{"id":3026,"date":"2011-09-28T07:53:39","date_gmt":"2011-09-28T11:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=3026"},"modified":"2011-09-28T07:53:39","modified_gmt":"2011-09-28T11:53:39","slug":"homecoming-is-more-than-qb1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=3026","title":{"rendered":"Homecoming is More Than QB1"},"content":{"rendered":"
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She's gonna kill us for running this ad!<\/p><\/div>\n

So we got what I thought was\u00a0 a great question on Twitter (@jmusportsblog) the other day from @JMO_757.\u00a0 What did we think the ceiling was for the football Dukes before the JT suspension and what did we think now?\u00a0 It was a great question, but the truth is we have no clue.\u00a0\u00a0The only thing\u00a0I\u00a0can say for sure is that I’m more concerned about the off-field\/chemistry\/locker-room\/distraction issues than I am about on-field dropoff in play.\u00a0 Were the Dukes really destined for a final four berth with consistent misreads on bread-and-butter option plays and a coach without the confidence in his QB’s passing abilityand decision-making\u00a0to open up the offense?\u00a0 On the other hand, there has to be some reason JT won the\u00a0preseason competition and the coaches\u00a0know just a\u00a0wee bit more about\u00a0making that decision than we do.\u00a0\u00a0But honestly, we all (us most of all) need to take a\u00a0step back, look for a little perspective, and get ready to enjoy a great fall\u00a0weekend in the ‘Burg.\u00a0 Or maybe it’s just the Bartman documentary and the self-reflection it provokes.<\/p>\n

And in that spirit, we thought we’d go all Rudy on you and shine a spotlight on a feel-good story of a program not making headlines for rumors, weed, fights, or controversy.\u00a0 Don’t worry, we’ll be back with a full game preview for the Ticks and of course the all-important HC BOTW pick on Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the best things about being a season-ticket holder the last five years has been connecting, or reconnecting, with JMU peeps from outside the tiny world we now realize we actually inhabited during the time we\u00a0were\u00a0“earning” our degrees.\u00a0 And as we’ve mentioned before in this\u00a0space, as huge sports fans,\u00a0one of the\u00a0coolest people we’ve met is Head Field Hockey\u00a0Coach Antoinette Lucas.\u00a0 She might be the best\u00a0athlete\u00a0currently living in the Valley, is funny (especially about Mickey), and is leading a\u00a0hard-working and\u00a0committed\u00a0squad of young women that JMU folks can be proud of without reservation.\u00a0 Here’s a few questions we had a chance to ask her at the CCSU game and we’d just like to encourage everyone to enjoy this weekend for everything it offers (reintroducing old friends to a gameday experience that is shocking if you’re a pre-04 grad and haven’t been back, cheap beer, east campus, and best of all celebrating with friends like always) and not spending a great fall Saturday in the long shadow of a beautiful new Bridgeforth myopically discussing the questionable decision-making of a 19 year old (there but for the grace of….).<\/p>\n

Interview with Coach L <\/strong><\/p>\n

1) What are your expectations for Dukes FH this year?\u00a0 Is a CAA title a possiblity?\u00a0 What about an NCAA berth?\u00a0 <\/strong>We are very much in a re-building year.\u00a0 If we advance to the CAA finals or NCAA play this year we will have hugely overachieved.\u00a0\u00a0 What I have seen from our team this year though is that they are capable and willing to run through a brick wall to overachieve.\u00a0 It is a great feeling to have such a young, enthusiastic group of determined young women.\u00a0 It bodes well for JMU, the future of our team and the athletes involved.
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\n2) Any newcomers (freshmen or transfers) you’re really excited about?<\/strong>
\nI have and continue to be excited about all of our\u00a0 8 incoming freshmen.\u00a0 Across the board, we have talent and work ethic that can ignite our team to a sustainable top 10-15 program level for their next 4 years of eligibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Super Frosh Taylor West<\/p><\/div>\n

With that being said, Taylor West is our most decorated freshmen to date.\u00a0 She will be a USA Olympian and National Team player once she is healthy.\u00a0 Unfortunately, she has struggled with stress fractures in her shins for the last year.\u00a0 She rested her legs from\u00a0 the end of May, 2011 until the start of our pre-seasion (very limited running) but has unfortunately had a recurrence of pain in her shins after competing in pre-season and 4 of our competitions.\u00a0 We are resting her now and will be making day by day decisions to see if she can continue to compete with us this fall.
\nWe also had the misfortune of losing our English recruit, Chole Tyler, during pre-season.\u00a0 She left for home for undisclosable reasons.\u00a0 She would have developed in to a very good player had she chosen to stay.\u00a0 We wish her the best and respect her reasons to return to her home country.\u00a0
\n3) What’s your team’s biggest strength at this point?\u00a0 <\/strong>Our team’s biggest strength’s at this point is our heart,desire and our willingness to compete against the odds. \u00a0I could not predict in our scheduling that we would\u00a0 have lost several key players to\u00a0injury etc..\u00a0 Fortunately, with our injuries and losses to our roster, we have\u00a0 retained athletes that are willing to work together and to find ways to\u00a0 compete.\u00a0 It has been a great group to work with a group that wants to win so badly, but gosh, I wish they would shoot more! I also hope and pray that Sam Smiertka, our junior captain who is suffering from a disc injury in her back, and Taylor West will return to action soon
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\n4) Any new stories about whipping Mickey’s behind on the golf course?\u00a0 <\/strong>Mickey has been MIA on the golf course! My take on it is he played poorly at Pebble Beach in early June and then\u00a0 whined about it all summer…\u00a0\u00a0 He has teases me ALL THE TIME about being able to “get in my helmet” when I putt..(I do putt like I am hitting the ball in to next week) but uh, please..\u00a0 Can you at least show up to play?!? \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n