Update – Goins has been suspended for the first half of Wednesday’s game against LIU-Brooklyn.
That’s not what we wanted to hear. Just hours after the announcement was made the the Dukes are headed to Dayton for a Wednesday night play-in game against LIU Brooklyn, Rayshawn Goins was arrested by the Harrisonburg Police Department. Not many details are known at this point, but Goins’ arrest is supposedly related to an incident at a team party last night at 865 East that “got out of hand.” Goins was cooperative and released on his own recognizance with a $2500 unsecured bond according to the DNR’s Mark Selig.
There’s not really much we can say at this point. Goins was the Dukes’ leading scorer this year, but struggled down the stretch before a huge game in the championship against Northeastern. Hopefully this is much ado about nothing, but it definitely throws a wrinkle in things and could be an unwelcome distraction at the worst possible time. Or it could be a rallying cry. We’ll see.
Well, at least we’re dancing right? That seems to be the general sentiment after the announcement that JMU was selected to face LIU Brooklyn in the play-in game for the right to face #1 seed Indiana. The game will take place on Wednesday, March 20 in Dayton, Ohio. Tip time is 7:00 and the game will be broadcast on Trutv. read more…
This pic was taken on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after the JMU men’s basketball team brought the school it’s first CAA Conference Championship in nearly two decades. And yes, it’s a shot of several players just hanging out, standing on a wall, wearing some brand new CAA Champs hats. And it’s fantastic. I mean, it’s pretty much exactly what we would all do if we were in their shoes. Plus, it’s got a certain playful innocence that distinguishes it from other “Who sex Dikembe?” moments that have taken place elsewhere, no?
h/t to @paulmontana for the photo
Coach Brady has been working round the clock doing the media routine after leading the Dukes to the CAA title Monday night. And he’s doing a pretty terrific job. I’ve been accused by many of being a Brady apologist and well, that’s probably true. It’s tough not to be if you’ve ever spent any time with him. I’ve been fortunate to have several long conversations with Brady and he’s always come across as smart, gracious, and exceedingly honest. And as a result he’s doing a great job making himself (and JMU) look pretty great in all these interviews. read more…
Rob and I have spent three plus years somehow trying to get up three posts a week, having a great time becoming better fans, meeting a lot of fellow Dukes, and often being mocked by our wives and close friends for this little hobby. We’re not pros by any stretch and this is absolutely a pure labor of love. So it goes without saying that this week, with the Dukes breaching the perimeter of relevance on the national college sports landscape, is one of the happiest, and to some extent, validating, periods since we started JMUSB. We could easily spend the whole week writing sanctimonious stories and thanking those that have helped us along. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t use a little bit of this window of opportunity, when we may have the attention of a few in the JMU community, to highlight a few concerns. No frills, no links, no pictures, just a few thoughts we hope some of our newer or casual readers will join us in pondering, maybe even advocating, about. While this seems certain to provoke a few of our regulars into rising to the defense of the bigwigs they get to hobnob with, we have no such relationships and someone has to hold the administration accountable for some of the failings of leadership in the Athletics Department. We’ll get back to all the fun of constant Agent Steinzz coverage in the Washington Post, having the ability to spark memes in minutes like #lasttimeJMUwentdancing, and smugly making jokes at the expense of other CAA schools.
But when we’re all purpling out, and especially as we inaugurate President Alger today, keep in mind the following items: read more…
One of the downsides to having a blog when your team ends a 19 year NCAA tournament drought is that people sort of expect you to write about it. And when you can’t stop smiling or giggling to yourself, it’s kind of hard to write. It’s even harder when you’re not a particularly talented writer to begin with. But we know all too well that bids to the dance don’t come around every day, so we figured we better come up with something. Last night we decided that if we still couldn’t get it together to write tonight, we’d just post a whole bunch of cool pics from the game and call it a day. But Agent Steinz beat us to it and quite frankly did it much better than we would have anyway. And for the record, we have the weirdest passion about our dog mascot because Duke Dog is awesome. He just is.
