Shorthanded Dukes Fall to UVA
JMU hoops got its season started last night in front of a raucous sold out crowd at the Convo. The Dukes, who were without the services of suspended players Andre Nation and Tom Vodanovich, lost to the UVA Cavaliers by the scored of 79-51. To be fair, UVA was shorthanded as well after Evan Nolte and London Perrantes were suspended. In the end though, UVA was simply too much for JMU.
When this home and home series was announced, a lot of JMU fans (myself included) pointed to this home leg as a chance for the Dukes to really compete. UVA is well coached and talented team. But at the time of the announcement JMU was coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and had a solid core of freshmen on which to build. It was easy to picture a team led by Andre Nation and Charles Cooke rising to the occasion to beat UVA in the Convo. It wasn’t meant to be apparently.
UVA’s calling card under coach Tony Bennett has been team defense and the Cavs held JMU to 28% shooting on the night. In the first half, JMU managed to put up some points though. Unfortunately, the Dukes couldn’t stop UVA so it still wasn’t close. The Cavs shot 58% from the field. Whether it was a case of UVA being a vastly improved shooting team or JMU’s young lineup struggling to gel defensively, is up for debate. It was probably a bit of both. UVA’s bigs were virtually unchallenged down low for stretches and the entire Cavs team seemed to get follow-up after follow-up off the offensive glass. The Cavs raced out to an early lead and cruised for a wire to wire victory.
Looking for Positives
Hari Hall scored 15 points in the first half. He was held scoreless after the break, but he’s an aggressive and athletic player who should develop nicely. Yohanny Dalembert is still pretty raw, but in the second half it was evident he put in a lot of work on his post game. Jackson Kent added some muscle to his frame and dropped in 14 points. And freshman Joey McLean looks capable at the point.
Aside from Kent and Hall, the entire team struggled shooting the ball. Poor shooting plagued the Dukes last year and it simply has to improve if JMU wants to be competitive in the CAA. There is some talent and potential on the roster, but it’s going to be a work in progress for at least a few weeks while Coach Brady tries to find the lineup. Nation’s return will help and we’d like to think Ron Curry and Winston Grays shooting a combined 1 for 13 was an anomaly. Let’s chalk it up to first game jitters and stay positive. It’s only one game.
You just can’t continually lose 2-3 players transferring out every year and expect to develop any experience and chemistry. I don’t know the explanation for it, whether Brady over promises his recruits or is just a stickler and a dick. But just like a manager gets questioned when he has multiple people quit under him over a certain period of time, Brady needs to be accountable as a manager of these players. Something he’s doing ain’t working.
Great Atmosphere in Convo Friday night! But…the Convocation Center has got to go sooner rather than later. And while we’re at it, Brady needs to go too.
I understand that he’s had his share of injuries, transfers, and hooligans who can’t stay eligible/out of trouble. Two of those things he has at least some control of. I think the final straw for me is his response after the game Friday night. Now don’t get me wrong here…I drink purple kool-aid with the best of us but if we are being honest with ourselves…JMU had a snowball’s chance in hell of winning that game. Even so, your response needs to be something better than: “I’ll be honest with you: If we had to play this game all over again, I don’t know what the adjustments would be.” “Virginia’s that good.”
You’re the coach! There are always some adjustments you can make. I don’t care if you are playing the NBA All-Stars. This is not a constructive answer and does nothing for your team’s growth or confidence.
Hats off to the ladies for knocking off UCLA. I propose that the badly needed (current lay-out, lighting, audio is horrible) new Convocation Center be referred to as “The House the Kenny Built.”