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!
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Dukes Were Smokin'-WNIT 3rd Round
What was suppose to be a defensive battle and a game where Fordham only allowed 52 points a game turned into a feeding frenzy for the Dukes. The game started off with a Toia Giggets put up, and multiple 3's from Kirby Burkholder. Kirby was hot tonight-she was like ice, because even with hands in her face, she put a flame in the hearts of all Dukes, but froze hearts of the Rams. Unfortunately, toward the end of the first half after building a 13 point lead, Fordham would get within 6 points at the half.
The second half started just as well as the first half, but Fordham at the beginning was able to pull within 2 points, but that was the closest they will ever get. From then on, it was all JMU. JMU would win by 16 points.
So Kirby was the star of the game with 26 points, 10 rebounds (that's right, another double-double). Precious Hall had 14 points, Toia Giggets was a beast again, she has been absolutely awesome under the basket these last few games. She scored 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 4 steals. Jazmon Gwathmey was again amazing with her defense and nice looking shot and had 11 points and 4 rebounds. Kanita Shepherd played strong tonight and had a really nice block that did lead to a score on the other end of the floor.
I felt that Fordham was just over matched. We were a lot faster and more athletic than they were. We pretty much dictated tempo the whole game, but it helps when you are getting plays and blocks that frustrate players. I laughed hard at one play in the first half when Kanita was guarding their big and all the center could do was show frustration while making an ill advised shot. The facial expression she made before putting up a shot was priceless.
So the next game is at the Convocation Center at 4 PM on Saturday and JMU will host the Florida Gators. Florida is a very good team, reminds me a little bit like Syracuse in that they have to play all of their games away. They are a much taller team than Fordham. They have 3 players that can score and those three players score at least 11 points a game. They hold a .500 record at away games. I may be wrong on this, but they don't look like a team that loves to shoot the 3, although they do shoot the 3. They seem like a pretty good defensive team and a team that likes to shoot from inside.
Notes:
The one thing I noticed in the game against Fordham was that they were very good at getting separation and getting shots off. We need to limit that and not oversell, because it definitely burned us on a few occasions. Anyway, good job ladies and look forward to seeing you on Saturday...Go Dukes!
Box Score: http://admin.xosn.com/fls/14400/stats/wbasketball/2013/jmu0327.htm?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=14400
Dukes Won 77-61.
The second half started just as well as the first half, but Fordham at the beginning was able to pull within 2 points, but that was the closest they will ever get. From then on, it was all JMU. JMU would win by 16 points.
So Kirby was the star of the game with 26 points, 10 rebounds (that's right, another double-double). Precious Hall had 14 points, Toia Giggets was a beast again, she has been absolutely awesome under the basket these last few games. She scored 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 4 steals. Jazmon Gwathmey was again amazing with her defense and nice looking shot and had 11 points and 4 rebounds. Kanita Shepherd played strong tonight and had a really nice block that did lead to a score on the other end of the floor.
I felt that Fordham was just over matched. We were a lot faster and more athletic than they were. We pretty much dictated tempo the whole game, but it helps when you are getting plays and blocks that frustrate players. I laughed hard at one play in the first half when Kanita was guarding their big and all the center could do was show frustration while making an ill advised shot. The facial expression she made before putting up a shot was priceless.
So the next game is at the Convocation Center at 4 PM on Saturday and JMU will host the Florida Gators. Florida is a very good team, reminds me a little bit like Syracuse in that they have to play all of their games away. They are a much taller team than Fordham. They have 3 players that can score and those three players score at least 11 points a game. They hold a .500 record at away games. I may be wrong on this, but they don't look like a team that loves to shoot the 3, although they do shoot the 3. They seem like a pretty good defensive team and a team that likes to shoot from inside.
Notes:
The one thing I noticed in the game against Fordham was that they were very good at getting separation and getting shots off. We need to limit that and not oversell, because it definitely burned us on a few occasions. Anyway, good job ladies and look forward to seeing you on Saturday...Go Dukes!
