JMU suffered a rather embarrassing loss to Hampton on Monday. Tonight the Dukes flipped the script and sent UNCW home smarting from a 78-50 blowout. The win moved JMU to 8-8 overall and 2-1 in the CAA. Fans who put Monday’s debacle behind them and watched this evening’s game were rewarded with an outstanding all around effort from the Dukes. The 28 point win makes me think that this team isn’t ready to give up on itself despite a recent two game skid. Maybe we shouldn’t give up on it either. The biggest complaint most fans probably had after leaving the Convo was that if the Dukes would have hit 79 points on the scoreboard, everyone in attendance would have gotten free chicken nuggets from Chick Fil A. No such luck though, since Matt Brady had Arman Marks dribble out the clock instead of taking one more shot. Nice sportsmanship coach, but free nuggets don’t grow on trees. read more…
This here is a video of Charles the Monarch, a labradoodle who’s hair has been cut (fashioned?) in an attempt to make him look like ODU’s mascot. And according to WTOP, Charles’ lion like appearance led to case of mistaken identity that caused police to investigate if a lion had escaped from the Norfolk Zoo. Thankfully one had not and Norfolk’s streets are completely lion free. I can already hear some of the more desperate JMU fans screaming that if JMU’s admin would step up and make the jump to FBS, the press would be all over Duke Dog look-alike pet stories. In any case, bravo ODU fan. I applaud your enthusiasm even if it comes at the expense of an innocent labradoodle.
h/t @Dukie95 for the link
JMU lost at Hampton tonight. Hampton has an RPI of 346. Out of 347 Division 1 teams (but a MUCH, much, much more respectable 287 in KenPom!). JMU had 17 turnovers and committed 26 personal fouls against a terrible team. That’s just laziness and llama-shit.
It's really sad how many times this shot can be used lately, and it really doesn't do this loss justice.
The saddest part is a win tonight would’ve made JMU one of only two CAA teams over .500 and in a seven-eligible-teams-year, this shitty-and-getting-shittier conference is ripe for the taking. But none of it matters because the Dukes under Brady continue to be an inconsistent, underachieving, pile of steaming tampons.
There are two ways this post could go:
1) We could fall apart in a ranting meltdown about the giant SUCK that is JMU’s two most high-profile programs at the moment and the even gianter SUCK that is the CAA and what that means in a world of “monitoring the situation.”
2) Or we could go all fruity homerish and try and put a ludicrous spin on this (Seme’s out, 3rd game in 6 days, Moore’s been out and is dealing with a lot, OOC game and we’re not looking for at-larges here) like Schickman tried so valiantly to do at the end of the broadcast tonight.
The former might stir the pot here and fire up some good commentary, but damn it, nothing that happens surprises us anymore and at this point it’s just not worth it. Don’t get me wrong, we’ll be at the Mason game because we’re masochistic I guess, and we’ll tune into the shitshow that will be the CAA tourney and hope like hell for a play-in 16/16 game in Dayton, but more than 300 words on anything that happens under Bourne, Matthews, and Brady feels worthless right now.
After defeating ODU in Norfolk for just the 6th time in 40 attempts last Wednesday, the JMU Dukes followed that up by losing to Georgia State 68-52 in Atlanta. It was an all around disappointing effort for the Dukes, who never really made a game of it. The Panthers were red hot from behind the arc in the first half, going 8 for 13 and taking a 38-24 lead at the break. Georgia State cooled off considerably in the second half and gave the Dukes plenty of chances to make a game of it. Other than Rayshawn Goins who had 19 points and 16 boards, nobody on JMU could get it going. Aside from Goins, the rest of JMU shot a collective 10 for 41 from the field. That’s not a misprint. And while I haven’t looked it up, a team’s expected winning percentage probably goes way down when the majority of players on your team can’t even shoot 25% from the floor. read more…
Charles Cooke hit 4 big FT down the stretch to help ice the win.
