James Madison Dukes (21-12, 10-8)
Projected starting five:
Jr. G Devon Moore
Sr. G Humpty Hitchens
Sr. G-F Julius Wells
Jr. F Andrey Semenov
Sr. F Rayshawn Goins
Important departures:
Starting C Denzel Bowles (17.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg) and reserve guards Chad Jackson (2.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg) and Ben Louis (1.7 ppg, 1.0 rpg) are gone from last season’s team.
Returning:
68.9 percent of scoring and 65.2 percent of rebounding
Additions:
Jr. C Gene Swindle, a Virginia Tech transfer
Sr. G James Millen, a transfer from Cincinnati State
Fr. F Enoch Hood
Fr. G Arman Marks
Fr. F Keynan Pittman
Schedule highlights:
The nonconference slate is a manageable one for this team, with their toughest games likely to be Kent State, Rhode Island in the UCF Holiday Classic (and possible the host school after that), as well as Rider in Philadelphia. When CAA play begins in earnest, the Dukes play three of four at home. They play Drexel and George Mason twice each, and get VCU only on the road.
Projected finish and outlook:
On paper, this team should be a contender. Even with the personnel losses, the Dukes have plenty of talent, but whether or not they’ll put it all together is an open question. Moore is academically ineligible for the first semester, which means Hitchens will have to be the primary ball handler although he’s more of a scorer. That also means Marks will need to give them good minutes right away. If Goins and/or Swindle can become an inside scorer, they won’t miss Bowles as much as his numbers suggest as he wasn’t a great defensive player.
The Dukes need to be a more consistent defensive team, as the core of this team has been part of a good defensive team at times in their careers but also part of a team that looks more like the ones before Matt Brady became the head coach. Brady emphasizes defense and knows that it’s a key to winning, and will continue to try to get consistency out of this team at that end of the floor.
