Completed Event: Men's Basketball versus Towson on November 18, 2025 , Win , 81, to, 75
MBB
Final
James Madison
81
vs Towson
75
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
Men's Basketball Inks Four for 2017-18
12/7/2016 11:40:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HARRISONBURG, Va. - Four newcomers have signed National Letters of Intent to join the James Madison men's basketball team for the 2017-18 season, as announced by Head Coach Louis Rowe on Wednesday morning.
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Zach Jacobs, Greg Jones, Matt Lewis and Dwight Wilson will all suit up for the Dukes next season, having signed with JMU as part of Rowe's first recruiting class as head coach. Jacobs, Jones and Lewis all hail from Virginia, while Wilson will come to Harrisonburg from Tallahassee, Fla.
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"This class is a really exciting one," Rowe said. "It's a great mix of talents and size, as well as just being a great group of guys who can't wait to be at JMU. There's a lot of athleticism in this group and a lot of length, but they're very talented across the board, from their ball-handling to their shooting to their basketball IQ."
Zach Jacobs
6-8 | 225 | F
Trinity Episcopal | Richmond, Va.
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Jacobs comes to JMU from Richmond, Va., where he has starred at Trinity Episcopal after transferring from Maggie Walker GS. As a junior in 2015-16, he averaged 19 points and nine rebounds, leading Trinity in both categories. Already this season, Jacobs has a 22-point outing in a 94-77 win over Life Christian, which he followed with a 21-point, 21-rebound performance in a Dec. 1 victory over Episcopal.
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COACH ROWE'S TAKE:
"Zach is really athletic and really versatile with what he can do on the court. He can play and defend at multiple positions for us and has proven that he's going to give you everything he has every time he sets foot on the court."
Greg Jones
6-7 | 215 | F
John Marshall | Richmond, Va.
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Jones also hails from Richmond, helping lead John Marshall to a 64-17 record across his first three seasons and racking up 961 points prior to his senior campaign. As a junior in 2015-16, Jones averaged a stellar 15.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and two blocked shots per contest, earning a Second Team All-Metro nod while guiding John Marshall to a 24-7 mark and a berth in the state semifinals.
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COACH ROWE'S TAKE:
"Greg has a great reputation for being a tough, hard-nosed competitor and for being an outstanding leader for whatever team he plays for. He can do a little bit of everything on the court, too. He has much better ball-handling skills than he gets credit for and has a really high basketball IQ."
Matt Lewis
6-5 | 180 | G
Bishop O'Connell | Arlington, Va.
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Lewis, the third and final JMU signee to hail from Virginia, will join the Dukes after a standout career at Bishop O'Connell that saw him average 15.7 points per game and shoot 48-percent from the floor as a junior in 2015-16. Already as a senior, Lewis turned in a 29-point performance in a season-opening win over Middleburg and a 17-point, 5-rebound evening in a Dec. 4 victory over Bullis.
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COACH ROWE'S TAKE:
"Matt gives us a little bit of everything in the backcourt. He has great size for a guard, but he can also handle the ball, get his shots and make great passes. He's a great competitor and has gotten better every time we see him play."
Dwight Wilson
6-8 | 245 | F
Lincoln | Tallahassee, Fla.
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Wilson will head north to JMU after a dominant junior season at Lincoln High School. In 2015-16, the Tallahassee native led Lincoln to a berth in the 7A state semifinals, where he erupted for 34 points and 14 rebounds in a heartbreaking 71-65 loss. For the year, Wilson averaged an eye-popping 15.7 points and 16.7 rebounds en route to being named the Big Bend Defensive Player of the Year and picking up First Team All-Big Bend honors.
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COACH ROWE'S TAKE:
"Dwight is a great player and exactly what we need down low. He's very strong around the basket, he handles the ball well for a big man and he has a great jumper with some good range. He has great length and is exactly the type of frontcourt player that we were looking for.
