Photo by Brett Durda

Jacksonville University sophomore Aloys Cabell scored a career-high 28 points alongside teammate Glenn Powell who tossed in 15 to help lead the host Dolphins to a 74-61 blowout conference victory over Stetson University Monday evening at the Veterans Memorial Arena.

JU (5-19, 3-10 A-Sun) withstood a sultry start by the unwelcomed visitors from across the state, as the Hatters (8-16, 5-8 A-Sun) led by as many as nine early on, but thanks in part to a suffocating defense and the play of Cabell on the offensive end, the Dolphins quickly regained the lead midway through the first half following a clutch lay-up by Tevin Galvin that tied it at 29-29.  The senior Galvin rounded out the night with ten rebounds and seven points.

The Dolphins would close out the half on a 13-2 run to take a 38-31 lead at the break.

In the second half, Jacksonville put the Stetson Hatters away early as senior forward Delwan Graham made his day as a thief, stealing a career-high five balls from his opponents to go along with eight boards and seven points.

Jacksonville shot 40.6 percent from the floor and made nine 3-point field goals in the game.  They outscored Stetson in the paint 34-24 and won the points off of turnovers battle with the score of 18 to 12.

Point guard Aloys Cabell would finish 5-of-8 from downtown, 7-of-11 from the foul line, and three assists with other scores in 30 minutes of play.

“Tonight was a complete team effort,” said JU head coach Cliff Warren.  “Everyone that played contributed for us, whether it was scoring or on defense.”

Stetson was led by Aaron Graham’s team-high 22 points and five assists, while Joel Naburgs added 11 and Chris Perez had eight.

Jacksonville will return to action this Saturday when the Dolphins travel to Spartanburg to take on the University South Carolina Upstate. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.  The game will be broadcast live on AM 1010XL with Terry Norvelle calling the match up.

Senior Crystal Bell, who is a Brevard Community College transfer, recorded her 120th steal of her JU career, moving her into fifth place all-time among former Dolphin hoopsters.  Bell scored a team-high 15 points and was a perfect 3-3 from the foul line.  Senior Jessica George and sophomore Jade Cargill added eight points apiece, but the Lady Fins could not climb back from a slow start and fell to FGCU 70-60 Saturday at the Veterans Memorial Arena.

Sophomore Abril Peebles and junior Maggie Wilson also each chipped in seven points in the contest as JU dropped to 7-17 overall.  The Eagles (21-2, 13-0 A-Sun) had four players score in the double-digits; Courtney Chihil, Nicoya Jackson, Kelsey Jacobson, and Sara Hansen who led all scorers with 23 points.

After a fast start during which the Lady Fins were up as much as seven early, Cargill and Peebles kept JU in the game, managing to cut through the defense for short looks and hit the open shots to shrink the FGCU lead to within a point.

The Eagles then padded their slim lead with help from the long range shot, 3-4 and carrying an the advantage at the half of 37-27.

Once again, however, the Dolphins rallied to catch up with FGCU, going on an 11-4 second-half run to cut the deficit to seven, but the visiting Eagles would answer with a run of their own.  Two treys from Florida Gulf Coast Kelsey Jacobson quickly brought the lead back to double-digits, and they led by as many as 17 shortly after.

Team captain Jessica George maneuvered her way through a pair of Eagle defenders and pulled up for a three in the final minute to keep it within reaching distance, but the Lady Fins committed too many fouls, which left the other team at the free-throw line to soak up the clock.

While both squads looked to the long ball, the Eagles remained consistent with the short jumpers and lay-ups then were later able to look down low to Hansen, who put her team within victory’s reach early on.

“We battled hard again,” JU head coach Jill Dunn said.  “We did a good job defensively of keeping them contained for the most part, but we were not able to cash in on our opportunities.  I told our team to keep battling because good things will happen soon.”

The Green and Gold return to the court on Thursday when they play East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tenn.  The clash is set to begin with a 7 p.m. tip-off.

