2013 CAA Tournament Primer

(The following is an expanded version of a piece appearing on CAAHoops, CAAZone, and other Colonial Athletic Association hubs around the internet.)

The CAA tournament is developing a nasty little reputation as what might be the best conference tournament in the country that nobody west of Appalachia knows about. And we're less than 24 hours from throwing this party all over again.

But first, let's recognize some realities. The CAA, as a mid-major brand, is losing ground just as fast as it gained it. VCU, a former staple of the Colonial postseason, is now an Atlantic 10 commodity and a nationwide household name. The shell that once was Old Dominion basketball has now played its final game as a Colonial Team. Georgia State is out the door as well, though coach Hunter once said after a game that he might stop in Richmond just to stare longingly at the Richmond Coliseum.

That's all prologue to the APR penalties leveled at UNCW and Towson. The Tigers, who just capped what is literally the greatest single-year program turnaround in Division 1 men's basketball history, would have as good a shot as anyone at hoisting the goods in Richmond on Monday night. Instead, both teams are sitting at home, stuck playing pick-up at the YMCA and watching Law and Order reruns.

With all those familiar faces gone, you might think this CAA tournament feels a little watered down.

Yeah, watered down with flaming vodka.

Remember how the 2012 NBA season felt, with its compressed regular season and streaky hot teams? Welcome to the 2013 CAA championship, where literally any team can win it all. How about the fightin' Sherrod Wrights, who have that one really good player... what's his name again? If seeding holds, Northeastern could win its first CAA tournament title in league history. Or maybe the Tribe can shoot their way past JMU and into the finals conversation. Hey, third times the charm, right? (Mark Selig disagrees.)

Speaking of JMU, all of Harrisonburg must have let out a sigh of relief when they saw how their Dukes were seeded. For a team that never seems to catch a break -- at least not in the Matt Brady era anyway -- they sure caught some in this year's tournament. Teams on JMU's side of the 7-team bracket are a combined 0-5 against the Dukes this season, while 1-seed Northeastern, 4-seed Mason, and 5-seed Drexel are 4-1 against the Purple and Gold.

Does Murphy's Law have a converse? That's right, some of us paid attention in high school Geometry.

I don't typically find myself comparing NCAA basketball to FIFA soccer tournaments, but how about the Group of Death that's been created for the aforementioned Patriots, Dragons, and Huskies? Drexel split with George Mason during the regular season, so we're looking for a Round 3 tiebreaker... and, oh yeah, whoever wins the inevitable slugfest receives the unenviable task of upstaging Northeastern. Yeah, good luck with that one boys.

Truth be told though, the Huskies have looked a lot more mortal through the latter stages of the season. Though it looked almost indomitable in jumping out to a 12-1 start, Northeastern finished the season 2-3. Some people say it's not how you start, it's how you finish.

I don't know anyone that actually says that, but if I run into one in the next 48 hours, I'll be sure to ask them who they've got Sunday night. My guess is they'll bet against the Huskies. Old habits die hard.

Say what you want about the Huskies, but at least they have that first-round bye. Who knows what kind of factor fatigue could play in semifinal matchups.

And while we're on the topic of first-round byes, Delaware will play Hofstra in the opening round on Saturday!

No, I kid. A lot of fans are actually writing off the Pride this tournament, as the sort of exception that proves the "any team could win it" rule. But I'm here to tell you, don't count out the Pride. In their last three games, they handled ODU, nearly upended Delaware but lost by 1, and had Towson on the ropes down in Maryland, leading by as much as 10 early on before losing a close one 67-64. There's no question they could potentially make some noise in the CAA tournament.

Just like every other 20-something with a sports blog, I've got my opinions on who will take this year's tourney. But the truth is that this tournament is nothing short of a basketball equation shrouded in 100% Grade A American sports enigma. Anything can happen. That coveted auto-bid is as up for grabs as it ever was.

One things for certain, going into Saturday's opening rounds. There's only two types of basketball fans who'll be watching the CAA tournament this weekend:

People who have no idea what's going to happen, and bold-faced liars.






Round-by-Round Predictions

Now that I've postured about how this year's conference tourney is wildly unpredictable, I'm gonna work my magic and, well, predict it. If you need to familiarize yourself with the 2013 iteration of the conference bracket, you can find the link over at CAAsports.


Round 1:

George Mason vs Drexel:  Quick! Name a player from George Mason that isn't named Sherrod Wright!

Okay fine, I've used the same joke like ten times this season. But it's a classic, so why switch it up midseason? The painful truth for Fairfax Community College here is that any team that can lock down Sherrod Wright can lock down George Mason. The Patriots can go big(ish) in response to that type of gameplan, but the fact is that the Patriots are woefully inconsistent against teams that lock down the star junior guard. Drexel is one such team that matches up well.

Now, I want to give some credit to GMU here. They fought through a bad matchup to win in Philadelphia for a season split with Drexel. But I don't think lightning can strike twice. Drexel is finally starting to get healthy again, and Bruiser Flint is, in my humblest of opinions, the better coach here. So I'm taking the Dragons in an ugly, borderline unwatchable game.

Pick: Drexel


Delaware vs Hofstra: Look, Bruce Willis wasn't the only one that was a good boy scout. I did my good turn and pumped up the Pride. Ra-ra, black sheep, and something about corn. Or whatever.

I meant what I said -- I think Hofstra could potentially make some noise. Doesn't mean I'm picking them.

Pick: Delaware


JMU vs William & Mary: There's some stuff you just can't explain, like those weird winter rings around Richmond rocks near Belle Isle, how women make decisions, or what the hell type of planetary body Pluto is supposed to be. Equally deserving of belonging on this list: what goes through AJ Davis' head when he steps on a court with Marcus Thornton.

I know Davis has been lot the last half a dozen games of the season, but when he's played against the Pantless Griffins, he's just been downright stupid. Davis set a season-high with 27 the first time he played the Tribe this year, including shooting an Olympian 70% from behind the arc... and for an encore, all he managed was to drop a career-high 36 last weekend, the second-best individual scoring game of an CAA player all season, and more or less single handedly won the game for JMU. And if that sentence was a run-on, well, that's basically the only way to handle writing about AJ Davis right now. Load up on amphetamines and go from there.

Being a senior that has lived through some of the stuff that I have -- like, say, the CAA tournament's all-time greatest individual performance, just off the top of my head -- William & Mary scares the tar out of me. Moreso, in fact, than Delaware and Northeastern do, if we're being honest.

I felt rather foolish feeling that, to be honest. Until I told that to assistant coach and longtime Matt Brady mentor Mike Deane, and he didn't laugh me out of the room. So, hey! There's a win. Or at least a not-loss.

Whatever mythical deities AJ Davis is sacrificing small petting zoo animals to, KEEP DOING IT. IT'S WORKING. AND I'M SORRY I SAT NEXT TO YOU ON THE BUS THAT ONE TIME ALL AWKWARDLY WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING. TOTALLY WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN.

Pick: JMU


Round 2: Semifinals

Drexel vs Northeastern: I really believe this game will be close. Drexel took NU to overtime in Philly early in the season, and they are a vastly superior team now than they were then. Look for Drexel to go big and pound the boards against a Huskies team that doesn't rebound particularly well -- though in their defense, their poor boarding numbers are largely a function of their great field goal percentage.

It's a shame this year's Drexel squad went through what it did. Injuries aside, it could have been a special team that sought vengeance for what I believe was a bit of an NCAA at large snub last year. Still, even with a retooled strategy and some momentum coming into the postseason, the Dragons run will end here. Northeastern shoots the ball, spreads the floor, and unlike Mason, ultimately has too many potential weapons out on the court at any given moment.

