January 7

   Scientifically, I want to hazard a guess that it's still possible to be hungover. From New Years that is. I mean, we as Americans do consume copious amounts of alcohol just seven nights prior. But all of this is beside the point. So we are left with one usually uneventful date. Public schools are back in session and people's bank accounts are still recovering from "Consumeristmas." Oh, I meant Christmas.

   Before I lose you with this extraneous banter, I'll inform you that Andre Nation returns for the JMU Dukes tonight at Charleston. On September 30, just before the start of practice for the 2013-'14 campaign begun, he was suspended for 15 games (half the season) for "violation of athletic department policy." 

   We were left scratching our heads after his standout freshman year where he averaged 9.3 points/game, over a steal per and logged key minutes earning a spot on the Colonial Athletic Association All-Rookie Team. Zim 'Em Up had been zipped up. 

   His vocal presence on Twitter ignited by changing his handle/name to "Jan7th" (a nod to his eligible return date). He changed his Twitter information to read "A minor setback for a major comeback." So we are halfway through this statement but are left to see whether the comeback will be major. All signs point to yes. He is scrappy, he loud on the court, he walks into practice singing whatever is flowing through his Beats. This team needs his "swag" factor back. The team has won its last four of five so an extra weapon could put JMU right where they need to be as the CAA grind engulfs them. 

   According to Wikipedia, the first American commercial bank opened on this day in 1782. The first transatlantic telephone service was established in 1927. Oh, and Nicholas Cage was born on this day in 1964. Will Nation's return be JMU's national treasure? 

   Today, the Twitter name got swapped once again to "Showtime !!!!!". Yes, indeed it is showtime. YBG is back. 

   Live video of tonight's game can be found here through Charleston. Live audio through MadiZONE can be found here. I suggest Charleston video mixed with the voices of Curt Dudley and Mike Schikman. Game time is 7 p.m.

   

JMU misses from deep...again.

   The Dukes were thankful for the final buzzer tonight in a 68-53 loss to the University of Richmond.

   JMU went 0-16 from behind the arc as UR trapped the Dukes in a web of poor shooting. Nothing would go down.

   "We got to start making those [shots]," Ron Curry said. Curry finished with 16 points on the night. It's the second straight game that he has logged 15 or more points. 

  The Spiders came rolling out of the gate with an 11-2 run that had JMU wondering what could be next .

   They quickly found out that the size of the cup from deep was similar to that of a bottle. Shot after shot, clank after clank the Dukes could not sink a trey. JMU shooters were indeed "Caught in the Web."

   "We've talked about driving the ball more," coach Matt Brady said. "This game is almost an aberration. It's not a great example of where we are." 

   The team entered play ranked 343 in the nation in three-point percentage. Tonight only made it worse. After the abysmal shooting night, the Dukes are shooting 21.5 percent from downtown on the season. 

   January 26, 2011 against Drexel was the last game in which JMU failed to make a three-point shot. The Dukes won that day 60-52. It surely was not the case tonight.

   They were sluggish on offense and defense at times. It seemed as if they were still recovering from Thanksgiving, or maybe even Black Friday shopping. Maybe they were starstruck by the scenery inside the newly renovated Robins Center (which is quite nice). Maybe they were blinded by the glare of four replay screens at each corner of the building.

   Charles Cooke mentioned after the game that the backdrop on the road can be challenging at times for a shooter. It's easy to get used to home court, but when you spend your entire non-conference schedule in someone else's gym, something's got to give.

   Early turnovers led to Spider points. UR blocked seven JMU shots on the night. One included 275-pound Spider Derrick Williams chasing down a fast break, slapping an easy JMU layup off the glass. 

   The Dukes went 17-55 (30.9 percent) from the field on the night. Statistically, it was the team's worst shooting night of the season thus far. 

      Redshirt senior Andrey Semenov did not play for the third straight game. He is sidelined with ankle inflammation and Brady is uncertain when he will return. 

   "These aren't the best circumstances for my team," Brady said, alluding to the absence of Andrey and Andre. "Even if those guys are with us, it's a difficult scenario."

   Cooke and Curry combined for 36 of the team's 53 points on the night. Production is at an all time demand, however the supply is extremely low.

   "We need to have production from a lot of guys," Brady said. "If you look at the stat sheet, we didn't get a lot of production." 

   It's hard to find silver linings in games like these as JMU now has dropped each of their last four games. 