Photo courtesy of JU Athletics

Aloys Cabell notched 22 points and four assists, as the Jacksonville University Men’s Basketball team (4-17, 2-8 A-Sun) lost an 85-71 battle to Belmont University in Atlantic Sun Conference play at the Curb Event Center.

Senior forward Delwan Graham added eight points and Glenn Powell matched the score with eight of his own.  Davis finished with seven points on the night.

“We played hard.  We didn’t get enough shots towards the end to create the momentum we needed,” said Cliff Warren, head coach. “Our goal is to build on the good things from tonight for our contest at Lipscomb.”

Kerron Johnson paced the Bruins (15-7, 8-2) with 21 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Blake Jenkins scored 18 and two others finished with 10 points or more in the loss.

The Lady Fins (7-12, 5-3 Atlantic Sun Conference) have won three in a row and six of their last eight, their longest winnings streak since they won five straight during the 2010-12 season.

Jade Cargill led three Jacksonville University women in double-figure scoring and the Dolphins took another big step in its rollercoaster season with a 76-65 victory January 19 vs. Mercer University

“The team is playing with a lot of confidence,” fourth-year guard Jessica George said. “We are playing well together and we are getting more production from more players which make us a better team overall.”

Maggie Wilson added 13 points, Crystal Bell had 13 and Tracie Sneed chipped in eight for JU.

The Dolphins won their second in a row January 14 vs. Eastern Tennessee State University 70-44 behind Abril Peeples’s game-high 19 points.  Peeble’s drained three balls from downtown and was perfect from the free throw line, going 2-2.

The Fins (6-12, 4-3 A-Sun Conference), who were swept during the regular season last year by Eastern Tennessee State University (4-13, 3-4 A-Sun), remain in ninth place in the conference standings.

JU came out hot and jumped out early and built a 26-6 lead with 10:59 to play in the first half.  The Lady Fins went on a scoring frenzy and left to the locker room at half with the lead of 41-20.  The lead was never relinquished thanks to in part by Crystal Bell’s four three pointers and a total of 18 for the night.

Maggie Wilson had 12 points five rebounds one steal and one three.  Jade Cargill led all rebounders with 15 and contributed four points to the team total.

“This win is very important to all of us, we were able to give the fans a reason to cheer, and we really came together as a team.” said Wilson.

The host Dolphins defeated the Spartans 80-72 at home on campus in the Swisher Gymnasium on Thursday.  Five JU ballers registered double digits in the scoring column to secure their fifth straight home game win.

Junior Tracie Sneed led the pod of Dolphins with 21 total points, hitting 10 of her 13 foul shots and netting 14 rebounds.  Sophomore Jade Cargill matched Sneed in the double-double department with 15 points and 13 boards.

Coming in third Abril Peebles added 13 points, 5 assists, 3 steels, and went a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line.  Maggie Wilson and Crystal Bell each scored 12 points, both connecting on 5-11 field goals to round out the scoring unit.

USC Upstate connected on just 16 of 36 attempts from the field for 44.4% and were out matched most of the night by JU’s hard-pressed defense.

Photo by Grace Singer

Imagine a car going 110 miles per hour and then suddenly crashing. That’s how my ACL injury can be thought of. My basketball momentum was full speed, and I was ready for the season. Expectations were high, and I knew exactly what I planned to do this year. I set so many goals! I was ready and pumped.

Then all of a sudden out of no where I was blindsided by an accident that threatened to tear apart my as easily as my anterior-crucite ligament.

When I think about the brevity of life, I can only be reminded of a singular great insight that stuck with me throughout  my journey of tribulation: Nothing is promised or guaranteed; things come and go in your life. Only internal things last forever.

I never dreamed in a million years that one summer afternoon would change my life forever, but it did. I honestly can’t say that what has come from this tough experience has not been completely negative. Neither will I say that through it all I haven’t developed a thankful heart for the trials in my life. It is a process.