Pick: Northeastern


Delaware vs JMU: It would probably be a bit of an overstatement to say that JMU owns Delaware, but the chickens sure didn't pose much of a threat to the Dukes in Harrisonburg, and it's gonna require years of therapy to scratch the impression of Moore-to-Nation from the minds of those unfortunate souls clad in blue. Rest in Peace, old Joe Flacco. You were so much easier to make fun of.

While Rayshawn Goins almost definitely will not be a factor in the fast-pace, run-the-floor first round W&M game, I expect Goins to have a huge game should JMU and Delaware advance to play each other in the semi's. We're talking 15 & 15, maybe more. As Davis has gotten hot, teams have slowly started to forget about game-planning for Goins. The redshirt senior has owned Jamelle Hagins this season. Meanwhile, his teammate and fellow third team all-CAA honoree Devon Moore will likely lock down CAA leading scorer Devon Saddler in the second half with an effort level that could range anywhere from "swimming the English Channel in March" to "blowing up the second death star."

If Delaware wins this game, honestly, I'm not shocked. The Chicks have loads of offensive talent and are deserving of that second seed. But I've got a Kemba-wins-the-national-championship type of feeling here, and I'm gonna remain a homer. Unashamed.

Pick:  JMU


Round 3: Championship Matchup

Northeastern vs JMU: If you've been over to get JMUSB's take on this -- and I highly recommend you do, because they're great guys and, unlike me, totally grounded in realism -- you probably already know where this is going.

I've been saying it since about 9:01 PM on February 20. JMU played Northeastern to a draw in Boston; I've gotta think the table turns in our favor playing a championship matchup in Virginia. AJ Davis is on a role, JMU has seniors out the ass, and if prompted to actually play for something meaningful, I think the Dukes might actually find a higher gear than they've played with in my four years of being in Harrisonburg. Northeastern is a great team and they're guaranteed an NIT bid -- a tournament which they stand a great chance at winning. But similar to the last three Big East tournament champions, I think all signs point toward JMU stepping into the light just at the right moment and capturing lightning in a bottle.

Pick: JMU, 68-66.




I'll be neck-deep in press releases, statistics, and JMU baseball (wait, what?) for most of the weekend, but hit me on twitter with reactions. Get in on the discussion, and make sure you hash tag #caahoops.

And for more analysis regarding the CAA tournament than this lone ranger can provide you, sidle on over to caahoops.com and my friends there will hit you from all angles. Seriously, you'll be so overloaded with information and analysis, you'll almost wish you hadn't gone there at all.

Almost. But not quite. Stop being such a fifth grader, you L7 weeny.

Consortium II: Gearing up for CAA's

The Consortium returns after a two month absence! I got so much great feedback from the first time around that we decided to do another roundtable on JMU Men's Basketball.

If you've been living under the kissing rock, JMU is tied for second place in the Colonial Athletic Association with three games left in the regular season. The Dukes play first-place Northeastern tonight in Boston. There's your context, now let's get to it.

A brief reminder: our bloggers today are myself, twitter goddess Carleigh Davis (@_carleigh), JMU MBB Breeze beat writer Stephen Proffitt (@JStheproffitt), Executive Editor of 22807 Magazine  Meaghan MacDonald (@megtothemac), and C4G virgin Evan Nicely (the very unoriginal @evan_nicely), making his first appearance here on the blog.

1. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being "the sun came up this morning" and 10 being "Earth-shatteringly shocking," how surprised are you that JMU is in second place in the CAA with three games to play?

Stephen Proffitt: 4. I’m gonna make it that simple. I have been optimistic about this team since the start. The only thing that surprises me is that they’ve done it without their best shooter and arguably one of the CAA’s best shooters, Andrey Semenov (the man is like 49 for his las 101 three’s or something). If asked this question with him active, I’d say a 1. The CAA is off this year and Brady’s combo of freshmen talent and fifth year senior leadership has had great potential since October. Rayshawn Goins said it earlier this year that he’s never been on a team that has been as close on and off the court as this one is. 

Carleigh Davis: Let's go with an 8. Mostly because, last time we discussed JMU men's basketball, I was the largest skeptic of the group. At the beginning, I was really furious with Brady's decision making as the Dukes would drop losses after being ahead at the half. But as the season has gone on, I have found myself in the student section booing refs for badly called games (we remember the Mason game, right?) and checking Twitter obsessively for scores or injury updates. I'm glad they're second in the CAA, but my concern lies in the CAA tourney and whether their ability to pull games out of NOWHERE can withstand the trial of the hardest competition of the season, where everyone's season is on the line.

Meaghan MacDonald: 10! I never thought I would see the day where JMU would be second in the CAA. As a senior, I have seen my share of tragic games, tragic plays and calls and tragic overall seasons. But, when the Dukes have a season like they did last year where even coach Brady hurts himself, I guess you can’t get any lower. I am happy that they’re playing so well, have good team chemistry and getting the most out of their freshman. It’s nice that my last year at JMU the team could end on a high note.

Evan Nicely: 5. JMU is a senior-laden team with talented freshman in a downtrodden CAA that is a shell of itself from the previous years. Without perennial power VCU combined with the shockingly down seasons of ODU and Drexel that we all saw coming after the beginning of the season, I would be much more surprised if they were closer to last. This is a squad that needed to win, to try and save the coaches job and for the seniors to prove to themselves that they can actually win at a school that hasn’t won consistently since the 1980s.

Chase Kiddy: 4. It's gotta be a 4. Because I always knew this team could be this good, maybe even better, if they just got their shit together. They get consistent numbers from Goins and Moore, and then someone else usually give them a big night. If no third player steps up, the Dukes probably lose. If Davis/Nation/Cooke goes off, they almost always win. This team is capable offensively, quite strong defensively, and takes great care of the ball. Couple that with usually unselfish play and underrated coaching, and that makes for a conference contender in a down year for the CAA.

2. Can JMU beat Northeastern tonight?

SP: Yes. Can I move on now? Na, I do think they can win. Northeastern is coming off two straight losses: against Delaware in overtime, which is not a bad loss, but the other was on the road in Trask against the Seahawks. JMU, however is coming off their third CAA sweep of the year on the road in Delaware. Sunday night was the biggest win of the season for the Dukes in my opinion. I’d argue that pretty hard too. While Brady told me today that he thinks any game, “is a coin flip” the amount of momentum they carry from Sunday is big and I think it helps. If they had lost Sunday night, it would be the typical, Dukes road loss, but they changed that. They played like a different road team Sunday night. Their patience really stood out to me. Also their lack of frustration helped keep them in the contest. Multiple times Sunday night, JMU was down double digits, but for once they didn’t let that faze them. Brady said Tuesday they would need to shoot the ball with consistency. Brady also needs A.J. Davis to have a strong impact off the bench. He’s become a key bench player and I think they may have finally found a good role for him. If Davis and Goins can dominate offensively, and Devon Moore can sew all the patches together, they stand a shot against the Huskies. Northeastern is also a terrible rebounding team averaging just over 30 so if the Dukes can control the boards, their chances go up too.

Brady likes to think his freshman are the keys to road wins, but I say if the big three, Davis, Goins, and Moore can play like they did Sunday (Combined for 54 of 72 JMU points) they should be southbound one game out of the CAA lead.

