According to Mark Selig, a source close to Northern Kentucky says the school is “recruiting Chad Jackson and that his transfer there could be eminent.” Coach Brady has spoken openly about the possibility of Jackson leaving the program due to his homesickness, so this doesn’t really come as a surprise. This is the first that I’ve heard anything about a potential destination for Chad however.
I’ve heard people say that this is some sort of ominous sign and a mark against Coach Brady. Yes, if Jackson goes, this will be the second year in a row the Dukes’ top freshman leaves. Two data points don’t make a trend though. Darren White could score the basketball, but Brady didn’ t think he’d ever get the kid to buy into the program, so he asked him to leave. Jackson got homesick. Just because these things happened in consecutive off-seasons, doesn’t mean there is something evil hiding below the surface.
Other folks seem to be of the opinion that Jackson stunk and they’re glad to see him go. I’ve got to disagree with them also. Jackson wasn’t an offensive juggernaut at all. Heck, his shot is downright ugly. The kid was given a role and he played it well though. He came off the bench, played solid defense and wasn’t afraid to do the little things other guys wouldn’t do. He dove for loose balls, hustled back to defend breaks, and seemed to like doing it. Sure, he wasn’t a scorer, but he definitely didn’t suck and I’m not glad to see him go.
Given all that, Jackson is still replaceable. I liked him a lot and enjoyed watching him play, but the Dukes will move on. We’re talking about a guy who played about 18 minutes a game and averaged 2.4 points. This isn’t quite the same as Mason looking for someone to fill Luke Hancock’s shoes. I grew to like Jackson because he appeared to play with more defensive intensity than anyone else on JMU’s roster at times. That’s not exactly high praise. Brady should be able to find someone who can do what Chad did and provide a little more offensively. Coach claims he’s got guys coming back who buy into his system and are hard workers. If he can’t get them all to play tougher defense next year, then that might be an ominous sign. Jackson transferring isn’t one though.
So Rob and I have an odd relationship with the CAA Zone JMU message boards. We learn a ton from some of the most passionate JMU fans around sometimes and are incredibly grateful for the support and friendship we have received from some posters, but at others times we feel like outsiders due to our old age, our inability to follow and/or post daily, and our relative unwillingness to inject actual seriousness into the times we are criticizing a coach or opposing fanbase (unless it involves George Mason Community College or the overpolicing of tailgating at JMU of course), not to mention our unwillingness to eviscerate fellow JMU fans for not knowing enough to properly discuss the backup left guard in the Godwin parking lot.
But there can be no doubt the message boards have served as a source of some GREAT ideas related to starting traditions at a school that doesn’t exactly have a century’s worth of athletic tradition to build upon. The streamers we all love (and UR keeps trying to steal) came from one of the posters and certainly the support for that incredibly unique tradition (which is going to look amazing coming from the upper deck this year by the way) was largely built through the hard work of the CAA Zone participants. The viewing parties around the state and the country we’ve all come to love have ben mainly publicized and spread through the boards. And the traveling circus JMU has begun to bring to road games (ODU Halloween will be Vegasesque!) is mostly coordinated there.
But one tradition that has been suggested and batted around that’s never quite taken off is the use of a signature introductory song when the Dukes take the field ala that team we own down in Blacksburg. Admittedly, the Tech intro is flat-out awesome, even if the song itself is a bit cliched. The Marching Royal Dukes (boards folks are killing me now for going longhand instead of a simple MRD’s) started doing a very solid version of the highly underrated White Stripes’ tune Seven Nation Army a couple years ago, but it really works better for in-game crowd-hyping. But with the new stadium opening and the opportunity for visiting-team intimidation truly materializing in the ‘Burg this fall, it’s time to take a cue from the Boards and go with something that would be signature JMU and COMPLETELY unique, not to mention bewildering to opposing fans and white-haired CAA media folk. So, in the spirit of the upcoming Late 90’s JMU Music bracket…
We give you, via the message boards, the fabulously ridiculous group Gogol Bordello and their classic Start Wearing Purple! Serioulsy, you’ll have to bear with the lengthy (1:25) intro, but if you can’t quite make out all the lyrics in this crazy live performance from Coachella ’08, look ’em up and tell me this isn’t perfect for a Mickey-coached team!