My ACL injury happened while I was playing “open gym” over the preseason time period. I remember it like it was yesterday. My teammate Jess passed me the ball and I was going in the middle for a jump shot when my knee turned to the left and forced me to give out and fall on the ground. I knew something was wrong because I couldn’t move my knee and it swelled up immediately. As I rolled on the ground, all my teammates and coaches crowded around, including the trainer. I tried not to cry because when I get hurt I usually never cry, but this time was different. The tears just came out.

The funny part about all of it looking back was the fact that I wasn’t supposed to play that first game that I got hurt. However, I was called in due to another teammate not being ready.

Tearing my ACL was and still is a tragedy that tormented me both mentally and  physically. The pain that is experienced through rehabilitation sessions and even outside of rehab is unspeakable. The anguish from not being on the court and playing my heart out for my parents, coaches and, most importantly, my teammates is great.

However, from all my pain I learned one very great lesson: When you loose something you gain something. I do not believe in coincidences, but rather that everything in life is purposeful, even when we can not see the total picture.

I decided I could look at my situation two ways. I could see my pain and loss as a way to produce character, help other people get through the same pain and even look at it as a refining stage in my life. Or I could look at it as a situation that would leave me bitter, down in despair and, worse yet, hopeless.

It was quite easy for me to grow angry because what I once had I had no longer. What I once did I could do no longer. My skills, craft and effort couldn’t be produced in that specific time period anymore. However, I learned that a lot of times we are capable of more than we think, and most times we are capable of making it through tough situations when our mind tells us we should give up. We possess more power than we might think. It just isn’t revealed until we are tested. It’s like a diamond; the more pressure it receives the more valuable and beautiful it gets.

So when I say only internal things last forever, I am speaking of things such as character, strength, joy, peace, happiness… These things no one can steal from me. If I get hurt I can still find joy and peace. It’s a choice. It’s all perspective. And I decided to look at my situation differently. I had to open my eyes and see what was really happening instead of being blinded by my current circumstance.

The physical things like basketball, which are the things that I do, can be  quickly robbed.  I see the difference now: Basketball is not who I am. It is what I do. So if it leaves my life, I still go on. No one can ever steal my smile no matter what happens to me.

In truth, basketball was a major part of my life being that I was a full time athlete who practiced everyday and had games every week. The basketball season is basically all year round, so I never slept or rested when it came to playing basketball.

I have participated in basketball since the age of 8. I played travel basketball all while in high school and eventually got recruited by JU.

That’s why when I stopped playing basketball because of my injury it was so weird.

When I found out my injury was an ACL tear, I tried so hard not to breakdown and cry. I remember my trainer Jena told me hesitantly in the training room as I was sitting on the table. I was praying so hard before I actually read what the tests results indicated. As she gave me the paper, I read that I had multiple abnormalities. I knew immediately it was bad. There seemed to be a MCL tear and a LCL as well in my knee, but when they tested it again they said it was only my ACL.

My trainer, after reading the test, asked me if I needed a minute. I needed more like an hour to cry my eyes out and breathe. My heart was pounding and I felt the tears rushing to my eyes. Man, it was hard because I knew, Jena knew and the people around me knew. It was over. My season was finished.

I don’t know how I did it, but I sucked it up.

“No I don’t need a minute. I’ll continue with rehab.”

I cried many nights and shed many tears because it hurt not playing with my team. It was a major loss that I will never forget. It was weird waking up and thinking to my self, “I don’t have to practice or play. Wow.” Truthfully, still to this day as I walk in the gym I still can’t believe I’m not on the court balling it up, dropping buckets and breaking peoples ankles. I was a really good player. However, I have a different role now, and that role is to encourage my teammates and be happy for them even if I’m not playing, and believe me… that’s a tough job.

The most pain I suffered was rehab. My knee was totally stiff after my surgery and I had to get it back into motion. I cried in rehab and screamed the majority of the time. I laugh when I think back at all the headaches I put my trainer through, unintentionally though. I told my trainer, “Don’t take anything I say to you personal because I don’t really mean it ok.” I really like my trainer. It was just the pain of her pushing my knee back in place when it didn’t want to move talking. I did rehab every day, and the tactics that they incorporated worked to get my full range of motion back so that I could walk normally.