Again though, it’s been 19 years since JMU went dancing. Thousands of current students weren’t even alive back when Kent Culuko hit “the shot” and won JMU’s last CAA Championship. 19 years is a long time. College girls wore Keds and flannel shirts to parties and didn’t find me old and creepy (well, not old at least) back then. It was a different world. And now we’re here and the drought is over. JMU is going dancing. And with five more days until the bracket is released we can take our time to let it sink in. Or even milk it a little bit. And that’s what we’re gonna do.
Last night we had a very smooth trip back up 95 from Richmond to NOVA. It was a quick drive, but I’m sure it would have felt like another 19 years on its own had the game turned out differently. Instead we spent the whole trip speculating on the Dukes’ draw and recapping the game, less to relive it and more to convince ourselves it actually happened. Todd and I followed that up by each settling in at home to promptly watch (and re-watch) highlights of the very game we just attended. And yeah, we were texting back and forth the entire time like a couple of teenage girls who ran into Biebs at the mall.
Just about 24 hours later and the game is still fresh in my mind. I can still see Big Ray coming flying out of the gate and making it clear his pre-tourney “championship or bust” statements weren’t just talk. I can still hear the pep band playing “Start Wearing Purple” to the delight of the JMU dominated crowd. A.J. Davis is still doing A.J. Davis things on a continuous loop in my head. I can also remember how my sister and I started fiddling with our phones to distract ourselves as Northeastern chipped away at the lead. And I recall the feeling of complete dread overtaking me when the 22 point lead shrunk all the way to 8. But most of all, I remember how that feeling left my body not when Andre Nation swatted a Huskie attempt into the seats, but immediately afterward when I noticed the smiles return to his teammates’ faces as if they realized at that very moment that they were going to close it out. And they did. And now we’re going dancing.
photo courtesy of jmusports.com
This happened tonight:
Start Wearing Purple!
And for once, we have no words to describe our feelings about a JMU sporting event. We’ve all got over a week to cover all the angles and you can find a zillion game stories all over the place, but after a second DC to Richmond run in as many days and a little celebratory Copper Fox Single Malt, we’re kind of cooked.
Oddly, a night like tonight leaves us with nothing but gratitude for everyone that has supported our little project here at JMUSB over the last three plus years. So we hope all of you will use the comments to write this post from all those aforementioned angles! For now, congrats to everyone associated with JMU Men’s Hoops, the Pep Band, and all the loyal members of JMU Nation that have hung in there with dorks like us through the last 19 years.
Back tomorrow with thoughts on the serious stuff and accolades all around, but for tonight, just enjoy this thought as you unwind: Selection Sunday really takes on a whole new meaning this weekend doesn’t it?!
Forty. Minutes. Away! From an elusive NCAA bid! JMU knocked off Delaware in thrilling fashion today and will take on top-seeded Northeastern for the bid to the big dance and the CAA title at 7:00 at the Richmond Coliseum tomorrow night. Game will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network and the Buy One Get One Free deal is still available if you print the coupon under “Discounted Tickets” on the CAA website.
We’ve been tweeting like crazy all weekend, just got home, and need to get some sleep so we can get back on the road early tomorrow afternoon so we’ll keep this short and sweet. One quick note to students though. Rob was lucky enough to be in school the last time the Dukes won one of these, but by the time I got their the long winter of men’s hoops had begun. Since I got into JMU way back when, this opportunity has NEVER ONCE presented itself. If you’re just getting back from Spring Break, there’s simply no excuse for not hopping in your car at 4 tomorrow with a few buddies and making the run. You’ll regret it if 15 years from now you never have another chance. There’s nothing so important on campus on the first day back from break that you can pass this up.
The Good
JMU’s resilience and belief. AJ Davis’ run of highlight real ridiculousness.
Andre Nation’s huge-rocks game today! Nation set the tone from the very first possession when he blocked Devon Saddler and then proceeded to absolutely lock him down all night. Oh yeah, and then drained an enormous trey to cut a six-point Blue Chicken lead in half in the last couple minutes. Yes, he was blocked on the drive, but he is electric and led a freshmen resurgence after they collectively played tight in their first tourney action Saturday night.
