THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 3, 1994 TAG: 9407030157
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 115 lines
Old Dominion apparently has concluded interviews and is likely to name a baseball coach sometime this week.
There are four confirmed candidates who have had on-campus interviews for the job that became vacant when Pat McMahon announced a month ago he was leaving to become associate head coach at Mississippi State. The Monarchs' position is an attractive one, with an NCAA tournament team returning virtually intact next year.
ODU athletic director Jim Jarrett would not discuss candidates for the job or say how many finalists there are. Four coaches who confirmed that they interviewed are ODU assistant Tim Parenton; Georgia assistant Jim Bagnall, a former Old Dominion assistant; North Carolina assistant Mark Halvorsen, who worked ODU's baseball camp last week; and Florida assistant Dave Howard.
There may be other candidates, although none of the four men knew of anyone else who had interviewed.
``They told me I'd probably be the last person they'd bring in,'' said Bagnall, who left campus Thursday. ``They said they had trimmed the list down to six.''
Jarrett said it was possible more interviews would be conducted.
``We're going to caucus on Tuesday and try to decide if we should bring in more people or bring some we've already talked to back in,'' Jarrett said. ``It will probably be Thursday or Friday (before a coach is named).''
Other potential candidates are William and Mary coach Jim Farr, a former ODU assistant; Virginia Commonwealth's Tony Guzzo, who played and coached at Norfolk Catholic; and former Monarchs Nick Boothe - Virginia Wesleyan's head coach - and Vanderbilt assistant Paul Keyes. Boothe declined to comment Friday, and the others could not be reached for comment.
``They said they're going to try to get it done in the next week,'' Howard said. ``I felt very confident when I left that everything went well.''
RECRUITING TIME: Old Dominion basketball coach Jeff Capel and his assistants, Mark Cline and Jim Corrigan, head out on the recruiting road for the first time Tuesday when the NCAA's summer recruiting period begins. There's an unmistakable mandate for the Monarchs.
Think big.
ODU needs frontcourt players, and quickly. All of the Monarchs' current scholarship big men will be juniors or seniors next season. The Monarchs will have either three or four scholarships available, depending on whether North Carolina A&T forward Joe Bunn transfers to ODU as has been speculated.
Capel said he would like to sign one swing player who can play shooting guard and small forward, and two players who are power forwards or centers.
``One thing kids look at is getting a chance to play,'' Capel said. ``We'll be losing two of our top three scorers (rising seniors Mike Jones and Petey Sessoms, as well as key reserve David Harvey), and the opportunity to play is here.''
Capel wouldn't mind never leaving his backyard to fill up ODU's roster.
``There's certainly enough talent in this area to fulfill our needs, no question about it,'' Capel said. ``We would certainly like to do it all right here, but we can't count on that.''
ODU's coaches aren't allowed to discuss potential recruits, but the players regarded as the area's top rising seniors are Churchland guard D.J. Dunbar and forward Marvin Rodgers, Granby forward Shawn Hobson, Cox forward Matt Whalen and Kempsville's Tyren Johnson.
Capel said it's somewhat difficult to recruit without having first-hand knowledge of the current Monarchs' abilities. But the new coaching staff will get a chance to see its team during an 11-day trip to France in August, which Capel said will help formulate a recruiting strategy in the fall. ODU will begin practice for the overseas trip Aug. 1.
TALKING HOOPS: Capel has not been a wallflower since he took the ODU job in late April. It has been 68 days since Capel accepted the job, and in that time he said he has had 52 speaking engagements, sometimes as many as three a day. They've run the gamut - boys and girls clubs, churches, alumni groups, golf outings and service and civic organizations.
``I think it's important for me, being new, to get out and talk about the program,'' Capel said. ``There haven't been many places I haven't been. I've enjoyed it, other than getting lost on these crazy highways around here.''
TECH ON THE TUBE: Athletic director Dave Braine said this week that Virginia Tech football games with Miami, Virginia and Syracuse are being strongly considered by ABC for regional broadcasts this season. He said the Oct. 29 game at Miami - a potentially big game in the Big East title chase - is receiving the strongest consideration.
``That's a long time away, though,'' Braine said. ``If we all do what we're supposed to do, there's a good chance that will be on.''
The others could also be picked up by ESPN if ABC passes.
The Hokies are already on ESPN with a Thursday night home game against West Virginia on Sept. 22. If Tech makes a couple of network or cable appearances, the school will profit handsomely because the Big East does not begin TV revenue sharing until next year.
The Big East television network - picked up this year by WTKR - also likely will show at least two or three Tech games.
TECH TICKETS: The Hokies are coming off a 9-3 bowl season and have the core of last year's team returning. Football News ranks Virginia Tech 12th nationally in its July edition.
Braine said season tickets are selling at a record pace. About 10,000 have been sold, and Braine is hoping the total reaches 15,000, which would be about 2,000 more season tickets than Tech has ever sold.
``It's going better than it's ever been at this stage,'' Braine said.
SHORT SUBJECTS: Virginia Beach's Clayton Ritter, an All-CAA basketball player at James Madison last season, is reportedly going to play professionally in Belgium. . . . The NCAA graduation rates report was released last week for athletes who entered school in 1987-88. Of the two state schools that field Division I-A football teams, Virginia had the higher graduation rate for all athletes (80 percent) and football players (75). Virginia Tech graduated 70 percent of its athletes and 68 percent of its football players. . Five presidents from the Metro and Great Midwest conferences met recently to work on formulating an all-sports conference, and ECU may be part of their plans. ``It will lead toward a more definite direction; we remain cautiously optimistic,'' ECU athletic director Dave Hart told the Raleigh News & Observer. Hart has been trying to find a home for the Pirates' independent Division I-A football program. . . . Virginia Tech basketball coach Bill Foster will serve as an assistant on the U.S. Goodwill Games team that begins practice Monday and will play in Russia later this month. Southern Cal's George Raveling is the head coach. by CNB