CD: This is difficult. Northeastern is coming off of two back-to-back losses, one in overtime against Delaware. They may be bloodthirsty looking for another win to go 13-3 in the conference. They are 6-7 at home, however, but we know the Dukes can't perform as well on the road. I think the Dukes will lose a very close game, with a final score within 4 points.

MM:  The Huskies lead the series against JMU all-time 10-3 and 3-1 in Boston. JMU is 2-8 away. They are coming off consecutive losses for the first time in months but they are hungry for first place and will put their best foot forward in this game. I think the Dukes will give Northeastern a real fight, if they can get some action from leading scorer Rayshawn Goins and Devon Moore. But the Huskies lead the CAA in scoring offense, field goal percentage and steals and will force JMU to play smart and play clean.

EN: This is a very hesitant yes. I did not believe this team could go on the road and beat Delaware, a team it was behind in the standings, and they did. Despite an atrocious road record, I think this JMU team has had its youth become a little more mature and gotten stellar production from senior guard Devon Moore who has been playing out of his mind recently. Northeastern is also slumping and I believe is feeling the pressure of the No. 1 seed slipping away. JMU wins, but it’s going to be a really close one.

CK: It all depends on the status of Joel Smith. He's the leading scorer on a team that thrives on offense, and he's been limited the last couple games, so it's no surprise Northeastern is suddenly on a losing spree. I think JMU might have exorcised some demons with that incredible win over Delaware (a team that beat Northeastern last week, by the way), and I think they play with a swagger and a force they have rarely exhibited on the road this season. 55% chance they upset the Huskies in Boston.

3. BradyWatch: Last time around, the general consensus was that Brady needed to pull a 20-win season out of his ass to merit keeping his job. Brady is now 4 wins away from achieving that mark. Has his position markedly improved over the last two months?

SP: Yes. First off he’s shown he can properly manage what he has. Besides using Semenov as an excuse for losses, he’s explaining how the Dukes came out victoriously. Does he still need to finish out the season strong and “cause damage in Richmond” as Towson coach Pat Skerry said they were capable of? Yes.After Wednesday the Dukes get Georgia State at home and William & Mary on the road. Although they had a bad loss on the road to the Panthers back in January, I expect them to take care of business on senior day. If you count the Hampton loss (yes that still happened) with the Georgia State loss, the Dukes are 9-4 since then. I only really say that two of those losses are bad too: at Towson and at Drexel. The other two were at George Mason and home against Mason. (JMU is historically terrible against the Patriots no matter how good they are).

CD: Brady. I still don't think I like Brady. Somehow he has managed to coach a bunch of freshmen (or maybe Devon did) and pull out some wins. Do I think 20 wins should allow him to keep his job? No. I still think we could hire someone amazing to come in and teach our Dukes how to play better basketball and put more W's up so that when someone hears JMU basketball, they don't laugh in your face because your program, and your coach, are a joke.

MM: I think Brady’s mark has improved overall. I don’t know if he can get all four wins but what he has done with the team this year compared to last year is incredibly impressive. The team did lose some key seniors, but his recruiting helped fill the void and put together a bench of promising talent. His recruiting has always been questionable in the past but this year may make skeptics take another look at his basketball philosophy. Plus adding Deane to the staff doesn’t hurt either. He has a remarkable relationship with the players, strong work ethic, knows how to out together dynamic plays and has the resume to back it up. Brady will be the coach of JMU next season thanks to the players and staff he brought in.

EN: I still think his job is as much up in the air as it has been and won’t be decided until after the confetti has fallen in Richmond. I feel like most people believe the ceiling for JMU as a program is higher than it actually is at this point. NCAA births almost every year is about as realistic as finding Jimmy Hoffa’s body right now. This is the first winning CAA record since the 99-00 season. The four years before Brady, JMU’s record was 25-89. Brady gave JMU their first winning record in nine years, and is 83-79 overall. That speaks for itself in my books. He can win at JMU, but there are still doubts to if he can win consistently enough to keep Jeff Bourne happy.

CK: Last week, I might have said no- especially because my last answer was so nebulous. I still think only concrete stuff like winning the CAA tourney will definitively secure Brady's job. But I also believe when people reflect on the season, they'll remember the dunk call that won the game over Delaware, and that probably shifts the conversation in Brady's favor.

More than anything, I'm inclined to agree with Evan, who stated JMU's four-year record pre-Brady. JMU basketball hasn't been electric in a while. Do we expect all that to get turned around, 100%, in five years? If so, the athletic department is much more out of touch than I've grown to believe in the last couple years. That's what I wrote in a column last February, and I'm sticking by that.

4. JMU will close out its season at Northeastern, at home vs Georgia State, and at William & Mary. What seed will JMU carry into the CAA tournament in March?

SP: I predict they roll into RVA with the second seed behind Northeastern. If they win at Northeastern, I predict they will win out. No one says I’m correct on that, but that’s my opinion. I predict the Dukes win out and finish 13-5 with number two seed.

Northeastern should win out depending Wednesday’s result. The Huskies play at Georgia State and back home against ODU. Remember though the Panthers were the team that finally broke NU’s perfect streak in conference. Huskies were 8-0 CAA before Ron Hunter brought some dirty south magic to Boston. I predict the Huskies finish 2-1 with a loss to the Dukes. 14-4, number one seed.

Towson faces Drexel, Mason on the road, and Hofstra. I predict they go 2-1 over this stretch with a loss to the Patriots on the road. Tigers finish 12-6 tied with the third seed as they hold the tiebreaker over Delaware. (Tigers swept Blue Hens)

Delaware plays at home against Drexel, on the road at UNCW and Hofstra before finishing the regular season at home against George Mason. I say the ‘Hens go 3-1 finish 12-6 in conference with fourth seed. (I say they lose to Mason on senior day at home)

CD: This is tough. It really depends on if we can beat No. 1 in the league to have 11-5 standing in CAA. If we lose, and Towson beats Drexel like they should, we should have a 3 or 4 seed going into the tournament which is significantly better than last year..

MM: 3-4 seed. JMU will lose tonight, win against Georgia State and lose to William and Mary. The Dukes’ away record is too strong to ignore and discount.

EN: I think JMU will head to Richmond as the number 2 seed in March. I think that even if they win both games I just don’t see Northeastern dropping their last four games in what would be a choke-job for the ages. JMU will just miss out on the bye but a number 2 seed could still see them make the short run at the title.

CK: I'll go with third. While I give JMU decent odds to beat Northeastern tonight, I'd be taking the optimism wayyyyy too far to suggest JMU will win out,  and Northeastern will blow a two-game lead with three games to play. That's just too much to bank on. I think it's far more likely that JMU could beat Northeastern, but lose to William & Mary, who has really owned JMU in Williamsburg the last few seasons. Not that it matters much — in the CAA tournament, the two and three seeds are nearly identical situations. Plus, as it is now, the one seed probably has to play George Mason. Who wants to deal with that?

5. Where will JMU's season end?

SP: This is tough, I could see this team running the table in Richmond and sneak into the NCAA tourney and maybe even get Semenov back into the lineup depending on another evaluation. He could be active by Richmond.   I could also see them losing on Saturday (based on their Richmond history) in their first game inside the grungy Coliseum.  

All in all I think it unfortunately ends somewhere in Richmond most likely Sunday. In 2011 they got a CBI invite, but they had some key wins, one being at VCU. JMU was the last team to beat the Rams before their Final Four run. The team has no big wins this season that amount to anything in the eyes of tourney holders so it’s either win out in RVA and find yourself with an at large or start prepping for next year. There won’t be any film crew inside the Convo on selection Sunday ready to capture the Dukes’ reaction with an at large bid.

