THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, March 28, 1995 TAG: 9503280391
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
In ways that cannot be calculated, Old Dominion's NCAA tournament victory over Villanova was invaluable in terms of exposure for the program.
In real dollars, it was worth about $28,000 to each member of the Colonial Athletic Association over a six-year period.
The days of the $500,000 free throw - when a player could be at the line in an NCAA tournament game and have an athletic department's financial future in his hands - are long gone. The NCAA divvies up the tournament money and the $1 billion CBS pays to televise it in a variety of ways.
Last year, Division I institutions received $82 million via the NCAA's revenue-distribution plan. Performance in the NCAA tournament determined where $31.5 million of that went.
The CAA got $1,523,779 overall, ranking 18th among the payouts to 34 conferences. The Big Ten was first with $8,554,815, and the ACC was next at $7,331,828.
Of the CAA's $1.5 million, $384,668 was paid based on how the league did in the NCAA tournament from 1988 to 1993.
The Colonial played in nine tournament games during that span - nine units worth $42,741 apiece. The units are paid based on tournament participation in the previous six years.
Assuming the value of the units does not change, ODU's victory over Villanova - the first for the CAA since 1991 - will be worth $256,446 for the league between 1996 and 2001. Divided up nine ways under the league's revenue-sharing plan, that one win translates into an additional $28,494 per school.
The CAA drops down to seven units for the coming year for the period from 1989-1994, when league teams lost in the first round every year except for Richmond's 1991 upset of Syracuse.
CAPEL HONOR: ODU coach Jeff Capel was named the District IV coach of the year Monday by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Capel was one of 15 district winners voted on by the coaches. The group will be honored in Seattle this weekend.
Former ODU coach Tic Price, now the head coach of New Orleans, was the District VIII winner.
A VOTE FOR UNC: Perhaps influenced by his North Carolina upbringing, Capel predicts that the Tar Heels will win the national championship.
``Carolina and UCLA in the final - that will be a hell of a final,'' said Capel, who will head to Seattle on Wednesday for the Final Four. ``I think with five days to prepare, there's no way Carolina will lose to Arkansas.''
1995-96 SCHEDULE: The Monarchs will find out within a month or so who they play in the season opener at the Great Alaska Shootout Nov. 22-25. The field includes ODU, Duke, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Texas Christian, Ohio University and Alaska.
With 16 CAA league games next season thanks to the addition of Virginia Commonwealth, ODU has 10 other nonconference games to schedule. The Monarchs have NCAA tournament teams Tulane, Southern Illinois and UNC Charlotte at home, and another one - Virginia - on the road. The Monarchs also will play St. Joseph's at home and will travel to Towson State and Wyoming.
ODU needs two more games - either solos or a tournament.
Beating Villanova has made scheduling tricky.
``People who have verbal commitments to play, all of a sudden they can't play,'' Capel said. ``One of them told us, `You're not a big enough name, but you're too good.' ''
Capel wouldn't identify that school, other than to say it was from a power conference.
ODU would like to play Virginia Tech but has not talked to the Hokies yet because of their involvement in the National Invitation Tournament.
It seems a natural that Duke, with guard Jeff Capel III, would meet coach Jeff Capel Jr.'s Old Dominion team in the first round of the Great Alaska Shootout. If that doesn't happen, Capel hopes to play Duke in the regular season.
HAIRLESS LEADER: As promised to his players if they won the CAA tournament, Capel shaved his head a week ago. On Monday, he was still sporting a close-cropped look and expressed some concern about whether it would all grow back.
LOOKING AHEAD: Capel has met with his players and told them what they need to work on in the summer. A couple of the highlights:
He wants forward Mario Mullen to improve his conditioning and speed so he can play small forward next year, making room for transfer Joe Bunn to play power forward. Capel said Mullen has the shooting range and the ability to handle and pass the ball to play on the perimeter. ``He just needs to be able to defend a small forward,'' Capel said.
Guard E.J. Sherod needs to shoot, shoot, shoot. Capel wants him to improve his range and work to develop a shot off the dribble.
Point guard Brion Dunlap has to break down his shooting mechanics to correct a problem with the alignment of his right foot. Capel said the coaches noticed it midway through the season. ``We were afraid to do anything about it in the middle of the year,'' Capel said. ``It's just cockeyed. He had a great year, but he's got to have confidence shooting the basketball for us next year.''
If no one transfers or falls short academically, ODU returns two starters, as well as injured center Odell Hodge, from a 21-12 team. ODU also has Bunn - a star in practice all year - and four highly touted incoming recruits.
``I think we'll be better next year than we were this year, but in two years we'll be ready to hunt the big bear,'' Capel said. by CNB