Dukes Let One Slip Away Against Detroit
Well, at least those banners looked nice. The Dukes dropped a tough one to Detroit in the 2013-2014 home opener. On a night that saw JMU raise its first CAA Championship and NCAA Tournament banners, poor free throw shooting resulted in a 71-67 loss. If you don’t have time to read any further, you can stop right there because that was the story. JMU went 26 for 45 from the line. And as the old saying goes, when you miss 19 free throws you don’t win many 4 point games. So maybe that’s not an old saying, but you get the point.
A Charles Cooke trey got the Dukes within 3 points with under 30 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, JMU turned the ball over before getting a shot on its next possession and Detroit closed it out. Four Dukes reached double figures in scoring. Charles Cooke continues to be one of the sneakiest scoring threats out there. He led the way with 17. Andrey Semenov scored 14, in addition to showing some terrific court vision and passing ability. Freshmen Jackson Kent and Tom Vodanovich chipped in 10 points each. Here are a couple quick thoughts on the loss.
Glass Half Full
Obviously, missing 19 free throws makes the close loss tough to stomach. JMU could, and probably should have won this game. They made a lot of the sort of mistakes you’d expect the second youngest team in the nation to make. But there is just no denying that the leaving 19 points on the foul line was a major factor in the loss. However, the Dukes got to the line 45 times. That was the most attempts from the line JMU has had since attempting 48 against VMI in November of 2006. While it’s unreasonable to think that the Dukes will get 40+ free throw attempts in most games, getting more opportunities for free points is obviously great. And so far in this young season the Dukes have gotten to the line more times each game. If the trend continues, it could be a positive factor for the Dukes this season.
Jackson Kent
This kid looks like a player. JMU found itself down 48-40 with just over 13 minutes in the game. It was a situation in which A.J. Davis or Devon Moore would have been called upon to step up last year. Last night, Kent stepped up and single-handedly pulled JMU back into the game, scoring 7 straight points. In the second half he showed the ability to hit from long range and score going to the hole. Fellow freshman Tom Vodanovich and Ivan Lukic also looked good, but Kent was the rookie who really stepped up in a critical time for JMU.
Electric Zoo
The Student Duke Club is making a real push this year to get students back into the Convo and bring back the “Electric Zoo” atmosphere of the past. Job well done on opening night. The students were there and were loud throughout the game. I have no idea what that weird chirping noise is that they were making when Detroit had the ball. It was annoying for fans watching the game via Madizone, and I imagine it was even worse for the Detroit players on the court. Well done students. Hope the support builds all season.
They’ve been doing the chirping things for a few years now in the student section, it’s just usually not loud enough that you hear it on TV. But you got that right- it’s incredibly annoying, and that’s pretty much the only reason that it’s done.
Also, as the season goes on, I think we will become better defensively. Coach brady talked about how the team its developing in that area. I don’t think Detroit should have been able to score 71 points.
Kudos to Jackson Kent though. He is exactly what he was recruited to be: a very smart player.
I’m just curious…. what are people’s expectations for the team this year?
Personally, I thought last year’s team was not good, but got hot at the right time and made a cinderella run. As a result, having yet another bad season would not suprise me. That being said, I don’t expect a repeat of the CAA title, but being at least in the top 25% of the conference would be a good season, and I think is a reasonable goal. I’m really excited about the possibility of the team being at least competitive to the point where watching the games is not a waste of time.
What does everyone else think?
I think a reasonable expectations is somewhere between 14-16 wins (right around .500). Anything more than that will be gravy this year. I also think this team will improve by leaps and bounds by the end of January.
I absolutely agree with Shady_P. Record wise, I’m not expecting anything too great, but I think the guys on this roster have talent and buy into Brady’s concept of team basketball. I think they’ll be really good the next 2 years.
I think this team has a strong possibility to lay a solid foundation for the next 3+ years. I was at the game and to a man all the players seemed to be buying in to what Coach Brady is trying to do on both ends of the court. Yeah they made some mistakes, but they never lacked hustle, heart, or effort and they are 3 things that cannot be coached – you either have it or you don’t. And that is what I think Brady can start building with this group – a basketball program – instead of a team that is good every once in a while. I like the change in philosophy on recruiting, getting kids that are a good fit for JMU.
Let’s face it last years team was not that good – they caught lightning in a bottle on February and rode the great play of AJ Davis down the stretch.
Check out the box score (minus the missed free throws) but there are actually 4 to 5 guys scoring in double figures and it is someone different each night.