THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 29, 1994 TAG: 9410290348
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
Old Dominion's basketball team, with its season opener less than three weeks away, will play its first exhibition game of the season tonight with the Blue-White scrimmage at the ODU field house.
The intrasquad scrimmage will be at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for ODU students and children 18 and under.
The Blue-White game will be the first opportunity for fans to get a look at ODU's two new point guards - junior college transfer Duffy Samuels and freshman Brion Dunlap. One of them will start when the Monarchs open at Virginia in the Preseason NIT Nov. 16, but coach Jeff Capel said he isn't sure yet which one will get the nod.
``It's really too early to tell,'' Capel said. ``They're different. Duffy appears to be more comfortable in the up-tempo game because that's the style he's used to, and he probably has 65 or 70 college games under his belt. Brion is more comfortable in the half-court game and running the offense.''
Sophomore Mark Johnson is trying to get comfortable after suffering what Capel called a groin pull, but Johnson referred to as a hip flexor injury, the day ODU opened practice Oct. 15. Johnson missed most of the first two weeks of practice and said Thursday he was not sure if he'll play tonight.
``It only hurts when I sprint and on defense when I slide,'' Johnson said. ``I worked hard to get in good condition and now a lot of that's lost.''
For Joe Bunn, the Blue-White game will probably be more significant than it is to his teammates. It will be the only time this year he will be able to put on a game uniform, as NCAA rules stipulate he must sit out a year after transfering from North Carolina A&T.
RANKING: Capel said he was surprised to learn ODU was ranked 25th by Street & Smith's in the magazine's preseason poll. Arkansas was No. 1, Virginia was No. 6.
``We've got three very good players returning,'' Capel said of center Odell Hodge, forward Petey Sessoms and guard Mike Jones. ``I think it's a credit to the players and what they did last year that they're thought of so highly. Hopefully at the end of the year we'll be one of the top 25 teams in the country.''
RECRUITING UPDATE: Of the six recruits ODU was pursuing, one has committed to ODU, two have committed to other schools and one seems on the verge of ruling out the Monarchs.
Swing player Radee Benson of Elizabeth, N.J., has said he will sign a national letter of intent with Old Dominion Nov. 9. But forward Mark Holland of Ft. Wayne, Ind., has committed to Northern Illinois, and swing player Abel Bernard - who never visited ODU's campus - of Atlantic City, N.J., is going to Hofstra.
That leaves forward Cal Bowdler of Rappahannock, center Reggie Bassette of Highland Springs in Henrico County and forward/center Skipper Youngblood of Gastonia, N.C., as potential Monarch recruits. Bowlder has visited ODU, is at Richmond this weekend and is scheduled to go to Virginia next weekend. Youngblood has visited ODU and is at East Carolina this weekend.
Bassette is the most curious case. He told the Richmond newspaper this week he had narrowed his choices to Virginia and Minnesota. But according to sources, he told the Monarchs after that article appeared he still intends to visit Old Dominion's campus next weekend. He has also visited East Carolina and Virginia Commonwealth.
ODU has four scholarships available. by CNB