These four will bolster a 2017-18 JMU squad that will lose seven seniors to graduation. The Dukes are in action later this week, when they travel to Western Michigan on Saturday, Dec. 10, to take on the Broncos in a 1 p.m. contest.
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Zach Jacobs, Greg Jones, Matt Lewis and Dwight Wilson will all suit up for the Dukes next season, having signed with JMU as part of Rowe's first recruiting class as head coach. Jacobs, Jones and Lewis all hail from Virginia, while Wilson will come to Harrisonburg from Tallahassee, Fla.
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"This class is a really exciting one," Rowe said. "It's a great mix of talents and size, as well as just being a great group of guys who can't wait to be at JMU. There's a lot of athleticism in this group and a lot of length, but they're very talented across the board, from their ball-handling to their shooting to their basketball IQ."
Zach Jacobs
6-8 | 225 | F
Trinity Episcopal | Richmond, Va.
Â
Jacobs comes to JMU from Richmond, Va., where he has starred at Trinity Episcopal after transferring from Maggie Walker GS. As a junior in 2015-16, he averaged 19 points and nine rebounds, leading Trinity in both categories. Already this season, Jacobs has a 22-point outing in a 94-77 win over Life Christian, which he followed with a 21-point, 21-rebound performance in a Dec. 1 victory over Episcopal.
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COACH ROWE'S TAKE:
"Zach is really athletic and really versatile with what he can do on the court. He can play and defend at multiple positions for us and has proven that he's going to give you everything he has every time he sets foot on the court."
Greg Jones
6-7 | 215 | F
John Marshall | Richmond, Va.
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Jones also hails from Richmond, helping lead John Marshall to a 64-17 record across his first three seasons and racking up 961 points prior to his senior campaign. As a junior in 2015-16, Jones averaged a stellar 15.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and two blocked shots per contest, earning a Second Team All-Metro nod while guiding John Marshall to a 24-7 mark and a berth in the state semifinals.
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COACH ROWE'S TAKE:
"Greg has a great reputation for being a tough, hard-nosed competitor and for being an outstanding leader for whatever team he plays for. He can do a little bit of everything on the court, too. He has much better ball-handling skills than he gets credit for and has a really high basketball IQ."
Matt Lewis
6-5 | 180 | G
Bishop O'Connell | Arlington, Va.
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Lewis, the third and final JMU signee to hail from Virginia, will join the Dukes after a standout career at Bishop O'Connell that saw him average 15.7 points per game and shoot 48-percent from the floor as a junior in 2015-16. Already as a senior, Lewis turned in a 29-point performance in a season-opening win over Middleburg and a 17-point, 5-rebound evening in a Dec. 4 victory over Bullis.
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COACH ROWE'S TAKE:
"Matt gives us a little bit of everything in the backcourt. He has great size for a guard, but he can also handle the ball, get his shots and make great passes. He's a great competitor and has gotten better every time we see him play."
Dwight Wilson
6-8 | 245 | F
Lincoln | Tallahassee, Fla.
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Wilson will head north to JMU after a dominant junior season at Lincoln High School. In 2015-16, the Tallahassee native led Lincoln to a berth in the 7A state semifinals, where he erupted for 34 points and 14 rebounds in a heartbreaking 71-65 loss. For the year, Wilson averaged an eye-popping 15.7 points and 16.7 rebounds en route to being named the Big Bend Defensive Player of the Year and picking up First Team All-Big Bend honors.
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COACH ROWE'S TAKE:
"Dwight is a great player and exactly what we need down low. He's very strong around the basket, he handles the ball well for a big man and he has a great jumper with some good range. He has great length and is exactly the type of frontcourt player that we were looking for.
These four will bolster a 2017-18 JMU squad that will lose seven seniors to graduation. The Dukes are in action later this week, when they travel to Western Michigan on Saturday, Dec. 10, to take on the Broncos in a 1 p.m. contest.
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