JU BASKETBALL WEEKLY
The Jacksonville Dolphins weekly basketball report
written by Robb, the JU Dolphin Insider
Mid Season Review
Written by Rob, JU Dolphins Insider
December 2009, Issue No. 1
Senior point man Ben Smith
hopes to lead the Dolphins
to their first NCAA tournament
appearance since 1986.
With one game left to play before the JU men's basketball team heads into conference play, let's take a minute to review the first half of the season...
Good Start
First year Dolphins Head Coach Kevin Roberts couldn't be more pleased with the start his team had to the 2009 basketball season. The season began with a 74-64 home victory against Liberty and their super sophmore Seth Curry (younger brother of Davidson's star Senior guard Stephen Curry).
The next two games were just an absolute joy to watch as JU went on the road to beat #14 Miami and #9 Villanova. Did I mention those wins came on the road?! It's worth mentioning that Miami is no longer ranked and Villanova is currently ranked #25 in the nation according to the Media Polls. JU would go on to blow out FAMU at home to start out the season at 4-0.
Cold Streak
The excitement of the 4-0 start was short lived however as the Dolphins went on to lose 5 out of the next 6 games. A 97-87 loss to Southern Miss was the team's first home loss of the season (JU is 5-2 at home this year).
Inconsistency
Probably the most frustrating thing about the JU Dolphins this year is that you never know which team is going to show up. With key victories at Arizona, Texas Tech, Villanova, and Miami...the Dolphins also managed to lose games against Southern Miss, Princeton, and Drexel. The Dolphins have won 5 out of their last 6 games including that 69-68 win at Arizona. "The (Arizona) win was a huge one for our ball club. It's given these guys back their confidence that they can go anywhere and beat even some of the major basketball programs in the country" said coach Roberts. Hopefully the Dolphins will continue their winning ways.
JU's current overall record: 10-6
--------------------------------------------------------------
Mid-season recognitions:
Most Valuable: Ben Smith, PG (Sr) Ovr: 78 - It is no secret who the heart and soul of this team is. Ben Smith has had a great career here at JU and he hopes to cap off his career with an NCAA tournament appearance. He is having yet another stellar year averaging 14.5 ppg and 4.8 assists.
Best Newcomer: Ben Hinton, C (Fr) Ovr: 75 - Hinton is Coach Roberts' first recruit here at JU and if this is any sign of whats to come, then wow! Big Ben stands at 6'7" 252 lbs and he has been an absolute force down low. Averaging 16.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, and throw in 1.5 blocks per game and he is easily on pace to becoming the Atlantic Sun freshman of the year.
Most Improved: Tevin Galvin, SG (So) Ovr: 78 - The Dolphins would not have had the success they have had so far this season if it wasn't for the sharp shooting of Tevin Galvin. The Sophmore guard has found his way into the starting lineup after not playing much at all in his freshman year. When JU's best shooter, Evan Jefferson graduated, the starting SG was thought to be then freshman Chris Edwards (Ovr 78 as a freshman) who saw significantly more playing time than Galvin last year. But Edwards was unhappy at JU and decided to transfer at the end of the year. This opened the door for Galvin and he has taken full advantage this opportunity.
2009 ROSTER
Starting 5
C - Ben Hinton / 6' 7" / 252 lbs / Fr. (Ovr - 75)
PF - Lehmon Colbert / 6' 6"/ 215 Ibs / Sr. (Ovr - 80)
SF - Ayron Hardy / 6' 5"/ 188 lbs / Jr. (Ovr - 75)
SG - Tevin Galvin / 6' 4" / 180 lbs / So. (Ovr - 78)
PG - Ben Smith / 5' 10" / 155 lbs / Sr. (Ovr - 78)
Bench
C - Szymon Lukasiak / Jr. (Ovr- 74)
PF - Aric Brooks / Jr. (Ovr - 74)
SG - Travis Cohn/ Jr. (Ovr - 73)
SG - Scott Weston/ Fr. (Ovr - 66)
PG - Mark Amos/ Fr. (Ovr - 59)
SF- Tyson Mason/ Fr. (Ovr - 58)
SF- Sean Sircy/ Fr. (Ovr - 48)
Redshirts
PF - Devin Fields / Fr. (Ovr 50)
C- Jerome Clay / Fr. (Ovr 55)
PG - Michael Singleton / Fr (Ovr 52)
Coaches
Head Coach: Kevin Roberts
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up Next
Next 3 games:
12/27/09 - Rhode Island (4-8)
01/01/10 - @ Lipscomb (13-4) *
01/07/10 - @ Campbell (14-1) *
* - conference game