Box Score: http://admin.xosn.com/fls/14400/stats/wbasketball/2013/jmu0327.htm?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=14400
Dukes Won 77-61.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Dukes Knock Out NC State-2nd Round WNIT
This was a seesaw battle that featured a physical, but big North Carolina State team vs a smaller and skinnier , but a little more athletic team in James Madison. For most of the game, both teams couldn't shake the other off. While Kirby Burkholder didn't have her best shooting night, she still managed to collect 14 points and 9 rebounds. Tarik Hislop had a great game today and made some big shots, especially a 3-pointer late in the game. She finished with 19 points, 4 assist, 4 rebounds. Another big time player was Toia Giggets, she was money today, she worked and frustrated Markeisha Gatling all game long and held her to 12 points. Giggets scored 16 points and 6 rebounds.
Okay so, Crystal Ross. She was great today and I mean great. The stats aren't going to show it and she didn't score any points but her defense is a big reason why JMU was able to get the lead in the second half and hold on at the end. The stats are going to say that she had 5 rebounds and 2 steals, but her presence gave NCST major problems. She disrupted passes, blocked passes and intercepted balls, something that I hardly have ever seen her do. But today, she deserves all the credit in the world. I hope the next game she plays just as good.
So what was the big moment of the game. This was such a major moment that NCST was never able to recover from it. It was huge. Angela "Muff" Mickens gets fouled, she misses a FT after the time out and somehow rebounds her own shots. She kicks the ball back to Hislop and Hislop buries a 3-pointer. Moments later, Mickens gets a steal and Giggets passes to Burkholder who lays it in. Then Giggets hits 2-pointer, followed by a Mickens missed FT and rebound, where Mickens passes underneath to Burkholder for a put up. That sequence was part of a 18-5 run and it was fun to watch. By the end of the run, JMU had taken a 60-47 lead. At the beginning of the run JMU was tied at 42. BTW, Mickens finished with 10 points, 4 assist, and 3 steals.
The next opponent will be Fordham. This is another really good team. They have a couple of really good shooters and are also a very good defensive team. The game will be at the Convocation Center at 7 PM on Wednesday. We need all of you to be there and cheer on the Dukes. The common opponent is Duquesne. We lost to Duquesne at the beginning of the year and they beat Duquesne.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Comeback Dukes-WNIT
When the Dukes weren't playing well in the first half, as a fan you were thinking, oh no, not good. It sort of reminded me of this past Saturday when the Dukes played one of their worst games ever. It was almost like deja vu, but this time, the team actually scored 31 points in the half. The NC A&T Aggies were up 7 at the half with 38 points.
Obviously this wasn't going to be an easy game. If you looked at their schedule you would know that they beaten Liberty, W&M, UNCW, and like JMU lost to Richmond. This was a good team and they showed it. Not only did they show it, but for a full 28 minutes held the lead. At one point they were up by as many as 13 points. But the Lady Dukes wouldn't go away and they kept fighting.
In the second half, the Dukes would get within 1 point, but then Amber Calvin (25 points, 7-9 from 3-pt) of NC A&T would help the Aggies go back up 8 points. But that would be the last run the Aggies would make, at least one that would give them such a large lead. Over the course of the next 14 minutes, the Lady Dukes would put on a comeback that would spark them to win by 13 points. It was something to behold.
Every player for the Dukes contributed. I give a lot of props to Kanita Shepherd, she was wonderful under the basket tonight and on defense. Kirby came to her own tonight and scored yet another double-double. Tarik Hislop while having somewhat of a rough night shooting, still managed to score 17 points. But the one player that deserves a lot of credit is Angela "Muff" Mickens. Wow, what can I say. She came up big in the second half. When Amber Calvin was hitting threes, Mickens was able to get a shot block and score on the other end. When Amber Calvin came back into the game with about 2 minutes to play, Mickens stole the ball from her. If you want to know if Mickens was doing something and getting into the minds of the players, look no further than Amber Calvin. After Mickens stole the ball, Calvin looked down to the floor dejected, then she just jogged to get on defense. This was when I knew that JMU had won the game.
Never stop fighting Ladies and good job tonight!
Next game will be against North Carolina State and will be at the Convocation center at JMU. The time of the game will be at 2 PM. Pack the convo again, Go Dukes!!
Box Notes http://www.jmusports.com/newLiveStats/Basketball/index.dbml?GAME_STAT_ID=1100033&db_oem_id=14400
Obviously this wasn't going to be an easy game. If you looked at their schedule you would know that they beaten Liberty, W&M, UNCW, and like JMU lost to Richmond. This was a good team and they showed it. Not only did they show it, but for a full 28 minutes held the lead. At one point they were up by as many as 13 points. But the Lady Dukes wouldn't go away and they kept fighting.