Matt Brady coached his ass off today and we were pleased. We’ve been up and often down in our coaching appraisal’s throughout Brady’s tenure, but I’ve been particularly critical of his handling of the starts and finishes to games. The last two days he’s been on his game. Starting AJ again has definitely helped avoid the slow starts and seems to have buoyed the team’s confidence early. He’s been unquestionably the best player in the tourney so far and added another highlight real dunk today. And then Brady did a great job alternating offense/defense with Diouf and Davis when AJ was getting manhandled on the block by that dumptruck that plays the opposite post from Hagins in the second half.
The Bad
Dukes’ free throw shooting. Somehow they’ve gotten away with it for two games, but they HAVE to make foul shots to upset Northeastern. Was a big factor in the only meeting in Boston a few weeks ago and likely will be tomorrow.
The Ugly
Officiating. Both ways. We should keep in mind the dirty secret that us college hoops junkies know – officiating is horrendous in college ball the last couple years, not just the CAA – but seriously, this is more embarrassing than the fact the tourney is sponsored by Jani King. Today their were horrible calls both ways and at times it seemed the refs would realize they were leaning heavily one way and then run off a series of terrible calls the other way to make up for it.
Delaware’s shameful coaching and support staff. The hoops crew must have been studying hard at the KC Keeler and UD football school of whining and making an ass of yourself. Coach Ross engaged in a three-minute timeout staredown contest with an official at one point and then angrily followed the officials off the court and up the tunnel at the endgame. Gotta think Yeager was sitting down there somewhere and didn’t miss this, but it is the CAA after all so probably didn’t even know the event’s taking place. Apparently the cameras on NBCSN caught us giving our homage-to-Dikembe with a long wave off the court to the Blue Chickens coaching staff. Screen shot credit to Ms. Jones!
Buh-Bye Blue Chicks
And yes, I must confess that is a green wristband from the “CAA Sports Zone Bar” even on a Sunday afternoon. Hope they’re still open tomorrow night and the keg of Devil’s Backbone 8 Point IPA hasn’t kicked.
There is another game to focus on, so this is gonna be quick. JMU beat William & Mary for the third time this year to win its opening round game in the CAA Tournament last night. The seniors led the way as the Dukes hung in there in a close contest, before closing it out with a late run to win 72-67. A.J. Davis had a great game once again. The senior started instead of coming off the bench, and responded by scoring 20 points and grabbing 5 boards. He and fellow senior Devon Moore played as if their college basketball lives were on the line, which of course they were. Moore started off red hot, hitting his first 7 shots from the field. He also finished with 20 points to go along with 8 assists and 5 rebounds. Rayshawn Goins struggled for much of the game against the always strong Tim Rusthoven. After being pulled from the game in the second half, Rayshawn returned with new energy and sparked a Dukes rally with a couple big buckets down low. The Dukes nearly gave the game away on the line. JMU shot only 9-18 from the stripe. Typically, when a team shoots free throws that poorly in a close game, they lose. JMU overcame the week free throwing shooting by punishing the Tribe on the boards and scoring 17 second chance points.
The important thing is that JMU won and is moving on to the CAA semi-finals. The Dukes face a red hot Delaware team that many are picking to win it all. Like they did against William & Mary, JMU swept the Blue Hens in the regular season. At this stage that doesn’t really mean much though and it’s bound to be a close contest. Tip-off is at 4:30 and the game is going to be televised nationally on NBC Sportsnetwork. If you’re within driving distance of Richmond & you’re free though, you might as well make the trip. A big purple crowd could make all the difference.
Here at JMUSB we’re more excited about the Dukes chances headed into this weekend’s CAA Tourney than any time in the last decade. By a country mile. Of course, every eligible team (except Hofstra, but “go Flying Dutchmen!” – we’d love to see you in the second round) likely shares that excitement.