   "We're learning something different from each loss," Cooke said. He mentioned the team needs to get tougher and play smarter in order to win games. A college basketball victory comes at a premium, especially when the team's two best players are not playing. 

   "We're going to start from square one and continue to get better," Cooke said. "That's all we can do."

   With such an uneventful game, it was hard to note that the sophomore guard finished with 20 points, a career high. 

   The team will watch the film, hit the Convo court for practice in preparation for the Lumberjack Classic next weekend. The Dukes will face Sam Houston State Friday night and Stephen F. Austin (host school) Saturday night. JMU (2-6) does not play their next home game until December 30 against Ball State.

   They've been on the road almost all season and will continue their tour through the month of December. 

   "It's tough," Curry said of being on the road. "Even though we're traveling a lot, we don't think about it. It's another opportunity to play basketball." 

Free Throw Disaster

There were multiple silver linings for the Dukes on Tuesday night, despite their 71-67 loss to the University of Detroit Mercy.

With a recorded attendance of 4,030, the Convocation Center was crowded with hungry and excited JMU fans, a noticeable difference from the past few years. As students took their seats they witnessed something that hasn’t happened on the men’s side since 1994: a banner unveiling.

A little over 10 minutes before tip off, staff revealed two new banners hanging in the Convo.

“CAA Champions” and “NCAA Tournament,” the banners read commemorating the 2012-2013 season.

Redshirt senior forward Andrey Semenov stood at midcourt for an extra period of time admiring the newest additions to his team’s office. He shook his head almost in disbelief.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Semenov said. “In the words of Rayshawn Goins ‘It’s about [damn] time.’”

The atmosphere at tip off was, needless to say, electric. Fans jumped on risers, which were visibly flexing under the pressure. The audiences’ energy remained high as the Dukes jumped out to an early 9-3 lead on shots by Semenov, sophomore guard Ron Curry and sophomore forward Taylor Bessick.

Head coach Matt Brady mentioned the need for students Monday. He said whether they got them Tuesday or in January (next home games with classes in session), were needed. He got his wish early.

“Special mention to the students, coming out in force,” Brady said. “It was great to see. I’m hopeful that we can continue to get the students back.”

With just under two minutes left in the first half, sophomore guard Charles Cooke got loose on a fast break and threw down a one-handed slam — reenergizing the Convo. What the Dukes didn’t know was that Cooke’s dunk was the last time they would have the lead all night. He finished with a team-high 17 points.

But the Titans went into the break up 33-32.

JMU’s second half was characterized by missed opportunities and unfortunate breaks. With 12:55 remaining, Curry hobbled to the sideline grabbing his left ankle region in agony. After having it examined and taped up, he returned a few minutes later, but only lasted 46 seconds before being taken out for good.

Brady said it’s a sprain and he will be evaluated this week. His status for Saturday’s game at Valparaiso University is unknown, but Brady remains hopeful.

The silver lining of Curry’s injury was the emergence of freshman guard Jackson Kent. He checked in for Curry and went on a personal 6-0 run, which cut the Titan lead to two points, 48-46.

“I just went into the game in the second half and knew I needed to step up,” Kent said. “[I] got lost in the game.”

Kent finished with 10 points.

The team kept inching forward, but they were plagued by fouls — not fouls that they committed, but not capitalizing on any of Detroit’s 31 committed fouls.

The difference really was that JMU just couldn’t do it Tuesday night shooting just 26-45 (58.7 percent) from the line.

“I really don’t know,” Cooke said. “We just missed free throws. There’s really no excuse for it.”

The Dukes went into the game shooting 68.4 percent from the line, good enough for third in the Colonial Athletic Association. The abysmal performance Tuesday drops their season average to 64.4 percent.

It’s hard to come up for an answer when your team misses on so many opportunities, but someone is always going to ask why.

“It’s a routine shot,” Cooke said. “It’s something you do over and over again.”

If you hear a lot of whistles coming from inside the Convo the end of this week, it might just be the team running suicides to the point of no return.

“I don’t know if it’s nerves,” Brady said. “I will say this about free throws: it’s contagious.”

The silver lining on the defensive end was the continued success of the newly conceived 3-2 zone. With their length surrounding the arc, the zone helped limit penetration. Keeping the ball outside is good, however, the Titans made them pay for this by knocking down nine three’s, including a few at NBA length.

“We haven’t gotten it down fully,” Cooke said. “It gives our fours and fives (forwards) more time to get to the corner.”

