"I understand that I was hired to put a winning program on the floor. And we will do that," says Dean Keener, newly hired men's basketball head coach.

Keener succeeds Sherman Dillard, who resigned under the pressure of four losing seasons and a 93-106 overall record. Keener was assistant men's coach under Dillard in 1999-00, the team's last winning season and first-place finish in the CAA. The men's team hasn't been in a postseason game since Lefty Driesell took the Dukes to the 1994 NCAA tournament.

During an April press conference announcing his appointment, Keener confessed his "extreme competitiveness" and pledged that one of his main goals was to "restore the energy of the Electric Zoo to the Convo." He plans to do this through fast-paced offensive and defensive play. "We will extend the floor and press either three-quarter or full-court depending on our opponent and our depth," he said. "I think this is a style that the players and fans enjoy."

Keener accepted a five-year contract to become the seventh coach in JMU's NCAA basketball history. A Division I college assistant coach for 16 years, Keener spent the last four seasons at Georgia Tech, where his team was runner up in the 2004 National Championship game against the University of Connecticut. Keener was heavily involved in recruiting the four classes of players that make up Georgia Tech's first Final Four team since 1990.

During the press conference, JMU athletics director Jeff Bourne told fans exactly what results Keener is expected to produce. "We want a consistent team that wins at the highest levels." In a video presentation, Bourne played highlights from JMU's past programs on a big-screen television. Video clips included past NCAA tournament trips, 1982-83 highlights of games against Dean Smith's North Carolina teams and other highlights of the Lou Campanelli and Lefty Driesell eras. "Keener is really enthusiastic about the opportunity to turn around our program," added Bourne. "He is an outstanding fit for the criteria we've been seeking in a coach. With his prior experience at JMU and his strong connections throughout Virginia, he makes an excellent choice … a perfect ambassador for our program."

"It's a privilege and honor to be the head basketball coach at JMU," Keener told the gathering of several hundred fans, men's basketball players, media and university officials, the pep band and students. "It is indeed a dream come true for me and my family to join the Dukes."

Michelle Hite ('88)

Dreams run wild

Field hockey senior finishes 33rd in Boston Marathon

Lindsey Keller ('04) brought a little JMU flavor to the Kenya-sweep of the 108th Boston Marathon in April. The graduating senior from Benton, Pa., finished 33rd in the world's oldest and most prestigious annual marathon.

"The Boston Marathon has distinguished itself as the pinnacle event within road racing by virtue of its traditions, longevity and method of gaining entry via qualification," says Antoinette Lucas, newly appointed JMU field hockey coach. "We are very proud of Lindsey."

Keller, who finished the race in 3 hours, 3 minutes and 22 seconds, placed 14th among American women and 488th overall (among 17,950 male and female runners from 76 countries). Keller was competing in only her second marathon after qualifying for Boston with her performance in the Huntsville Times Rocket City Marathon last December. In Huntsville, Keller finished ninth among female competitors and won the 20-24 women's age group.

Keller and her field hockey teammates finished fifth in the CAA and earned 2003-04 National Academic Team Awards from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. National Academic teams have achieved a minimum overall grade-point average of 3.0 during the fall semester. An interdisciplinary social sciences major and kinesiology minor, Keller started in midfield for the Dukes the last four seasons. She was named a Strength and Conditioning All-America in 2002 and was selected to the U.S. National Team in summer 2001.