James Madison Dukes men's basketball
The James Madison Dukes men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school's team currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Dukes are led by head coach Mark Byington. The Dukes play their home games at the on-campus Atlantic Union Bank Center which seats 8,500 fans and opened in November 2020.
| James Madison Dukes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| University | James Madison University | ||
| Head coach | Mark Byington (1st season) | ||
| Conference | Colonial Athletic Association | ||
| Location | Harrisonburg, Virginia | ||
| Arena | Atlantic Union Bank Center (from 2020–21) (Capacity: 8,500) | ||
| Nickname | Dukes | ||
| Student section | Electric Zoo | ||
| Colors | Purple and Gold[1] | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| NCAA Tournament Round of 32 | |||
| 1981, 1982, 1983 | |||
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | |||
| 1981, 1982, 1983, 1994, 2013 | |||
| Conference Tournament Champions | |||
| 1981, 1983, 1994, 2013 | |||
| Conference Regular Season Champions | |||
| 1981, 1982, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2015 | |||
History
The James Madison Dukes men's basketball team was founded in 1945, but was not a fully developed program until the late 1960's as James Madison University became a fully coeducational institution. The 1969–1970 season was the first as a varsity intercollegiate program. The Dukes were led by Charles Branscom during the team's first two seasons, compiling a record of 20–17. The program was guided by new Administrative Director Dean Ehlers for the 1971—1972 season. Ehlers hired Lou Campanelli following the season, but remained at James Madison as the A.D. until 1993.
Lou Campanelli era
Taking over as the James Madison head coach in 1972, Lou Campanelli led the Dukes program for thirteen years (1972-1985). Campanelli coached the Dukes to two NCAA Division II Basketball Tournaments and then three NCAA Division I Basketball Tournaments after the school transitioned from Division II to Division I. In the Dukes' first ever appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament in 1981, Campanelli coached the team to a win over Georgetown. The Dukes would win a game in each of the Dukes’ following appearances in the NCAA Division I tournament under Campanelli.
Lou Campanelli was hired as the head coach at California in 1985. Campanelli finished at James Madison with a record of 238–118.
John Thurston era
John Thurston was hired as the fourth head coach of the James Madison Dukes men’s basketball team in 1985. Thurston had previously served as an assistant coach under Campanelli with the Dukes since 1975. Thurston successfully turned the program around in his second season at the helm, guiding the Dukes to a 20–10 record, a berth in the National Invitation Tournament, and was named Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year. However, with a 6–11 start to the 1988 season, James Madison University President Ronald E. Carrier announced that Thurston's contract would not be renewed at the end of the season and Thurston resigned hours later.[2] The Dukes replaced Thurston with interim head coach Tom McCorry to finish the 1988 season.
Lefty Driesell era
In 1988, the Dukes hired former Davidson and Maryland head coach Left Driesell to lead the program.[3] Driesell led the Dukes for nine seasons, compiling a record of 159–111 and taking the Dukes to the NCAA Tournament in 1994.
Sherman Dillard era
In 1997, James Madison hired Sherman Dillard to lead the men’s basketball program.[4] Sherman Dillard played basketball at James Madison under Lou Campanelli from 1973-1978. Prior to accepting the position at JMU, he had been the coach at Indiana State. He led the Dukes through the 2004 season, guiding the program to one regular season title in 2000 and compiling a record of 93–106.
Dean Keener era
The Dukes hired Dean Keener in 2004 to be the program’s next men’s basketball head coach. Keener came from Georgia Tech, where he was an assistant on the 2004 National Runner-Up team. He had also been a one time assistant coach at JMU under Sherman Dillard for the 1999-2000 season.
Under Keener, the Dukes complied a record of 31-85. During the 2008 season, Kenner resigned as the head coach, but he led the team through the end of the season.[5]
Matt Brady era
James Madison hired Matt Brady to be the head coach of the men’s basketball program in 2008. In his first season, Brady led the Dukes to an 18-win regular season and earned the program’s first postseason berth since 1994 in the newly created CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
Under Brady in 2013, the Dukes won their first CAA Tournament since 1994, earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament. As a 16 seed, the Dukes defeated Long Island in the First Four before being defeated by Indiana in the Second Round.
Matt Brady led the Dukes to a share of the regular season CAA title in 2015 but the Dukes did not win the CAA Tournament and were invited to the CIT Tournament. Brady was fired following the 2016 season, despite winning 21 games.[6]
Louis Rowe era
In 2016, James Madison hired JMU men’s basketball alumnus and former assistant coach Louis Rowe to be the program’s tenth men’s basketball coach. Rowe led the Dukes for four seasons before being let go at the end of the 2020 season.[7] Under Rowe, the Dukes compiled a record of 43–85.
