Kent Bazemore leads his Monarchs as a senior
Written By: Jake Ullrich
Assistant Sports Editor
Kent Bazemore finished the pre-season scrimmage with six assists and one turnover. Most players and coaches would happily take a 6:1 ratio of assists to turnovers, but Bazemore and coach Taylor aren’t like most.
“I like the six assists,” coach Taylor said. “But I remember that one turnover a lot better.”
It’s that type of mentality that has been enriched into Bazemore, the type of mentality that has won the redshirt senior from Kelford, North Carolina, two Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championships, and possibly a third.
Growing up however, basketball wasn’t even Bazemore’s number one sport.
“I was much more of a football player growing up,” Bazemore said. “I fell in love with football, but going into high school, I jumped from like 5-feet-9-inches to 6-feet-1-inches but I was still like 150 pounds, so I couldn’t take that punishment. Then I stuck to the hardwood.”
Bazemore, the preseason CAA Player of the Year this year, admits ODU wasn’t his first choice. Coming from North Carolina, he was a Wolfpack fan and was hoping to wear the red and white of NC State. However, after being recruited by multiple CAA teams, Bazemore settled on Old Dominion.
Redshirted his freshman year, Bazemore took the opportunity to improve his overall game. He mentions the speed and strength of the college game took him by surprise.
“I don’t think I scored my first basket in practice until like a month in,” Bazemore said.
He worked his way into the rotation his second year, mainly serving as a role player. His junior year Bazemore cemented himself in the lineup and was instrumental in a team that won back-to-back CAA Championships.
“I came in with Darius [James] and Ben [Finney] so we were just boys from day one,” Bazemore said. “To win two championships with them meant a lot. Then you got Frank [Hassell] and Keyon [Carter] that are our age too. There was a big camaraderie with those guys.”
The team faced off against Butler in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last year and came up short to Matt Howard’s buzzer beater.
“It hurt. It didn’t really hit until we all got in the locker room and we were like ‘man this is our last time playing together,” Bazemore said.
While James, Finney, Carter and Hassell all left the team, Bazemore was already preparing himself for the next season. Three days after the loss, Bazemore was back in the gym.
But then a setback surfaced. Bazemore had surgery in early August on a broken foot and was unavailable for the preseason. A devastating blow for most players in their last year of eligibility, but Bazemore tried to take it as an opportunity to get better.
“I was kind of depressed early on,” Bazemore said. “I went and talked to coach Taylor and he was like you can be optimistic on the situation. Start taking what you wouldn’t be working on, which is your mind, and start to improve that.”
Bazemore made his debut on the season opener, but was clearly not at full speed. His minutes were limited and it was clear he still was a bit away from being 100 percent.
The crowd needed Bazemore almost as badly as the team did. Always a fan favorite, Bazemore has a trademark smile that seems can ignite a Monarch crowd on its own. There isn’t a fan in their seat when Bazemore gets his now regular breakaway dunk. Shooting the passing gap, Bazemore takes the ball in full speed and usually doesn’t disappoint the crowd.
“It’s a lot of pressure,” Bazemore jokingly said. “You can’t lay it up even though in college basketball two points is very important, that’s why I never try and windmill it or anything.”
The Monarchs aren’t dominating the CAA in the early stages like they have in the past, but its unlikely they’ll stay that way. The team has a way of playing its best basketball in late January and February and with Bazemore at the reigns, it shouldn’t be any different this year.
His improvement on the court has been clear for the fans, but his off the court has been just as impressive.
“I think its significant that he’ll leave here with two degrees,” coach Taylor said of Bazemore. “He really took advantage of the academia. I think he had to deal with the injury, the setback, what our team was going through and I think we’ve headed it with a pretty steady approach.”
But Bazemore doesn’t plan on stopping basketball after ODU. An athletic specimen who plays exceptional defense, Bazemore has serious pro potential.
He claims to model his psyche off of Kobe Bryant. Bryant, who is known for his intensity, rarely shows emotion before the game. Bazemore admits to doing the same, even being called “old head” by the rest of the team.
The intensity is there, but so is the love for the game. Bazemore is a regular after practice, simply shooting, shooting and shooting, doing anything he can to improve the team.
He admits his favorite moments have been winning titles, not individual awards.
“Winning and being able to hug 13 or 14 guys is a lot better than winning and celebrating by yourself,” Bazemore said. “It builds that camaraderie.”
Bazemore expects this season to be no different.
“Yeah, I think we’re gonna win a third one.”
Photo by Elaina Ellis
