"Like LeBron said when he won his first championship, it's about damn time," Goins exclaimed in the postgame press conference sporting a sideways cap and championship hardware.
"Ray's the last one up the court again," Coach Brady joked as him and Goins were a tad tardy to press conference. "We got to wait for him, we got to wait for him!"
After 19 years, yes it is about damn time JMU men's basketball dances again. Goins is the definitely the comedian on the team. He can usually be found getting into some type of shenanigans with fellow teammates, cracking jokes, telling stories or just being silly. Sophomore guard Arman Marks is also top on the list when it comes to comedic Dukes. I will most likely vote him team comedian following Goins' departure.
Whether you've followed this team closely, from a distance, or not at all this season, there is something you need to know. These guys are crazy about one another. The handshakes during starting lineups show it all. The finesse 'daps' are carefully executed to perfection, an art if you will. Freshman Andre Nation is handshake captain. Even if Nation starts, he posts up at the end of the human alley to command these daps. Whether it's bowing to the master or a quick hand slice of the throat, each player has their own.
"I think this team is special because of our bond on and off the court" Goins said after a routing of Hofstra at home back on January 31. “Everybody on this team, one through 15, we all get along and we all hang out off the court.”
"We joke around with each other a lot man," Goins said. "We crack jokes."
The team's unity is very unique. Their bond off the court has served as a catalyst to success on the court. It's undeniable that this has contributed to where they are today; headed to the NCAA tournament.
As with anyone nowadays, especially athletes, social media is crucial. It is how they are able to connect with fans and other players. For instance, Devon Moore went to high school with Jared Sullinger in Columbus, Ohio (Northland High). Jared Sullinger was a standout guard at Ohio State University and is currently a guard on the Boston Celtics.
Sullinger's season was cut short due to injury (forced to have back surgery), which allowed him to be in attendance on February 20 in Matthews Arena as the Dukes came up short against Northeastern. Sullinger even was present inside the JMU locker room following the loss. Goins and A.J. Davis know Sullinger too through their Ohio roots.
In Goins terms, social media can be very distracting.
"Just strollin' all day," Goins said of Instagram. "Me personally, I don't have an Instagram and that has a lot to do with me in the classroom." A extremely wise decision by on of the team's most responsible seniors. Goins, like the five other seniors serve as leaders and role models to the four freshmen (Nation, Charles Cooke, Ron Curry and Taylor Bessick) that have exploded onto the scene this year. Goins acts as one of the father figures within the team.
"After i get this degree i'm going to get me an Instagram," Goins jokingly told Mark Selig in the Dukes of JMU Modcast.
Goins even joked about he and his girlfriend, JMU senior guard Tarik Hislop's checkers rivalry.
"I was destroying her," Goins said of the early matches. "She couldn't win a game."
When it's all said and done, this basketball team is a family, inside and out. They spend almost every waking moment together. Since they get along so well, it must be easy to translate onto the hardwood. I mean this doesn't happen without team chemistry.
The Dukes should definitely do 'Whatever It Takes' to keep this bond up as they make the foreign journey into the NCAA tournament next week.
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