A Big Week for James Madison

A BIG WEEK FOR THE DUKES II

January 19, 2009

Matt Brady is in his first season at James Madison.

George Mason entered Saturday’s game against James Madison among the CAA leaders in scoring defense (1st), field goal percentage defense (2nd) and 3 point field goal percentage defense (1st). Conversely, James Madison entered the game in Fairfax ranked 3rd in the conference in scoring, and 2nd in both overall field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage. They say defense wins. In baseball, they say good pitching beats good hitting. Saturday at GMU, good defense defeated good offense. In fact, good defense made JMU’s offense look pretty bad. Or maybe, JMU just shot the ball poorly…Either way, George Mason led from start to finish, defeating James Madison by a final score of 71-57. There were some very telling stats in this game. JMU went virtually one quarter of the game without scoring. The Dukes did not get on the board until a Juwann James jumper at the 15:11 mark of the first half. As if that is bad enough, the Dukes duplicated the feat in the second half, as James hit a free throw at the 15:03 mark of the second stanza to put JMU on the board. That is a drought totaling 9:46, during which GMU outscored the Dukes 17-0. In the remaining 30:14 of the game, JMU outscored GMU 57-54. Additionally, the combination of strong defense and a poor shooting day, resulted in James Madison shooting 31.6% overall from the field, including 6-26 (23%) from three point range. In looking at these stats, it’s surprising this one did not turn into a rout.

GMU shot the ball well enough, at a 46% clip overall and 36% from three. Mason also played like the more experienced, confident team that it is. Every time it seemed that JMU was trying to make a run, the Patriots would come up with the key stop and score. Freshman Ryan Pearson gave GMU a tremendous lift of the bench, scoring all of his 13 points in the first half and Louis Birdsong led the way with 15, while Cam Long chipped in 13.

Clearly GMU is once again a contender, and at this point the favorite, in the CAA, having reached a first ever 7-0 record in conference play. Saturday’s game began a stretch against the three teams immediately behind them in the standings. The Patriots travel to Northeastern on Wednesday, which stands at 6-1 after losing to Hofstra on Saturday, and follow that with a trip to Richmond to face Eric Maynor and the VCU Rams. VCU defeated Old Dominion 61-44 on Saturday in Richmond. Obviously, if Mason can dispatch of both the Huskies and the Rams on the road in one week, they will make a strong statement and be difficult to catch in the race for the number one seed in the CAA.

As for James Madison, they appear to have made the upward move towards the middle of the pack in the CAA. The jury is still out, however, as last season’s second half collapse is a not too distant memory. JMU played hard in Fairfax on Saturday, and held their own on the boards, equaling GMU with 38 rebounds, and took reasonably good care of the basketball, with 12 turnovers. Clearly they need to avoid the droughts they experienced on Saturday at the beginning of the game and second half. If the Dukes shoot the ball well, Saturday’s effort notwithstanding, and find a way to get to the rim a little more often, they can be a dangerous team to play, and are capable of making a run.

As we approach February, most college basketball teams are in the meat of their conference play. Now is the time that teams begin to show their true identity, as they jockey for position in conference tournaments. As in most years, the CAA appears to be a one-bid league this year. The most logical threats to GMU’s claim as the class of the conference are VCU and Northeastern, with Old Dominion, James Madison, and Drexel in the next tier. Some teams may get hot from one night to the next and shooting percentages may go up and down, but if you believe defense wins championships, it’s hard to bet against George Mason.

A BIG WEEK FOR THE DUKES I

January 15, 2009

If new James Madison University coach Matt Brady wants the Dukes to move from pretenders to contenders, this would be a nice weekend to make the move. Brady’s Dukes have won five of six, and eight of ten, after Wednesday night’s home victory over UNC Wilmington. The streak includes impressive wins over Seton Hall in Harrisonburg and at Old Dominion, as they prepare to head north to battle perennial CAA power George Mason University on Saturday. JMU reached 12-6 overall, 4-2 in the CAA with a sweep of their Tidewater road trip last week, defeating Old Dominion and William and Mary, followed by the home defeat of UNCW. The Dukes have been led recently by super sub, senior Juwann James. James comes off the bench to average a team high 14.7 ppg, including 23, 23, and 24 in consecutive games last week. James was named a CAA Co-Player of the Week for his efforts. While James earns his keep coming off the bench, two freshmen start for JMU. Devon Moore (6’4 G) and Julius Wells (6’5 F) both start and score in double figures for the Dukes, while a third first year man, 6’7 Andrey Semenov comes off the bench to chip in with 7.7 ppg. Moore’s play last week earned him the CAA rookie of the week honors. While the youngsters provide hope for the future, there is the the question about whether this year’s Dukes are ready to move from the near cellar dwellers of recent years to the upper half of the competitive CAA. Last year, JMU started 10-5 and hope was running strong in Harrisonburg. The Dukes fell with a resounding thud, losing 12 of their final 15 games, costing Coach Dean Keener his job and finishing a disappointing 13-17. The Dukes will get a true test when they drive north to Fairfax on Saturday. In George Mason, the Dukes will face a Patriot squad off to its best conference start ever, at 6-0, following a hard fought 61-57 victory at William and Mary on Wednesday night. The Patriots’ 13-3 mark equals the best start in program history. Mason has its own CAA Player of the Week, as senior Darryl Monroe scored 15 ppg, while pulling down 11.7 boards and shooting a shocking 80% from the field last week. George Mason has great balance, as starters Cam Long, John Vaughn, and Monroe all score between 10.6 and 11.5. Like JMU, the Patriots also get strong contributions from freshmen, as Ryan Pearson and Andre Cornelius have both appeared in all 16 games , both scoring 6.7 ppg, while 6’9 Mike Morrison has appeared in 15 games.

This is a bigger game for JMU than for GMU. GMU has been there for years and will compete hard every night out. Come March, the Patriots will no doubt be in contention in Richmond for the CAA title. For JMU, will they repeat last year’s second half collapse, or are they ready to make the move to become relevant? Pretenders or contenders? That question could be answered on Saturday afternoon at the Patriot Center.

I will report back after Saturday’s GMU-JMU game.

Brian Doyle is an Assistant Principal and Associate Head Coach at Centreville High School in Clifton, Virginia. Prior to becoming Assistant Principal, Doyle was a high school head coach for thirteen years. Brian also serves as member of the voting panel for the prestigious Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award.