That’s a wrap on the 2018-2019 JMU Basketballs season. The Dukes are done after day 2 of the CAA Tournament. After a beating Towson 74-73 in the opening (Dean Keener) round, JMU fell to top seeded Hofstra by the score of 76-67. JMU battled all day and definitely made a game of it against the Pride. Matt Lewis lead the way with 23 points and Darius Banks had a double-double with 15 points and 12 boards. Both guys went the full 40 minutes. This came after Lewis hit a clutch three in the closing seconds to defeat Towson. Stuckey Mosley chipped in 9 points in his final game as a Duke. It was revealed after the game that he’s been battling a shoulder injury for the past few games and was unable to lift his arm without pain.
While it would have been nice to see JMU go on a Cinderella run, we can’t say we’re disappointed in the way the Dukes played in the tournament. They battled hard both games and ultimately just fell to a more experienced and deserving #1 seed. The regular season on the other hand? Yeah, there were some moments of disappointment. But rather than dwell on the negative, or dwell on the employment status of Coach Rowe, let’s take a look at two reasons to be excited for the future of JMU hoops, and maybe one to be concerned. read more…
In the latest episode of the JMUSB Pod, we try to take a brief break from debating the future of JMU hoops. Instead, we have a little fun looking back and trying to come up with our all time JMU hoops starting five. And by “All Time” we mean the modern era. And by “modern era” we mean since us two old bloggers started school in the days of Lefty. In any case, we had a good time discussing some names from the past and think y’all should enjoy listening.
As always, thanks to our wonderful sponsors, Mossy Creek Fly Fishing and Pale Fire Brewing. JMUSB Podcast listeners can swing by the shop on 480 East Market Street and mention the pod to get a free sticker. And then swing by our other loverly sponsor Pale Fire Brewing for a cold one. Mention the pod and you’ll get a free pint glass to take home after you finish your beer.
The Dukes defeated Hofstra, the CAA Champion for the regular season, last weekend and opened the door every so slightly to finishing in the top 6 and avoiding the play-in round. Then the slammed the door shut by losing to Elon and William & Mary at home. Thus, the Dukes finished in 8th place and will start the CAA tourney by playing in the opening round against 9th seeded Towson. The winner will face top seeded Hofstra. The worst part? The game is on Saturday, so we can’t even call it Pillow Fight Friday anymore. Actually that’s not the worst part. The worst part is that it’s the third year in a row that the Dukes have failed to avoid the opening round. That’s bad.
There’s no shame in losing to William & Mary. The Tribe was red hot down the stretch and is a team with plenty of talent. But losing to Elon is bad. Doing so at home with a lot on the line is ever worse. And doing it for the second time this season, is downright brutal. And the Dukes under Coach Rowe are a perfect 3 for 3 in finishing in the bottom four.
Both of the most recent losses came down to poor shooting. JMU was an abysmal 25-69 against the Tribe and 22-51 against the Phoenix. That’s the story with these Dukes. The offense looks pretty much the same game in and game out. Whether or not they win, seems to come down to purely if they get hot shooting. It rarely varies. If they hit shots then win. If the shots aren’t falling though, then watch out. Because to most fans’ eyes, it doesn’t seem like they adjust their offensive approach. Lots of one on one play and launching threes.
Frankly, it’s exhausting to be a JMU hoops fan right now. The Dukes can’t even finish in the top half of a CAA that is nowhere near as strong as it used to be. As of today, it’s the 18th ranked league in D1. And JMU is one of the teams dragging the league down.
The Dukes showed flashes this season, but barring something truly extraordinary happening next weekend, this season will be a major disappointment. Nobody expected JMU to compete with Hofstra and Northeastern for the title. But nobody expected the Dukes to get swept by Elon either.
Last year JMU played a lot of close games and had us excited to see the young team develop. This year the team struggled to show any consistency and often played down to their opponents. With only two seniors and a roster built around sophomores and freshmen, there’s reason to believe they could improve. But this is not where JMU wants to be and a decision on Rowe’s future must be made after the season. Do you judge him on the record and cut ties now? Or do you focus on the talent and the peaks and give him a chance to turn things around? It’s a big debate. And JMU can’t afford to get it wrong.