CD: JMU's season will come up short in the last game of the CAA tourney. I just don't think it's possible for this team to hang on tight and play well enough to win the CAA. And, if they do, then they will be out of the NCAA in the first game. I can't say I'm a believer of these Dukes yet, but I wish them well.

MM: NIT. I love seeing my team playing so well and hope for the best, however I am realistic. The Dukes lost games that they shouldn’t have lost this year and time to time can make silly mistakes.

EN: JMU’s season, if it ends as a number two seed as I said, they will end up in a postseason tournament not named the NCAA tournament. Despite having more than enough depth and talent to win, JMU has not played well in the CAA tournament under Brady and have lost to teams that they shouldn’t have, like UNC-Wilmington last year. I hear the CBI giving JMU a phone call again just like they did in 10-11.

CK: Remember that part about taking the optimism too far? Well, fuck that guy. JMU will win the CAA tournament  and make its first NCAA appearance since I was a toddler. To me, they look a little bit like 2013 VCU, and while I'm not saying JMU will go to the Final Four or anything crazy like that, I do think they are getting hot at the right time, and can carry their run through the end of the CAA tournament. Brady keeps his job, and everyone gets a happy ending. Watch for the movie from Disney in 25 years.

Rant Time: Dynasty Warriors

(The following is an unabridged version of a column appearing in The Breeze, JMU's student newspaper. It is part of my weekly Fantatic and Proud series, printed every Thursday. The shortened version ran on Thursday, January 10, 2013.)

She was so sure.

She didn’t stutter or hesitate for one moment, except maybe to slur her words a bit. Her verbiage was littered with definitive statements like “we will win” and “those Crimson guys has no chance.” Sure, the alcohol might have been building her up unnecessarily, but given the chance to recant her bold claims later, under the clear eyes of sobriety, her confidence was nothing short of unwavering.

Notre Dame would win the national championship.

Those were the words of one Cindy Metcalf – name changed to protect the dumbfounded – a junior at Notre Dame. Brimming with pride in early December after her Irish completed their undefeated regular season, Cindy remained so sure that her school would win the BCS national championship that she was prepared to put her money where her mouth was.

Or rather, she was prepared to put her social calendar where her mouth was. Notre Dame would win, or Cindy agreed to go out on a date with me next time we were in town together.

Let’s just ignore the big part of this arrangement that’s altogether insulting, and cut straight to one of my biggest I-told-you-so’s of my college career. Notre Dame was absolutely blasted on Monday night by football powerhouse Alabama, in what ended up being the Irish’s biggest loss on a field since 1845. The Crimson Tide won by a final score of 42-14, and I was reaching for my wallet by the end of the first quarter.

Don't worry ladies. I’m a gentleman, of course. I always pay.

Ultimately, it’s foolish to bet against Alabama head coach Nick Saban. He’s proven time and time again what he can do with a month’s time to prepare for a marquee contest. Why would this January be any exception? Even against a highly touted Notre Dame team, the Southeastern Conference’s best squad looked immortal. They looked untouchable. They looked dynastic.

Dynasty is a rare word in college athletics, and it’s not hard to figure out why. With both athletes and coaches coming in and going out in relatively short amounts of time, turnover isn’t just a nuisance. It’s a built-in obstacle to climb over and work around. But much like his SEC colleague John Calipari has done for University of Kentucky basketball, Saban has turned his institution not into a conduit for learning and growth but a destination for top-end athletes. It might make some fans uncomfortable, but Saban ultimately has to be commended for circumnavigating the landscape of college athletics with such consistency.

The result, much to my friend Cindy’s displeasure, is three championships in the last four years and an 8-1 record in conference or national championship games. In an atmosphere where schools dish out increasingly skyrocketing salaries for wins, Saban’s performance truly is priceless.

Not much college football remains for us to talk about this season. A few more prognostications of how many first round draft picks Alabama will produce this year; an unfathomably early looks at next year’s top 25 teams; maybe even a few more tongue-in-cheek Miss Alabama USA references, pondering if Brent Musberger and discretion need to reintroduce themselves to one another.

Meanwhile, as the talking heads kick back and pontificate, Saban will be out on the recruiting trail (if he isn’t already). In his mind, 48 hours is more than enough time to enjoy that final win of the season before beginning preparation for that next championship. Dynasties aren’t born, after all. They’re built.

As for the Prozac-popping Notre Dame fans out there, they will have to content themselves with their first shot at the crystal trophy since 1988. A 12-0 regular season is certainly nothing to cry about.

...unless you’re my friend Cindy, that is. She very eloquently lamented during the game about how her team was losing to a dumb SEC team that probably couldn’t even read. I waited until the Irish scored a touchdown in the third quarter, and then reassured her that, hey, at least it wasn’t a shutout.

Cheer up, Cindy. At least you’re getting a free dinner out of this.

2013 Wildcard Weekend Predictions

It's a tradition unlike any other...

No, I'm not talking about a Scott Van Pelt-voiced Master's discussion. WE'RE TALKING PLAYOFFS.

Now someone go tell my 9th grade gym class.


Bengals at Texans:
Saturday, 4:30PM

Before we get started, it's worth noting that this year, I'll be making picks both SU (straight up) and ATS (against the spread). Public Service Announcement: don't bet money you don't have. I'm not an ATM.

Breaking down Cincinatti and Houston is pretty uncomplex. Houston has a dynamic running game that will be facing off against a Bengals D-line that has been silently one of the best in the game this season. Cincinatti is a hot team; Houston, despite holding the AFC's best record for about 16 and a half weeks, finished their last four games 1-3.

So naturally, I'm rolling with Houston.

It's more of a gut feeling pick than anything else. Houston has looked very mortal over the course of December, but I want to attribute that more to an air of boredom than anything else. The playoffs are here now, and they're playing a team they beat up on last year- don't forget that the Texans blasted the Bengals 31-10 in this same spot last year.

Cincinatti is young and has a bright future, and they're even built to contain a brash running game like that of the Texans. They can even stage quick comebacks in a hurry with Dalton/Green. But I'm still confident Houston will fire on all cylinders in this game, play the ball control game, and keep Andy Dalton frustrated on the road.

SU Pick: Houston
ATS Pick: Houston -4.5


Minnesota at Green Bay
Saturday, 8PM

Honk three times if this matchup sounds familiar.

Except... does it? The difference is that, for the first time practically all year, the Justice League has fully assembled. Cobb is back after missing last week. Jennings has recovered. Jordy Nelson has gotten his head right. And though the offensive line is still cobbled together at best, Aaron Rodgers stands to have a better chance to get passes off with a full complement of receivers.

I love Adrian Peterson, and I was just crushed when he came up eight yards short of the NFL rushing record last weekend. But I think the Packers are going to completely outgun the Vikings this weekend, regardless of how well they manage to contain AP. Meanwhile, the Vikings as a team might come up flat after throwing everything they had at the Pack last week.

I dont like taking greater-than-a-touchdown favorites, but if you're gonna do it, you better hitch your wagon to a beast with some horsepower. With Rodgers, that's what you're getting, though the backdoor admittedly worries me here.

SU Pick: Green Bay
ATS Pick: Green Bay -7.5


Indianapolis at Baltimore
Sunday. 1PM

You could make a pretty compelling argument that, other than Rodgers, Andrew Luck is the best quarterback playing this weekend. Say what you want about the rookie, but he's got a bizarrely inexplicable staying power about him in games. Juxtapose that next to Ray Lewis' retirement, and we've got a good old fashioned fistfight abrewin.