So spread the word, comment if you agree or disagree, and bug anyone you know with JMU media. This is exactly the kind of thing the new stadium needs to add to the vibe (and get people to get their ass in their seat at gametime)!
Lastly, if you get some odd thoughts from @jmusportsblog this weekend, I’m doing a little cross-promotion and will be tweeting during a race I’m doing so just bear with us and feel free to mock if my sleep-deprived mind goes a little sappy and haywire.
Great season ladies!
Unfortunately, the Lacrosse team’s valiant comeback attempt in the first round of the NCAA tourney fell short in an 11-10 loss to Princeton. This means only the baseball team’s CAA tourney run coming up Memorial Day weekend and hopefully a run towards Omaha following that stand between JMU Nation and the chance to fully focus our energy on the countdown to the trip to Chapel Hill to take on the Tarheels Labor Day weekend. Seriously baseball, get this run going or I’m going to drive everyone around me nuts talking about Central Connecticut St. and whether the new stadium makes JMU, and by extension the UPB, capable of hosting a major concert tour now.
Ok, we’re also working up some big plans for the summer including bringing back last year’s wildly successful (too much?) opponent and CAA football previews, hopefully including some back and forth with some of the other CAA blogs we’ve met this year. Damn skippy there are other CAA blogs. Highly recommend Defiantly Dutch though they won’t be covering football. And best of all, we’ve got the Late 90’s JMU Music Scene Bracket, featuring McGraw Gap and sponsored by the Blue Fox, debuting in the next couple of weeks.
In other JMUSB news, the DC/Nova Duke Club is having a Happy Hour this Thursday at Clarendon Ballroom. I think we aged out of this venue half a decade ago, but should be a good time and always good to support the DC.
The JMU baseball team closed out the home season with a sweep of Towson this weekend. The high scoring Dukes got the series started off right witha 13-9 win on Friday night. Catcher Jake Lowery had another monster game at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a home run and a triple. He batted in 5 of the Dukes 13 runs to set the school’s all time single season record.
David Herbek put the Dukes ahead for good in game 2 with a 2 run homer in the 6th inning. It was Herbek’s 14th home run on the season. Jake Lowery picked up where left off Friday night driving in 2 more on a double. He also walked twice and scored a run.
In the series finale this afternoon, JMU waited out a rain delay and crushed the Tigers 11-1. The offensive outburst was great, but probably unecessary thanks to the way Alex Valadja pitched. The southpaw went 6 strong and only gave up 1 run. Second baseman Bradley Shaban hit a 3 run homer and had 4 RBI on the day and first baseman Matt Tenaglia hit safely for the 19th straight game with a double. Herbek went 2 for 5 and per usual, knocked another run in. He now has 81 on the season in only 51 games. With 4 games left in the regular season, he’s already set the JMU single season mark and has the 3rd highest single season total in CAA history.
The 3 game sweep moved the Dukes to 34-17 overall and 18-9 in the CAA. After scoring in double-digits in 2 of the 3 games, JMU is now 21-0 when scoring more than 10 runs. The Dukes are is currently tied with ODU for first place, but the important thing is that they’ve already clinched a spot in the 4 team CAA playoffs. Securing the top seed would be nice, but with only 4 teams in the playoffs, it provides very little in the way of an actual advantage. Every little bit helps though and the Dukes will take an advantage they can to avoid losing in the playoffs for a second year in a row.
Photo courtesy of JMUsports.com’s photo gallery.
James Madison was the author of the Federalist Papers and the Bill of Rights, the “Father of the Constitution”, a member of the House of Representatives, Secretary of State, and the fourth President of the United States. That’s quite a list of accomplishments which has rightly earned Madison his place in history. According to this link, he also had the best idea of any President ever. In fact, our school’s namesake
seriously considered proposing a national government-run brewery. He also wanted to establish a secretary of beer for the cabinet. True story. As a member of the House, Madison encouraged “the manufacture of beer in every State in the Union,”
It’s been 194 years since Madison left office. Forty men have taken the oath of office since then. Yet not one of these men and their administration could follow through and honor Madison’s vision by appointing a Secretary of Beer to the Cabinet. How is that even possible? Admittedly, guys like Lincoln, Roosevelt, and others had wars and other crisises to occupy them. There is just no way that one of these joker presidents couldn’t have found the time to have gotten this done though. The regret has to be killing guys like John Tyler and James Buchanan right now. Well not technically, because they’ve been dead for hundreds of years, but the point is our country is letting a great idea slip through its fingertips. We have got to make this happen. Call your congressman. Write a letter to the editor. Get drunk and incoherently explain to a stranger how the power dynamics of the cabinet will be impacted by the addition of a new member. Do whatever you can. This is just too important an issue to go unnoticed any longer.
