THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 6, 1995 TAG: 9512060558
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
When Old Dominion takes to the road for its next five games, in Toledo and Lubbock, Laramie and Sacramento, the Monarchs will be putting a lot of miles between themselves and their 2-4 record.
Jeff Capel's basketball team does not return to Scope for 27 days, by which time we will all have a better idea of the kind of season ODU can expect.
Or maybe not.
By the time the Monarchs return, we may not even recognize this team. Come to think of it, that's pretty much the case now.
Skipper Youngblood started in place of the injured Joe Bunn on a Tuesday night when a quartet of ODU youngbloods was thrown to the South Florida Bulls.
Bunn is only the team's leading scorer and rebounder. But rather than use his absence as an excuse for ODU's 67-61 loss, Capel seemed invigorated by what he saw at Scope.
``Joe Bunn's injury is a blessing in disguise,'' insisted Capel, even though ODU, which was outrebounded by 10, could have won this game with Bunn on the floor.
His goal, Capel said, is to give his youngest players plenty of exposure early in the season.
``We're going to need those freshmen in January,'' he said.
The surprise of this young season is that ODU needs them now.
Mario Mullen, a senior who started all 33 games last year, came off the bench again, but played only 13 minutes, less than the four frosh who saw action. Brion Dunlap, formerly the starting point guard, did not play at all.
Capel declined to explain what was keeping either player on the sidelines. He preferred to talk about the ``composure'' of his freshmen.
Inexperience did not lose this game, he said to anyone who wondered. Chucky Atkins, South Florida's senior guard, was the culprit.
``It wasn't anything that we didn't do,'' Capel said. ``We just got beat by a great player. We won't play against a better guard all year.''
The ODU freshmen will have to take Capel's word on that. For them, each game is a discovery zone full of possibilities and pitfalls.
``I'm playing against the toughest competition I've every played against,'' said Mark Poag, the freshman from Knoxville, Tenn.
Not that you could tell. Starting at small forward, Poag led ODU with a cool 17 points, 15 on 3-pointers.
``I've never been shy to take a shot,'' he said.
None of the freshmen is shy about seizing an opportunity, least of all Mike Byers, who scored 15 and showed once again that he is going to be something special.
``We get the call to play,'' said Poag, ``and we go out and do our best.''
If their best is not good enough for now, Capel seems determined to ride out the storm. It won't hurt the cause if Odell Hodge picks up where he left off against South Florida. With 16 points, the junior center scraped a little more rust from his game.
``I want to play this way all the time,'' said Hodge, ``not this game or that game.''
Despite Capel's faith in the freshmen, ODU is better off letting Hodge and Bunn do most of the heavy lifting for now.
``This team,'' Hodge said, overlooking ODU's record, ``is to be reckoned with.''
It's too early to say he's wrong. Still, the road is not the best environment for freshmen.
In 27 days, we may know more about this team.
Or less. by CNB