I just want to take this time to say thank you Lady Dukes. The game today was superb and even though the Dukes came on the losing end, they should not be ashamed. It was awesome watching the Dukes in this game and their fever to win, but it was like that all year long. Yeah, the team started off 3-6, but they came on strong and showed why they were a team to be reckon with. The NCAA messed up by not giving an at-large bid to a CAA team. The CAA was underrated this year.
This year we saw awesome play from Tarik Hislop-remember when she put up maddening numbers in the Cancun trip and helped propel JMU over Green Bay? Not only that, but she received the ESPN player of the Week honors. How awesome was that?
Kanita Shepherd, wow, banged up with injuries and finally got to play this year, she made the most of it and came up huge in several games. The blocks she had, the shots she made down low were great. She was the fire in the team. When things were going or not going, she was there pumping up the team and crowd. With Tarik Hislop and Kanita Shepherd leaving the team, I wish them all the best. They were awesome!
When Nikki Newman went down verses Duquesne, the season could have been written off. We lost one of the best defensive guards in the country and the team could have fallen off. But they didn't, in that same game you started to see Precious Hall insert herself, among the other freshman and from that particular injury, the team began to gel. It was great watching the team step up when faced with adversity.
Kirby Burkholder, what can be said about her, she was awesome all year long, even when shots weren't falling, she grabbed rebounds and put the ball back up to score. She is without doubt one of the best shooting guard in the CAA. Not only can she shoot, but she can defend and grab rebounds, that is how great of a player she is. This year she ends the season just 15 points away from 1,000 career points. Congrats Kirby Burkholder.
Crystal Ross had some amazing games. I was extremely happy for her because she showed how good of a player she can be when she lays it all on the court. She has some really nice moves and she has height. One of her best games had to be against NCST in the WNIT. She was superb in how she disrupted passes and shots. She played with a vigor that I haven't seen her play in quite some time and it was awesome. I hope that she gets more minutes next year and is an even bigger part of the team.
The freshman, yeah, awesome and I mean that. If it weren't for the freshman stepping up, we may not have been able to make the WNIT and have such great play throughout Even when the team had it's worst performance of the year in the Semi-final game in the CAA tournament, it was the Freshman who help lifted the team to victory over NC A&T and NCST.
Precious Hall was one of the best freshman on the floor and she proved it week after week. Even in times of struggle her defense was superb. Destiny Jones, while she didn't play much, was great under the basket. She was tough, it will not surprise me if she isn't an integral part in next years team. Angela Mickens had a rough start, she was raw, but her tenacity, skill, and willingness to be coached finally paid off toward the end of the season. She is fast, she can pass, and she can be a game changer with defense. I don't know how many blocks and steals she had, but some of those were the most acrobatic blocks and steals I had ever seen. She is fun to watch, no doubt.
And lets not forget about R-Freshman Jazmon Gwathmey, who came into the season an unknown. It is amazing how much she has developed. If Precious Hall wasn't getting all the Freshman of the Week accolades, I am sure she would have been considered the freshman of the year candidate. She was simply amazing. Of all the freshman, she had a very smooth shot and a tenacity to get after it under the basket. And her defense was just as good as any on the court if not better at times.
Ladies, thank you for your effort, tenacity, and your heart to play and win the game. All of you were a joy to watch play and I hope that next year you get the chance to prove why you are one of the best teams in the country. Train well for next season and set your goals high, because you are one of the best teams in the country.
Go Dukes!
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