As I sat in the Convocation Center on the campus of James
Madison University on Wednesday night, it occurred to me
that intensity in college basketball increases in March,
regardless of the tournament. It is a credit to both
coaches, Matt Brady of JMU and Milan Brown of Mt. St.
Mary’s, that players on both teams seemed to be playing
with maximum effort and emotion. The game clearly
mattered to these players, and JMU prevailed in the end,
69-58. Without question, all college basketball players
dream of playing on the big stage in March, but both
teams played as if they were excited to be playing on
any stage. Players on both teams looked as if they were
excited to still be playing basketball, and that they
did not want to see their seasons come to an end. Props
to Coach Brady for leading JMU to its 20th victory in a
season in which JMU’s team has looked more like a
hospital ward then a basketball team. JMU suffered two
more injuries during the game last night to bigs Juwann
James and Dazzmond Thornton. Hopefully both will be able
to bounce back for their second round game.
I wrote previously about the seniors playing in the
CollegeInsider.com Tournament and how they relish the
opportunity for one more chance to shine. Perhaps the
effort these seniors put forth in their first round
games is the best evidence that the players want to keep
playing.
Let’s revisit the other seniors I profiled previously:
Juwann James, James Madison: The aforementioned
James went out with a finger injury in the first half.
Alex Renfroe, Belmont: Renfroe exploded for 29
points 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in 92-76 victory over
Evansville.
Shy Ely, Evansville: Ely lived up to billing as
well, with 28 points and 6 rebounds for the Purple Aces.
Drake Reed, Austin Peay: Reed didn’t go down
without a fight, as he went for 24 and 11 in Austin
Peay’s 81-74 loss to Bradley.
Erik Kangas, Oakland: The sharpshooter dropped five
threes, finishing with 24 points and 7 boards in
Oakland’s victory over Kent State.
Anthony Smith, Liberty: Liberty seems to be on a
roll and Smith is a big reason why. The senior guard had
25 points, 9 boards, and 4 assists to lead Liberty over
Rider.
Michael Kirby, Pacific: Kirby did nothing to hurt
his reputation as an excellent shooter, as he shot 4/4
from the field and 3/4 from the line for 12 points in
the Tigers 82-76 victory over Portland.
Al Fisher, Kent State: Fisher had a strong all
around game with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2
steals in Kent’s loss to Oakland.
Theron Wilson, Bradley: Wilson led the Braves to
victory over Austin Peay with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Demetrius Nelson, The Citadel: He was a force on
the block with 25 points and 7 rebounds. A impressive
performance in the program's "first-ever" postseason
appearance.
The performance of these seniors speaks for itself. For
anyone who thinks there are too many tournaments in
March, just ask these guys what they think.
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.
