THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 5, 1994 TAG: 9411050928
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
When Old Dominion's basketball team hosts Court Authority in its first exhibition game tonight at 8, Monarchs' coach Jeff Capel will be looking for an exhibition of better offense.
The offense hasn't developed as fast as the defense since Capel's first Monarch team began practice three weeks ago. Capel said he will hold his team more accountable for good offensive execution tonight and in the remaining 11 days before ODU opens the season at Virginia in the Preseason NIT Nov. 16.
``We're a little behind offensively from where I'd like to be, but not unexpectedly because offense is more timing and execution, whereas defense is aggressiveness.''
The game at the ODU field house will follow the Lady Monarchs' Blue-White exhibition game at 6 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for students and children under 18.
Court Authority is a team comprised of former Virginia college players, including several who played professionally. One of the older members of the team is Edmund Sherod, a four-year starter at Virginia Commonwealth in the late 1970s and early 1980s who played briefly with the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets. Sherod is the father of ODU backup guard E.J. Sherod.
Court Authority defeated American 87-75 Tuesday.
DUKE DECKED: James Madison point guard Dennis Leonard is out for at least four games as an academic casualty. Coach Lefty Driesell said that if Leonard tends to his academic requirements, he'll be back after the Dukes complete their games played during the first semester.
Driesell said Leonard passed 12 hours in summer school that would have made him eligible, but NCAA rules allow only six of the required hours an athlete must pass during a calendar year to come in summer sessions.
``I think it's a ridiculous rule,'' Driesell said. ``One day I'd like to get on an NCAA committee to revamp the whole NCAA rules. They've got some ridiculous rules. I don't know who makes them up - can't be a coach.''
PIRATES GOLD: East Carolina's men's basketball team has been practicing at a Greenville, N.C., middle school and the women have been practicing at an athletic club while Minges Coliseum undergoes a renovation.
The only thing remaining of the old building is the roof and the four corners of the foundation. Even the name will change, thanks to a $1 million donor whose name becomes part of the building's name - Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
The face lift will be complete in time for a doubleheader Jan. 6, when the women host Western Carolina followed by the men against East Tennessee State. For both teams, however, that means a long stretch of early season road games - seven for the women, eight for the men after they open the season against Angelo State at a Greenville high school.
``Obviously the new arena is going to pay a lot of dividends for our program,'' ECU coach Eddie Payne said. ``But we're going to have some rough going at the start.''
EXPANSION TALK: The fallout from Metro schools with football pulling out of the conference to form a football league should happen relatively soon. The Colonial Athletic Association is hoping that means expansion for its league, with Virginia Tech, South Florida, UNC Charlottle and Virginia Commonwealth possibly all in need of a place to play.
``We've certainly let them know we're interested in having them join the Colonial,'' said ODU president James Koch, who has placed calls to presidents of some of the four schools to extend the invitation.
As for ODU's future, the Monarchs appear to be staying put. ``Our loyalty is to the Colonial,'' Koch said. by CNB