A promising season turned sour quickly, as James Madison
struggled to a 5-23 record. But an impressive group of
sophomores and a host of incoming players gives head coach Dean
Keener and the Dukes hope for the future.
Collegehoops.net:
Discuss all the
incoming players for a bit. Who will make the biggest impact?
Dean Keener: We
will have six newcomers - 4 freshmen, 1 junior
college transfer and 1 four-year transfer. It's hard to
predict the future with freshman. Terrance Carter was a
JUCO All-American at Southeaster CC and has a chance to be
an impact player for us.
CHN: How will you deal with
the graduation of the seniors?
DK:
We lost 3 seniors. No one person will replace that
experience, but our sophomore group is primed to become very
good - Juwann James, Kyle Swanston, Joe Posey, Lew Lampley
and Colbey Santos.
CHN: What
do you expect the strengths and weaknesses of
this year’s team to be?
DK: The strength of this years team will be
versatility. We
will also have big guards/wings relative to our league. A
weakness will be senior leadership. We will not have a
senior on roster.
CHN: Talk for a moment about which of your guys deserve more credit for working
hard in practice, in the workout room, and being leaders off the
court:
DK: Juwann James was the CAA Rookie of the year. He
is a
very optimistic player. Kyle Swanston is one of our hardest
workers and should have a breakout year.
CHN: What coaches have helped you reach the level of
success you’re at today?
DK: I have been fortunate to play and work for
many great
coaches. My high school coach, Jim Maddox, was the first
to play a role in my basketball development. Other such as
George Raveling, Bill Foster and Paul Hewitt really touched
my way of thinking.
CHN: What type of goals have you set for this season?
DK: As we continue to build this program, we look
forward to
good things. We are excited about the foundation that has
been laid and hope for good year.
CHN: Thanks for your time Dean.
More 2006 College Preview: Head Coach
Interviews
