A Final, Final Bow on Hoops

A few getaway items on hoops before we move on to silly season  which this year will include covering successful baseball and lax teams headed for postseason greatness that our readers – or at least a few – will boo us for covering, offseason work for Coach L and Field Hockey, the spring football game (April 16 in Richmond), and this year’s special bracket o’ nostalgia, featuring mid-late 90’s VA local bands (yes, there may be a Full Circle sighting!).

But in the warm afterglow of another CAA Final Four run, here are some last thoughts:

1) The CAA is legit and all to all you peeps running your yaks about CUSA and the A-10, I quote our reader CoachCornell “COOL IT, bub!”  A second Final Four in five years (VCU), another win (Voldemort over Villanova), and a last-second loss to one of the teams still playing (ODU) speak louder than the entire chorus of other mid-majors claiming they’re better than the old Colonial.

2) Dukes will be a prime candidate for the Ewing Theory next year!  Before you all write off a Denzel-less JMU squad, just remember Brady’s been saying our best player was the one sitting out after transferring since before this season even started.  If Shaka Smart (likely) or Blaine Taylor (unlikely) leave their programs, that will further shake things up.

3) We literally finished with only 4 points in Defiantly Dutch’s (hysterical and equally Mason-hating Hofstra blog) annual CBI Bracket Pool.  There are four humorous items in the preceding sentence and that fact we scored a scant 4 points is the least of them.

3) Oh yeah, hope you read this far because the following tweet (follow us @jmusportsblog)made my weekend:  “A new $87.5M Convocation Center is part of James Madison University’s six year capital outlay plan, released Friday at Board of Visitors meeting.”  I’m just going to enjoy that and let it sink in without comment on all the rumors, naysaying, and ramifications right now.  And for those of you that say it’ll never happen or that JMU isn’t thinking longer-term, bigger conference thoughts, I only offer the following picture:

Seriously, you don't want to be there to open this puppy on Sept. 10th?

p.s. DC/NoVa Coaches Caravan back at The Boulevard Woodgrill (great location from last year) coming up Wednesday, May 4th.  RSVP and use PayPal (10 by May 2, 15 at door) to Laura at novadukeclub@gmail.com.