(12-05-2018 03:53 PM)jmuroadwarrior Wrote:  

(12-05-2018 06:36 AM)Duke Dawg Wrote:  

(12-04-2018 09:35 PM)jmuroadwarrior Wrote:  

(12-04-2018 02:26 PM)orange-to-purple Wrote:  I have a question about Nikki Oppenheimer...is she a point guard? Because if she's not, who's going to back up Maddie Green next year? Or does Coach O have somebody on his radar? Maddie has to have a backup just in case. Everyone else looks like a shooting guard.

It's hard to say since her sit-out year keeps her from any extensive time with the starters. Based on what I have seen at practice she is a 1/2. When the team scrimmages she is on the scout team with the 4 male practice players and one of them is a major ball handler also. This is the role Benitez had last year as she was with the guys too. She also fills in with the second group of 5 when some of them rotate in with the first five. It is tough sitting out for a year but she is making good use of her time IMO. Frankly it is tougher being a male practice player as you are sitting and waiting the majority of practice.

Wait, they are still practicing with the guys ? I thought the ncaa banned that a number of years ago

FWIW these guys are worth their weight in gold.

They are amazing. All of the work and none of the glory. They do it for the love of the game. I saw an interview with a guy who is a practice player for the Lady Vols. He was offered a full ride at another D-I school but he just wanted to go to Tennessee even if he didn't play.

With Koshuta dismissed, this opens up a scholarship Coach O can use in the spring signing period if he desires. I expect he will use it if he can find the right fit.

With 5 juniors on this year's roster, he will have ample openings to fill in the 2020 (next year's) signing class so I doubt he wants to save this opening to next year...that is, barring he can't find the right fit between now and April/May.

(01-07-2019 02:03 PM)Wear Purple Wrote:  With Koshuta dismissed, this opens up a scholarship Coach O can use in the spring signing period if he desires. I expect he will use it if he can find the right fit.

With 5 juniors on this year's roster, he will have ample openings to fill in the 2020 (next year's) signing class so I doubt he wants to save this opening to next year...that is, barring he can't find the right fit between now and April/May.

I thought we rarely used all 15 schollies and that there was almost always one available. 15 is a bunch considering the guys get 13.

(01-07-2019 04:26 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(01-07-2019 02:03 PM)Wear Purple Wrote:  With Koshuta dismissed, this opens up a scholarship Coach O can use in the spring signing period if he desires. I expect he will use it if he can find the right fit.

With 5 juniors on this year's roster, he will have ample openings to fill in the 2020 (next year's) signing class so I doubt he wants to save this opening to next year...that is, barring he can't find the right fit between now and April/May.

I thought we rarely used all 15 schollies and that there was almost always one available. 15 is a bunch considering the guys get 13.

It's seems like the women's players are more frequently injured or out. Not sure if that is the case overall in Women's basketball, but has certainly seemed like the case at JMU through the years.

Not sure if the difference in ships is due to what I mentioned above or to assist with title IX

And we could use another post player....underclassman, preferably.

When is spring signing day, or was it already? We are going to need another post player to back up Devon and Kayla, besides Casey, who is after all only a freshman. Most post players don't really come into their game for a couple of years...we were very lucky with Devon. It wouldn't be a really bad thing to get a transfer, although we haven't had the totally best luck with transfer post players (i.e. Koshuta and Porter) who could sit out next year and be ready to go the year after, but either would be good. Eleanore is coming along nicely as a 3/4 but she is undersized for a post player as is Bellerand. I'm sure Coach O is on it......

Spring signing days...

...April 17, Wednesday, thru May 15, Wednesday

Picked up a transfer from UVA today. Sophomore guard Brianna Tinsley. She will sit out next year (19/20) and be eligible for the 20/21 and 21/22 seasons. She was originally committed to JMU when Kenny Brooks was coaching and switched to UVA when he left.

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(04-10-2019 07:56 PM)JMUDukes20 Wrote:  Picked up a transfer from UVA today. Sophomore guard Brianna Tinsley. She will sit out next year (19/20) and be eligible for the 20/21 and 21/22 seasons. She was originally committed to JMU when Kenny Brooks was coaching and switched to UVA when he left.

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This is huge news. She's good. Really good. I've watched her play back to when she was a 5th grader with SQBA AAU team.

Nice, but we NEED a post player!!!!!!!!!! She does sound like a good next Jackie, though.

"Tinsley played two seasons at Virginia, and started in 55 games."

So not a bench player either. Nice pickup.


We lose a ton next year heading into the new arena. This is a great addition.

We do need a post player, preferably one that can make layups. A lean and long 6’3” or 6’4”+ with some mass to throw around in the paint.

Haven't seen this posted yet. In today's (Sat 4/20) DNR - Tori Harris transferring out. Did not mention where she was going.

After the season ended, I thought she might be one to transfer as she was not getting much playing time late in the season. Had a nice outside shot but seemed a little too thin to play at this level. Wish her well where ever she ends up.

Maybe we can pickup a big center transfer. Will need a big after next year when we lose 4 seniors.

There was a distinct logjam at the shooting guard position and Tori wasn't developing as well as hoped. She's from NY...wonder if she will land somewhere like Seton Hall...or maybe Siena, sort of like a delayed trade for Jackie?

I agree, we REALLY need a big. I hope there's one in the portal somewhere that Coach is looking at.

It's sort of ironic, but there is a redshirt freshman post player transferring out of Syracuse right now (Marie-Paule Fossoppi)--and haven't we had pretty decent luck so far with Syracuse transfers? Think Tasia Butler and Nikki Oppenheimer. And how many other teams have both a French-speaking player (Eleanore) and a French-speaking coach (Caskill)? This girl has been a member of the French U20 team. I hope Coach O is on it.......

I would certainly hope that Coach is looking at all the options available in the transfer market, as I'm sure he sees the same thing we see when looking at the roster. He has done a decent job of bringing in talent, so hopefully we can build the front line a bit

Signee Kiki Jefferson named first team all-PA...https://usatodayhss.com/2019/2018-19-all-usa-pennsylvania-girls-basketball-team/amp?__twitter_impression=true

Some more adoration about Kiki Jefferson from media talking heads (and some good action footage)...

https://twitter.com/BRCSportsTalk/status...4507005952

Looking forward to seeing her suit up next fall. She can get up and down the floor and has good court awareness just from the small snippet of video in the link above. Nice!

One more on Kiki Jefferson...her mother's battle with cancer...and the great teammate she is...

https://www.abc27.com/sports/lancaster-c...1730950051

She is very excited about coming here and I am excited to see how she becomes a positive part of the JMU team. Should be a fun year next year!