Everyday when I walked out of rehab I thought, “How am I getting through this? How can a person take this much pain physically? Is this right?” But it made me stronger mentally because I feel like I can go through any type of pain now that I made it through the fire of the first stage of rehab.

Dr. Lucy, a doctor out of JOI, performed hamstring surgery on me in October. They took a little part of my hamstring and used that as my ACL. My dad actually came to help me out after my surgery because I couldn’t move anything. I was on crutches the entire time, and it felt like pricks of needles down my leg once I stood up for anything. Some people gain or loose weight. Fortunately enough, I lost weight naturally because my left leg lost all its muscle.

Today my scar and leg is healing nicely. Consequently, I can walk normal because there is no longer pain in my knee. This whole experience was a rough ride, but it has taught me numerous lessons. I would never want to do it again, but I can say that when I look back many years from now I can see the rewarding benefits through my character. I always try to stay positive because negativity sucks. Honestly, I do miss basketball and actually sweating and working hard. I’m still hoping for at least one game toward the end of the season. That would be amazing!!

Photo by Brett Durda

Senior guard Crystal Bell had a double-double on Saturday Nov. 19, but the Jacksonville University women’s basketball team came up short during their second performance.

Led by 17 points from Jericka Jenkins, Hampton University (2-0) captured a 68-55 victory over the Dolphins at Swisher Gymnasium.

Tracey Snead had 19 points and 5 rebounds, leading JU (0-3) in the scoring category.  Sophomore forward Jade Cargill added 9 points and 7 rebounds, while redshirt sophomore guard Abril Peeples had 7 points and 3 boards for the Dolphins.

JU did rebound the ball strongly for the second straight game grabbing 36 rebounds, but Hampton’s Melanie Warner was all over the place snatching a game high 15 by herself.

The Lady Fins opened up in the first half with a surge that left them with a 32-30 advantage heading into the locker room.  Then the Pirates outscored the Dolphins 38-23 in the remainder of the game to walk off the court victors.

The rough weekend affected both basketball programs at JU as the men struggled just as much.

The JU men’s basketball team dropped a loss to University of Florida on Friday night, falling 107-62 at the O’Connell Center. The Dolphins are now 2-3 on the year, while the Gators improve to 4-1.

Junior guard Russell Powell finished with a team high of 15 points for the night.

Sophomore guard Keith McDougald was second in the scoring column for the Fins, netting 12 points without having to step up to the free throw line. He added two 3-pointers and a trio of rebounds.

Senior forward Delwan Graham pulled down a team-leading six rebounds and was 3-4 from the line, and Senior forward Shamille Jeffers had 8 points. Sophomore guard Aloys Cabell had a strong effort off the bench, finishing with 7 points, while senior forward Tevin Galvin played in his first game of the season after missing the first four because of a foot injury.

As a team, Jacksonville University shot 29 percent from the field, while the Gators had a 57.6 percent performance from the floor. UF was 11-for-25 from 3-point range for the night.

The Florida Gators were paced by five players with double-figure scoring: Kenny Boynton (22), Erving Walker (21), Bradley Beal (15) and Mike Rosario (12). Yeguete, Young and Bradley pulled down 9 rebounds apiece.

JU sophomore guard Keith McDougald, a Bishop Kenny High School graduate, scored a game-high 21 points and added seven rebounds. His effort was not enough as the Dolphins dropped a defensive battle, 79-67, to host Florida State Seminoles in the opening game of the season for both teams.

The Dolphins started slowly, missing twice as many shots as they made in the first half.  The taller and longer Seminoles found their range on their home court first, starting with an 8-0 run.They then put together a torrid shooting streak midway through the first half that put the game out of reach.  FSU pulled out a huge lead before settling for a 44-31 halftime margin.  The game was much closer in the second half, with the Fins outscoring the Noles 36-35.

JU was without the services of senior starting forward Tevin Galvin, which proved costly.

Three of nine JU players who saw action were making their college debuts.  Admir Sahbegovic led the pack of rookies with five points having logged 17 minutes on the floor.  Freshman Evin Graham also scored his first collegiate point and stole his first ball, after playing 15 minutes.

