All three could play big roles in the future but are likely behind the 10 vets this season. Jaylen Stinson adds depth at point guard. Andrew McConnell, a 3-star combo guard, is a cash money shooter and smooth with the ball in his hands. Devon Savage is a good-sized wing with plenty of shooting range.

Ihenacho ranked 6th in the Summit in steal rate last season.Д«yingtonвЂ™s three-man freshman class projects a bright future for the JMU program. HeвЂ™s the whole package, an athletic, long wing who can play on or off the ball and defend multiple positions. Ihenacho was the Summit League Freshman of the Year in 2021 and ranked 3rd in the conference in assist rate while shooting over 39% from 3 in league play. Falden started every game for a VERY good Winthrop squad, earned HM All-Big South honors, and is a money shooter from distance. While not a huge asset offensively, Sule is rock-solid at doing the little things on the floor that help win ball games.Д«ackcourt transfers Charles Falden (Winthrop) and Tyree Ihenacho (North Dakota) will both play huge roles this season and push the incumbents for starting honors. He started every game for the Sun Belt title winners and provides service on the glass and the defensive end. Texas State transfer Alonzo Sule will bolster the frontcourt and could find himself in the starting lineup at times this year depending on matchup. Both playersвЂ™ mobility fits perfectly into ByingtonвЂ™s uptempo system, and their athleticism is a boon to his 1-3-1 zone looks.

Like Wooden, he can defend multiple positions on the defensive end. Amadi, a CAA All-Rookie selection in вЂ™20-21, is an athletic forward who ranked 4th in the CAA in FT rate last season. Wooden can play the 4 or 5, shoot the 3, score inside, rebound, and run the floor. JMUвЂ™s starting frontcourt duo of Julien Wooden and Justin Amadi returns, giving the Dukes an extremely versatile lineup on both ends of the floor. He has a strong build and likes to bully opponents to the rim itвЂ™s not crazy to consider him a CAA Player of the Year candidate heading into 2021-22. Now in the CAA, Molson should get back to his dominating ways. He struggled with the Pirates but had his moments, and Kevin Willard trusted him enough to give him nearly 20 MPG. Molson was the 2018 MAAC Rookie of the Year in 2018 and a 1st Team All-MAAC selection in 2019 at Canisius prior to transferring to Seton Hall. While Molson isnвЂ™t a perfect replica of Lewis, heвЂ™s a pretty damn good replacement. HeвЂ™ll be in play for LewisвЂ™s starting spot, but in all likelihood comes off the pine behind Seton Hall transfer Takal Molson. He sported great rebounding numbers for his position and is a versatile asset on both ends of the floor. Terrence Edwards returns on the wing looking to blossom in his sophomore campaign. HeвЂ™s a microwave type player who Byington can plug into the lineup for instance trey bombs. Hodge, formerly of ULM, is a career 40% 3P shooter against DI competition, and that will be his role for JMU this season. He started nearly every game last season but likely comes off the bench in favor of the incoming transfers. Strickland is an on-ball defensive menace and a secondary ball-handler on the offensive end. His returning backcourt brethren include Terell Strickland and Jalen Hodge.

Morse will initiate ByingtonвЂ™s spread pick-n-roll attack and continue to provide reliable shooting from outside the arc. Vado Morse will be the leader this season, a 3rd Team All-CAA selection last year after coming over from Mount St. His Dukes will be incredibly deep and look to be a surefire CAA favorite. Lewis is gone, but Byington returns six guys with starting experience and brings in four DI transfers who all started at their previous school. Byington was able to lift the entire program in just his first season at the helm. Of course, it helped having Matt Lewis, the CAAвЂ™s Player of the Year, but Lewis was also a stud under Rowe. He accomplished this despite the shortened offseason and some injury trouble. Yikes.Д«yington also improved the DukesвЂ™ preseason KenPom rank 95 spots by seasonвЂ™s end, and he captured the leagueвЂ™s Coach of the Year Award. Yes, in Louis RoweвЂ™s four seasons, with an 18-game schedule, he never won eight conference games. James Madison split the regular season CAA title with a sterling 8-2 record, the programвЂ™s highest conference win total since 2016. Outlook: Year one of the Mark Byington era was a rousing success.

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