Dribbles and bits with ODU coach Karen Barefoot

Barefoot snapped this pic in Denver.

Like others, we saw the ad online and were puzzled. Old Dominion is hiring three women's basketball assistants and a Director of Operations?

Procedure, said ODU coach Karen Barefoot, who hired her staff in a hurry last year, as Barefoot herself wasn't hired until June. Her assistants, Adrienne Goodson, Tom McConnell, Amaka Agugua, and Director of Operations, Sarah Teachey, were emergency hires last summer. The NCAA requires that coaching jobs be formally posted, the story behind the online ad. But Barefoot assures she isn't expecting her staff to go anywhere.

The Lady Monarchs coach just returned from the Final Four in Denver, where like the nation, was awestruck by Brittany Griner's dominance and the 40-0 season NCAA champ Baylor put together.

As for her own team, Barefoot confirmed what Mairi Buchan had already told us. Buchan is planning to return for her senior season -- great news for the Lady Monarchs.

One more Barefoot note. Karen will be the speaker for the the Peninsula Sports Club on April 18 at the Boo Williams Complex in Hampton. Boo's Nike Girls Invitational Tournament kicks off on April 20.