With the zone, they have some more time to react and see the play develop. Semenov (who finished with 14 points) says he prefers playing the low side of the zone for court vision. His versatility allows him to play the top or the bottom with ease.

This team is not laterally quick, according to Brady, but he thinks the 3-2 zone is helping the players rebound.

As students go on break, the Dukes (2-3) will be at work, playing three games in three different states in a week’s time.

“We are going to scratch this off the board,” Cooke said. “Get back in the gym and keep working.”

Brady will continue to teach his young players the keys to capitalization.

“We will be able to show them a number of mistakes that we could’ve gotten an edge in this game that we didn’t take advantage of,” he said.

UVA 61 JMU 41

   Last Monday at coach Matt Brady’s weekly press luncheon, he said Friday’s game against the University of Virginia would not reveal what his team will ultimately become.
   The Dukes were out-hustled, out-shot, and ultimately out-played in their 61-41 season opening loss on the road to no. 24 University of Virginia.

   “It’s not exactly what we had hoped in terms of the score,” Brady said. “But it’s certainly something we knew was possible.”
  “I thought we had a combination of very difficult shots that you can’t have when you’re on the road and want to beat a quality team,” Brady added.

   Between 13:15 and 1:15 in the first half, the Dukes scored a lone free throw. UVA’s two-three zone defense paralyzed the Dukes from the floor.

   “It was frustrating because we wanted to execute,” sophomore Charles Cooke said. “Some of the plays we executed really well, but we got wide open shots and they just didn’t fall.”
   Andrey Semenov didn’t score from the floor until 1:45 into the second half. When your best offensive threat is held to one made free throw through almost 22 minutes, you can’t expect wins.

   “The question is, is he going to play the way we need him to play,” Brady said. “He’s going to help us become a very good team.”

   Semenov finished the night 3-12 from the field, 1-5 from behind the arc for eight points.

   “Andrey’s going [to have] big nights,” Brady said. “He’s going to have nights when teams guard the heck out of him and we’ll still be in the game with a chance to win.”
   Whether or not Semenov has a “big night” will become a large factor in the win/loss column for JMU this season.

   Offensive consistency and depth is not present in this young roster.

   Sophomores Ron Curry and Cooke finished with nine points apiece. Fellow sophomore Taylor Bessick fouled out before he could even register a shot.

   “Getting into the lane, attacking gaps, and getting it to open shooters [was] the most difficult part about it,” Cooke said.
   When these limited offensive threats fail to fully ignite, Brady finds himself searching for points.

   “The combination of difficult shots, open shots, and not making shots, then you will struggle with a team like this,” Brady said.

   The evolution of freshman Tom Vodanovich has been rapid. While Brady was high on freshman Ivan Lukic prior to the season, Vodanovich has quickly made himself a standout player.

   “I guess just the team I’m with, we’re so close on and off the court,” Vodanovich said. “It just makes it easy to get out there and play.”

   His comfortability and decision-making is unmatched by any one of his fellow newcomers. He got the start Friday night and made the best of it, as he was the only Duke scoring in double figures with 11 (nine of which came from behind the arc) while eating up 38 minutes of floor time. 

   “The competition is always different, but it’s always the same game.”

   JMU’s inexperience showed on the glass and in the lane. The Cavaliers out-rebounded the Dukes 45 to 27 while winning points in the paint too, 38-24. 

   “It’s a learning experience,” Brady said of their physicality. “We have not responded well when we have played outside competition in terms of physicality. It will be a learning curve with this group.”

   History predicted the loss. JMU has not taken down a ranked opponent since 1992. It’s also the fifth time in the past six years they’ve opened the season against a top-25 school.

   “I think the difference in the game was their size and strength in the lane.”
   UVA may be the toughest team JMU faces all season. The Dukes have a lot to learn as they move forward. Class is now in session.

   “This was a good learning experience for us,” Brady said. “As a coaching staff we will look at the tape and get better from it.”

That time of year....again

By Stephen Proffitt | The Breeze

The countdown to basketball season is officially underway following Tuesday’s annual Colonial Athletic Association’s media day. This year, unlike the previous 24, the focus was on Baltimore, Md., the new host city for men’s basketball tournament. This season’s tourney will be held March 7-10 at the Baltimore Arena. The women’s tournament will again be held in Upper Marlboro, Md. March 13-16.