Mark Byington era
In March 2020, James Madison hired Mark Byington to lead the Dukes men’s basketball team. Before coming to JMU, Byington was the head coach at Georgia Southern.[8]
In the first season of his tenure at James Madison, the Dukes opened their new on-campus arena, the Atlantic Union Bank Center.
Rivalries
Historically, James Madison's rivals had been in-state members of the Colonial Athletic Association: William & Mary, VCU, George Mason, Old Dominion, and Richmond. However, of these schools, only William & Mary remains in the CAA, but James Madison has continued to schedule the other teams in non-conference play.
James Madison vs. In-State NCAA Division I Schools
| School | Record | First Meeting | Last Meeting |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Mason | 47–48 | 1970 | 2019 |
| Hampton | 4–1 | 1995 | 2013 |
| Liberty | 7–2 | 1980 | 2009 |
| Longwood | 6–2 | 2005 | 2016 |
| Norfolk State | 2–2 | 1998 | 2020 |
| Old Dominion | 27–58 | 1972 | 2019 |
| Radford | 14–4 | 1984 | 2020 |
| Richmond | 22–34 | 1980 | 2017 |
| Virginia | 0–11 | 1977 | 2019 |
| VCU | 22–44 | 1971 | 2020 |
| VMI | 14–7 | 1973 | 2007 |
| Virginia Tech | 4–10 | 1978 | 2006 |
| William & Mary | 50–50 | 1978 | 2020 |
James Madison also maintains competitive series against the other members of the Colonial Athletic Association.
James Madison vs. CAA Members
| School | Record | First Meeting | Last Meeting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | 5–11 | 2007 | 2020 |
| Delaware | 13–21 | 2002 | 2020 |
| Drexel | 15–23 | 1995 | 2020 |
| Elon | 7–7 | 1975 | 2020 |
| Hofstra | 13–22 | 2002 | 2020 |
| Northeastern | 7–22 | 1977 | 2020 |
| Towson | 35–15 | 1979 | 2020 |
| UNC Wilmington | 37–41 | 1979 | 2020 |
| William & Mary | 50–50 | 1978 | 2020 |
Source:[9]
Postseason results
NCAA Division I tournament results
The Dukes have appeared in the NCAA Division I Tournament five times. Their combined record is 4–5.
| Year | Round | Seed | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | First Round Second Round | #10 | Georgetown Notre Dame | W 61–55 L 45–54 |
| 1982 | First Round Second Round | #9 | Ohio State North Carolina | W 55–48 L 50–52 |
| 1983 | First Round Second Round | #10 | West Virginia North Carolina | W 57–50 L 49–68 |
| 1994 | First Round | #14 | Florida | L 62–64 |
| 2013 | First Four Second Round | #16 | Long Island Indiana | W 68–55 L 62–83 |
NCAA Division II tournament results
The Dukes have appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament twice. Their record is 0–3.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | First Round | Fisk | L 54–59 |
| 1976 | Regional Semifinals Regional 3rd Place Game | Old Dominion Morgan State | L 77–86 L 81–86 |
NIT results
The Dukes have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) five times. Their combined record is 0–5.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | First Round | Stephen F. Austin | L 63–70 |
| 1990 | First Round | New Orleans | L 74–78 |
| 1991 | First Round | Providence | L 93–98 |
| 1992 | First Round | Rutgers | L 69–73 |
| 1993 | First Round | Providence | L 61–73 |
CBI results
The Dukes have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) once. Their record is 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | First Round | Davidson | L 65–85 |
CIT results
The Dukes have appeared in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) twice. Their record is 2–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Mount St. Mary's Liberty Old Dominion | W 69–58 W 88–65 L 43–81 |
| 2015 | First Round | USC Upstate | L 72–73 |
References
- "JMU Logos and Marks". January 3, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
- "James Madison basketball coach John Thurston resigned Friday hours..." upi.com. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
- "Comeback for Lefty Driesell: New Coach at James Madison". latimes.com. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
- "JMU HIRES DILLARD". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
- "KEENER RESIGNS JMU BASKETBALL COACHING POSITION". caasports.com. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
- "Matt Brady out as James Madison coach after 21-win season". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
- "James Madison parts ways with Louis Rowe after 4 seasons". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2020-03-22.
- "Mark Byington Named Men's Basketball Head Coach". jmusports.com. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
- "James Madison Dukes men's basketball history". James Madison University.
