HARRISONBURG — While James Madison’s offseason hasn’t had quite as many questions abound as many of its Colonial Athletic Association rivals, that’s not to say spring has even uneventful for the Dukes.
JMU avoided much of the mayhem of the transfer market thus far, with only reserve forward Greg Jones announcing his intention to leave the school, but the Dukes will have to replace assistant coach Tim Johnson, who took a similar position at Furman earlier this month.
Johnson had earlier interviewed for the head coaching position at his alma mater, Wofford, a job that eventually went to Jay McCauley. He’ll instead head to another school in South Carolina’s Upstate region.
“Of course [Furman] was ranked in the Top 25 last year,” Johnson said. “But the keys were a staff I’ve known for years, a better financial situation and an ideal community of family and friends for my child. I loved JMU, the staff and players and recruits, but the area was too good a deal for my family.”
JMU coach Louis Rowe indicated he hoped to hire a new assistant relatively quickly. The opening has been posted on job boards for five days, and according to the university web site, positions must be listed for at least seven days before making a hire.
The Dukes also still have an opening for a women’s basketball assistant to replace Bridgette Mitchell, who took an assistant’s job at Pittsburgh.
Peach Tree Pipeline?
The vast majority of JMU’s roster in 2018-19 hailed from either Virginia or Florida, Rowe’s home state. But could the Dukes also be making inroads in Georgia?
JMU has already added Atlanta-area signee Quinn Richey, who will join the Dukes next season after choosing Madison over offers from Mississippi State, Middle Tennessee and others. At the moment, the Dukes have one scholarship available for the Class of 2020, but are already working hard on what will be key classes in 2021 and 2022.
Rowe and associate head coach Byron Taylor have been busy in Georgia, making offers last week to four underclassmen in the Atlanta metro area.
Blake Hadley and Danny Stubbs, a pair of sophomore teammates at Pebblebrook High School in Mableton, Ga., both announced offers from the Dukes. JMU was the first to offer both Hadley, a 6-7 forward, and Stubbs, a 6-foot point guard.
Taihland Owens, another 6-4 guard from Canton, Ga., was also offered by the Dukes and has an offer from Georgia Tech. JMU also offered 6-3 2020 point guard Khalil Shaheed, whose hometown is Kennesaw, Ga., but played last season at Superior Collegiate Academy in Clearwater, Fla. Shaheed has offers from Florida Atlantic, Stetson and Bethune-Cookman.
Shaheed is one of several junior point guards holding offers from JMU, which appears to want a player in that position to fill the spot in the 2020 class, and said he’s liked what he’s heard from the Dukes so far.
“They let their guards play their game and play free,” Shaheed said. “But they don’t let them get out of the system either. They play a fast-paced game that fits me.”
