawn apathy from me and other ODU fans who were classmates of mine. My cousin is a freshman at ODU and while he had an awesome time at the game where we beat VT this year, ODU sports are an after thought. Do you all remember after men's and women's basketball games, the players would line up on the 3-pt line facing the student section with the dancers on one side and the cheerleaders on the other, interlocking arms and swaying while singing the alma mater while the band played and students stayed and did the same? Jeff Jones getting rid of that was one of my biggest pet peeves, it was a fun tradition taht not only had the players bought in, it kept the students there and built a sense of unity and community with the players, fans, and students. I still remember every word of our alma mater because of that. Dr. T has done a hell of a job with the band, as they are the only students who carry on traditions and chants from previous years.

I don't know who to pinpoint this malaise that has fallen over the atheltic department and basketball specifically, but while we had the benefit of the doubt being a "basketball school" for a few years into JJ's tenure here, we have fallen to such a forgettable level where it seems like we have only regressed while our peers have not just caught up but in some aspects surpassed us (VCU, JMU, Liberty, etc). Football is a hard one to quantify as we shot out of a cannon on inception but at some point the slowdown inevitably happened, and our future as a program with RR is yet too be seen as we have only had 2 seasons with him.

I wasn't around much before Jim Jarrett left, as Wood Selig was hired early into my time at ODU. But what is the difference between the two? I've heard that he championed for women's sports, which shows with our success in basketball and field hockey. But it seemed like the athletics culture was a lot more engaged and traditional compared to what it is now, where the Ted has been accused of being "wine and cheese" as opposed to the racous atmosphere I was used to.

Someone earlier in this thread nailed what my impression of Wood and the current administration is. They like bringing in donations, not winning championships. My impression of Wood has always been that he is comfortable with being slightly above average in terms of overall effort, giving fans hope but not really caring if we don't win.

For anyone who's interested, there is a fairly lengthily discussion on the FB fan page about this thread. Pretty much defending Wood and the athletic dept.

I disagree with the characterization that the thread on the FB page "pretty much defend[s] Wood and the athletic dept." Sure, some of the posts do, but it seems to me there is some disagreement, as well.

The FB page is moderated to be sunshine and rainbows, and this crowd is generally pretty doom and gloom (myself included). Truth is probably somewhere in the middle, unfortunately none of us are getting any real answers, so we are all just left to our own devices. The natives are restless.

(03-13-2023 02:31 PM)ODUCoach Wrote:  I disagree with the characterization that the thread on the FB page "pretty much defend[s] Wood and the athletic dept." Sure, some of the posts do, but it seems to me there is some disagreement, as well.

Sorry. I meant to say the original post was defending the AD. The comments are a mixed bag.

(03-13-2023 02:38 PM)ODU_NYG Wrote:  

(03-13-2023 02:31 PM)ODUCoach Wrote:  I disagree with the characterization that the thread on the FB page "pretty much defend[s] Wood and the athletic dept." Sure, some of the posts do, but it seems to me there is some disagreement, as well.

Sorry. I meant to say the original post was defending the AD. The comments are a mixed bag.

All good. Just didn't want to fire up the masses here!

(03-13-2023 01:50 PM)MonGNARch Wrote:  I became an ODU basketball fan not only because I was a student, but because my freshman year we won the regular season CAA championship, the CAA tournament outright, and even beat Notre Dame in the first round of the NCA tournament. The Monarch Maniacs were at their peak, the Ted was ALWAYS rocking, I felt like we were a program with deep tradition and strong, rabid support from fans, alumni, students, and even the national press (ESPN and the like). When I came to ODU I knew little of their athletics history but learned up quick and realized we had something special. Hell, my sophomore year we won the CAA and made it to the tournament again, with that heartbreaking last second loss to Butler. That's my memory of ODU basketball as a student and the foundation upon where my fandom sits. Wendy was in her final years coaching here and I went to just as many Women's games as I did Men's games (every single home game unless I was home on breaks), and I cherish those memories to this day.