JMU’s Matt Brady and Kenny Brooks, coaches of the men and women’s programs, were on hand to field questions on the upcoming season.

The women’s team received high preseason praise as they were chosen to win the CAA. On top of that, senior guard Kirby Burkholder was selected Preseason Player of the Year. Burkholder averaged 15 points and nine rebounds per game last season for the Dukes.

“It’s flattering,” Brooks said of the attention. “These are awards voted upon by your peers. It’s nice to be recognized as a really good program, but other than that we’re not interested in being paper champions.”

Sophomore guard Precious Hall was named to the Preseason All-Conference First Team along with Burkholder.

Much of the talk on the JMU women’s side surrounded the return of Nikki Newman, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility after suffering a season-ending injury just nine games into last year.

“I felt like I lost my security blanket last year,” Brooks said of Newman.

Over on the men’s side, coach Brady’s squad was selected to finish seventh out of nine teams.

“It’s all conversation for one day,” Brady said. “This doesn’t impede the process of our progress.”

The team will be led by redshirt senior Andrey Semnov who was granted a sixth year of eligibility, like Newman, after being injured for the majority of last season. Semenov will team up with a four-person sophomore class, who led the Dukes much of last season, and a talented six-player freshmen class.

Sophomore standout, Andre Nation who is suspended for the first 15 games of the season, was named Preseason Second Team All-CAA. He was a member of the All-CAA Rookie last season.

Despite losing five seniors, who accounted for much of the offensive production, Brady sees the bright side of things.

“We have momentum,” he acknowledged.

Both teams open their regular season on Nov. 8 against the University of Virginia — the men’s team on the road and the women’s team at home.

For more in-depth coverage of the Dukes’ preseason, check out The Breeze basketball special section on November 7.

Contact Stephen Proffitt at proffittjs@gmail.com.

Culture of fandom has changed, not for the better (Column)

By Stephen Proffitt | The Breeze

The front page headline-inducing fight following Sunday’s Jets-Patriots game had a 38-year-old male Jets fan, Kurt Paschke, throw a haymaker straight into the jaw of a female Pats supporter. I cannot decide what is more ironic in this situation, the fact that the Jets won, or how the same Jets fan had an anti-bullying post on his Facebook earlier in the week.

What is sports fandom coming to that a week seven NFL game provokes a man to coldcock a woman? Paschke, the bully, previously spent three years in jail after being convicted for the fatal stabbing of a 17-year-old inside of a pizza parlor. His mother is defending her son in the fight Sunday calling it self-defense, claiming that the 105-pound girl had thrown three punches at her son (probably 6’3”, 235). He drives around a short school bus that he has converted into the “Jets Mobile.” He thinks he’s a Jets fan. I think he’s a thug.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first incident like this. At the end of September, a Dodgers fan was stabbed to death by two Giants fans outside AT&T Park.

Sports bring out the best and worst of people. Lately, however, they’ve been bringing out the worst. We are in desperate need to re-evaluate what it means to be a sports fan.

Earlier this year, Brian Reese, a junior media arts and design major and close friend, attended JMU’s first-round NCAA tournament game nine hours away in Dayton, Ohio engulfed in purple body paint. Inadvertently, Reese used craft paint — which didn’t wash off easily — and was forced to attend class the following day looking like the Kool-Aid man. He dropped everything and spent hundreds to be with the team he loves. That is true fandom.

So is camping outside Cameron Indoor Stadium days before a coveted Duke basketball game.

And don’t you dare make fun of the Redskins’ Hogettes in Landover. They don’t oink around.

You’re not too cool to be a fan. I don’t care if you’re 20 or 65; it’s not uncool to live in the apparel of your favorite team. My entire wardrobe consists of Red Sox and Phish shirts. They’re my two favorite things in life. Live your fandom like no one is watching. Be proud of your fandom. Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters said it best — “I don’t believe in guilty pleasures.”

This week we embark on the greatest event on the sports calendar all year, the Fall Classic. Fans of the bearded Red Sox and clean-cut Cardinals will leave work early, call in sick, wear fake beards and pay absurd amounts of money to cheer on their team whether it is in Fenway or at Busch Stadium. This is what we live for. Whatever team you pull for, live it; eat up every angle that you can because you never know when it may be gone. Success is not always guaranteed. Between 1919 and 2003, the Red Sox won zero World Series titles. You just never know. That’s what makes sports the realest thing in the world.

