Bye Bye ODU :(

I think we can all agree it wasn’t the send-off we were hoping for. With a favorable bracket and maybe a bit too high of expectations, ODU fans saw a Sweet 16, Elite 8 or, dare I even say it now, a Final 4 berth not TOO far away. We knew we were good, probably better than Butler, and with a lucky bounce here and there we were hoping to send our four fabulous seniors out in style. Unfortunately we got a couple of unlucky bounces and sent them out in a disappointing first-round loss.

I don’t want to dwell on the game. Mainly because I don’t think I’ve recovered enough to talk about it. I found myself sunk deeper into my couch than the loose change you dropped three months ago. I couldn’t feel, breathe or eat. I felt nothingness. It forced me to miss class only to continue to dwell on the inevitable: we lost and I wasn’t going to be able to change it. You know that feeling you got when you watched the last episode of Dexter season 4 and you found out Rita died (Spoiler alert!)? Or how about when you found out Santa Claus wasn’t real? Yeah it was like that, but worse.

But I said I wasn’t going to dwell and damnit I’m not going to! I want to write this column on the admiration and respect I, and hopefully all ODU fans have for our incredible four seniors who played their last game in a Monarchs’ jersey. Those four, Darius James, Keyon Carter, Frank Hassell and Ben Finney, racked up 93 wins for an up and coming Old Dominion basketball team. 93 wins, two conference titles, two NCAA Tournament berths and one victory isn’t so bad of a resume for a “mid-major” school.
The numbers will go down in the books but it’s the memories that will live on.

How many times have we needed a big basket and seen Finney step back and drain a three. Yes, the same Finney who is shooting 28 percent and probably missed his last 7 shots. But we need a basket? Number 35 is fine with taking and making it.

How many times have we needed somebody to calm us down and run the offense and seen James take over a game. The other team may have made a big three and made the game a bit closer. Instead of trying to throw up a superstar shot, James understands to slow the pace down and find the best pass. Which he usually does.


How many times have we seen a ball hit the back rim and shoot in the air only to see Frank the Tank reach up, with his ungodly long wingspan, and rip the ball down. No hesitation though, Hassell is straight back up with it, creating contact and finishing it for an and 1.

How many times have we needed a spark off the bench only to see Keyon Carter hop up, toss his warm-up jacket on the floor and come into the game. Always welcomed with an applause, it isn’t a rarity to see Carter hit his first shot of the game and then answer with a ferocious block on the defensive end.

More than anything else, the excitement the team provided will be my fondest memory. They always seemed to be having so much fun together. I’ll never forget the ESPN Bracketbuster game this year when Carter had a stellar game. After a timeout, Carter was out on the court early, rocking his head to the music on the Ted speakers and smiling at all the student section. It seemed they loved the fans as much as the fans loved them.

The team won’t be remembered for an unfortunate loss to Butler, but instead for the four incredible years they gave to this university. They started the steep climb of getting the Monarchs national respect and now it is up to the rest of the team to continue the ascent.

I have high expectations for this team because I think we are cabable of greatness. I’m excited about next year, seeing Josh Hicks get serious playing time, seeing what Marquel can do as a starter and watching Bazemore make the team completely his. The future is bright.


But I’m not gonna lie, I’m really gonna miss this team.