Duke Club Wrote:Join JMU Athletics fans, friends, and the Duke Club on the road May 22 through May 25 for the 2023 JMU Coaches Caravan events.

The 2023 Caravan will feature JMU Athletic Director Jeff Bourne, Football Head Coach Coach Curt Cignetti, Men's Basketball Head Coach Mark Byington and Women's Basketball Head Coach Sean O'Regan and will include four scheduled tour stops in Richmond, Virginia Beach, Fairfax and Leesburg.

Don't miss this JMU tradition and the opportunity to hear about the 2022-2023 seasons in the Sun Belt Conference, the Women's Basketball run in the NCAA Tournament, and the forecasts for next season.

Event tickets will go on sale in mid-April. Explore below to learn more about the event locations and start making your plans to join us on the road.

Questions? Contact the Duke Club at (540) 568-6461 or dukeclub@jmu.edu.

https://jmudukeclub.com/news/2023/3/11/g...df7b9b8448

The article says Fairfax but it should say Alexandria (Port City Brewery) based on the schedule they have posted at the bottom.

(03-15-2023 06:00 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

Duke Club Wrote:Join JMU Athletics fans, friends, and the Duke Club on the road May 22 through May 25 for the 2023 JMU Coaches Caravan events.

The 2023 Caravan will feature JMU Athletic Director Jeff Bourne, Football Head Coach Coach Curt Cignetti, Men's Basketball Head Coach Mark Byington and Women's Basketball Head Coach Sean O'Regan and will include four scheduled tour stops in Richmond, Virginia Beach, Fairfax and Leesburg.

Don't miss this JMU tradition and the opportunity to hear about the 2022-2023 seasons in the Sun Belt Conference, the Women's Basketball run in the NCAA Tournament, and the forecasts for next season.

Event tickets will go on sale in mid-April. Explore below to learn more about the event locations and start making your plans to join us on the road.

Questions? Contact the Duke Club at (540) 568-6461 or dukeclub@jmu.edu.

https://jmudukeclub.com/news/2023/3/11/g...df7b9b8448

The article says Fairfax but it should say Alexandria (Port City Brewery) based on the schedule they have posted at the bottom.

Port City was a pretty nice place last year, though 6:00pm can be challenging travel wise on a weeknight from some parts of DC/NoVa. Enjoyed a port city brew just this past week.

Thinking about the mysterious stop #4 in Ashburn once they work that out. That's a bit easier to reach for those to the west of the beltway, especially if its somewhere near 267 west or 28.

It's updated now to reflect Alexandria. They've got some good beers. Leesburg/Ashburn might be at Blackfinn by the new Metro station out there. They host a lot of JMU sports watch parties there and the seating is laid out such that one section of the restaurant can be sectioned off from the rest of the diners.

(03-16-2023 07:39 AM)AssyrianDuke Wrote:  It's updated now to reflect Alexandria. They've got some good beers. Leesburg/Ashburn might be at Blackfinn by the new Metro station out there. They host a lot of JMU sports watch parties there and the seating is laid out such that one section of the restaurant can be sectioned off from the rest of the diners.

It still says Fairfax in the article.

Quote:The 2023 Caravan will feature JMU Athletic Director Jeff Bourne, Football Head Coach Coach Curt Cignetti, Men's Basketball Head Coach Mark Byington and Women's Basketball Head Coach Sean O'Regan and will include four scheduled tour stops in Richmond, Virginia Beach, Fairfax and Leesburg.

(03-16-2023 12:42 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(03-16-2023 07:39 AM)AssyrianDuke Wrote:  It's updated now to reflect Alexandria. They've got some good beers. Leesburg/Ashburn might be at Blackfinn by the new Metro station out there. They host a lot of JMU sports watch parties there and the seating is laid out such that one section of the restaurant can be sectioned off from the rest of the diners.

It still says Fairfax in the article.

Quote:The 2023 Caravan will feature JMU Athletic Director Jeff Bourne, Football Head Coach Coach Curt Cignetti, Men's Basketball Head Coach Mark Byington and Women's Basketball Head Coach Sean O'Regan and will include four scheduled tour stops in Richmond, Virginia Beach, Fairfax and Leesburg.

Oh I just looked at the pictures. Didn't read the article lol.

(03-16-2023 12:42 PM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(03-16-2023 07:39 AM)AssyrianDuke Wrote:  It's updated now to reflect Alexandria. They've got some good beers. Leesburg/Ashburn might be at Blackfinn by the new Metro station out there. They host a lot of JMU sports watch parties there and the seating is laid out such that one section of the restaurant can be sectioned off from the rest of the diners.

It still says Fairfax in the article.

Quote:The 2023 Caravan will feature JMU Athletic Director Jeff Bourne, Football Head Coach Coach Curt Cignetti, Men's Basketball Head Coach Mark Byington and Women's Basketball Head Coach Sean O'Regan and will include four scheduled tour stops in Richmond, Virginia Beach, Fairfax and Leesburg.

Well, to be nit-picky it is Fairfax.

I grew up in Alexandria and it was County of Fearfax. 22310 was both.

Similarly we now reside in Midloathean, Chesterfield County.

Kinda an oddball thing with being a Commonwealth instead of a State, but either or both can apply.

I always thought it was Feartax.

(03-17-2023 11:11 AM)JMU85 Wrote:  I always thought it was Feartax.

you got that right!

Just got an email saying tickets are on sale. I've never been to that Revolution Sportsplex location in Leesburg but it seems like an interesting place.

