Their Last Days as Dukes
By Mike Kaplan,April 29, 2010
Seniors Pierre Curtis and Matt Parker Move On When senior Pierre Curtis graduates next Saturday, JMU will lose its all-time leader in assists (463), steals (175) and games started (124). Curtis, who will leave with a degree in sports management, downplays all but one of his personal achievements. He says the steals record is “watered down” because so many were incidents of luck, and he believes the record marking his longevity is merely the result of staying healthy, which also required some... Read more »
Brady Assures Better Results
By Mike Kaplan,March 18, 2010
Following its season-ending 70-65 loss to William & Mary in the quarterfinal round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, the JMU men’s basketball team finds itself with some serious improvements to make going into next season. The team’s lackluster performance this season, particularly in conference play, has led to growing skepticism concerning their potential for success. Despite the uncertainty, Matt Brady remains confident in the talented, yet unproven team he plans on fielding... Read more »
Dukes End Season with Loss to W&M
By Mike Kaplan,March 7, 2010
WILLIAM & MARY 70, JAMES MADISON 65 The 40 minutes JMU played Saturday night epitomized the Dukes’ entire season – flashes of brilliance, crippled by inconsistency. On Saturday, Madison fell to William & Mary 70-65 in the quarterfinal round of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament at the Richmond Coliseum. The Dukes (13-20 overall, 4-14 in the CAA) were undercut by a second-half collapse, which proceeded a nearly flawless opening period that ended with a 33-24 lead. JMU couldn’t... Read more »
JMU Upsets Drexel in First Round
By Mike Kaplan,March 6, 2010
JAMES MADISON 77, DREXEL 66 Last week, JMU basketball coach Matt Brady said that “40” could be his team’s magic number in the conference tournament. Translation: the Dukes’ would need a total of 40 points from the dynamic duo of forwards Denzel Bowles and Julius Wells in order to beat favored first-round opponent Drexel. Brady was spot on. Bowles posted a game-high 22 points, and Wells added 18 to lead 11-seed JMU to a 77-65 victory over six-seed Drexel before a crowd of 5,494 at the Richmond... Read more »
‘Just Trying To Prolong It’
By Mike Kaplan,March 4, 2010
Pierre Curtis says he’s going to treat Friday’s game just like any other. But the next time JMU takes the floor, it won’t be like other games. The lights will be brighter. The stakes will be higher, and if the Dukes are on the short end of the scoreboard when the final buzzer sounds, it’ll all be over. The Colonial Athletic Association tournament kicks off Friday at the Richmond Coliseum, and the 11-seed Dukes’ first-round draw is a rematch with six-seed Drexel at 8:30 p.m. JMU (12-19... Read more »
Loss Epitomizes Lackluster Season
By Mike Kaplan,March 1, 2010
Team Ends Regular Season 4-14 in the Conference It has been a long and especially cold winter for JMU men’s basketball coach Matt Brady. Since Christmas, Brady’s team dropped 15 of its 21 games and has gone from conference up-and-comer to doormat of the Colonial Athletic Association. The second-year coach, never shy to speak his mind, vented about his squad after a 67-64 home loss to Drexel on Saturday night that officially concluded a forgettable regular season. “I just haven’t been able... Read more »
Dukes Don’t Protect This House
By Mike Kaplan,February 12, 2010
Home-court advantage is a phrase no longer applicable at the Convocation Center for JMU men’s basketball. For the second time in eight days, the Dukes suffered an embarrassing 20-point blowout to a Colonial Athletic Association opponent on their home floor. Old Dominion dominated the Dukes 64-44 Wednesday night, dealing them a fourth straight loss. Madison (10-15 overall, 3-11 in CAA) has now dropped eight of its last 10 games. “I think that was an example of a really good basketball team playing... Read more »
Who Can Lead?
By Mike Kaplan,February 8, 2010
Matt Brady is a realist. With the Dukes’ record (10-13 overall, 3-9 in the Colonial Athletic Association) falling harder and faster than snow in the Shenandoah Valley, the second-year coach has no delusions about his squad. “We’re a team, I believe, that doesn’t have great confidence,” Brady said Monday in his weekly press conference. “We’re fairly sporadic in a lot of areas, and we haven’t become the team that I hoped we’d become.” It is with good reason that Brady’s hopes... Read more »
Lack of Depth Hurts Dukes
By Mike Kaplan,February 1, 2010
The Dukes have had their fair share of adversity this season. Starting sophomore guard Devon Moore was lost for the year when he injured his knee in a preseason scrimmage against Hampton. Breakout star Denzel Bowles was forced to sitout the first seven games of the year due to NCAA transfer rules. Key role players Dazzmond Thorton and Andrey Semenov were both lost for the season. Then, of course, there was the flying hot dog that halted the Dukes rally and allowed visiting George Mason to prevail. It... Read more »
Turnover-Prone Dukes Fall to George Mason
By Mike Kaplan,January 31, 2010
George Mason coach Jim Larranaga couldn’t believe his team won. “I look at this stat sheet, and [the Dukes] shot 69 percent in the second half,” Larranga said. “They shot 66 percent from three and 100 percent from the foul line. And we won? I’m always amazed when the numbers don’t seem to add up. They don’t really make any sense.” Larranaga failed to point out the one stat that proved to be the difference in Mason’s 70-68 victory of Madison. The Dukes turned the ball over 20 times,... Read more »
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