JMU gritted out a 58-55 win over the ODU Monarchs in Norfolk tonight in the Dukes’ CAA opener. The win gets the Dukes over .500 at 6-5 7-6. After the loss, ODU is stuck at 2-12. Based on the two teams’ records, JMU’s win might not seem like a very big deal. It sort of is though. Obviously starting off the CAA campaign with a win is huge and road wins against any conference opponent can be rare. It’s also the first time in the history of JMUSB that we’ve gotten to write about a JMU win over ODU in hoops (sad, but true). All those things make the win exciting, but the fact that the Dukes won the game without Devon Moore in the lineup is pretty great. Devon had been playing some stellar basketball to close 2012 and had finally started to make the Dukes’ his team. Unfortunately his mother is sick so he’s back in Ohio by his side. Without him, the Dukes could have easily fallen off track. Thankfully the team came together in his absence and fought hard for the win. And they also did it without Andrey Semenov down the stretch after the senior left with an ankle injury.
Typically, we feel shortchanged when we’re unable to watch the Dukes in person or on television. Tonight was one of those games however, where we were kind of thankful we were tuned into the Madizone audio only broadcast. Listening without pictures gave us the luxury of imagining that the Dukes 36% shooting night was due to them just barely missing heavily contested shot after shot. According to the folks who witnessed things however, that wasn’t really the case. It was just a bad shooting night for the Dukes and the Monarchs who only shot 37%. And really, that’s what Blaine Taylor’s ODU teams have done historically. They shoot poorly and they force others to shoot poorly. And it usually works, so I wouldn’t pencil them in for the CAA cellar just yet.
Without Devon Moore in the building, the Dukes seemed to go to a point guard by committee. Down the stretch however, Brady seemed to really trust a couple of freshman with the ball. Charles Cooke and Ron Curry displayed some nerve in crunch time. Cooke hit 4 FTs in the final minute. Twice ODU got within a bucket late, only to have Curry knock down shots to push the lead back to four. Curry finished with 13 points. Rayshawn Goins led the way with 16 and really carried the Dukes offensively for a stretch in the second half. Most people will rightly say this was an ugly game. It was a win on the road against ODU though, so it was kind of pretty in a way to.
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.
JMU officially announced its football schedule for the 2013 season today. There are 6 home games on the slate and a whopping 2/3 of them might actually be worth attending. We kid, we kid, but there is likely a significant portion of the Dukes’ fanbase that isn’t overly excited about Central Connecticut State and St. Francis once again coming to Bridgeforth Stadium. The schedule also features a seemingly winnable FBS game against the Akron Zips from the MAC. I’m sure there are more than a few Dukes’ fans who are looking forward to that one and ready to use it as some of measuring stick or audition for the MAC. read more…
It’s only Christmas Eve, but the JMU Dukes have already given their fans a Christmas present. Devon Moore and the boys won two tight games out in Vegas to move to 6-6 on the season. Playing in the Vegas Holiday Hoops event, JMU picked up wins over San Jose State and San Diego. The Dukes have now won 5 of their last 6 and appear to be building some confidence heading into CAA play.
In the win over San Jose State, the Dukes struggled out of the gate and went into the break down 34-24. A.J. Davis led the JMU rally, pouring in all 18 of his points in the second half. As a team, the Dukes scored a whopping 53 points after the break to close out the 77-68 win. And the shot well from the line, hitting 10 of 13 from the charity stripe in the second half. It isn’t often that this JMU team (or any team) will hit 78% from the field for an entire half, but that’s exactly what they did. After watching JMU football all season, I had come to believe that halftime was simply a chance for JMU coaches to pass out orange slices or something. Coach Brady and his staff appear to be using the time to make adjustments however and against SJSU, it worked.
The Dukes followed up the comeback over SJSU with another gut-check win over San Diego. And again, they did it by closing strong. Devon Moore was held scoreless until midway through the second half. He dropped 13 points in the final 11 minutes to help the Dukes sneak out of Vegas with a 62-59 win. A.J. Davis’s dunk with 1.1 second left clinched it and got the Dukes back to .500 on the season. And if you read this take on the game, you’ll see that Mr. Davis played what was described as “lock down defense” in the second half. Um, OK. We’ll definitely take that. After wowing the fanbase and sparking the team earlier in the season, Andre Nation has settled down and let the seniors lead. Fellow freshman, Ron Curry has elevated his play as of late though. It’s expected that Curry, Nation, and the other freshman will have their highs and lows all season. Heading into conference play however, it’s clear that both of them have a ton of talent and are ready to make major contributions.
JMU is off for the rest of the year, but begins CAA play against ODU next week. ODU has struggled all season and is only 2-10. The Monarchs picked up a quality win over UVA on Saturday though. Sure, UVA has proven that CAA teams are its kryptonite, but it was still a nice win for ODU. Don’t expect them to go down easy in their final season of CAA hoops.
