Brady’s Dukes quickly find chemistry in CAA
George Mason’s lineup is all about stability. James Madison’s is anything but.
When the teams meet Saturday in Harrisonburg, however, they will be on equal footing in the competitive Colonial Athletic Association. George Mason (13-5, 5-2) and James Madison (15-4, 5-2) are tied for second place, examples of how to arrive at the same destination by distinctly different routes.
The Patriots’ lineup is made up of the top six who finished in the same roles last year. The top six in the Dukes’ rotation, however, include three transfers and two players who were injured redshirts last season. But it’s an odds-and-ends group that has jelled under third-year coach Matt Brady.
“It’s not about talented individuals,” Brady, 45, said before the season. “It’s about chemistry and defense and rebounding. If we can do all those things and stay healthy, we can have a really good team.”
| UP NEXT |
| George Mason at James Madison |
| When » Saturday, 11 a.m. |
| Where » JMU Convocation Center, Harrisonburg, Va. |
| TV » ESPNU |
So far, it’s worked according to plan. With a win Saturday, James Madison would be off to its best start since 1981-82, when Lou Campanelli took JMU to its second straight NCAA tournament.
The game-changer arrived last year from Texas A&M in the form of 6-foot-10, 260-pound Denzel Bowles, who promptly became the first player in CAA history to lead the league in scoring (20.8 ppg), rebounding (9.2 pg) and field goal shooting (59.4 percent).
This year Bowles’ scoring is down (17.1 ppg), but that was expected with the addition of talented newcomers with whom to share the ball. Humpty Hitchens (8.9 ppg), a 5-9 junior, arrived after two seasons at Akron. Rayshawn Goins (11.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg), a 6-6, 250-pound junior, came via Cincinnati State, a junior college.
Combining them with the holdovers — Devon Moore (10.3 ppg, 4.4 apg), a 6-4 sophomore, out last season with a knee injury; Andrey Semenov (7.8 ppg), a 6-7 sophomore sniper, out last year with a back injury; and Julius Wells (9.8 ppg), a 6-5 slasher — was a delicate chemistry experiment.
Before the season, Brady talked of possibly having the league’s best point guard (Moore), wing (Wells) and low-post player (Bowles). But he also was quick to point out that JMU knew its place in the CAA pecking order behind the veteran squads of perennial powers George Mason, Virginia Commonwealth and Old Dominion.
“They’re the three best programs in the league,” Brady said. “They’ve accomplished the most. They’re in their rightful place.”
James Madison has lost 13 of its last 14 to George Mason, 12 of its last 15 to VCU and 13 of its last 15 to ODU, including a 64-58 defeat in Norfolk on Wednesday. The loss puts extra onus on Saturday’s game as James Madison attempts to prove it belongs among the league’s elite.
Upping the ante will be a national television audience (ESPNU) and the potential of a raucous sellout crowd at home, where the Dukes have gone 9-0 this year.
The opponent will be formidable. George Mason had perhaps its most cohesive and committed performance this season Wednesday night, a 71-47 defeat of Drexel. The Patriots outrebounded the nation’s fourth-best rebounding team 40-31 and limited the Dragons to a season-low 32.1 percent shooting.
George Mason coach Jim Larranaga knows the Patriots will have to bring their best defensive stuff to Harrisonburg.
“James Madison is by far the most talented offensive team in the conference,” Larranaga said. “They’ve got weapons up and down their starting lineup and off their bench.”
