THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, March 7, 1995 TAG: 9503070402
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
Usually, the Colonial Athletic Association isn't enough to make Dick Vitale strain a vocal chord, but for one night of the year it rates very high in the theatrics department.
Make that the hysterics department.
Once again, a league that does not get much attention was almost impossible to ignore on the occasion of its tournament title game.
Whatever the CAA's reputation, nobody can say that it doesn't know how to bring down the curtain on a season.
For Old Dominion, the 80-75 victory over James Madison exorcised the demon of Kent Culuko. Like last year's tantilizer, in which Madison shocked ODU at the buzzer, Monday's game also gave the CAA another shot of the kind of publicity it can never buy.
ODU rode Petey Sessoms' 20-second-half points to the NCAA tournament, a performance that rightly won for the senior the tournament's MVP award.
Along with Mario Mullen, Mike Jones and E.J. Sherod, Sessoms joined coach Jeff Capel behind the microphones in the press interview room following the victory.
Jones let out a loud whoop. Sherrod wrapped himself in a CAA banner. Mullen tugged at the brim of his red and white CAA champions cap. Sessoms fingered his MVP plaque.
Missing from this scene was the player Capel calls his ``enforcer.'' Sitting in front of his locker at the Richmond Coliseum, David Harvey sipped on a soda and savored the quiet rewards that come to someone who does the dirty work that is rarely recognized.
``I did the blue-collar things,'' he said. ``I wanted to get rebounds and loose balls, set screens for Mike and Petey, and block a few shots.''
When starting center Odell Hodge injured his knee in the season's fourth game, Harvey was thrust into the starting lineup.
``A lot of people doubted us,'' Harvey said. ``Because we lost Odell, we weren't going to be a good team. That's what they thought.''
No one knew quite what to think about Harvey, a senior from Atlanta, except that he couldn't be another Hodge.
``I knew I wasn't going to replace Odell,'' he said. ``I just wanted to help.''
When Hodge heard this in the locker room, he rushed over to where Harvey was sitting.
``He did what he had to do,'' Odell told a visitor. ``Get a few rebounds, get eight or 10 points. He's a horse, man.''
The play of this horse, the enforcer, helped convince ODU that Hodge's season-ending injury could not be used as an excuse.
``He was an invaluable piece of the puzzle,'' said Capel.
Against Madison, Harvey led all players with 10 rebounds. He scored only six points, but he made three of the four shots he attempted.
``This is my last go-round and it's special to me,'' he said. ``I'm sorry that Odell suffered his injury. But this has meant a lot to me.''
Gone from Harvey's face was the world-class scowl he carries onto the court. Sipping contently on his soft drink, he allowed himself one small boast.
``When I put my mind to it,'' he said, ``I think I'm the best rebounder in the CAA.''
Just then, Mullen and Sessoms and the rest barreled through the locker room door, followed by the mini-cams and notebooks.
Harvey looked over to where Sessoms stood and said, ``He was there when this team really needed him.''
The satisfaction of this season for Harvey comes from the knowledge that he was, too. by CNB