2013 JMUSB Wishlist

Before we conclude 2012, just a reminder that a very good friend of JMUSB has started a Bonfire Fund to raise money for the Madison Forever Scholarship Fund and there’s still time left to pick up a tee while donating to this incredible JMU program!

But as we look forward to 2013 we do so with a great deal of trepidation about the current path of JMU Athletics.  With coaches in lame-duck status, little to no communication from the administration regarding the FCS/FBS/realignment issues, a new President, a flailing CAA, and enormous upheaval across the college sports landscape, there are myriad questions we hope to hear satisfactory answers to in the coming year.  Despite the concerns, we continue to remind ourselves just how far the Dukes’ programs have come in just the last decade, how many teams make us proud, and last but certainly not least, how crazy it is to us sometimes that not only are we writing a blog about JMU sports, but occasionally people even read it!  So it is with renewed optimism that we offer our wish list for the new year:

Good Health for West could mean big things

10) A CAA Field Hockey title and a win in the big dance for our favorite non-big three program!

9) Another huge year from former soccer star CJ Sapong in MLS leading to an overseas offer.  We’d love to see him eventually called into camp for the USMNT, but may not be too likely in a World Cup Qualifying year.

8 ) Improved health for Dukes in the NFL as Moats, Caussin, and Jordan all spent significant time on the training table this season.

7) Womens’ Hoops to build momentum, and hopefully get healthy, by tournament time.

6) Earl Watford to be drafted and DJ Bryant to really catch on somewhere after stints on numerous practice squads this year.

5) This one is personal, but I know we’d both like to find some time, likely next fall on a football weekend, to really tour the new University Park and hopefully catch a game.

Miss this guy already

4) With no “Dukes Olympians” to carry us through the blog dog days of summer like 2012, a good run from the baseball team to provide us news beyond the academic year and would reallllly be convenient.

3) Given the absolute crapshow that nearly all the non-BCS FBS conferences have become over the past two years and the utter instability of most of them, we realize we can’t say for sure that we are either happy or unhappy with JMU’s wait-and-see/head-in-the-sand (depends on perspective) approach, but a clear expression of an articulated vision for the future of JMU Athletics is a must.  And some acknowledgement that the CAA is a crossroads where taking the wrong turn as a conference can turn this into BackwaterSucksvilleConference in an awful hurry and JMU needs to have backup plans hardly seems too much to ask.

Fan Confidence personified

2) Coach Matthews to put-up-or-shut-up, and either get rewarded or be held accountable by his superiors.  For the record, we’re absolutely in the “put up” camp and are as excited about the potential for this team as ever.  Something about a team being led by Stephon Robertson just makes us feel good!

1) A CAA Tournament title in men’s hoops and the resultant NCAA bid.  Only seven teams eligible, all of them are between butt-terrible and mediocre, JMU has given us reason to hope recently and is a deep team with as high a ceiling as anyone (assuming good back health for Semenov of course), and the tournament remains in Richmond this year without VCU or ODU, thus giving the Dukes as close as possible to a home-court advantage.  We debated just asking for a run to the final or even just winning a game, but really, the opportunity is just to golden to dream small this year.  Just a reminder, it is possible.