As you read this I will be in Boston frantically awaiting Fenway staff to open the gates for Game 2 of the World Series. I cashed out every penny I own to attend this game with my sister. I never second-guessed the decision because I have a lifelong, emotional connection to this team. It just feels right. Hundreds of dollars vanished from my checking account with two clicks of a mouse. It’s just a figure; it’ll come back, I’m sure of that. But will the Red Sox ever make it back to the World Series? That I can’t be sure of.

Live in the moment. Step out of the closet and be profound.

Whether it’s Dayton or Boston you’re bound for, as a sports fan you are called to do something crazy like this. There’s no need to punch a girl, stab someone or even get drunk to be a kid in a candy store throughout this series.

Look for me tonight among the many bearded Boston fanatics, section 37, row 20 in dead center. Don’t worry, I’ll stick out. Go Sox!

Stephen Proffitt is a junior media arts and design major. Contact Stephen at proffittjs@gmail.com.

Jordan vs. LeBron

By Stephen Proffitt | The Breeze

It’s America’s pastime. No, I’m not referencing yesterday’s coveted start to the Major League Baseball season. I’m talking about the ever-growing debate over who’s mightier: Michael Jordan or LeBron James. It’s becoming a topic that could decide who your father-in-law may or may not be.

No matter what side you stand on, both of these players will go down as two of the most iconic players to ever step on an NBA hardwood. James is coming off leading the Heat to a commanding 27-game win streak. Even the greatest team in NBA history, the 1995-96 Bulls led by Jordan couldn’t put together more than an 18-game winning streak during their historic 72-win championship season.

So now I’m going to throw you a 12-6 curveball and tell you why James will never reach the same level as Jordan — Jordan’s brief baseball career easily makes him the best basketball player ever.

I could’ve gone the usual route of six championship rings (Jordan) to one (James), but that would be ignorant, plus I like opting for the hipster highway. Since we can look back on Jordan’s career in its entirety, trying to compare it with James’ mere 10 years in the league (yes, it’s been that long) would be like comparing the still-new Washington Nationals to the legendary Yankees. It’s just not fair. James will win more rings, maybe not six, but definitely more than one; his next could come as early as this June.

In honor of a new season filled with pine tar and chewing tobacco, Jordan is light years better than King James for what he did on the diamond, not the hardwood. I’m as crazy as Dennis Rodman, right?

On Oct. 6, 1993, Jordan retired from basketball after nine seasons in the association. His reasoning was equivalent to Lil Wayne’s departure from music (thank God) to a newfound skating endeavor. It just didn’t make any sense, especially as the Bulls were entering the 1994 season as back-to-back-to-back NBA champions.

In the spring of ’94, Jordan took his talents to the Birmingham Barons, the Double-A affiliate to the Chicago White Sox. He went f

rom a jet-filled luxury lifestyle to taking charter buses through the back roads of Alabama.

While his numbers wouldn’t arouse Buster Olney, his journey into the unknown was commendable. Jordan finished at .202/.289/.266 in the three main batting categories (batting average, on-base and slugging percentage).

With his presence he brought a little slice of Hollywood to a colorless minor league baseball team.

It’s simply the concept here. He withdrew from basketball, his way of living, to pursue a childhood passion, and he wasn’t too terrible at it. No one does that. Do you think James could hang with the Richmond Flying Squirrels? I don’t.

Jordan then threw in his glove after one season and returned to the United Center, embracing his Bulls teammates once again at the end of the ’95 season. 1994’s MLB strike is said to have influenced his return to basketball. Many say that without it, he would’ve continued his journey to the big leagues.

While no one can be certain where Jordan’s baseball ceiling would’ve been, it’s fun to speculate.

In his first full season back (’95-’96) Jordan won MVP honors and led the Bulls to another Finals victory. They repeated again in ’97 and ’98.

The philosophy is simple: Jordan wins three MVP’s and three straight championships, quits basketball for an entire year to play baseball, returns and again brings three straight championships and two MVP’s to the city of Chicago.

If James is as good as Jordan, he’ll win the championship this year and next, then become a tight end for an arena football league team. After briefly getting his feet wet on the gridiron, he’ll need to return to South Beach and win another three straight Finals rings.

Well, that would be about as probable as the Houston Astros winning the World Series this year.

Stephen Proffitt is a sophomore media arts and design major. Contact Stephen at proffijs@dukes.jmu.edu.