Bottom line, Ray Lewis and Ed Reed will find ways to wreck this game. Luck is as cerebral as they come and will improve as the game progresses, but even in a slump, the Ravens will pull a win out to extend the season.

Then, T.Y. Hilton and Dwight Freeney will guest star on the Wire in the offseason. They'll play gangsters that answer to Lewis, and have to put out a hit on Luck. The anti-symmetry is mindblowing.

SU Pick: Baltimore
ATS Pick: Indianapolis +6.5


Seattle at Washington
Sunday, 4:30PM

It's a shame that these two teams have to play each other, simply because they're the hottest teams in the NFL. Nobody has momentum like a suddenly explosive Washington offense, and the Seahawks are just blowing people out (minus a home loss to St Louis last weekend, after San Francisco's win over Arizona locked the 'Hawks into the 5-spot).

As a Dallas fan/coworker at Massanutten told me the other day, Seattle shits the bed in the playoffs every single year. Then again, his argument also highlighted their totally embarassing 2012 playoff loss, which I was quick to point didn't exist, because the Seahawks didn't make the playoffs last year. So maybe I don't agree with his conclusion that "Seattle and the playoffs don't get along," but I still believe in the Redskins. AHH!

Sorry, just threw up all over the keyboard for actually writing the words "I believe in the Redskins." Oh well. Moving on.

Even though it was a meaningless game, I still believe the loss to St. Louis may have cooled Seattle off a little bit. And while I don't believe in Seattle's playoff woes, I for years now have believed they are a far weaker team on the road. They're essentially the Anti-Giants. In fact, if Tom Coughlin says "Seattle Seahawks" backwards, Pete Carroll is forced to return to his home in the fifth dimension and must stay there for a minimum of 90 days.

RGIII is clearly not quite at 100%, but Morris is just as effective as ever. Seattle's secondary is going to force Griffin into some bad throws, there's no doubt about that. And even though I don't feel great about taking the Redskins to win, I love that they're getting three points at home. Best bet of the weekend, methinks.

SU Pick: Washington
ATS Pick: Washington +3

The Consortium: JMU Men's Basketball Roundtable

The following is part of a mini-series of posts designed to show off the scope of my expanded C4G blog, Student Section. While the site is being designed and built, content on here will cover a wide variety of topics and opinions.


Perk up JMU fans, because we're talking Dukes basketball today. I've compiled a bit of a roundtable to discuss the hotbutton issues of anything and everything in the confines of the Convocation Center. I hesitate to call what I've cobbled together here a consortium, just because of how much ESPN's Andrew Smith liked it when I ascribed the name to him and his merry band of rabble-rousers a few months ago, but regardless, we've got a talented group of observers and opinion-givers lined up today. If I may:


Stephen Proffitt is a Men's basketball beat writer for The Breeze. Along with the Daily News Record's Mark Selig, he is probably one of the most knowledgable people on the planet when it comes to JMU basketball and covers home games regularly. Check out his published work in the Breeze after home games, and find him on Twitter @JStheProffitt.

Meaghan MacDonald (@MegtotheMac) is a former sports editor at the Breeze and just seems to know a bunch of people. Like, she's got Tom Izzo's phone number. What's up with that? She has worked previously with WXJM and the consummate professional, Curt Dudley. I am told she is not a feminist, though I have no confirmation this is true.

Carleigh Davis is also a former sports editor at the Breeze. She is a noted fan of the JMU program and just a general officianado of Twitter (@_carleigh). I call her Queen Carleigh when she's not around, because it just seems to fit.

And then there's me, Chase Kiddy. I don't know how to put this... I'm kind of a big deal. People know me.


Today, the four of us discuss the state of the JMU men's basketball program and where we think the program is heading this year and beyond.



1. JMU sits at 4-6 going into two winnable games in Las Vegas. If you had to grade the team on their season so far, what would it be and why?

Stephen: C+. The plus is for my optimism that the team will continue to improve. JMU is off to another rough start this year at 4-6 through the first month of play. During their Thanksgiving tournament in Pittsburgh, the only thing the Dukes were thankful for was a bus ride destined for Harrisonburg, going 1-3 over the holiday break. I would give them a grade of C+ because I think they may be onto something now. Play has improved over the past few weeks and if there was a year to make moves to the front of the CAA, look no farther than this year. The CAA flat out sucks. Only two teams have winning records (George Mason/William & Mary). With a senior laden team that consists of six seniors (five 5th year’s), the time to go is now. A defensive oriented Dukes squad is learning to “make the extra pass” and the ball movement is on the upswing. A key win over a Winthrop team who gave Ohio State a run for their money this week, and a very strong outing against Richmond may be the kick start the team needed going into the new year. The glue is beginning to set in with this team and a strong conference record come the end of this season would not surprise me, but then comes the tournament in Richmond, where the Dukes never seem to fair well.

Meaghan: C+. Yes the Dukes have a losing record (what else is new), but they are coming off a pretty successful five-game homestand and also showed an improved offense. The boys are putting up points: at least 72 per game, and their last three wins came by a combined 47 points. Both losses were tough battles and only fell by one point (54-53 loss to George Washington and an 83-82 OT loss to Richmond). They really held their own against Richmond which to me was surprising. The Spiders are 9-3 and more of a basketball school then JMU has been in quite some time. But the Dukes are looking strong and getting plenty of effort from their starters which makes me somewhat hopeful for how we will play in Las Veas and for the rest of the season.

Carleigh: Well, I'm going to be real blunt and give the Dukes a well-earned D. For depressing, disappointing and defeated. Let's be really honest with ourselves when we look at this team. It has a sprinkle of specialized talent that doesn't blend well with the other spices. I also am not quite sure any game is a "winnable" game for the Dukes because they can't seem to be consistent as a team. Pull the players aside one-by-one and you'll see stats that will make you think otherwise.

Chase: I'll give them a B. Maybe I'm being a little too easy on the team here-- okay, maybe I'm being WAY too easy-- but I have been saying since the beginning of the season that this team will figure stuff out. Well, it took a suspension, a historically long homestand, and some seriously overachieving freshmen, but this team is starting to look like they've certainly figured some stuff out. Call me an apologist if you want, but for a team whose depth is probably too reliant on true freshmen, has a coach backed up against a wall, and is historically not that successful yet full of some sizable egos, improving to "probably conference title competitor" in 10 games or less deserves moderate, if guarded, praise.


2. What are your thoughts on the AJ Davis/Matt Brady situation? Is it definitively over?

SP: Do you think Michael Jordan ever pissed Phil Jackson off? I would take a wild guess and say their relationship was not always fine and dandy, but Jackson knew one thing: Jordan scored points and made plays. A.J. Davis should be the Michael Jordan to Matt Brady. His minutes have almost been cut in half so far this season and they don’t seem to be going up anytime soon….all you ask because of effort and attitude? During the most recent episode of the “Guiding Light,” Brady decided to indefinitely suspend Davis for all of 44 hours, I’m assuming to prove a point? Davis made it sound like he learned from his actions and he was ready to be a team player. Some would say the saga is continuing as Davis’ minutes are still down, but I fully believe that Brady is playing the guys he thinks will win him games. “Our freshman are pushing our seniors” he said in a press conference recently. Although I agree for the most part, Davis is the most talented player on the team, hands down. He’s the “highlight reel” guy. He puts people in the seats even though that’s a touchy subject too… He averaged 15.9 ppg and 32.4 mpg last year and as Mark Wahlberg said in The Other Guys, “I’m a peacock! You gotta let me fly!” Brady needs to play him and see what he can do for the team. Watching him over the years, I have noticed his lackadaisical attitude on some plays and his “careless” effort on defense, but sometimes you need to sacrifice that for points on the board. It’s still a ongoing process and I expect it to go on all season, but bottom line if Brady wants to win games, Davis will need to spend those games on the floor, not the bench.

