HARRISONBURG — Getting an opportunity to play host to an in-state ACC program would almost always be a big deal for a school like James Madison.
So the JMU’s Convocation Center began to buzz in the fourth quarter Sunday night when it became clear the Dukes would advance to play Virginia Tech in the third round of the WNIT. For the folks in the JMU community it’s more than just an opportunity to take on a bigger rival.
Even beyond the fact the Hokies are coached by former JMU head man Kenny Brooks, who took the Dukes to six NCAA Tournaments before leaving for Blacksburg three years ago, the programs are intertwined like a woven blanket that stretches to cover the entire western half of the commonwealth.
From Winchester, near the Maryland line — where Dukes freshman Madison Green is the younger sister of Erick Green, who was once ACC Player of the Year for the Hokies — to Wise County, bordering on Kentucky — where Brooks signed JMU point guard Logan Reynolds — this game resonates far more than your typical WNIT contest.
“I want to make sure everybody knows how important this game is to our program,” JMU coach Sean O’Regan said. “We’ve got to have more purple than maroon in the building on Thursday.”
That likely won’t be a problem.
Most of the connections come back to Brooks, and while this may be a friendly rivalry, but there’s no doubt fans of the Dukes are eager to welcome Brooks back, then watch him lose. Brooks played for the JMU men’s team after a standout prep career at Waynesboro before eventually becoming the head coach of the women’s program for 14 seasons.
He coached Logan Reynolds, Aneah Young and Kayla Cooper-Williams during their freshman seasons at JMU, and signed juniors Kamiah Smalls, Devon Merritt and Lexie Barrier before accepting the Virginia Tech job. Brooks’ daughters, Kendyl and Chloe, now play for the Hokies but were high school teammates of JMU freshman Casey Irvine at Spotswood. Kelly Koshuta, a former five-star recruit, originally signed with the Hokies then transferred and played at JMU last season before being dismissed from the Dukes after playing two games this season.
But, of course, one of the deepest connections is among the head coaches themselves. It was Brooks who helped launch O’Regan’s coaching career, hiring him as an assistant at JMU for nine years before O’Regan succeeded him at their alma mater.
“It’s surreal for me,” O’Regan said. “I owe him a lot. He taught me the intricacies of coaching women’s basketball versus men’s basketball. I have the utmost admiration and respect for him. All the being said, we’re not coming out here to lay down. He’s coming up her to win, just like we are hosting them to win.”
For Brooks’ part, he always figured he’d eventually schedule a game against the Dukes, but had hoped to do it when his exit from the school wasn’t quite so fresh.
“It’s mixed emotions,” Brooks said. “I consider Harrisonburg home. It’s where I got my degree. It’s where I became a coach, where I became a father. It’s where we put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into a program and took it from a non-contender in the CAA. Everybody wanted this game so soon, and everybody couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to come back and play. Well, I will, but it is so fresh. I recruited Logan Reynolds, I recruited Kamiah Smalls and Kayla Cooper-Williams. I watched a lot of them come in. It’s just so fresh. The relationships that I have with the community, it kind of muddies the waters a little in terms of competition.
“I knew it was a game that would always happen, but preferably I hoped it wouldn’t be with so many familiar faces.”
Of course, once the ball is tipped, the competitive side of everyone involved is likely to take over. JMU is in the third round of the WNIT once again and the Hokies made it to the title game a year ago. Both teams are intent on taking the next step this time around.
“We’re playing well and shooting the basketball well,” Brooks said of his Hokies. “So I’m excited about the potential to continue on. It’s a hungry group and we’ll be there ready to compete.”
