Old Dominion Monarchs
2014-2015 Overall Rank: #113
Conference Rank: #5 C-USA
| Old Dominion Team Page |  | Buy Old Dominion Basketball Tickets |
Two years ago Old Dominion won just five games. Then Coach Jeff Jones came in and very quickly turned things around. The Monarchs ended up with a winning record in conference play and earned a trip to the CBI. For a young team like ODU, getting a feeling for postseason play is huge. And they beat South Dakota State and Radford before falling to Fresno State in the semifinals, so they even got a taste of postseason victory. Coach Jones is bringing in even more talent and this is a team to watch in Conference USA.
2013-14 Record: 18-18, 9-7
2013-14 Postseason: CBI
Coach: Jeff Jones
Coach Record: 18-18 at Old Dominion, 376-304 overall
Who’s Out:
Dimitri Batten is a significant departure. He was second on the team with 11.0 points per game and will spend his senior season at Boston College. He has not been the most consistent shooter, but Batten could finish around the basket. The only other loss is Anton Larsen and he played just 124 minutes all year long.
Who’s In:
The most significant newcomers are transfers. Trey Freeman comes from Campbell where he earned Big South Freshman of the Year accolades three years ago and All-Conference accolades two seasons ago. As a sophomore he averaged 14.3 points and 5.8 assists per game and will step right into the starting point guard spot for ODU. Jonathan Arledge should be a starter too. The senior transfer missed nearly all of last year with an injury, but developed into a solid starter by his true junior season. That year he averaged 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds. Junior college transfer and YouTube sensation Javonte Douglas is an athletic 6-7 forward who is a big-time scoring threat. Douglas is a natural wing and will give Coach Jones some options for playing big or small. Nik Biberaj, a transfer from Christopher Newport University, and freshman Zoran Talley will have a tough time finding minutes this year.
Who to Watch:
Old Dominion’s four returning starters will not have those roles given to them with the influx of talent. At the least, Aaron Bacote, Keenana Palmore, Richard Ross and Denzel Taylor will give this team plenty of experienced depth. Bacote led the squad with 15.5 points per game and dished out 2.9 assists. He will spend more time off of the ball and be able to concentrate on scoring even more. Palmore is another capable ballhandler and will battle it out with Freeman for minutes running the show. He averaged 9.9 points per game last season and was on the verge of a breakout year, but the minutes may not be there now. Ross, a 6-7 senior, is the team’s top rebounder and shot blocker. He totaled 81 blocks in 2013-2014 and will anchor the ODU defensive effort in the paint. Taylor is not much of a scorer, but is always tough on the glass.
Final Projection:
With other returning talent like Ambrose Mosley, who averaged 7.3 points per game, Jordan Baker and the oft-injured Deion Clark, Coach Jones has plenty of depth to work with. If the transfers can live up to their potential, Old Dominion could have another massive turnaround. Jumping from five wins to 18 wins was impressive, but there could be another big jump coming.
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT
Projected Starting Five:
Trey Freeman, Junior, Guard, DNP last season
Aaron Bacote, Junior, Guard, 15.5 points per game
Javonte Douglas, Junior, Forward, DNP last season
Richard Ross, Senior, Forward, 9.9 points per game
Jonathan Arledge, Senior, Forward, DNP last season
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 64.2 (310th in nation, 14th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.5 (48, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.8 (250, 10)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.0 (96, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.3 (271, 12)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.6 (238, 10)
Free-Throw Percentage: 62.1 (341, 16)
Rebound Margin: 2.0 (119, 6)
Assists Per Game: 10.6 (312, 13)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.2 (253, 11)
See All Top 144 Basketball Previews