When I look at our program now, I just feel like we are existing. We're not bad enough to a total blow up of the program, but not good enough to play in post season tournaments. The constant limbo of disappointment in conference tourneys with no post season payoff has drawn apathy from me and other ODU fans who were classmates of mine. My cousin is a freshman at ODU and while he had an awesome time at the game where we beat VT this year, ODU sports are an after thought. Do you all remember after men's and women's basketball games, the players would line up on the 3-pt line facing the student section with the dancers on one side and the cheerleaders on the other, interlocking arms and swaying while singing the alma mater while the band played and students stayed and did the same? Jeff Jones getting rid of that was one of my biggest pet peeves, it was a fun tradition taht not only had the players bought in, it kept the students there and built a sense of unity and community with the players, fans, and students. I still remember every word of our alma mater because of that Dr. T has done a hell of a job with the band, as they are the only students who carry on traditions and chants from previous years.

I don't know who to pinpoint this malaise that has fallen over the atheltic department and basketball specifically, but while we had the benefit of the doubt being a "basketball school" for a few years into JJ's tenure here, we have fallen to such a forgettable level where it seems like we have only regressed while our peers have not just caught up but in some aspects surpassed us (VCU, JMU, Liberty, etc). Football is a hard one to quantify as we shot out of a cannon on inception but at some point the slowdown inevitably happened, and our future as a program with RR is yet too be seen as we have only had 2 seasons with him.

I wasn't around much before Jim Jarrett left, as Wood Selig was hired early into my time at ODU. But what is the difference between the two? I've heard that he championed for women's sports, which shows with our success in basketball and field hockey. But it seemed like the athletics culture was a lot more engaged and traditional compared to what it is now, where the Ted has been accused of being "wine and cheese" as opposed to the racous atmosphere I was used to.

Someone earlier in this thread nailed what my impression of Wood and the current administration is. They like bringing in donations, not winning championships. My impression of Wood has always been that he is comfortable with being slightly above average in terms of overall effort, giving fans hope but not really caring if we don't win.

Excellent post my friend. Right on.

I'm all for debating the content in this thread, but to me the premise that people don't care about their jobs or the success of what they're responsible for is just dumb - of course the admin cares about athletics.

(03-13-2023 01:50 PM)MonGNARch Wrote:  I became an ODU basketball fan not only because I was a student, but because my freshman year we won the regular season CAA championship, the CAA tournament outright, and even beat Notre Dame in the first round of the NCA tournament. The Monarch Maniacs were at their peak, the Ted was ALWAYS rocking, I felt like we were a program with deep tradition and strong, rabid support from fans, alumni, students, and even the national press (ESPN and the like). When I came to ODU I knew little of their athletics history but learned up quick and realized we had something special. Hell, my sophomore year we won the CAA and made it to the tournament again, with that heartbreaking last second loss to Butler. That's my memory of ODU basketball as a student and the foundation upon where my fandom sits. Wendy was in her final years coaching here and I went to just as many Women's games as I did Men's games (every single home game unless I was home on breaks), and I cherish those memories to this day.

When I look at our program now, I just feel like we are existing. We're not bad enough to a total blow up of the program, but not good enough to play in post season tournaments. The constant limbo of disappointment in conference tourneys with no post season payoff has drawn apathy from me and other ODU fans who were classmates of mine. My cousin is a freshman at ODU and while he had an awesome time at the game where we beat VT this year, ODU sports are an after thought. Do you all remember after men's and women's basketball games, the players would line up on the 3-pt line facing the student section with the dancers on one side and the cheerleaders on the other, interlocking arms and swaying while singing the alma mater while the band played and students stayed and did the same? Jeff Jones getting rid of that was one of my biggest pet peeves, it was a fun tradition taht not only had the players bought in, it kept the students there and built a sense of unity and community with the players, fans, and students. I still remember every word of our alma mater because of that. Dr. T has done a hell of a job with the band, as they are the only students who carry on traditions and chants from previous years.

I don't know who to pinpoint this malaise that has fallen over the atheltic department and basketball specifically, but while we had the benefit of the doubt being a "basketball school" for a few years into JJ's tenure here, we have fallen to such a forgettable level where it seems like we have only regressed while our peers have not just caught up but in some aspects surpassed us (VCU, JMU, Liberty, etc). Football is a hard one to quantify as we shot out of a cannon on inception but at some point the slowdown inevitably happened, and our future as a program with RR is yet too be seen as we have only had 2 seasons with him.

