You can’t gleen much from a scrimmage regarding style of play, but we know the newcomers will be fighting for limited minutes since 4 starters return. I’m looking for Julien Wooden to get the most opportunities early. I don’t know how he will be on defense, but he looks like he can be effective slashing from the wing and he is likely to get the least attention from opponents in a lineup with Banks, Lewis, Wilson, and Parker.
The hard left hand dribble drive is a threat that can make this team better as a 4th or 5th option. He looks long enough, quick enough, and skilled enough to score when defenses are sure to pay most attention to JMU’s other players.

Mike Christmas played similar to what I saw in high school. He has the body of a football TE, but prefers to play a finesse game on the perimeter. JMU would benefit much more if he committed to using his body as an advantage on the interior. Plenty of guys in the CAA have thrived in the paint at 6’5”. He doesn’t have to be a back to the basket player, but JMU doesn’t need another guy roaming the wing. They do need a complement to Wilson around the basket on both ends of the floor.

Richey, Harvey, Dobbs will probably be trying to earn some backup minutes based on situations.

What kind of improvement will we see from the 4 returning starters? Dwight Wilson does look like he has shed even more weight and is closer to a basketball body. That will bode well for the Dukes in a league that has very few strong post players returning this year. Can Matt Lewis improve his mental game and stop taking lots of bozo shots? Banks will be a matchup nightmare again that can play inside or outside depending on the defense. Deshon Parker looks like he can control the tempo and be an excellent player at the all important PG.

Similar to last year, this team can out athlete just about every team in the CAA. We need to see some competent coaching and the tourney title will be within reach in what appears to be a down year for the CAA. It is there for the taking.