Enjoy the great JMU holiday video above and have a Merry Christmas everyone.
When we started JMUSB over three years ago, we just hoped to fill a gap we thought existed for covering JMU athletics with a bit of commentary. We hoped we’d at least be able to create a forum where our friends and fellow Dukes ticket holders and supporters could share, vent, and discuss things in the ‘Burg. Needless to say, we are incredibly thankful for the community that has grown out of that idea and the small opportunities this blog has given us to support a few things beyond just JMU or Dukes athletics. But this year we’re happy to refocus on a JMU theme in our efforts.
As many of you have surely heard through countless mailings and emails from JMU, the Madison Forever Scholarship Fund was created to provide a permanent fund for support of JMU students who face unexpected financial need that threatens their ability to continue their Madison Experience. A parent loses his job. A parent’s illness requires unexpected out-of-pocket medical expenses. Students shouldn’t be forced to leave Madison because of these one-time emergency needs, and Madison Forever is designed to provide one-time grants that help a Duke stay a Duke. If you’re interested in learning more about some actual students and the incredible impact the program has already had, check out this new video.
Needless to say, we’re thrilled to help support some fellow Dukes, and old friends of JMUSB, in their own grassroots effort to raise $15,000 for Madison Forever. We hope you’ll consider making any kind of donation through this new opportunity over at Bonfire Funds’ Madison Forever site. This is just another way to help fellow Dukes complete what we all know is one of the best and most important portions of our lives. In this case, $25 gets you a $15 donation and a sweet t-shirt to spread the word even further.
Happy Holidays from JMUSB!
The JMU Dukes won their final home game of 2012 this afternoon, by defeating UNC Greensboro 85-73. JMU used a couple of first half runs to build up a 20 point lead at the break. UNCG used a couple of runs of its own to close the gap to 5 in the second half. Seniors Devon Moore and Rayshawn Goins helped right the ship though and the Dukes hit their free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Statistically speaking, it was one of Moore’s best games as a Duke. He tied his career high with 22 points and also had 9 boards, 7 assists, and 3 steals. Goins had a double-double with 23 and 11. Fellow senior Andrey Semenov chipped in with 14 points and Ron Curry showed everyone that Andre Nation isn’t the only talented freshman on the squad, by contributing a career high 13 points. Unfortunately, the A.J. and Brady situation wasn’t exactly all sunshine with Davis getting the hook for lazy play. The Dukes have won 3 of 4 though and are starting to come together. Hopefully A.J. gets on board and this team keeps improving.
Now obviously, there are much more important things than sports in general or this win in particular. That’s true all the time, but it seems to be especially true right now. I’m not a good enough writer to even attempt to put sports fandom in perspective. I will say however, that even if sports aren’t important in any real sense of the word (they’re not), they can also seem especially serious when you’re looking for a distraction from grave things. And this win was a nice distraction.
The wins and losses are essentially pointless when it comes down to it. What is not pointless however are some of the things that go along with being a sports fan. The shared bonds, the memories, and even the chance to temporarily escape reality for a few hours while watching a game. Sometimes these insignificant games help us cope. When my grandfather passed away, I sat on my parents’ front porch for hours listening to my old man tell stories about baseball. My father and grandfather had a passion for baseball and sharing all the great memories he had of the game was somewhat cathartic for my dad. And I completely understand that. I know one day, my Giants or Mets will win or lose (probably lose if recent history is an indicator) a big game and I won’t be able to immediately call my old man to celebrate or whine about the outcome. And I can’t imagine what that will be like. Win or lose, my dad is always the first person I call. Always. Post game talks with my dad are so intertwined with my existence as a fan that I don’t know how I could detangle them. I’ve got kids of my own now and they’re already starting to embrace sports. And even though I know they’re not old enough to truly understand what’s going on, there’s nothing like seeing them jump up and down and cheer during a game. Yes, the games are not important. The shared experiences are.
So on a day when I broke down crying like a baby reading about the victims of this awful tragedy, it was nice to have Devon Moore, Rayshawn Goins, and the rest of the Dukes take my mind off things for even just a few minutes. Awful events like this have a way of putting things in perspective. This weekend I was reminded once again that it’s probably not worth getting so worked up over sports. I was also reminded that I shouldn’t take the shared experiences with friends and family that go along with them for granted.