We’re back with another episode of the JMUSB Podcast. It was a terrific weekend for JMU sports, highlighted by a big win over first place Hofstra in hoops. In this episode we talk all about the win and where things stand with Lou Rowe and the program. Then we wrap things up with a brief (for us) discussion about our dream guests for the pod.
We also welcome our newest sponsor, Mossy Creek Fly Fishing, an amazing full service outfitter in Harrisonburg. JMUSB Podcast listeners can swing by the shop on 480 East Market Street and mention the pod to get a free sticker. If you’ve never fly fished before, I highly recommend taking the intro class. I did it and had a blast. And if you’re more experienced, treat yourself to a guided trip. And then swing by our other loverly sponsor Pale Fire Brewing for a cold one. Mention the pod and you’ll get a free pint glass to take home after you finish your beer.
JMU finalized its first recruiting class of the Curt Cignetti era earlier this month, and we finally got around to discussing it on the latest episode of the JMUSB Podcast. Friend of the pod and JMU recruiting guru, Michael Evangalista, joined us. Having Michael on, enabled us to actually deliver some real insight into this class, instead of me and Todd just talking about 40 times and high school stats. It was a treat for us to get up to speed on some of the studs Cignetti is bringing to campus, and we think you’ll enjoy listening to this one.
As always the JMUSB Podcast is brought to you by Pale Fire Brewing. Stop by the brewery for a beer and let them know JMUSB sent you and you’ll go home with a free pint glass.
Be sure to subscribe to the JMUSB Pod via Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And give us a rating if you haven’t already.
Well, that was much closer than it had to be. JMU defeated Drexel by the score of 71-69. For most of the game, the Dukes were in control. But then, stop me if you’ve heard this before, JMU just kind of fell asleep and managed to let Drexel go on a 7-0 run in the final minutes to make it a one point game in the closing seconds. Drexel even had a chance to tie or win the game on the final possession, but the Dukes swatted away the inbound and secured the W. Drexel isn’t a terrific team, but it’s still a good win. The good thing about being in last place is that any league win is a win over a team ahead of you. (How’s that for spin?) Here are a few quick thoughts on JMU’s fourth CAA win of the season.
Dwight Wilson = Beast Mode
Mr. Wilson ain’t Devontae Cacok, but he sure played like him this game. The big man was all over. He finished the game with 20 points and 18 rebounds. He was a man amongst boys out there. Wilson has show flashes this year, but probably has been somewhat overshadowed by his classmates Darius Banks and Matt Lewis. In this game however, there was no ignoring him. He absolutely owned the paint. Just a great all around performance.
System (from the past) of the Future?
Much of today’s game of basketball is all about bombing from long distance, but the Dukes played an old school game against Drexel. Fewer 3s and more shots pounding it down low and trying to score in the paint. JMU launched only 12 three point attempts. Instead of looking (or settling) for long range shots, the Dukes attacked the basket and feed the big men down low. It was the right approach and it paid off to the tune of 46 points in the paint.
Stuckey Mosley will be missed next year after he graduates. There’s no doubt about that. But it’s also kind of fun to imagine what the offense might look like after his departure. The Dukes used him on 31% of plays against the Dragons. Nobody else on the team had a Use % above 20%. It makes sense to run more plays for or through your best player. But for one of the few times in the Lou Rowe era, it looked like the Dukes were employing a system built around the talents of its personnel. And if they actually can come to rely on a post-Mosley system that splits the load a little more evenly between Banks, Lewis, & Wilson, the Dukes could be effective. Add a spot up shooter to open things up and stretch the D and this team could be dangerous. They don’t have a roster full of sharpshooters. They’ve got athletic guys who can get to the paint and some big bodies who can finish. It was nice to see a gameplan built around that.