MM: Honestly, I don't think this situation is looking any better moving forward. An attitude problem and lack of motivation is harder to fix than a problem with a shot. It's mental and as a senior, I don't think Davis will really fix his issues. Brady has been doing the right thing by cutting his playing time and suspending him from the team. However, I think that the 48 hour suspension was only a slap on the wrist and won't teach Davis much. He is a senior that needs to lead his team and end his JMU career on a high note. But he is also a senior that is too proud and I feel will continuously bump heads with Brady. What will be best for the team is if Brady kept him on a short leash and not let Davis's attitude run free on and of the court.

CD: HAHA. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. I've only been ranting on Twitter about this since the season started. The conflict between Brady & Davis reminds me so often of the Hokies' Seth Greenberg and Eric Green. Two grown-ass men who can't handle themselves in a professional manner who decide a Mexican standoff is the way to go. I am repeatedly rolling my eyes behind my computer screen. This situation infuriates me. How the hell are you going to have a player sit there and show you he wants to play if you're the idiot making the calls? I don't get it. You're also the idiot who isn't using one of your only seniors to help you to a winning season, and possibly (not likely) trying to keep your job. I am just baffled. Davis' numbers last year made a statement. In my eyes, Davis deserves to play. And I highly doubt that with Brady's panties so tight this season that this will be the last battle we face.

CK: I think this chapter of the saga might be over, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are flare-ups in the future. Overall, I think Coach Brady probably recognizes the importance of getting arguably his best playmaker out on the floor, and that may supercede some of the smaller squabbles that crop up going forward. If Davis was younger (ie, not a senior), had spent more time at JMU (ie, wasn't a transfer), or if Brady wasn't seriously up against it this season (ie, in the final year of his contract), I think this situation would be different. But those three factors affect both the relationship between Davis and Brady as well as the tolerance levels Brady has to adopt for antics on the team this year.


3. What does Coach Brady need to achieve this year to keep his job?

SP: 20+ wins, and a visit to the CAA Championship game. An NCAA tournament birth is in my opinion his only guarantee. It’s as simple as that. In a seven-team tourney, one win will get you into the semis this year in Richmond. Certainly the CAA is no more than a one-bid league this year unless something amazing happens during conference play. Although he has done a lot for the program (such as put it back on the map), the university has shown that they’re not afraid of shaking things up when results are down. Just walk to the other side of Duke Dog Alley to Bridgeforth. Personally I do not think he will be back next season and I think he knows that as well. With only one redshirt used on (Dimitrije Cabarkapa) he knows that he might as well use everyone at his disposal. It will cost the university big money to go out and get a new coach though. With Brady making <$300,000, he’s considered a bargain at the Division 1 level. He’s brought two 21 win seasons to a program that earned a combined 25 wins between 2003-2007, but in a cut throat business what you “have” done doesn’t weigh as much as it maybe should.

MM: Brady needs a spot in the CAA championship to keep his job. Honestly, I like Brady as a person and in most aspects as a coach. He cares about his players, tries and isn't given enough credit, but whatever he is doing isn't meshing. JMU fans are at their wits end and the team hasn't produced enough in the past four seasons to make themselves a force to be reckoned with in the CAA. His recruiting this season seems to be working well, since his freshman are seeing a good amount of playing time and are producing. But recruiting and player-coach relationships are only one aspect in college basketball. Producing wins and creating buzz for the team are huge pieces and very important in Division I and more important in this situation. I'd like to see Brady around for another season, especially if this one goes well, but he needs to pull off something grand to keep his job safe.

CD: Simply put, Brady will not return. They won't re-up his contract, he won't be with the team and we will maybe have a better coach step in. After Brady's rather pathetic cry for his job during last year's post-CAA tourney press conference, I think Jeff Bourne ultimately felt bad and didn't try and buy him out. But with a healthy team and starting three freshmen, I don't think anybody's impressed. Including myself.

CK: I'm not so sure a completed checklist is going to be what gets Brady that coveted contract extension. I think it'll just be a general feeling of yes, we believe in him or no, we want someone new. I think a CAA championship is probably a surefire way of maximizing his odds to stay with the team; I think a top 2 finish in CAA play and a spot in the championship game regardless of outcome probably saves him as well. Outside of that, I just don't know. I'm not Jeff Bourne and can't fathom what he's thinking. Regardless of the X's and O's, people just aren't that excited about JMU basketball, and that's the kind of thing that could prove damning regardless of the record next to your team name.

4. Who is the most important player for JMU going forward?

SP: Devon Moore in my opinion. I first wrote A.J. Davis, but then found the delete key after pondering some more. He’s the captain of this team. He’s the Humpty Hitchens of this year. In order for this team to succeed, they need Moore to produce on the stat sheet, but more importantly, succeed as a leader. Brady is using freshman like it’s his job. He says some freshmen are more mature than others, but nonetheless they all need need the nurturing and guidance of a fifth year guy who has played in countless games over his career. If Moore can stay healthy and step up as a veteran leader, this team can go places.

MM: Hands down, Andrey Semenov is the most important player for the Dukes. Semenov suffered a groin injury in the first few minutes of the first game of he season against UCLA. His return to the court December 1 against Winthrop University made an immediate impact as he knocked in 17 points in 19 minutes. Since his return, the Dukes are 3-1 and Semenov is the second-leading scorer on the team (11.6 per game and 52.4 percent from behind the arc). With that much impact in such little time, Semenov is a vital piece to JMU's game that will help them move forward in a positive way. There's not much more else to say; the stats speak for themselves in this case.

CD: I'd have to go with Andre Nation here. I mean, WOW! What a player. He's so explosive and fun to watch. Sure, he's still learning how to play the game on a college level, but that kid knows basketball. He is always paying attention, giving his all and has FUN. Now there's a word JMU's basketball program needs to learn. If the players had more fun and were able to enjoy the game they love, then maybe we would see a different basketball team. The attitude surrounding you definitely can influence play...so where's the root of the attitude stemming from? Hint: Not A.J. Davis.

CK: I wafted back and forth between Semenov and Nation, then went totally the other way and decided it was Devon Moore. Rayshawn Goins is the quiet grinder going for 16 and 8 every game. Nation usually hits double digit scoring and gets the Dukes extra possessions with that nifty little pickpocket skill he's developed. Davis gets the crowd going, Semenov stretches the other team's defense and ignites our own offense. But Moore truly does everything. He distributes, he steals, he rebounds, and lately, he's scored in bunches. Most people didn't catch it because the semester had let out, but Moore tied a career-high 22 points last Sunday in a win over UNCG. In fact, he was approaching triple double territory, finishing with a neat 22/9/7 stat line. It seems clear to me that this team will only go as far as Moore can go. There are a lot of role players and guys good at specific stuff on this team-- Moore ties it all together.


5. Can this team win the CAA? Who's their biggest opposition?

SP: Yes. Paul Hewitt and George Mason. JMU ranks 309th out of 347 Division 1 teams in terms of rebounds/game at 31.3. In order to win games they need to hit the glass and continue to improve on ball movement. This is one of the worst batches of CAA teams I’ve seen since following the league back when I was 13. With six seniors, JMU could and should take this conference or at least come close. Brady is 1-7 against the Patriots in his four seasons. Mason regards the bi annual meeting as one of their big rivalries. They meet twice again this season; a home and home format like usual. They come in the year of conference play. My favorite to win the league is Mason so JMU needs to split or even better sweep the two games.