I wasn't around much before Jim Jarrett left, as Wood Selig was hired early into my time at ODU. But what is the difference between the two? I've heard that he championed for women's sports, which shows with our success in basketball and field hockey. But it seemed like the athletics culture was a lot more engaged and traditional compared to what it is now, where the Ted has been accused of being "wine and cheese" as opposed to the racous atmosphere I was used to.

Someone earlier in this thread nailed what my impression of Wood and the current administration is. They like bringing in donations, not winning championships. My impression of Wood has always been that he is comfortable with being slightly above average in terms of overall effort, giving fans hope but not really caring if we don't win.

Jarrett had his flaws, but I would say one major difference between him and Wood is that Jarrett was a sports guy and Wood is a bean counter/Salesman.

(03-13-2023 02:51 PM)Cant Tame the Lion Wrote:  I'm all for debating the content in this thread, but to me the premise that people don't care about their jobs or the success of what they're responsible for is just dumb - of course the admin cares about athletics.

I think it is a fair question, if poorly framed. I am not sure that this admin prioritizes success on the field nearly as much as they prioritize administrative wins. Do they care about their jobs. I think they do. Do they consider it their primary job to put winning teams on the field? I question that.

(03-13-2023 03:43 PM)Monarchblue Wrote:  

(03-13-2023 01:50 PM)MonGNARch Wrote:  I became an ODU basketball fan not only because I was a student, but because my freshman year we won the regular season CAA championship, the CAA tournament outright, and even beat Notre Dame in the first round of the NCA tournament. The Monarch Maniacs were at their peak, the Ted was ALWAYS rocking, I felt like we were a program with deep tradition and strong, rabid support from fans, alumni, students, and even the national press (ESPN and the like). When I came to ODU I knew little of their athletics history but learned up quick and realized we had something special. Hell, my sophomore year we won the CAA and made it to the tournament again, with that heartbreaking last second loss to Butler. That's my memory of ODU basketball as a student and the foundation upon where my fandom sits. Wendy was in her final years coaching here and I went to just as many Women's games as I did Men's games (every single home game unless I was home on breaks), and I cherish those memories to this day.

When I look at our program now, I just feel like we are existing. We're not bad enough to a total blow up of the program, but not good enough to play in post season tournaments. The constant limbo of disappointment in conference tourneys with no post season payoff has drawn apathy from me and other ODU fans who were classmates of mine. My cousin is a freshman at ODU and while he had an awesome time at the game where we beat VT this year, ODU sports are an after thought. Do you all remember after men's and women's basketball games, the players would line up on the 3-pt line facing the student section with the dancers on one side and the cheerleaders on the other, interlocking arms and swaying while singing the alma mater while the band played and students stayed and did the same? Jeff Jones getting rid of that was one of my biggest pet peeves, it was a fun tradition taht not only had the players bought in, it kept the students there and built a sense of unity and community with the players, fans, and students. I still remember every word of our alma mater because of that. Dr. T has done a hell of a job with the band, as they are the only students who carry on traditions and chants from previous years.

I don't know who to pinpoint this malaise that has fallen over the atheltic department and basketball specifically, but while we had the benefit of the doubt being a "basketball school" for a few years into JJ's tenure here, we have fallen to such a forgettable level where it seems like we have only regressed while our peers have not just caught up but in some aspects surpassed us (VCU, JMU, Liberty, etc). Football is a hard one to quantify as we shot out of a cannon on inception but at some point the slowdown inevitably happened, and our future as a program with RR is yet too be seen as we have only had 2 seasons with him.

I wasn't around much before Jim Jarrett left, as Wood Selig was hired early into my time at ODU. But what is the difference between the two? I've heard that he championed for women's sports, which shows with our success in basketball and field hockey. But it seemed like the athletics culture was a lot more engaged and traditional compared to what it is now, where the Ted has been accused of being "wine and cheese" as opposed to the racous atmosphere I was used to.

Someone earlier in this thread nailed what my impression of Wood and the current administration is. They like bringing in donations, not winning championships. My impression of Wood has always been that he is comfortable with being slightly above average in terms of overall effort, giving fans hope but not really caring if we don't win.

Jarrett had his flaws, but I would say one major difference between him and Wood is that Jarrett was a sports guy and Wood is a bean counter/Salesman.