As the sports calendar winds down in the ‘Burg we wanted to give a quick update on two sports still playing that both have a chance to finish with an unprecedented flourish before moving on to football previews and summer nonsense (including the late 90’s JMU music bracket).
The Lacrosse team won their second straight CAA Title last weekend with an outstanding 8-6 victory over Towson in the title game. The performance was even more impressive considering the game was played at lacrosse-mad Towson’s home field. Congrats ladies and good luck in the NCAA’s! That’s right, and this year the Dukes earned the #8 seed in the 16 team women’s field and will HOST #9 seed Princeton this weekend. If you’re in the Valley, stop in to support the Dukes as they look to beat Princeton at home for the second time this year after a 10-5 victory earlier in the season. If they can get by the Tigers, the Dukes will likely take on the top overall seed Maryland (or Navy, but in either case would mean a potential DC area game in the second round!).
On the diamond, the Baseball team stands at a very solid 31-17 (15-9 CAA) and hosts their final home series of the year agains Towson this weekend before hitting the road for a game at Radford and a series at Northeastern to wrap up the season. The Dukes power-hitting lineup gives them a chance every time out and the should be a very tough out at the CAA Tournament in Wilmington, NC over Memorial Day weekend. If the Dukes can take the title again, they’d be back in the big dance and aiming for Omaha!
JMU head basketball coach Matt Brady is under contract to coach the Dukes through the 2012-2013 season. A clause in his contract that required the school to notify him this Spring if the contract was to be extended. Athletic director Jeff Bourne decided to let the deadline pass and hold off on extending Brady’s contract. Bourne spoke on the matter last week and said he’d like to see more consistency and better tournament play from Brady’s teams before he decides if Brady is the right man for the job beyond 2013. After just completing a 21 win season, some might think Brady has already earned the right to a contact extension. Jeff Bourne disagrees however.
I’m quite certain Coach Brady wants an extension. I’m also quite certain that if he were in Bourne’s shoes, he wouldn’t give him one either. Brady has led the Dukes to two 20 win seasons in his 3 years on the job. His one losing season was with a team decimated by injuries. Considering where the JMU program was when he took over, he has done a pretty remarkable job getting it back to respectability. JMU didn’t pay him to get the program back above .500, they paid him to win the CAA and get the Dukes back to the tournmanent. He’s proved that he can come in and stop the bleeding, now Bourne and the adminstration just want to see if he can take the next step and build a consistent winner.
There doesn’t appear to be a lot of grey area with the Brady. You’re either winning championships or you’re not. You’re either a fully dedicated basketball player on both ends of the court or you’re not. Anyone who was at last week’s Coaches Caravan knows Brady doesn’t mince words when assessing his players. His willingness to acknowledge Bowles’ defensive weakness seemed harsh to some. As someone who was there and also spoke to him afterward though, it didn’t come across as harsh at all. It just seemed open and honest. I’ve got to imagine he’d feel the same way about his own coaching performance if he could view it as an outsider. He’s showed some flashes that make you think he could be the guy, he’s also done some things to make you wonder if he’s the long term solution.
I like Coach Brady a lot and am optimistic that he could be the right guy for the long haul. I’m in complete agreement with Bourne not to extend his contact yet though. Brady has turned the JMU program around, but he still hasn’t proven he’s the guy to get the it over the hump. My gut tells me he will, but I’d rather keep him squarely focused on winning the CAAand getting to tourney consistently, than to celebrate partial success. He’s done a lot with transfers and quick fixes. With 3 years under his belt, it’s time for him to stop patching holes and start building a foundation. If he shows signs of doing that next season, he’ll get his extension no problem. There just isn’t any need to sugar coat things and pretend like he’s already earned it. And I’ve got imagine Brady would agree.