The Soul-Crushing Possibility
Let’s just address the thing that would be the Dukesiest, Bradiest, Dillardest, Keenerest, Bournest outcome this weekend. Something that we’ve seen over and over (and over) the last twenty years. JMU could easily be one and done by losing to William & Mary. Likely missing countless free throws, letting Thornton take over again, having bigs get into foul trouble with lazy, disrespectful defense on Rusthoven (Beasthoven), and being outcoached down the stretch. Honestly, if you’re W&M or Delaware and you avoided the NU/GMU/Drex bloodbath side of the bracket, you’re dancing you’re little jig the same way we are right now and writing very similar things. If you’re wondering, go check out Gheorghe the Blog (WM supporters usually but also have a cool tribute to UD senior badass Elena DellaDonne) or gohens.net and see exactly what we mean.
Even our homer-heavy prediction contest only has 8 folks picking the Dukes, with plenty going with NU or UD and even a WM from the aforementioned Gheorghe The Blog folks. We’ve all just been conditioned to whimpering exits from Richmond and the setup this year could portend even deeper despair. But that setup! Oh, that setup!
The Road is Short and Smooth
Seriously, everything, and we mean everything, has fallen into place for the Dukes to make a serious run at this bid. First, a quick refresher on why only seven teams are playing this weekend. VCU smartly left the conferecne they would have otherwise made a mockery of. ODU and fake GSU are on their way out and thus ineligible under CAA rules (which we can only hope JMU will be violating soon). And finally, UNCW and Towson are on postseason probation due to the same APR issues that are keeping UConn out of the Big East tourney. The important note here is that Towson, with likely CAA POY Jerelle Benimon, and GSU, with likely CAA ROY RJ Hunter, really played JMU better than anyone this year.
On the other hand, JMU swept BOTH W&M and likely semis opponent Delaware this year. They split with Drexel (though Drexel has been getting better and healthier lately) and played top seed Northeastern tough in Boston in their only matchup. The Dukes were swept by Mason, but the Patriots have a really tough draw in Drexel (one of the only teams with the manpower to clamp down on GMCC’s all-everything Sherrod Wright). In general, every team in this thing has a matchup or two that scares the crap out of them just based on personnel. For the Dukes, those teams are Drexel and Mason, but by the time JMU takes the floor Saturday night, one of them will already be on the bus home. Good times.
Another quick note on Delaware. While they carry the highest RPI/BPI rankings and have a tough threesome of Saddler, Threatt, and Hagins, the Dukes are actually their hideous matchup. Goins has been able to pile up fouls on Hagins inside while Moore’s toughness and quickness matchup well with Saddler. While JMU really needs Devon Moore on the floor, they’re surprisingly one of the deeper teams in the CAA this year and sloppy games with high foul counts have often played in their favor.
What The Dukes Have to Do
Honestly, JMU’s toughest opponent this weekend is itself. The Dukes have shown they are capable of beating all the potential opponents (well not really Mason, but again we don’t like their odds or mediocre coaching as sweet as it would be to have an old-school southern bias, all VA final). The keys are really to break the frustratingly habitual slow starts, defend without stupid fouls (especially Devon Moore who HAS to be on the floor), and occasionally slow down and run the offense through Rayshawn Goins when the game is tight. Oh yeah, and there is no bigger question in the entire conference than which AJ Davis shows up. If it’s anything like the AJ who singlehandedly beat the pantless Griffins from W&M last weekend, we love the Dukes’ chances.
Beer of the Weekse
We’re breaking out our football tradition for the tourney. With this being a budget tourney in a budget building, and of course with the hopes of needing “champagne” to celebrate on Monday, we seriously considered going with the ole’ Lady in the Moon High Life, but we’re just too old to even fake it. Plus it’s gonna take something big to break the curse of the Lefthander, so we’re going with Firestone Walker Double Jack Imperial IPA. You’ll be hard pressed to find another huge (9.5%) double that both hides it’s ABV and is widely available year-round.
Official JMUSB Prediction
Just so we have an entry in our bracket:
Game 1 – Drexel over GMU
Game 2 – Delaware over Hofstra
Game 3 – JMU over WM
Game 4 – Northeastern over Drexel
Game 5 – JMU over Delaware
Game 6 – JMU 61, Northeastern 60 with Andre Nation playing the Kent Culuko role! Devon Moore wins Tourney MVP. See you in Dayton!
