THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 1, 1997 TAG: 9701010447
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO LENGTH: 40 lines
Those early morning practices paid off.
That's what ODU coach Jeff Capel said after ODU's 74-61 win over Southeast Missouri State Tuesday morning.
The game began at 10 a.m. local time, 9 a.m. east coast time. The Monarchs were up at 6, local time, and out the door by 8.
Capel said he had not coached a game so early since he was at Fayetteville State, and his team played a first-round CIAA tournament game.
ODU responded well. Capel and several players credited Saturday morning practices. ODU also worked out at 9 a.m. the day after Christmas. ``That prepared us for something like this,'' forward Odell Hodge said.
MR. VERSATILITY: Tuesday was not the first time E.J. Sherod has played power forward. It's one of four positions Sherod has played in his career - every one but center.
``Not yet anyway,'' Sherod said.
A big guard, Sherod had good success posting up a much-smaller Tyronn Lue in Monday's loss to Nebraska.
Against Southeast Missouri Tuesday, he was able to spin and penetrate using his good ballhandling skills.
``I gave our guards another option against the press,'' Sherod said. ``I was able to step out and handle the ball when they needed help.''
SCHEDULE SHUFFLE: Because Fresno State had trouble with its chartered airplane, ODU will play in the last game of the tournament tonight, at 8 p.m. local time, 7 p.m. EST.
Fresno's problems scored a reshuffling of the tournament schedule. The seventh-place game, in which Fresno will face Southeast Missouri, was originally scheduled for 8 p.m. Instead, it's been moved to 12:30 p.m. The fifth-place game, involving ODU, was moved to 8 p.m.
The championship game will tip off at 3:30 p.m., followed by the third-place game at 6.