The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

In CUSA I see no reason we shouldn't be top 4 in pretty much most sports.

Back in the day, it seemed our overall athletic program was much successful. Not so much anymore....

(06-14-2016 12:01 PM)ODU1986 Wrote:  Back in the day, it seemed our overall athletic program was much successful. Not so much anymore....

Well yeah, the CAA wasn't that great a conference in most sports and during most seasons. In basketball, there was no excuse for the ODU/VCU/GMU triad not to be in contention for the title, especially once UNCW hit the skids. Georgia State didn't add much in its short stay, and the American East transplants were pretty much an afterthought in most sports until ODU/VCU/GMU left for higher ground.

(06-14-2016 12:01 PM)ODU1986 Wrote:  Back in the day, it seemed our overall athletic program was much successful. Not so much anymore....

I would argue it was "grass was greener," but not that "much" more. Yes, FH and WBB was dominant but are now down (we were in the right place and right time/era for those 2 sports). I believe you will not see us get back to that status of glory, but we should be moving up in the conference ranks.

However, I would argue LAX is better (or at least the same..we'll see if in the next few years if it was a fluke), baseball is better than in the past 10-15 years, wresting continuing to improve. I would say football/men's soccer are down (with an * next to football's transition era). Women's soccer/swim & dive/tennis/golf/sailing are basically the same.

Women's basketball being down for the past several years has left a void for success (from a fan perspective) outside of football and men's basketball.

(06-14-2016 01:14 PM)monarchman Wrote:  Women's basketball being down for the past several years has left a void for success (from a fan perspective) outside of football and men's basketball.

I agree. When I first got to ODU it was Wendy's second to last year as our coach. Her just being here gave the program an aura of tradition and success. All I would hear about is how great we were as a basketball school, especially women's basketball. Basketball made the NCAAs two years in a row and football was just starting out with its winning. Those three sports move the needle more than any other, no disrespect to the other sports. But even in the other sports we were pretty good as well. I remember talking to friends after different sports teams were performing well, I would say that we are a silent killer of sorts, not many people knew who we were but there was a good chance one of our sports teams was going to beat you

(06-14-2016 01:08 PM)Nukesquad Wrote:  

(06-14-2016 12:01 PM)ODU1986 Wrote:  Back in the day, it seemed our overall athletic program was much successful. Not so much anymore....

Women's soccer/swim & dive/tennis/golf/sailing are basically the same.

What is this based off of? Or is it that they are all afterthoughts?

(06-14-2016 02:00 PM)BigBlue23 Wrote:  

(06-14-2016 01:08 PM)Nukesquad Wrote:  

(06-14-2016 12:01 PM)ODU1986 Wrote:  Back in the day, it seemed our overall athletic program was much successful. Not so much anymore....

Women's soccer/swim & dive/tennis/golf/sailing are basically the same.

What is this based off of? Or is it that they are all afterthoughts?

I was referencing their competitive performance.

(06-14-2016 12:31 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(06-14-2016 12:01 PM)ODU1986 Wrote:  Back in the day, it seemed our overall athletic program was much successful. Not so much anymore....

Well yeah, the CAA wasn't that great a conference in most sports and during most seasons. In basketball, there was no excuse for the ODU/VCU/GMU triad not to be in contention for the title, especially once UNCW hit the skids. Georgia State didn't add much in its short stay, and the American East transplants were pretty much an afterthought in most sports until ODU/VCU/GMU left for higher ground.

That group was better than the group we're currently competing against in men's basketball.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

(06-14-2016 03:22 PM)Monarchblue Wrote:  

(06-14-2016 12:31 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(06-14-2016 12:01 PM)ODU1986 Wrote:  Back in the day, it seemed our overall athletic program was much successful. Not so much anymore....

Well yeah, the CAA wasn't that great a conference in most sports and during most seasons. In basketball, there was no excuse for the ODU/VCU/GMU triad not to be in contention for the title, especially once UNCW hit the skids. Georgia State didn't add much in its short stay, and the American East transplants were pretty much an afterthought in most sports until ODU/VCU/GMU left for higher ground.

That group was better than the group we're currently competing against in men's basketball.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Last season was CUSA's equivalent of the five-win ODU season (Middle Tennessee's win over Michigan State the equivalent of ODU beating Virginia). CUSA will be better in the years to come. Plus the CAA was only truly good for a few years in the mid-2000s; it was no great shakes before and went back to being no great shakes after, last season's RPI bonanza notwithstanding.