Published Feb 18, 2019
Dukes Hosted Combo Guard From North Carolina Over Weekend
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Shane Mettlen  •  DukesofJMU
Staff
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HARRISONBURG — What was a great weekend on the court for James Madison has potential to pay off on the recruiting trail.

As the Dukes were taking care of CAA rival Delaware Saturday night at the Convocation Center, they were also hosting Durham, N.C., prospect Jayvis Harvey, a 6-4 combo guard who decommitted from Radford in the fall and is now considering JMU along with several other schools, including a few in the CAA.

Harvey is unranked by Rivals.com and 247Sports, but is rated a two-star prospect by Verbal Commits and considered one of the top 25 seniors in North Carolina. The Dukes signed four players — small forward Michael Christmas from Virginia Beach, Roanoke small forward Julien Wooden, shooting guard Quinn Richey from Georgia and Greensboro, N.C., power forward Michael Fowler — but have been looking to add a fifth since freshman Jonathan Hicklin decided to transfer at semester.

It seems like Louis Rowe and his staff have narrowed in on players who could both add more 3-point shooting to the JMU roster and play some point guard to spell Deshon Parker and allow sophomore Matt Lewis to play more at the off-guard spot next season. Harvey, who has shown great range, would fit the bill.

In addition to JMU, Harvey’s offer list includes Eastern Kentucky, Hofstra and Northeastern, as well as interest from William & Mary, Tennessee State and several others.

Harvey’s visit comes after two other guards JMU had offered scholarships committed elsewhere. Atlanta’s Hunter McIntosh recently pledged his services to Tulane, while Jalen Harper from Mableton, Ga., committed to Florida Gulf Coast.

The Dukes have also offered junior college combo guard Sean McNeil, a sharpshooter from Sinclair College in Ohio. But the Dukes have some stiff competition for McNeil, whose profile has blown up since JMU offered.

McNeil now has scholarship offers from Texas Tech, West Virginia, Western Kentucky, Dayton, and a host of others. Coaches from Xavier, Virginia and Missouri have also been spotted at his games.

So, the battle to land Harvey becomes an interesting one for the Dukes, particularly with the distinct possibility that if he doesn’t choose JMU he could wind up playing against Madison twice a year at one of the the other CAA schools after him.

Harvey said he hasn’t really begun to narrow his list and doesn’t have a date in mind for making a decision. But JMU could get another opportunity to make an impression of him this week as he is scheduled to take a visit to Hofstra this weekend, where Saturday the Dukes will take on the Pride.