Old Dominion men's basketball opened its doors for media day, and we spent the afternoon with nine Monarchs, a mix of returners and a lot of new faces. A few themes came up in almost every conversation: a newly installed pack line defense, a roster deep enough that nearly everyone believes any player can step up on a given night, and a locker room that has clearly spent the summer getting to know each other (including each other's music taste).
Below you'll find all three interview videos and our unofficial Locker Room Ballot, tallying who the team voted best trash talker, best dressed, and the last guy who should ever touch the aux.
Zacch Wiggins, Khoi Thurmon and Adante' Holiman
Kylan Howze, Lucio Martini and Ben Nacey
Jared Turner, Bubu Benjamin and Zamoku Weluche-Ume
The Locker Room Ballot
We asked nearly everyone the same set of fun questions. Here's how the votes shook out.
| Category | Winner | The Tally |
| Best trash talker | JT | JT 4, Te 3. JT says Te got him once with a line he'd never heard before. |
| Can't have the aux | Lucio | 3 votes for the Italian music. Zam (UK drill), Ben (country), Theo (country), Scottie and JT got one each. |
| Best dressed | Bubu | 5 mentions (including his own). Ben says he shows up to 6 a.m. weights dressed like he's going out. Te got 3. |
| Do not let him plan the road trip | JT | 2 votes. Jotham (always arrives right on time, never early), Khoi, Scottie and Theo got one each. |
| Newcomer to watch | CJ Harper | Named by JT, Bubu and Te. Zacch says there's nothing he's bad at. Zam and Te also got votes. |
| Most time in the mirror | Split decision | JT, Bubu and Zam one each. Ben nominated himself: "I don't look this good just walking out." |
| Zacch Wiggins | Grimy |
| Khoi Thurmon | Dedicated |
| Lucio Martini | Consistency |
| Ben Nacey | Fun |
| Zamoku Weluche-Ume | United |
Media Day in Photos
Team photos, uniform reveals and a few throne shots from the day.
The Takeaway
If there was one word that came up more than any other, it was defense. Every player we asked about the pack line talked about length, trust and being in the gaps, and more than one believes this can be the best defensive team in the league. Close behind was depth: guard after guard said they no longer have to carry the scoring load, and the bigs said anyone on the roster can play.
The other storyline to file away is CJ Harper. A freshman nobody outside the building has seen yet drew unprompted praise from three different teammates, and that's usually a good sign. We'll get our next look at the squad when the Monarchs host Virginia State in an exhibition at Chartway Arena this Saturday.
As Te put it when asked for his message to Monarch Nation: pack the stands.
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