MM: The day JMU wins a conference championship, I will be well past graduation. Yes the team looks good now and is 3-2 in their last homestand. Yes their upperclassmen are taking on the leadership roles and most are putting up decent numbers. Yes, the new recruiting class is seing some playing time and really living up to the hype Brady had in the beginning of he season. However, this is a team that also has an upper class that has a reputation for lack of focus and attitude problems while the team overall doesn't seem to seal the deal in the last days of the regular season and the CAA tournament.

Now my eyes are on George Mason for finishing on top of the conference. Right now, they're second in the conference (6-4) right behind William & Mary (7-3). Last season the Patriots finished 24-9 and have a few key players return to the court: point guard Bryon Allen, Vertrail Vaughns and redshirt junior guard Sherrod Wright, the reigning CAA Co-Player of the Week. That week, wright has averaged 21.5 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Wright is a good shooter and knows how to work himself up to the basket and finish with consistency. If these returners can all help reduce the amount of turnovers the Patriots have faced in the past, George Mason should finish strong and most likely on top.

CD: I don't think so. Even without VCU and technically ODU, I just can't see it happening. The Dukes too often self destruct, as seen in last year's CAA tournament game against UNC-Wilmington. It just isn't probable or predictable to comfortably sit here and say they could win it. You have to want a championship to win it. I don't see either want or need in this team, yet. I'm looking forward to being proven wrong... if it happens.

CK: I think so, but can and will are two entirely different enterprises. I'm not willing to take anyone seriously outside the state of Virginia, so it looks like the battle for Old Dominion might decide the CAA-- ironic, because Old Dominion seems pretty clearly to be the worst team in the whole state.

I've said it about a million times on Twitter. This team is trending in the right direction, and they look like they can hit their stride (potentially all six wins of it) right as CAA play begins in January. JMU doesn't draw George Mason until the heard of Colonial play, and if it manages a split with the Patriots, I think they have a real shot at landing the #1 tournament seed.

As for tournament play, it's hard to correct an atmosphere of underperformance. Ask the Atlanta Falcolns how they fare in the playoffs every year. Regardless, it only takes 2 or 3 wins in March to win a CAA title trophy, and if JMU was ever a threat, then this is their year. For Matt Brady, it probably couldn't have come sooner.

10 Things: New Directions

1. No, this post is not related to the Glee show choir ensemble, because I'm sure that's the first place your mind went. This is about an entirely different matter, and it stands to impact your readership of this blog in a very dramatic and immediate way.

In a few short months, this blog will turn 2 years old. It's been a long two years, filled with long nights and arduous spell checks. But thanks to my abnormally loyal viewers, this space has flourished. So too has my resume and my repertoire of interests and writing talents. And as I have adapted and changed, this page has not.

Over the past few months, you may have noticed a few subtle (and a couple not-so-subtle) references to an upcoming makeover of this page. That is a lie. This page will not change.

What does stand to change is the forum in which I communicate my thoughts and words to all of you readers. I have far too wide a range of opinions to be running a simple blogspot such as this, and my readers have grown far too large to be subjected to this one black page.

Some of you may have been told by me personally this was coming; many of you probably had no idea. Regardless, this is the official announcement that the C4G blog will soon be closed down.

Don't think of it as a death, but rather, a move. You got a new promotion at work, and you're moving out of the trailer park and into the swanky downtown loft.

I will be bringing in a team of writers, many of whom have already been assembled, that will cover content with me. These are writers who have been hand-selected by me for specific and purposeful reasons. These are not journalists. Rather, they are opinion-givers and commentators, such as myself. While I don't claim that they will have the exact same writing style, or even the same opinions, as I do, they are competent, willing, and more than capable of putting their thoughts into word for the pure sake of entertainment, just as this site has functioned for many of you.

Obviously, this space is too small for such an undertaking, so I have brought two independent web design consultants on to my team. With my guidance and input, they will be building a larger, more tailor-made space off a WordPress template that will functioned as a more organized blog for myself as well as the fellow contributors.

If you're getting excited about the possibilities here, then good. Great. Join the club. I'd be lying if I said I had eyes for only sports writing, and I don't pretend all of you have no other interests either. This new blog will reflect those dynamics in my personality as well as yours. Additionally, other writers stand to keep content fresh and focused when my many responsibilities -- Sports Section Editor at The Breeze, contributing to the new CAAhoops.com (please check it out if your a Colonial basketball fan, we work very hard on it), hosting the WXJM Sports Manifesto radio show with Tony Schaffner, an additional writing project that must remain nameless, a job at Massanutten, and oh yeah, school work, which I should probably mention here lest my mother read this-- stand to interfere with blog writing.

For many months, this blog has served its purpose. While I will continue to update it when I can in this transition period, the new page should be ready in a few weeks. I will meet with one of my web design people next week and hammer out the finalish version of the layout, and it will be set up from there.

This blog entry, in the form of one of my most popular recurring entries, should provide you with some idea of the dimensions that will be present on the new blog. Without further ado:


2. Sports: You didn't seriously think I was going to start with anything else, right? I mean for the love of all things Pat White, you didn't think I was gonna leave out what got me here in the first place, right?

While we're on the subject, how bout them Lakers? D'antoni over Phil? Seriously? OH MY, IT'S SO CONTROVERSIAL!

No, they should hand their team over to a guy whos 80% arthritis and 20% outdated triangle offense. I'm no GM, but any time a coach has to request 42 absences in advance of his hiring, I may consider another candidate.

Mull on this: the Lakers backcourt? Combined, it's 70 years old. The Thunder's backcourt? It's about 45 years old.

I don't see a whole lot of efficient defense being played regardless, so you might as well go with the offensive guy who's gonna maximize what you can do when you actually do have the ball. After all, they're probably going to give up 90 or 100 per game regardless of who's holding the clipboard. Just saying.


3. TV & Movies: What's up with all the Amazing Spiderman hate? I don't get it. When it came out, didn't a bunch of people say it sucked? Feel free to chime in here any time now, 17-year old who couldn't think of anything better to do on a Saturday night than masturbate to Emma Stone in a lab coat.

I've loved Andrew Garfield since 2 minutes after I finished The Social Network. I've liked Emma Stone since Superbad (though I thought she looked too hot in Zombieland, even if it eventually fleshed itself out in her character development). Martin Sheen as Ben Parker? Stroke of MF'ing genius. Casting gets an A plus to infinity, right down to Sally Field.

What I thought it did an excellent job with was picking and choosing what origin strings to pull. Toby McGuire's Spiderman has to explain every facet of the character's birth in two hours, whereas in the Amazing, silver-agey boot, Peter already has a hobby in photography. The Osbourne legacy? It's already in place.

More importantly for me, McGuire's Peter Parker was shy and passive. When he suddenly got all wry and witty as Spiderman, it was unnatural. Garfield's is basically the same character in and out of the suit.

Sure, there are a few moments of 'wow, that would never happen,' like every 15 minutes when Parker breaks a subway station car or a football goalpost. In real life, people would obviously demand an explanation for the bizarre, superhuman shit that's going on. Duh. Suspend your disbelief. It's a movie about a boy who's half man, half spider. I think you can handle a couple insignificant plot holes in the grander scheme of things.

