Richard Ross barreled down court, time running out. Make a shot, and practice would be over. Miss it, and Old Dominion would continue a grueling drill that had already been going on for more than 10 minutes.
Ross laid the ball in the basket just before the horn sounded. The Monarchs lined up along the baseline.
"We got better today," junior guard Donte Hill said.
"No plays off," echoed senior Nick Wright.
Indeed, the Monarchs can take nothing for granted these days. At 1-6, ODU is off to the worst start in the Blaine Taylor era. An apparently recession-proof program that has averaged 24 wins over the past eight years has dropped five straight for the first time since 2001-02.
From players to coaches to support staff, the experience of losing is a new one.
"We've been spoiled," Taylor said. "We've just over the years been pretty steady, pretty solid."
ODU's formula of fierce rebounding and defense and disciplined offense had become a brand. Though faces changed, those constants remained. Players were brought along and plugged in, with little drop-off.
This year, with four newcomers among the first eight players, the chain has broken. Not as stalwart on the glass or defensively, not as well-drilled offensively, ODU is looking for a winning recipe.
To turn things around, the Monarchs must focus on the little things, said Wright, a co-captain who is a fifth-year player.
"Cutting, screening, passing," Wright said. "We're just trying to go play by play."
Traditionally an inside-out team, ODU has struggled to establish a low-post game. N.C. State transfer DeShawn Painter has shown flashes, but is shooting 41.7 percent. Wright, 6-foot-8 and just 208 pounds, has attempted more than a third of his shots from 3-point range, hitting 28 percent overall.
Not known in recent years for their 3-point marksmanship, the Monarchs are cold even by those standards, hitting 25.2 percent.
Defensively, ODU has been vulnerable on the perimeter. William and Mary guards Marcus Thornton and Brandon Britt, who combined for 38 points in the Tribe's 71-62 win Saturday night, were just the latest to go off on the Monarchs. Isaiah Canaan of Murray State scored 30 and UT San Antonio's Kannon Burrage and Michael Hale III combined for 49.
Richmond's Darien Brothers, who scored 38 in an overtime win over ODU a year ago, is one of three capable guards the Monarchs will face tonight, when the Spiders visit the Constant Center.
It begins a three-game homestand against teams the Monarchs went 0-4 against a year ago.
Taylor said the team remains unified and eager and Monday's upbeat practice seemed a confirmation.
"We've practiced hard, we're working hard, the kids have good chemistry," Taylor said. "It's just a matter of putting it together."
Ross laid the ball in the basket just before the horn sounded. The Monarchs lined up along the baseline.
"We got better today," junior guard Donte Hill said.
"No plays off," echoed senior Nick Wright.
Indeed, the Monarchs can take nothing for granted these days. At 1-6, ODU is off to the worst start in the Blaine Taylor era. An apparently recession-proof program that has averaged 24 wins over the past eight years has dropped five straight for the first time since 2001-02.
From players to coaches to support staff, the experience of losing is a new one.
"We've been spoiled," Taylor said. "We've just over the years been pretty steady, pretty solid."
ODU's formula of fierce rebounding and defense and disciplined offense had become a brand. Though faces changed, those constants remained. Players were brought along and plugged in, with little drop-off.
This year, with four newcomers among the first eight players, the chain has broken. Not as stalwart on the glass or defensively, not as well-drilled offensively, ODU is looking for a winning recipe.
To turn things around, the Monarchs must focus on the little things, said Wright, a co-captain who is a fifth-year player.
"Cutting, screening, passing," Wright said. "We're just trying to go play by play."
Traditionally an inside-out team, ODU has struggled to establish a low-post game. N.C. State transfer DeShawn Painter has shown flashes, but is shooting 41.7 percent. Wright, 6-foot-8 and just 208 pounds, has attempted more than a third of his shots from 3-point range, hitting 28 percent overall.
Not known in recent years for their 3-point marksmanship, the Monarchs are cold even by those standards, hitting 25.2 percent.
Defensively, ODU has been vulnerable on the perimeter. William and Mary guards Marcus Thornton and Brandon Britt, who combined for 38 points in the Tribe's 71-62 win Saturday night, were just the latest to go off on the Monarchs. Isaiah Canaan of Murray State scored 30 and UT San Antonio's Kannon Burrage and Michael Hale III combined for 49.
Richmond's Darien Brothers, who scored 38 in an overtime win over ODU a year ago, is one of three capable guards the Monarchs will face tonight, when the Spiders visit the Constant Center.
It begins a three-game homestand against teams the Monarchs went 0-4 against a year ago.
Taylor said the team remains unified and eager and Monday's upbeat practice seemed a confirmation.
"We've practiced hard, we're working hard, the kids have good chemistry," Taylor said. "It's just a matter of putting it together."
