THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 11, 1995 TAG: 9505110582
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Old Dominion coach Jeff Capel went on a recruiting trip to see Mark Poag the day the Monarchs returned from the NCAA tournament.
It paid off.
Poag said Wednesday he will sign a national letter of intent to play basketball at ODU. Poag will sign Monday, which is the last day of the spring signing period and his 18th birthday.
The 6-foot-6 small forward from Knoxville, Tenn., becomes the Monarchs' sixth high school signing of the year and the second of the spring period.
Poag will take a scholarship that had belonged to rising senior forward Corey Parker, who apparently lost his because of academic shortcomings. In three seasons at ODU Parker played 53 minutes and scored two points.
Poag visited ODU April 20-22 and said ODU's coaches told him they expected to have another scholarship available once spring semester grades came out.
``He didn't make it academically and that's the scholarship I was going to get,'' Poag said. ``Everything worked out the way it was supposed to. It was like a 99 percent chance I was going to get the scholarship.''
Poag is a small forward who is a 3-point shooter, a need ODU filled this spring with Poag and an earlier signing of 6-2 guard Mike Byers from Hargrave Military Academy. Poag averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds for South-Doyle High School.
According to coach Eddie Hodge, Poag was first-team all-state on the coaches' 10-member team and a second-team Associated Press selection.
``He's an excellent 3-point shooter,'' Hodge said. ``He's a perimeter player all the way.''
Poag moved to Knoxville from Corpus Christi, Texas, midway through his junior year and was somewhat lost in the recruiting shuffle. Still, this spring he turned down offers to make official visits to Rutgers, Oklahoma, Drexel, Coastal Carolina, East Tennessee State and Texas Tech. Poag said he did make an official visit to Wofford College in South Carolina because he knew someone there.
``He was really sold on Old Dominion's program from way back,'' Hodge said.
Parker, reached Wednesday at his home in Atlanta, said he will return to school in the fall to complete work for his degree. He said at one point, ``I've been suspended from the team,'' and referred questions as to why to Capel. But he said moments later he remained eligible and quit basketball on his own volition.
``It was just a decision I made,'' Parker said. ``Basketball wasn't really working out for me. It's my decision not to play basketball next year.
``I'm still eligible. That's not the problem here.''
Parker said although he will not be on scholarship, he will return to campus with the benefit of financial aid. Capel declined comment on Parker's status, and is not allowed by NCAA rules to comment on Poag until he receives a signed national letter of intent.
ODU VS. HAMPTON? Old Dominion and Hampton may meet at Scope next season, which will be Hampton's first in Division I.
``I'm not commenting on that,'' Capel said.
``Nothing's official, but there has been some discussion,'' new Hampton coach Byron Samuels said. ``Nothing's etched in stone. It's at the table. If it's possible, I think it will happen.''
Neither Hampton athletic director Dennis Thomas nor ODU counterpart Jim Jarrett could be reached for comment.
If the game gets scheduled, it would leave ODU with one remaining non-conference game to schedule. Capel said the Monarchs will play in a post-Christmas tournament in Sacramento, Calif., that will guarantee them two games. They will also play in the eight-team Great Alaska Shootout and play road games at Virginia and Wyoming.
The Monarchs' home schedule includes South Florida, Tulane, Southern Illinois, St. Joseph's and, possibly, Hampton. by CNB