Overall, solid rentable movie. If I was going on a date with Emma Stone, I'd totally watch it.


4. Video Games: Yeah, act like you didn't see this coming. Sheesh. Have you been living under a bridge my whole life? No small wonder this didn't end up at the top of the list.

Can we talk about how epic the GTA5 trailers look? A friend pointed it out in the Breeze office a couple days ago, and boy... nice work Rockstar. You continue to impress me.

What's brilliant about the launch of Grand Theft Auto is that they stepped away from it for a while. Even though I own GTA4 and played the hell out of San Andreas when I worked at the HOV boy scout camp when I was younger, I was never a huge fan of the series. I thought the plots were too overlooked and the storytelling was generally mediocre. I thought Rockstar was getting off by creating a cheap conflict and surviving off bad publicity among middle-aged moms.

Mom: Don't buy that game where you shoot police and steal cars! I saw it on the news! It sounds bad! You'll turn into a bank robber if you play it!

14-year old boy: Wait, seriously? I get to kill cops and steal cars?

So Rockstar stepped away, actually developed a few plots, and spit out one of the greatest games ever made (Red Dead Redemption) and one of the most diablically sinister endings ever made (LA Noire, whose ending still makes me cringe.) Now they return to the scene of their greatest franchise with grandure in mind, and methinks they're going to get it.


5. Music: Can we talk about how horrificly terrible music has become? There's a time and a place for bass lines, and 10AM on a Wednesday morning where no alcohol has been consumed is not one of them. And as I read what I just wrote, I realize it looks like I am differentiating between Wednesday mornings where I am drunk and Wednesday mornings when I'm not. Which is not the case. I'm gonna stop rambling now.

What the hell is happening to music? Rock seems like it's dying, good artists sell out to hear their shitty singles on the radio, and we live in a world where K3sha  is a role model. Can I quit life?

Oh, and Taylor Swift? When you were nationally trash talking that one random dude in a pick up truck, it was kind of cute. Now that you've got a different singer/songwriter boyfriend each week... it's just gotten kind of sad. As far as I'm concerned, you're just another album to burn.

(that's called a triple entendre. top that, rap artists.)


6. Humor: I am, on rare occassion, funny.

Some humorous things I've noticed and jotted down over the past few weeks that could serve as potential material: why do girls think that knowing all the words to Baby got Back automatically grants them a nice ass? Why do black guys let you throw down gang signs with them on the bus without instantly kicking your ass? Why is the number of people that God chooses to save from disease or death directly proportional with the quality of health care in a given country? And other things that are wayyyyyy too inappropriate to put on a blog read by my parents.

(advanced notice: in the future, if you are an older adult and related to me, you may wish to avoid the humor section in the future. believe me, that earlier masturabtion joke is nothing. you have been warned.)


7. Politics- I've always said that I never wanted to get into politics on this side, and I've stuck by that assertion. However, as the site expands, I feel I have a responsibility to the public discourse to lay out political current events in a way that is fair, honest, multi-layered, and straight forward. I'm admittedly still working on the formatting of this, but I plan to have multiple opinions from different political factions on each single post, making it a buffet of opinions, rather than just a simple cafeteria with chocolate vs vanilla ice cream machine.


8-10. SUPER DUPER SECRET- no, this doesn't mean I ran out of content at 7. Some other things are still in the works, some other writers are still in the process of joining my staff, and I'm not ready to reveal just everything quite yet. Rest assured, some of the most entertaining content has yet to be revealed, so you'll just have to wait for the final set of surprises.



If this idea seems a bit like Grantland, then good. Bill Simmons is a personal role model of mine, and while I did not base this idea off Simmon's site-- it's actually been in the works longer than Grantland has existed-- there are some undeniable similarities. If you enjoy the work of Simmons and his writers, it's most likely safe to say you will enjoy the work that my team and I will be bringing forward.

I can't wait to share the final product with all of you. Thanks for being such loyal readers, and I hope you find yourself as satisfied with the content to come as I am dreaming it up. My guess is that you won't be disappointed.

Bird(song) is the Word

I know I may not cover a whole lot of strictly JMU-related topics, but I thought this one might merit my stepping in with an opinion.

So by now, word has probably reached everyone that Michael Birdsong, true freshman from Matoaca, has supplanted Justin Thorpe, fifth-year JMU quarterback from Varina. Is it geographic poetry that Enon is right in between the two, and I have to cover this whole mess? I'm gonna go with yes.

People have been blowing up my phone all week in an effort to understand what in the hell is going on in Bridgeforth, so I've put together this timeline of events to help everyone understand just what in tarnation is going on under center and, more importantly, in Mickey Matthews' head. (and just as importantly, so people will stop texting me at 3 in the morning to find out if how many touchdowns Birdsong threw last weekend.)



SATURDAY- After several games of somewhat questionable decisions marring his play time, Justin Thorpe is pulled in the second half in Richmond after failing to pitch the ball on fourth and 1. The Dukes turned the ball over on downs.

Thorpe finished 8/13 with 142 yards, 1 td, and 2 picks. He had 36 yards rushing on 15 carries.
Birdsong only played for 7:13 (Thorpe played for over 20 minutes) but completed 11 passes for 159 yards, 1 td, and no interceptions. He also had 73 yards rushing and a touchdown on 7 carries.

Mickey Matthews attributed the change in the post-game press conference to the team needing a change to spark the offense. It was intimated that the change would not be long term.

MONDAY- Coach Matthews announced at his weekly 12:00 O'Neills press conference that Birdsong would start vs CAA punching bag Georgia State. He also revealed that Thorpe has been dealing with an ongoing finger injury.

TUESDAY- At the week's first practice, Matthews informed me and a few others that Thorpe and the coaching staff had come to an agreement that he take the day off. Birdsong took first-team reps; Lafonte Thourogood (who has been suffering from an ongoing hamstring injury) took second-team reps. Matthews also said that football is unpredictable, but it is his intention that Birdsong would start the rest of the season.

WEDNESDAY- Justin Thorpe returns to practice and takes second-team reps, noting to my co-editor Wayne that he was just as shocked as anyone that he was pulled, but reaffirming his committment to the team to help in any way he can. He alluded to Matthews possibly using him out wide at receiver, as he occassionally did earlier in his career when Drew Dudzik played quarterback.



Now, my thoughts. I was very skeptical of this plan at first. I thought Thorpe had proved for the millionth time in the Towson game that, despite not necessarily progressing much as a quarterback over the years or looking 100% all the time, he's the go-to guy that will win games when it matters. I thought taking first team reps away from Thorpe would be detrimental to the offense, assuming he was to end up back under center at some point this season.

Now that I've spoken with coach, it seems clear to me that Birdsong is the guy moving forward, like it or not. And you know what? I think I like it. Birdsong is a lot more like Jace Edwards than most people care to admit, which brings a significant level of balance to the offense. No longer is JMU likely to become stagnant at times under the weight of a botched JT keeper. Instead, it's a carefully balanced attack with Dae'Quan Scott and co. leading the rushing attack, Birdsong occassionally chipping in some attempts, (though not nearly to the tune of 20-30 carries per game, as Thorpe has been of late), and guys like Arlandis Harvey (and perhaps even Thorpe himself!?) anchoring the pass game. It could look a lot like last year, except with a better offensive line and slightly better pass coverage.

Take away? Cut out the penalties the defense was committing last week, and I think JMU might be a better team when it's all said and done. It might be tough to hear if your last name rhymes with Yorpe, but I think we're about to see shades of 2004. You heard it hear first.