In the second half, the Dukes would get within 1 point, but then Amber Calvin (25 points, 7-9 from 3-pt) of NC A&T would help the Aggies go back up 8 points. But that would be the last run the Aggies would make, at least one that would give them such a large lead. Over the course of the next 14 minutes, the Lady Dukes would put on a comeback that would spark them to win by 13 points. It was something to behold.
Every player for the Dukes contributed. I give a lot of props to Kanita Shepherd, she was wonderful under the basket tonight and on defense. Kirby came to her own tonight and scored yet another double-double. Tarik Hislop while having somewhat of a rough night shooting, still managed to score 17 points. But the one player that deserves a lot of credit is Angela "Muff" Mickens. Wow, what can I say. She came up big in the second half. When Amber Calvin was hitting threes, Mickens was able to get a shot block and score on the other end. When Amber Calvin came back into the game with about 2 minutes to play, Mickens stole the ball from her. If you want to know if Mickens was doing something and getting into the minds of the players, look no further than Amber Calvin. After Mickens stole the ball, Calvin looked down to the floor dejected, then she just jogged to get on defense. This was when I knew that JMU had won the game.
Never stop fighting Ladies and good job tonight!
Next game will be against North Carolina State and will be at the Convocation center at JMU. The time of the game will be at 2 PM. Pack the convo again, Go Dukes!!
Box Notes http://www.jmusports.com/newLiveStats/Basketball/index.dbml?GAME_STAT_ID=1100033&db_oem_id=14400
Saturday, March 16, 2013
That didn't go as planned....
Before I get started, I want to congratulate the Lady Dukes on a successful season. They have really shown why they are a good team and why they will be at the top next year. With that said, this tournament showed their youth. I am going to be a little harsh on the team, so I hope that you do not get upset, but tonight, the team deserves the heat and the criticism.
I have no clue how a team that usually scores 60+ points a game only score a total of 34 points. In fact, they only scored 7 points for the first 16 minutes of the second half. The next 7 points came within the last 3 minutes of the game. It was a poor showing all around. Every shot they got off, refused to sink, every shot was either too hard, wide right, or some other weird direction. Get this, the Dukes were just 1-13 from the 3-point and 16-58 from the 2 point. And here is another stat, Drexel had 21 attempts at the free throw line while JMU only had 3 attempts (some of this was because of the multiple fouls committed to slow the game). Drexel also had just 11 fouls called on them, while JMU had 19 fouls called on them. Every aspect of the game against Drexel, including the energy level was very poor. The girls have heart no doubt, but my goodness, you beat Drexel the week before by 9 points and then you come into the semi-final game and get crushed by 16 points. What gives?
You could say that the refs had a lot to do with how JMU responded, but you cannot account for the poor shooting. Defense was good though, but the offense was horrendous. A bright spot during the game was at the last few minutes of the first half when JMU made a run and closed within 3 points, but would get burned on a 3 the next possession to go into the half down by 6. From then on, it was all Drexel.
You can tell I am disappointed at the Dukes performance tonight. If I am not mistaken, the Dukes did the same thing last year against Drexel in the semi-final game where we lost by 17 points. But last year the Dukes scored 50 points. Ladies, let this serve as a catalyst to win in post-season. I don't think they will be in the NCAA tournament, but they will be in the WNIT.
A quick look to next year before the possible WNIT bid.
A look at next year. This team is going to be very good. I think a problem area we could have is at the point guard position, if Angela Mickens doesn't pan out. I like Mickens and I think she is gong to be a great player, but I have noticed that she has been afraid to take a deeper 2 point shot. Other than that, she is fantastic when it comes to passing. We also get Lauren Okafor, the transfer from Providence, who is considered to be a really good center-we really needed the size this year, so next year we get the size down low. We also get back Nikki Newman and her stout defense. Of course we also get back everyone except of course Tarik Hislop and Kanita Shepherd. I think we also need to find that third shooter. We are going to lose a prolific shooter in Tarik Hislop and we need to find someone who will take over as the third shooter. New recruits that will be coming in will be Da'Lisha Griffin and Amani Tatum. So next year should be a good year.
With all this said, I like what was posted on twitter by the JMU WBB team a while gack "A setback is an opportunity for a comeback!" Truer words have never been spoken and knowing how good this team really is, I am sure a comeback in the WNIT if they should get one, will prove to be the case with this team. Go Dukes!
