Struggling to get over the ‘hump’
JMU captain Terrance Carter is optimistic that the Dukes will break out of slump
Posted on January 31, 2008
After losing eight of their last 11 games, JMU basketball players have plenty of reasons to hang their heads.
Not only have the Dukes (10-9 overall, 3-6 in the Colonial Athletic Association) lost six of their last seven, but they have dropped their last four games. Fourth-year coach Dean Keener is likely back in the hot seat despite starting the season 7-1. It doesn’t help that his team is playing without two of its third-year players.
Junior starting forward Kyle Swanston is recovering from a knee injury suffered Jan. 9 in a 69-66 loss at William & Mary. Classmate and reserve guard Joe Posey has been indefinitely suspended following a verbal dispute with assistant coach Louis Rowe, during a 96-75 home loss to George Mason on Jan. 19.
Since losing Swanston, JMU has shot a dismal 27 percent from three-point range. Swanston had a team-leading 25 triples before a ligament tore a bone out of place in his left knee.
“We [lost] a true perimeter threat,” Keener said. “That’s one really big hit. The other thing is [Swanston’s] energy; what he brings to practice. He’s always a guy who’s kind of up as we say.”
Whether they say it or not, the Dukes could use an “up-guy” right now on or off the court.
Neither Posey nor Swanston made the trip Saturday when the Dukes lost to Towson 63-74. Swanston opted to attend to academic matters. Posey has experience and although he has struggled to find his shot this year, he knows the grind of Colonial Athletic Association basketball better than freshmen Heiden Ratner and Ben Louis.
Team captain and senior forward Terrance Carter isn’t fazed, summing the struggles up as “minor stuff.”
“As a core we all are still sticking together, staying positive and makin’ sure we’re not getting down on each other,” Carter said. “And we’re makin’ sure our role players are just continuing growin’.”
Carter’s maturity is key to preventing the Dukes’ from unraveling mentally, but he will need the role players to grow up sooner if he wants his senior season to be memorable.
Ratner, Louis and sophomore Dazzmond Thornton are three players who have seen their minutes rise as the season has progressed.
One thing all three have in common, despite playing distinctly different positions, is good defense.
JMU radio play-by-play announcer Mike Schikman has coined Ratner the “Rat” as the undersized guard — he’s listed at 6-foot, but appears closer to 5-foot-10 — has gained a reputation for his relentless defense.
Louis has also shown potential as a strong defender with his long reach and overall athleticism. Thornton, the 6-foot-7 forward, is smart about when to put his body in harm’s way and take a charge.
“It’s not so much hard as it is frustrating,” Louis said of the team’s struggles. “Just getting over that hump I think is the biggest key for us right now.”
Beating Mason on Saturday could really help get JMU going again, but it will be hard for the Dukes to forget the thrashing the Patriots handed them almost two weeks ago.
Mason guard Dre Smith scored 34 points in the game and set an NCAA record for the most 3-point field goals made without a miss, as he connected on all 10 attempts.
The Patriots (15-6, 7-3) gained confidence Tuesday night, moving into sole possession of second place in the conference with a 63-51 win over CAA leader Virginia Commonwealth (15-5, 8-2).
“A lot of teams go through stretches where things just aren’t going right,” Carter said. “You just gotta look at it game-by-game. You know every game since we’ve lost one there’s been a sense of urgency that we need to win this one, we need to win this one.”
The games are dwindling for Carter, but he says he isn’t discouraged and that the Dukes are keeping a positive outlook.
