Marshall head coach Donnie Jones praised the fans who turned out for an 11:30 a.m. game Saturday to watch the Thundering Herd men's basketball team beat Old Dominion, 68-64.

The Cam Henderson Center attendance of 5,130 was the eighth crowd of more than 5,000 in the last two seasons, following a string of five consecutive seasons with only five crowds that big.

"What a great crowd at 11:30 on a Saturday," Jones said. "I just want to thank all the Thundering Herd fans."

Although no visitors were spotted in the stands Saturday, good attendance at home games definitely helps the coaches recruit.

Jones said freshman Shaq Johnson from Jacksonville, Fla., committed to Marshall after coming to last season's East Carolina game. The crowd was 5,106.

"He was impressed with the crowd," Jones said.

Freshman Damier Pitts commited after coming to a Thundering Herd Madness preseason event. Freshman Kore White visited for a game and committed the next day, Jones said.

STRATEGY FOILED: Old Dominion played a zone defense in an attempt to keep its big man, 6-foot-10 Gerald Lee, from getting in foul trouble.

Oops. Lee picked up two quick fouls and wasn't a factor in the first half.

"Apparently the referees didn't know he had relatives that went to school here," joked ODU coach Blaine Taylor.

Lee is the nephew of former Marshall star Russell Lee and his brother, Eugene, who had an injury-shortened career with the Herd.

NEXT GAME: Marshall's home game Tuesday against East Tennessee State is a 7:30 p.m. tip-off following a women's game between the Herd and UT-Arlington at 4 p.m.

ETSU took a 3-2 record into a Saturday night game at Bradley.

LOCKER ROOM UPDATE: Plans for construction of new men's and women's locker rooms are first-class.

New locker rooms will be build underneath the south spectator stands in Cam Henderson Center at a total cost of $2.1 million of facilities fee revenue from tickets sales and private donations.

The plans include locker areas and showers, team theaters, separate lounges for players and coaches, kitchens and storage areas.

RECRUITING: Marshall recruit Hassan Whiteside was one of the pleasant surprises at the National Prep Showcase in Smithfield, R.I., reported Rodger Bohn for www.draftexpress.com.

Whiteside is a 6-foot-11 prep school center for The Patterson School in Lenoir, N.C.

"The Marshall staff did an outstanding job of locking up this big man and he could potentially be an impact player in Conference USA early in his career," Bohn wrote. "There have been some academic concerns with Whiteside, but he appears to be on the right track towards getting qualified for next season."

Rivals.com recruiting analyst Jerry Meyer reported, "Marshall struck gold signing Hassan Whiteside. He plays well above the rim and has the potential to be a scorer. What he does in the weight room will dictate the course of his career."

REMEMBER THEM?: Matt Walls, who played at Marshall last season as a freshman, landed in the NAIA ranks at Georgetown College in Kentucky and is playing in his hometown.

Walls averaged 9.3 points in his first six games. He made 20 of 40 field goal attempts and was 12-for-28 on 3-point attempts.

He scored 7.2 points a game for the Herd.

Jesse Oglesby is playing NCAA Division II basketball at the University of West Georgia with averages of 0.4 points and 0.2 rebounds after five games. Oglesby posted similar numbers last season at Marshall.

Sports editor Rick McCann covers Marshall men's basketball for The Herald-Dispatch. Contact him at 526-2759 or hedge@herald-dispatch.com.

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