EDIT: Forgot to add that Toia Giggets actually had a descent game and scored 14 points. And while Kirby Burkholder's shots were not falling, she did get 13 rebounds.
I have no clue how a team that usually scores 60+ points a game only score a total of 34 points. In fact, they only scored 7 points for the first 16 minutes of the second half. The next 7 points came within the last 3 minutes of the game. It was a poor showing all around. Every shot they got off, refused to sink, every shot was either too hard, wide right, or some other weird direction. Get this, the Dukes were just 1-13 from the 3-point and 16-58 from the 2 point. And here is another stat, Drexel had 21 attempts at the free throw line while JMU only had 3 attempts (some of this was because of the multiple fouls committed to slow the game). Drexel also had just 11 fouls called on them, while JMU had 19 fouls called on them. Every aspect of the game against Drexel, including the energy level was very poor. The girls have heart no doubt, but my goodness, you beat Drexel the week before by 9 points and then you come into the semi-final game and get crushed by 16 points. What gives?
You could say that the refs had a lot to do with how JMU responded, but you cannot account for the poor shooting. Defense was good though, but the offense was horrendous. A bright spot during the game was at the last few minutes of the first half when JMU made a run and closed within 3 points, but would get burned on a 3 the next possession to go into the half down by 6. From then on, it was all Drexel.
You can tell I am disappointed at the Dukes performance tonight. If I am not mistaken, the Dukes did the same thing last year against Drexel in the semi-final game where we lost by 17 points. But last year the Dukes scored 50 points. Ladies, let this serve as a catalyst to win in post-season. I don't think they will be in the NCAA tournament, but they will be in the WNIT.
A quick look to next year before the possible WNIT bid.
A look at next year. This team is going to be very good. I think a problem area we could have is at the point guard position, if Angela Mickens doesn't pan out. I like Mickens and I think she is gong to be a great player, but I have noticed that she has been afraid to take a deeper 2 point shot. Other than that, she is fantastic when it comes to passing. We also get Lauren Okafor, the transfer from Providence, who is considered to be a really good center-we really needed the size this year, so next year we get the size down low. We also get back Nikki Newman and her stout defense. Of course we also get back everyone except of course Tarik Hislop and Kanita Shepherd. I think we also need to find that third shooter. We are going to lose a prolific shooter in Tarik Hislop and we need to find someone who will take over as the third shooter. New recruits that will be coming in will be Da'Lisha Griffin and Amani Tatum. So next year should be a good year.
With all this said, I like what was posted on twitter by the JMU WBB team a while gack "A setback is an opportunity for a comeback!" Truer words have never been spoken and knowing how good this team really is, I am sure a comeback in the WNIT if they should get one, will prove to be the case with this team. Go Dukes!
EDIT: Forgot to add that Toia Giggets actually had a descent game and scored 14 points. And while Kirby Burkholder's shots were not falling, she did get 13 rebounds.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
JMU The 2 Seed
Last night, Giggets scored 19 points and 8 rebounds. She took control of the paint and made it her own. In fact, she was unstoppable. The last meeting between JMU and Drexel, Giggets had only 2 points and 7 rebounds. I think it is safe to say that Giggets became the post player we loved late last year. But, I think she is actually better than she was last year. The nice thing about this Drexel win was that we played the game fast and fed the ball inside and Giggets took advantage. It is so amazing how JMU at times played with 1 senior, 1 junior, 1 sophomore, and 2 freshman, while at other times JMU played with 3 freshman.
The Tournament
Well, the seeds have been set and we are now the 2 seed, meaning that we will play Friday at 5 PM against the #7 team Towson. If we beat Towson Friday and Drexel beats William and Mary on Friday (the game after ours) then the rematch with Drexel is on. Don't think we will play the same team as we did last night. I am sure they are going to be on fire like they were at the convo. But I think our advantage is that we are faster and more athletic and if we can keep the game fast paced like we did last night, we will come out with the win.