(03-16-2023 03:56 PM)JMUDunk Wrote:  ...

Well, to be nit-picky it is Fairfax.

I grew up in Alexandria and it was County of Fearfax. 22310 was both.

Similarly we now reside in Midloathean, Chesterfield County.

Kinda an oddball thing with being a Commonwealth instead of a State, but either or both can apply.

Well, not to be even nit-pickier, ha, but all cities in VA are independent (the only state in which this is the case) so one can not be in a city and county at the same time. You're either in the City of Alexandria or Fairfax County, not both, governmentally speaking. Zip code designations are a federal thing and often make no sense, so no reason to pay attention to that. Midlothian, however, is in Chesterfield because it's not a city or town - just a place with 23 Wawas and 357 traffic lights.

The caravan will provide a Q&A but they also posted an opportunity to send questions in to be addressed. Additionally, Mr. Bourne had a press conference today that covered much of what we’ve kicked around here.

https://soundcloud.com/espn-harrisonburg...ourne-0518

Anything notable to report from last night's Caravan stop in RVA at Hardywood Park?

I was at the CC in Alexandria last night and oddly the topics of stadium expansion and the FBS waiver denial never came up. Discussions of NIL seemed to be the main focus and how we never could've kept our athletes from being poached once the $$$ started getting tossed around. I believe it was said Kiki was offered $100k+ and the football guys at least $400k (DTD, Smoothie Wells, Ukwu). Of course nobody was happy about the status of the NCAA and current portal/NIL issues, but moving forward we're going to have to be able to offer up something to appease them while at JMU, as opposed to throwing money at them to come to JMU.

Do WNBA or NFL practice squad players even make that much?

(05-25-2023 07:01 AM)Potomac Wrote:  Do WNBA or NFL practice squad players even make that much?

Oddly, Coach O mentioned Kiki could still have reached the WNBA from JMU, but making a team is difficult and rookies only earn about $50k. Let's face it, if you can play you can still make the pros without being at a power program, in 2019 Ja Morant got picked 2nd overall from Murray State, Trey Lance 3rd overall from NDSU in 2021, but now the NIL $$ while still a student is the difference. Coach Cignetti wasn't sure what Ukwu got from Ole Miss, but did say he was offered $250k from Auburn, so he probably got around $400k like the others.

(05-25-2023 07:01 AM)Potomac Wrote:  Do WNBA or NFL practice squad players even make that much?

G league NBA top prospects can make in the $400-500k range right out of High School.

The big bucks are out there if a booster wants to spend their money that way.

SMU boosters whose under-the-table $$$ led to the Mustangs NCAA football death penalty must be spinning in their graves.

It’s the Wild Wild West now as many predicted.

Is that a guaranteed $250K or with incentives it could reach $250K?

(05-25-2023 07:07 AM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(05-25-2023 07:01 AM)Potomac Wrote:  Do WNBA or NFL practice squad players even make that much?

Oddly, Coach O mentioned Kiki could still have reached the WNBA from JMU, but making a team is difficult and rookies only earn about $50k. Let's face it, if you can play you can still make the pros without being at a power program, in 2019 Ja Morant got picked 2nd overall from Murray State, Trey Lance 3rd overall from NDSU in 2021, but now the NIL $$ while still a student is the difference. Coach Cignetti wasn't sure what Ukwu got from Ole Miss, but did say he was offered $250k from Auburn, so he probably got around $400k like the others.

I really wish Ukwu stayed at JMU but I can’t say with a straight face that I would turn that down in his position. NFL teams aren’t generally looking for guys who spent 7 years in college and have an injury history so this could be his only shot to make big money from football. Imagine starting his career after football with almost half a million. It’s the Wild West and I don’t know how JMU competes with that but it isn’t the player’s fault or concern.

(05-25-2023 08:14 AM)Anders Wrote:  

(05-25-2023 07:07 AM)Polish Hammer Wrote:  

(05-25-2023 07:01 AM)Potomac Wrote:  Do WNBA or NFL practice squad players even make that much?

Oddly, Coach O mentioned Kiki could still have reached the WNBA from JMU, but making a team is difficult and rookies only earn about $50k. Let's face it, if you can play you can still make the pros without being at a power program, in 2019 Ja Morant got picked 2nd overall from Murray State, Trey Lance 3rd overall from NDSU in 2021, but now the NIL $$ while still a student is the difference. Coach Cignetti wasn't sure what Ukwu got from Ole Miss, but did say he was offered $250k from Auburn, so he probably got around $400k like the others.

I really wish Ukwu stayed at JMU but I can’t say with a straight face that I would turn that down in his position. NFL teams aren’t generally looking for guys who spent 7 years in college and have an injury history so this could be his only shot to make big money from football. Imagine starting his career after football with almost half a million. It’s the Wild West and I don’t know how JMU competes with that but it isn’t the player’s fault or concern.

Or Wells, or any of these guys.

I will say, NIL will be in the back pocket for use by lower level coaches losing players to other schools even if that might not be the complete story.

Brady would of been saying - "They offered the transfers out more NIL."

Not really the fault of the power 5 in this case. It was the courts that opened it up, and perhaps rightfully so. Just don't like the effect it has on JMU and lower level schools.

Speaking of the NIL, I spoke to Cig for a while at the Caravan and he believes the NIL collective is more important than anything right now to keep the momentum of the football program.

The company line was to support the Duke Club scholarships first and then give additional money, if you can, to the NIL collective. Cig believes the NIL collective is more important at this time of JMU is going to retain good players. It isn’t the recruiting, it is the retention.