This story was updated on July 3, 2024, at 11:10 a.m.
There was a lot to look forward to after JMU won its first March Madness game since 2013 this past season. However, after head coach Mark Byington was hired at Vanderbilt, the Dukes lost almost all their key players. Leading scorer senior guard Terrence Edwards (17.2 ppg), freshman forward Jaylen Carey, junior forward Raekwon Horton and redshirt junior forward Justin Amadi all transferred.
Since Preston Spradlin took the reins, he’s added 11 transfers. This means the Dukes are welcoming an entirely new rotation outside of junior guard Xavier Brown, who announced his return in April after entering his name in the transfer portal.
Spradlin added familiarity with former Morehead State role players Mark Freeman and Eddie Ricks III and size with big men Ebenezer Dowuona and Elijah Hutchins-Everett.
Here's a look at the ten newcomers:
Mark Freeman | R-Sr. G | Morehead State
The Dukes landed Freeman even after he took visits with Power-5 universities Auburn and Wisconsin, per himself. Freeman played at Tennessee State (2019-2021), Illinois State (2021-22) and Morehead State (2022-23). In his sophomore year at Tennessee State, he averaged 16.9 points and 4.6 assists per game. His best season, however, was under Spradlin at Morehead State in 2022-23. He was named the OVC Player of the Year after averaging 15.0 points per game while shooting 36.2% from three. While he missed the entire 2023-24 season with an injury, he’s ready to return in a familiar system.
Eddie Ricks III | So. F | Morehead State
Also following Spradlin from Morehead State is sophomore forward Eddie Ricks III. Ricks adds size and versatility with his 6-foot-7, 205-pound frame. In his freshman year, he averaged 7.1 points in 25.3 minutes per game. Despite only starting four games, he stood out. In one of those starts, he scored 21 points against UT Martin on Feb. 17 while shooting 73% from the floor and 4-6 from three. He finished the season as the team leader in blocks with 39. Ricks was the No. 3 ranked player from Tennessee for the class of 2023, and with three years of eligibility remaining, he could have the highest ceiling out of the entire transfer class.
Justin Taylor | Jr. G/F | Syracuse
After two seasons at Syracuse, junior guard Justin Taylor will presumably step into an expanded role as a Duke. He averaged five points and four rebounds per game last season in 32 starts. His best game of last season was against Cornell, when he recorded his season-high 15 points, while also recording eight rebounds and six assists. He should be able to provide a balance of scoring and defending for JMU.
AJ Smith | Jr. G/F | Southern Indiana
AJ Smith showed a tremendous ability to score as well as rebound at Southern Indiana. He recorded 12 double-doubles his sophomore year. In those 31 games, he also demonstrated an ability to create turnovers with 35 steals. Prior to his freshman year, he recorded over 1,000 points in high school, averaging 22.1 points and 9.2 rebounds a game in his senior year at Metro East Lutheran. While he was an efficient free throw shooter at 78.9%, there were struggles at the three-point line in his sophomore season, shooting 27.5% from behind the arc. He has a chance to improve in that aspect this season, as he did shoot 33.3% from beyond the arc his freshman year.
Ebenezer Dowuona | R-Sr. C | Georgia Tech
After spending his first three seasons at NC State, center Ebenezer Dowuona played his senior year at Georgia Tech, where he averaged 1.0 points and 1.4 rebounds per game in only 9.6 minutes per game. With much-needed depth at the center position, Dowuona will add tremendous size with his 6-foot-11, 230-pound frame. Hopefully, with an expanded role, his full potential will be realized as a shot blocker and rebounder.
Elijah Hutchins-Everett | Sr. C | Seton Hall
Senior center Elijah Hutchins-Everett spent his first two seasons at Austin Peay before playing at Seton Hall his junior year. Last season, he averaged 3.5 points while shooting 48.6% from the field and 80.5% from the free throw line. He and Dowuona will compete for the top center spot.
Luke Anderson | R-Sr. F | Florida Southern
Redshirt senior forward Luke Anderson committed to Iowa State out of high school and then transferred to USF before finding a home at Florida Southern. He flourished at Florida Southern and was named a DII NABC Player of the Year Finalist. He averaged 19.8 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 40% from three, showing his ability to score efficiently. His standout game was against Saint Leo on Feb. 14 where he had 32 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. With six years of college experience, Anderson will step in as a sharpshooter for the Dukes.
Noah Williams | R-Sr. G | Washington
Williams heads to JMU with four years of experience in the Pac-12 and over 1,000 career points to his name. At Washington State (2019-22), he started 65 games and was named Preseason All-Pac-12 in 2021 after averaging 14.1 points per game and recording 42 steals his sophomore year. At Washington in 2023, he dealt with an injury and only played 14 games, but finished his senior season averaging 8.7 points per game. At 6-foot-5, his height makes him a valuable addition to the Dukes’ backcourt.
Bryce Lindsay | R-Fr. G | Texas A&M
Prior to his freshman year at Texas A&M, Lindsay was ranked as the 20th best player in Florida and the 25th combo guard in the nation by 247sports in the class of 2023. At St. Frances Academy (2021-22), he averaged 19.6 points a game before he transferred to IMG Academy after graduating. In his freshman season, he sustained an injury that would limit him to only being able to play in eight games, forcing him to redshirt. His best game was Dec. 6 against DePaul when he recorded 10 points in only 15 minutes while shooting 50% from the field. Now fully healthy and in a bigger role, he will be able to display more of his talent.
Will Lovings-Watts | So. G | Northern Illinois
Lovings-Watts transferred from NIU after spending his freshman year as a backup guard. He averaged 6.8 points and was an effective defender recording 24 steals and 13 blocks which was enough for him to be named to the MAC All-Freshman Team. The 6-foot-5 stretch guard was the 11th-ranked player in Indiana out of the class of 2022.
Matt Hain | R-Fr. F | Morehead State
Hain is the wild card of the transfer class. After redshirting his first year at Morehead State there's not much to go off in terms of predicting his impact at JMU. However the 6-foot-7 Australian played a postgraduate year at IMG Academy and averaged 14.0 points and 9.0 rebounds. It’ll be difficult for him to crack the rotation this year, but he has the potential to develop into a key player with four years of eligibility remaining. He’ll join the roster as a walk-on.
Hayden Hundley contributed to this report.