The Tournament
Well, the seeds have been set and we are now the 2 seed, meaning that we will play Friday at 5 PM against the #7 team Towson. If we beat Towson Friday and Drexel beats William and Mary on Friday (the game after ours) then the rematch with Drexel is on. Don't think we will play the same team as we did last night. I am sure they are going to be on fire like they were at the convo. But I think our advantage is that we are faster and more athletic and if we can keep the game fast paced like we did last night, we will come out with the win.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Burkholder-The Valley's Own
She obviously had a really good game tonight verses George Mason.Today she scored her 8th double-double wuth 14 points and13 rebounds. She was everywhere and for a shooting guard, what more can you ask for? The other night, she didn't shoot well, but her defense and tenacity around the basket made her a game changer. And yes, she is certainly a game changer.
Everywhere you looked she was getting rebounds, disrupting shooters and trying to make things happen. She has a way about her-I guess they call it the "it" factor. Because she can break a game wide open, especially if she is hitting the 3 consistently. If she can have a hot hand in the tournament, we will be in the NCAA tournament. I have said this before, when our shooters and guards are playing well, and if 3 of our shooters-Tarik Hislop, Precious Hall, and Kirby Burkholder are hitting, not even Delaware will be able to beat them. The problem comes in like it did in the last Delaware game when they fail to score for several minutes, giving the other team opportunities.
So let's look at the next game, Drexel. Here is a team that I truly thought we should have beaten the last time around at home. We lost by two points and Mershon was absolutely money. I really felt we gave this game away because we were up at one point in the game by 10+ points. We need to take care of business at the DAC on Wednesday. The problem is that we have always had a hard time playing well at the DAC. Have no clue why, but a win here will be a huge confidence booster going into the tournament. The game is at 7 PM on Wednesday.
The Tournament
No matter what happens Wednesday, JMU cannot finish lower than 3rd. This means that we are likely to face one of three teams-Towson, W&M, or GMU. The semi-final game will be against Drexel. We have to assume that whoever wins will go on to play Delaware-but again that is assuming UD beats the teams they should beat. Here is what time the games will be and the bracket.
March 14 - Game on CAA.TV
G1 -#8 vs #9 (UNCW) @ 12 PM
March 15 - Games on CAA.TV
G2 -#1 (UD) vs winner of G1 @ 12 PM
G3 - #4 vs #5 @ 2:30 PM
G4 - #2 vs #7 @ 5 PM
G5 - #3 vs #6 @7:30 PM
March 16 - Games on Comcast
G6 - G2 vs G3 winner @ 2 PM
G7 - G4 vs G5 winner @ 4:30 PM
March 17 - Game on Comcast
G8 - G6 vs G7 winner @ 2 PM (Champion)
Everywhere you looked she was getting rebounds, disrupting shooters and trying to make things happen. She has a way about her-I guess they call it the "it" factor. Because she can break a game wide open, especially if she is hitting the 3 consistently. If she can have a hot hand in the tournament, we will be in the NCAA tournament. I have said this before, when our shooters and guards are playing well, and if 3 of our shooters-Tarik Hislop, Precious Hall, and Kirby Burkholder are hitting, not even Delaware will be able to beat them. The problem comes in like it did in the last Delaware game when they fail to score for several minutes, giving the other team opportunities.
So let's look at the next game, Drexel. Here is a team that I truly thought we should have beaten the last time around at home. We lost by two points and Mershon was absolutely money. I really felt we gave this game away because we were up at one point in the game by 10+ points. We need to take care of business at the DAC on Wednesday. The problem is that we have always had a hard time playing well at the DAC. Have no clue why, but a win here will be a huge confidence booster going into the tournament. The game is at 7 PM on Wednesday.
The Tournament
No matter what happens Wednesday, JMU cannot finish lower than 3rd. This means that we are likely to face one of three teams-Towson, W&M, or GMU. The semi-final game will be against Drexel. We have to assume that whoever wins will go on to play Delaware-but again that is assuming UD beats the teams they should beat. Here is what time the games will be and the bracket.
March 14 - Game on CAA.TV
G1 -#8 vs #9 (UNCW) @ 12 PM
March 15 - Games on CAA.TV
G2 -#1 (UD) vs winner of G1 @ 12 PM
G3 - #4 vs #5 @ 2:30 PM
G4 - #2 vs #7 @ 5 PM
G5 - #3 vs #6 @7:30 PM
March 16 - Games on Comcast
G6 - G2 vs G3 winner @ 2 PM
G7 - G4 vs G5 winner @ 4:30 PM
March 17 - Game on Comcast
G8 - G6 vs G7 winner @ 2 PM (Champion)
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