The Dolphins shot 42.4 percent (25-59) from the floor and 5-of-17 from behind the arc.  FSU won the battle of the boards, 39-35.  Delwan Graham scored 16 points and fellow forward Glenn Powell added eight.

“It was tough going up against them rebounding, they just had better elevation that night, but we know that we can play with anyone on any night,” Powell said.

Powell did ignite a comeback attempt with a forceful two hand slam in the 2^nd half between the towering forwards who stand 6-foot-10-inch, 6-foot-11-inch, and 7-footer.  The Noles height proved to be too much for JU to contain.

The Seminoles (1-0) are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference and were led by Michael Snaer and Deividas Dulkys who had 16 apiece.

Jacksonville University returns to action on Wednesday, Nov.16, when they travel to play Savannah State University at 7 p.m.  The game can be heard live on AM 1010XL.

After sustaining a loss in the season opener against Florida International University by a score of 63-37, JU’s Women’s Basketball team looked to rebound this past Monday night in Swisher Gymnasium against cross-state rival Florida A&M University. In the first half both teams went on mini-runs that kept the game very close. After two fast break buckets to end the half by JU they went into the locker room down by one 34-33.

The second half started off in favor of the Fins. A three pointer by junior Tracie Sneed gave JU a 39-36 lead. That was the last good news the Dolphins had all night as FAMU went on a 17-4 run. Senior Crystal Bell helped slice the deficit to just six for JU, but another 18-9 outburst by the Rattlers was all she wrote.

Just like their first game the Lady Fins did not quite seem to have all the pieces together to close out a win.  The final score was 78-59, but they kept it close the whole first half, holding the lead for much of it.

The leading scorer for JU was sophomore Abril Peeples who accounted for 22 of the 59 total points they registered.  Sneed added 12 points, while the senior Bell deposited 10 and grabbed 9 rebounds.

“We shot poorly; nothing could go in for us,” senior Jessica George said. “The officials were not on our side.  We just need to do the little things and go back to the basics.  We were very frustrated and it showed in our performance.”

The Lady Fins will compete at home again this Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. versus Hampton University.

The JU Womens Basketball team tipped-off against USC-Aiken in an exhibition game this past Saturday at the Swisher Gym. In the first half of the game, JU jumped out on the Pacers fast going on an early 8-1 run. The Lady Fins had to fend off a late push before half to take a 32-20 lead into halftime. The Dolphins, who were led by three players who scored 10 points apiece, played strong early in the second half. The problem occurred within the last 4 minutes of the game when the Pacers took their first lead of the game with a score of 58-55. JU, who lead for most of the game, could not hold off the surging Pacers at the end of the game.

The Dolphins wound up losing 67-64 to the #17 ranked Pacers out of Division II. Once Aiken took a serious grasp of the lead with 1:21 left on the clock, they didn’t look back. USC Aiken held off JU late to hold on for a victory.

“We did show some good signs today,” JU head coach Jill Dunn said. “We controlled the game for 37 minutes, but I didn’t particularly like how we handled things in the end. I did like how we were able to attack some weaknesses of a very good team. The point of exhibitions is to improve and we will work on doing that before our opener next week.”

Despite the tough loss this season bodes to be pretty promising for the Lady Fins. They return 10 players from last seasons team that logged 15 wins, and reached the Atlantic Sun title game. The guard position is expected to be loaded this year for the Dolphins. Seniors Crystal bell, who hit double digits 13 times last year and Jessica George who had a breakout game in tournament play last season are expected to lead the way in the backcourt.

Junior Maggie Wilson and sophomore Ronisha Mitchell are also expected to carry a major load come the start of regular season play.  The Lady Fins seem fired up about getting this season underway.

“Our attitude for this season is to be positive and take small steps to achieve our main goal for the season which is to win a ring,” said Wilson.

JU opens the regular season and their quest for a championship on Friday  November 11 at 6 p.m. in Miami, Florida vs Florida International University.