Transfers give JMU optimism
Jalloh was second team All-Atlantic 10 at St. Joseph’s
By Caroline Morris, staff writer
Posted on January 18, 2007

When JMU men’s basketball practice ended Tuesday and players headed for the locker room, one stayed behind. He spent the next half-hour shooting jump shots and 3-pointers with startling accuracy, but he doesn’t play — yet.

Abdulai Jalloh is a junior transfer from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. He is one of three transfers that JMU men’s basketball coach Dean Keener recruited to give his team more depth. All transfers are required by the NCAA to sit out a year, but that doesn’t mean their time goes to waste.

“It helps us tremendously,” Keener said of having his transfer players in practice. “Abdulai helps all of the guards because he can challenge them with the quickness and his athleticism. And at the other end, he can guard those guys. And he can simulate to Pierre [Curtis] or other guys that he’s guarding the kind of pressure that they’re going to see in a game.”

Jalloh saw extensive playing time at St. Joe’s and went to the National Invitational Tournament twice with the Hawks. He earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference second team honors last year as he led the team in scoring (15 ppg) and rebounds (5.5 rpg). While he can’t be a leader on the court for the Dukes this season, he helps out his team any way he can.

“I try to be a vocal leader and let them know little tendencies that the opponent might have,” Jalloh said.

The guard keeps every scouting report and keeps close tabs on the opponents he’ll be facing next year.

Sophomore forward Dazzmond Thornton also comes to JMU from a reputable institution. Thornton spent last year at Texas Tech and came to Harrisonburg at the suggestion of his high school teammate and current JMU freshman point guard Pierre Curtis. One might think making the transition from coach Bob Knight, who is widely known for his temper and on-the-court antics, to Keener, would be like going from night to day, but Thornton insists they aren’t that different.

“Coach Knight is more of a publicized coach,” Thornton said. “He’s just got a passion to win, and every college coach has a passion to win.”

At 6-foot-7 270 pounds, Thornton will add size to an undersized team.

“He’s a low post presence,” Keener said. “He’s a true block-to-block kind of player. So he filled a need.”

 Freshman Stephen Kendall is the latest addition to the Dukes. Kendall had been heavily recruited by Keener last year, but chose to attend the University of Richmond instead. After a season as a Spider, Kendall decided that Richmond wasn’t for him. His former AAU coach contacted assistant coach Jake Morton and a day later, Kendall was a Duke.

“I planned on going back to Richmond to finish out the year, but this opportunity arose and I capitalized on it,” Kendall said.

Due to a groin injury, Kendall never actually played for Richmond. Because he is starting his redshirt year now, he’ll be eligible to play January 2008 and will have four years of eligibility. Kendall, a guard, was primarily recruited for his shooting ability. He averaged seven points and four rebounds last year at Hargrave Military Academy, playing against some of the toughest basketball high schools in the country.

“He’s got a toughness to him and he’s a guy who can score,” Keener said. “[Kendall can] especially make shots from [behind the arc], and that’s something we were looking for.”

The Dukes will be able to add two new players in the backcourt and two in the front next year to a team that won’t lose any players to graduation. Freshman Ben Thomas has sat out most of the season due to injury, but will likely return next season. That depth will be a welcomed change for Keener.

“We haven’t had the luxury of 13 or 14 players that we can make different lineup adjustments with and not have any drop-off,” Keener said. “We’ll finally be deep. And the classes will be starting to balance. Part of the problem this year is not having any seniors, not only from a leadership standpoint, but just guys who are veterans and know how to travel and how to practice.”