Seriously, this is an event you people need to stop sleeping on, because you just never know what fabulous nugget you’ll find. Last night, the alumni king of “Madison College” showed up and shared this beauty. Needless to say: DAGGER!!!!
The Man, The Myth, The JAC Card!
Really, it’s just impossible to write anything else remotely as interesting as that little pornstache/mullet combo, which I’m sure Buck will be glad is buried under an avalanche of Caps Fail and Garyland coverage. Will Agent Steinzzz even uncover this little piece of gold is really the only remaining mystery?
But the annual Coach’s Caravan was outstanding, and in all seriousness it’s pretty damn cool that the absolute pimpiest, not to mention friendliest, announcer in town is such a passionate Dukes supporter. Thanks so much to Buckhantz for being so generous with his time at this event for another year!
Here are just a few highlights of last night’s festivities (all quotes are accurate if not exact):
Coach Kenny Brooks (Women’s Hoops) was asked what he’ll do now that the ladies are losing all-time CAA leading scorer and all-around best Duke ever Dawn Evans? His answer, “Win.”
Coach Matt Brady (Men’s Hoops) did not temper his comments about now former Duke Denzel Bowles (yes, he left the ‘Burg the minute the season ended). “We had the best offensive player in the league, but also the worst defensive center. To win in this league you’re best player has to be your hardest worker but our best player was our least hardest worker. We may not win as many regular season games next year, but we WILL be a better team. Two years from now will be our best team.”
Coach Mickey Matthews gave a bunch of good Mickeyisms that I can never piece back together when I really think about them the next day and a little bit of insight on the QB situation after spring practice. It appears Justin Thorpe is the current frontrunner (“he’s just older, played the position at this level and it shows”) but is not necessarily fully healed, Billy Cosh (transfer from Kansas St. has “a howitzer, can really sling it”) is next, and Jace Edwards (really good spring) is still in the mix. Appears this situation will remain fluid, likely through summer practice, training camp, and probably both the UNC and CCSU games if past history is any indication. Hey, it wouldn’t be Dukes football without this business!
Let us know if you think we might forget any particular bands for this summer’s late 90’s JMU/Virginia music scene Sweet 16, set to kick off Memorial Day.
There isn’t anything we can write about the Bin Laden news that hasn’t been written already by far better and more insightful writers, but we thought this picture from campus was worth sharing. It’s simple, respectful, and quite frankly, kind of fun. The fact that in in all likelihood it was done by JMU students who were only in grade school on 9/11 and probably in preschool when the USS Cole was bombed, makes it even cooler.
A sincere thank you to all the men and woman of our miliary and intelligence communities for their sacrifice, perseverence, and dedication to the mission.
The Diamond Dukes took 3 out of 3 against UNCW over the weekend to sweep the crucial late season series. The series matched-up the two teams preseason CAA favorites both trying to finish strong and secure a spot in the CAA tourney. The Dukes were on the outside looking in last week, in 5th place while UNCW were sitting on the top of the standings. What a difference a weekend makes. After sweeping the series, the Dukes are tied with Delaware on top of the standings and the Seahawks have slipped back in 5th place.
The series was kicked off with an outstanding pitching performance by JMU’s Sean Tierney. Tierney gave up only 1 run in 7 innings Friday night and struck out 11 in the 12-2 win. It was the 19th time the Diamond Dukes had scored at least 10 runs in a game this season. They’ve won every one of those 19. Game 2 was a bit more exciting, as JMU had to come from behind late to win it. The Dukes have earned a reputation for hitting for the fences, but they pulled off a bunt squeeze play in the 8th to take the lead and held on for a 6-5 victory. The finale was won due to some clutch pitching from reliever Josh Futter who pitched 3 shut out innings to close out the Seahawks in a 9-6 game.
The top four teams make the CAA tournament but the seeding doesn’t really provide much of an advantage, so the key is just to make it. Chuck Carree does a better job of breaking it all down than I ever could, but the Dukes chances are looking pretty good at this point. Unfortunately, that was the the first thing I’ve read byt Carree, but he’s already got me thinking that he is to CAA baseball what Brian Mull is to CAA hoops. The Star News down in Wilmington really does an outstanding job covering the league. If UNCW had a football team it might be my favorite paper.