4 CAA Wins is 4 CAA Wins, but…
As disappointed in the lack of wins as anyone, but let’s at least try to look for a silver lining. The announcers tonight noted that JMU is the second youngest team in the league. We all see the talent in the sophomore class, and thought it would translate into more wins this year. It hasn’t, but let’s not lose hope. The CAA is a mid-major (low mid major?) league. There are no blue chip one-and-doners who come in and carry teams to championships. Often it takes a few years for mid-major guys to find their stride and help translate talent into wins. Yes, we all wanted and expected more wins, but thinking about a team built around Matt Lewis, Darius Banks, and Dwight Wilson, with guys like Deshon Parker, Zach Jacobs, and (hopefully) a few sharpshooting recruits, does not suck. Provided Rowe implements a system and an approach that suits them of course.
In this episode of the JMUSB Podcast, JMU Women’s Basketball Coach Sean O’Regan joins us to talk about the great season the Dukes are having, discuss how much he pays attention to bracketology, and what makes his team go. And we venture outside the world of college hoops for a little NBA talk as well. It’s a fun conversation with one of our all time favorite guests. Give it a listen.
As always the JMUSB Podcast is brought to you by Pale Fire Brewing. Stop by the brewery for a beer and let them know JMUSB sent you and you’ll go home with a free pint glass.
Be sure to subscribe to the JMUSB Pod via Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And give us a rating if you haven’t already.
We went off brand and decided to record a podcast that would actually be worth listening to. And we have to say, we’re pretty pleased we did. On this episode we were joined by Coach LaPorte to talk about the upcoming season and also by Coach Klaes-Bawcombe to talk about the defending National Champion lax team. Give it a listen. we think you’ll enjoy it.
As always, the JMUSB Podcast is brought to you by Pale Fire Brewing. Stop by the brewery for a beer and let them know JMUSB sent you and you’ll go home with a free pint glass.
Be sure to subscribe to the JMUSB Pod via Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And give us a rating if you haven’t already.
If you’re not paying attention to men’s hoops (and all indications are that most of you are not), the Dukes got off the schneid with a win down in Wilmington. JMU eclipsed the century mark and managed to beat UNCW by the score of 104-95. The story of the game was the Dukes’ free throw shooting. JMU knocked down 30 of its 33 attempts from the stripe. That’s good. Here are a few quick numbers from the game.
9
That’s the number of minutes JMU’s top bench players played. Develle Phillips, Zach Jacobs, and Greg Jones each earned 9 minutes off the bench. Matt Urbach got 6 minutes of run. All of this is to say that Rowe continued to rely heavily on his starters. Four of the five JMU starters played 35 minutes or more. That’s a lot. And it’s indicative of how Rowe has relied on his core guys to log a lot of minutes. Whether or not it has anything to do with the frequent late game collapses is up for debate. The guys got it done this game.
0
The number of combined turnovers by Matt Lewis and Stuckey Mosley. This, as much as the hot shooting, had a lot to do with the win. Mosley and Lewis are both talented players, but have struggled to take care of the ball at times this season. They had no such issues against the Seahawks. Both guys have the ball in their hands a lot, so it was encouraging to see them not cough it up. The Dukes have a chance to maybe rattle off a few wins with upcoming games against weaker CAA teams. Limiting the turnovers will improve their odds dramatically.
.454
The combined CAA winning percentage of the Dukes’ next 3 opponents, Towson, Drexel, and Delaware. Now, that collective number is still better than JMU’s woeful .273 mark. However, it’s about as good as things get for JMU relatively speaking. Under Rowe this year, JMU has 10 wins. Two of them were against non-D1 competition though. The Dukes have never managed more than 10 wins in an entire season in the Rowe era. They’ve got 7 games to go and at least a puncher’s chance to end this year on a high note and maybe carry some momentum into the CAA tourney. I wouldn’t bet the house on them doing so, but you never know.
Bad weather means potentially bad commutes, so we’ve got a new episode of the pod for you to listen to. In it, we offer up some of our hottest takes for the world of JMU sports and JMU at large. And we also completely embraced our middle-agedness when we talk about the worst things about being in your 40s in our OT segment. Give it a listen.
As always, the JMUSB Podcast is brought to you by Pale Fire Brewing. Stop by the brewery for a beer and let them know JMUSB sent you and you’ll go home with a free pint glass.
Be sure to subscribe to the JMUSB Pod via Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And give us a rating if you haven’t already.
