Lady Monarchs given unfair advantage

On The Sidelines

If one were to look up the word "fair" in the dictionary, it would say something in the definition about being impartial and unbiased.

The purpose of a conference tournament is to give every member school a fair shot to get to the NCAA Tournament. However, the women's Colonial Athletic Association Tournament is anything but fair.

Sure, every team theoretically has a chance to win to tournament. Yet, in reality, that's far from the truth. There is a reason why Old Dominion University has won 12 consecutive titles — ODU has hosted the tournament on its home court eight of those 12 seasons.

I know there are several reasons ODU hosts the women's CAA Tournament. First of all, the Lady Monarchs have the largest fan base in the conference. By having the game at ODU, there is a packed house, in addition to the few fans who travel with the other conference schools. A sold-out arena makes the CAA aesthetically pleasing when the championship game is televised on Comcast.

"The last thing you want is 100 fans at a championship game that is nationally televised," said Debbie Taneyhill, the women's basketball coach at George Mason University.

Another reason is that ODU has one of the newest and nicest arenas in the CAA in the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The facility has cushioned chairs and a scoreboard with a video screen, among other things.

Those things are nice. But, in terms of fairness, having ODU host the tournament on its own court is far from fair.

The Lady Monarchs have lost only one game at home in its last 118. One game.That's it.

That number alone is a enough to kill any team's hopes for a conference title.

"I've heard one or two ladies say it's the ‘Old Dominion Invitational,' like you are going to their tournament," coach Kenny Brooks said Monday.

Brooks said he would prefer the tournament to be played at a neutral site. He said most coaches around the CAA feel the same way.

Taneyhill said the topic has come up at many CAA coaches meetings.

"Is it ideal [to play at ODU]? Definitely not — especially if you are the team that is playing Old Dominion," she said.

Brooks said if a neutral venue was not an option, having the tournament rotate from
school to school would be another viable option.

Other than ODU coach Wendy Larry, who would want the tournament in Norfolk for obvious reasons, only one other coach in the CAA wants the tournament at ODU — GMU's coach Taneyhill.

Brooks' feelings about having the conference tournament at a neutral venue stem from his experience as a player for JMU from 1988 to '91, and as an assistant coach for the JMU men's team from 1998 to '02.

"It's just not the same excitement that it is on the men's side," Brooks said. "I have a unique perspective because I've come from the men's side. On the men's side, you feel the energy when you feel like you are playing well and [if] you play well going into the tournament, anyone can win it. I think the feeling now on the women's side is that you're going to have to play a great game to beat Old Dominion here. It's going to have to be almost a flawless game."

Brooks wants his team to have the same feeling he had as a player heading into the tournament.

"For these young ladies, I would like for them to have the same dream that I had [as a player] — go into a tournament thinking you have a fair shot," he said.

If the tournament was at a different site, it might give another team a shot — or at least the confidence — to win the CAA.

"I think it would be good for the conference if you didn't have Old Dominion winning every year," Brooks said.

If a different team won the tournament, it would mean more exposure for the CAA. While an at-large bid for the women's half of the conference is only a few years off, it's never a guarantee.

It's time for ODU and the CAA to start spreading the March Madness around the league. I know nothing will change for a few years, but it is something the conference officials should at least consider.

Drew Wilson is a senior SMAD major who is heading to Norfolk to see ODU win again after a brief visit to the men's CAA tournament in Richmond.