Perfectly stated by both of you.

(03-11-2023 04:57 PM)Stat Geek Wrote:  Maybe we should drop down the MEAC to be the best program in Hampton Roads.

The other Norfolk D1 school has a signature win in the NCAA tournament WAAAAY more recently than we do. Heck, we're a joke in the MBB. sorry, but it's true. Man, I sound like RR now.

(03-13-2023 02:31 PM)ODUCoach Wrote:  I disagree with the characterization that the thread on the FB page "pretty much defend[s] Wood and the athletic dept." Sure, some of the posts do, but it seems to me there is some disagreement, as well.

Except he suspends and deletes users that don't agree with his position or are somewhat pointed and critical of the program. People have been banned and that is unfortunate.

(03-14-2023 06:09 AM)Mr.BigBlue Wrote:  

(03-13-2023 02:31 PM)ODUCoach Wrote:  I disagree with the characterization that the thread on the FB page "pretty much defend[s] Wood and the athletic dept." Sure, some of the posts do, but it seems to me there is some disagreement, as well.

Except he suspends and deletes users that don't agree with his position or are somewhat pointed and critical of the program. People have been banned and that is unfortunate.

If only he was clear about exactly what he wants from HIS facebook group…..

(03-14-2023 06:45 AM)Stat Geek Wrote:  

(03-14-2023 06:09 AM)Mr.BigBlue Wrote:  

(03-13-2023 02:31 PM)ODUCoach Wrote:  I disagree with the characterization that the thread on the FB page "pretty much defend[s] Wood and the athletic dept." Sure, some of the posts do, but it seems to me there is some disagreement, as well.

Except he suspends and deletes users that don't agree with his position or are somewhat pointed and critical of the program. People have been banned and that is unfortunate.

If only he was clear about exactly what he wants from HIS facebook group…..

Yeah, it's not the way I'd run things, but then again, I'm not the one who started the group, so if I don't like it, I can simply leave.

I would probably go to games, but I have 3 kids, a busy schedule, and live on the peninsula. Performance kind of drops the priority when there are so many competing interests, but I would have gone to a few last year if I had nothing else to do. While I am not actively boycotting, pretty sure I haven't been to a game since before Covid. I mean, taking my family of 5 to a single basketball game on the rare Saturday that nobody has a commitment, with gas and dinner, would cost well over $200. Could get an offseason hotel room and Doughboys at the Oceanfront for less than that... or a weeknight at Great Wolf Lodge... or better yet, hire a babysitter and take the wife out. It has just lost the value. Obviously I care or else I wouldn't be here and still following, so not sure you can call me a "bandwagon" fan, but it is people like me they are losing.

Thats the demographic everyone is losing.

Look at the demographics of who attends and doesnt attend and whether its weekday or week night.

Luckily we are still doing good on attendance compared to our peers.

(03-14-2023 08:10 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  I would probably go to games, but I have 3 kids, a busy schedule, and live on the peninsula. Performance kind of drops the priority when there are so many competing interests, but I would have gone to a few last year if I had nothing else to do. While I am not actively boycotting, pretty sure I haven't been to a game since before Covid. I mean, taking my family of 5 to a single basketball game on the rare Saturday that nobody has a commitment, with gas and dinner, would cost well over $200. Could get an offseason hotel room and Doughboys at the Oceanfront for less than that... or a weeknight at Great Wolf Lodge... or better yet, hire a babysitter and take the wife out. It has just lost the value. Obviously I care or else I wouldn't be here and still following, so not sure you can call me a "bandwagon" fan, but it is people like me they are losing.

And this is the part that I wonder if they even care about losing? Maybe the admin cares about athletics, but not about long term die-hard Monarch fanatics. Maybe we are the pesky, pain in the butt fans that remember the glory years and have high expectations and standards for what our team should be. Maybe their attitude is the sooner fans like us are gone, fans who expect a team to compete for championships consistently, who expect NCAA appearances at least every few years, and still realistically dream of sweet 16 appearances and top 25 rankings, the easier their job will be to sell mediocrity. Perhaps they want to lose fans like the ones on this board. I think the admin cares about athletics, but has given up on excellence. And they want us to do so as well and be satisfied with what we have. Just a thought.