THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 9, 1995 TAG: 9512090478
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: TOLEDO, OHIO LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
Forward Joe Bunn walked gingerly through airports Friday, but is expected to be in the starting lineup tonight when the Old Dominion plays Toledo.
``He'll definitely play,'' Monarchs coach Jeff Capel said. ``How much depends on how much he can take the pain.''
The status of sophomore point guard Brion Dunlap - who started his first 38 games at ODU and then inexplicably never got off the bench Tuesday against South Florida because of what Capel called a ``team decision'' - is uncertain for tonight's game.
``I don't care to discuss that,'' said Capel, who would not allow Dunlap to be interviewed. Capel said Duffy Samuels will start at the point.
Bunn injured his right big toe Saturday when he was kicked during the Southern Illinois game. The Monarchs' leading scorer and rebounder missed Tuesday's game and returned to practice Thursday.
``It felt pretty good once I got loosened up,'' Bunn said. ``I'm still in a little pain, but I fully expect to play.''
Trainer Scott Johnson affixed a pad to the top and side of the joint. He called the injury a combination sprain and contusion.
``That's what he calls it, I just know it hurts,'' Bunn said.
ROAD TRIP: Capel said he considers tonight's game the Monarchs' first true road trip, even though they already played three games in the Great Alaska Shootout. That was different, though, because it was a protracted stay with several other things going on and fans as well as players from different teams to meet and mingle with.
``I like the idea that this is the way it is most of the time when we're on the road,'' Capel said. ``There's no distractions, it's just us. We're just focused on the game. I'm anxious to see how we respond.''
FOUR ON THE FLOOR: ODU junior E.J. Sherod looked around at one point during the Monarchs' loss to South Florida and realized he was playing with four freshmen. It's the first time this season Capel has played four freshmen together while the game's outcome was on the line.
Sherod said the freshmen play hard and love the game, a trait some of the veterans need to emulate.
``You don't think of them as freshmen,'' Sherod said. ``We played as a team. It doesn't matter what your classification is as long as they put out that effort.''
Freshman Mark Poag, expected to start his third consecutive game tonight, said he didn't notice that he and fellow frosh Mike Byers, Skipper Youngblood and Reggie Bassette were on the court together for about two minutes midway through the second half of a tight game.
``It never crossed my mind,'' Poag said.
CAA STRUGGLES: Colonial Athletic Association commissioner Tom Yeager talked at the conference's basketball media day about how in the ``afterglow'' of ODU's triple overtime upset over Villanova in the NCAA tournament and that the CAA is hopeful two teams might make this year's tournament.
That afterglow has faded in late November and early December. After Thursday's action, the league had a 20-22 nonconference record. That's better than last year's final 39-62 mark, but doesn't scream for recognition from the NCAA computer. The NCAA doesn't make its computer rankings public, but last year the RPI Report, which simulates the NCAA's formula, had the CAA rated 21st of 33 conferences.
Days like last Saturday didn't help. The league went 0-8, with James Madison idle. Virginia Commonwealth (5-2) is off to the best start, but no other school is more than a game over .500.
Yeager said December is the league's most important month, because the ratings don't change much once play begins. The first RPI Report comes out in January.
``A lot can still happen,'' Yeager said ``There's still a lot of very good non-conference teams on everyone's schedule. You win a couple of them and everything's forgotten.'' by CNB