THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 21, 1995 TAG: 9511190402
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: College Preview Basketball
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
No more February road swings to New Orleans and Hattiesburg, Miss., or one-game jaunts to Louisville or South Florida.
The far-flung Metro is in Virginia Commonwealth's rear-view mirror. The Rams have eschewed the frequent-flier miles for bus trips to Colonial Athletic Association locales.
``We're excited about being in the league,'' VCU coach Sonny Smith said. ``We have natural rivals we haven't had in other leagues we've been in. I think this is a good place for us, it's where we ought to be.''
Virginia Commonwealth changes the complexion and competitiveness of the CAA. The first new team since Old Dominion joined the conference in 1991-92 is also projected to be one of the CAA's strongest.
``It gives more credibility to the league,'' Old Dominion coach Jeff Capel said. ``If there's ever a chance for us to get two teams in the postseason, the addition of VCU will give us an opportunity to do that.''
American coach Chris Knoche called VCU a ``proven commodity. They've always been a strong computer team. They bring a strong legitimacy to the league.''
Old Dominion and VCU are the only legitimate title contenders.
``From a personnel point of view, experience point of view and talent point of view they are probably ahead of the rest of us,'' Richmond coach Bill Dooley said.
The league's top two scorers return - but not the top two from last year. Old Dominion center Odell Hodge and American forward Tim Fudd led the CAA in scoring in '93-94. But both suffered season-ending knee injuries in the fourth game of '94-95.
Otherwise, the stars of last season have moved on. George Mason's Nate Langley is the only returnee among the league's top-10 scorers, and none of the first-team all-conference players are back. Langley and UNC Wilmington's Preston McGriff are the only returning members of the second team. ILLUSTRATION: [Side Bar]
CAA at a Glance
For complete listing, see microfilm.
KEYWORDS: SPECIAL SECTION by CNB