Dukes Court

OnTheBluff.com

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:06:00 +0000

I am now covering Duquesne Basketball full time at Rivals.com, I appreciate the support of all of my loyal readers.

Duquesne adds Alabama point guard Chase Robinson to list of 2008 commitments

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:03:00 +0000

Read more about the signing at OnTheBluff.com

2007-08 Season in Review

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:00:00 +0000

The Duquesne University website has finally published a 07-08 season in review. The 07-08 season was another step in the right direction for the Duquesne basektball program, there is no doubt about that, but when I think back to the season I always wonder what could have been. The Dukes finished the year 17-13, but sadly they were 1-9 in single-digit games. If the Dukes could have played better in close games they could have easily eclipsed the 20 win mark and had a shot at playing in a post season tournament.

The Duquesne website does refer to Aaron Jackson as Ajax, a nickname that was invented by someone on the Duquesne Voy message board, and a nickname that I am behind 100%

Thinking back on the 07-08 season gets me excited for the 08-09 season. Ron Everhart has the Duquesne program completely turned around and he has a group of talented and exciting players joining the program next year. There are still some big questions to be answered in the off season: Will Shawn James return next year and who else does Ron Everhart plan on making a part of the 2008 recruiting class, (Duquesne still has scholarships to give)? The post season signing period starts this week so hopefully we will have some new signees with the program in the near future. James has until June 16th to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to Duquesne.

Wood to transfer -- Greg Gary leaving Duquesne

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:59:00 +0000

Ron Everhart announced that sophomore guard/forward Stephen Wood has received his release from Duquesne University, clearing the way for his transfer to another school. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise to the Duquesne faithful, Wood barely played this year and almost always seemed to be in Everhart's doghouse. Wood was a wasted scholarship last season and Everhart should be able to turn that scholarship into a quality prospect. The only potential negative from all of this is that Wood was a very popular member of the team and I am sure he will be missed by the players next year.

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Head men's basketball coach Ron Everhart announced today that assistant coach Greg Gary has resigned to accept the head coach position at Centenary College in Shreveport, La.

"I really want to thank Greg for his effort as an assistant coach," said Everhart. "I was lucky enough to be able to recruit Greg as a player when I was at Tulane and I've closely followed his progress as a coach. He has a tremendous work ethic, is an outstanding teacher and has a great understanding of the game. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be highly successful at Centenary."

Gary, 38, who was recruited as a player to Tulane by Everhart in the early 1990s, was part of the Duquesne staff for one year, during which he helped the Dukes post their first winning season since 1993-94. He has also coached at his alma mater in addition to McNeese State (under Everhart), Miami, Fla. and South Florida.

NBA Draft not looking good for Shawn James

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:32:00 +0000

Will James be back at Duquesne for the 08-09 season?

Shawn James has declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft, but he won't sign with an agent so he will retain the option to return to Duquesne for his senior season. Things don't look good for James' NBA prospects according to two major NBA Draft websites. Draft Express.com does not have James listed on their mock draft board for either the 1st or 2nd rounds, and neither does NBA Draft.net. A lot can change between now and the NBA Draft on June 26th but things don't look good for James as of April 9th.

James has until June 16th to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to Duquesne.

BigSlacker wins the Dukes Court 2008 NCAA bracket pool

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:46:00 +0000

What a weird year for NCAA brackets. I feel weird giving someone praise for picking 4 #1 seeds in their bracket, but that is how it all worked out this year. Kudos to Clark Kellog for picking all of the #1 seeds, getting a ton of crap about it, and then being right in the end. In BigSlacker's defense, he only picked 3 #1 seeds to make it to the Final Four, and he did pick Kansas to win it all. Actually his bracket had all #1 and #2 seeds facing off in the Elite 8 with the exception of him predicting a Pitt upset victory over Memphis. Basically he picked the favorite in almost every game, and the one upset he picked was wrong, yet he still won, like I said, a weird year for NCAA brackets.

Is April the best sports month of the year?

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:56:00 +0000

April is a wonderful time to be a sports fan.

The Pens are gearing up for a long playoff run
Baseball season started (this is a good thing for those of us who are masochistic Pirates fans like myself)
The Final Four is a day away
The NFL Draft is April 26th
April 16th is the beginning of the NCAA Basketball signing period which runs through May 21st, which means we should expect to see Ron Everhart announce the names of some new recruits very soon.
The NBA playoffs are later this month, and did I mention I am in first place (by two small points) in my Yahoo NBA fantasy winners league?

What makes this April so exciting is that the Pens look like they have a legit shot at the Stanley Cup. Pens playoff hockey ranks very high on my list of favorite sporting events to watch. I was in heaven earlier this week when I watched the Pens game on Vs. and then flipped to the Pirates game (a game they actually won) on FSN during commercials. The Pirates are actually off to a 2-1 start, and both of those wins were against the hated Atlanta Braves. While I have no delusions about the Pirates cracking .500 this year it is nice to see them take a series in Atlanta. The one drawback to April is that there is no football, but the NFL Draft helps fill the void there. Once hockey and basketball are over it is going to be a long summer of watching the Buccos.

2008-09 roster very much in flux

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:36:00 +0000

Next year's roster is still very much in flux with the future of the 2008 recruiting class up in the air as well as Shawn James' status with the team. Duquesne still has scholarships to give for next season and Ron Everhart and his staff have been traveling the country looking at potential recruits. So far the recruiting class consists of:

Guards:
Eric Evans
Johnny Higgins
B.J. Monteiro

Forwards:
Shawntez Patterson
Ali Djim

There have been rumors that Djim may go to prep school next year to help improve his game before coming to Duquesne. There have also been rumors that Johnny Higgins will not be coming to Duquesne. I can't say anything about the validity of the Higgins rumor, he seems to have a strong relationship with Everhart and Duquesne assistant coach Bill Barton, if I had to bet, I would bet that Higgins will be in a Duquesne uniform next year.

Shawn James has declared himself eligible for the NBA Draft but has yet to hire an agent. If James doesn't like his NBA prospects he can return to Duquesne for his last year of eligibility. Duquesne fans simply won't know James' status until he makes some sort of formal announcement.

James' status isn't the only one that is up in the air for next year, rumors have been flying about the status of Stephen Wood. Wood played significant minutes as a freshman during the 06-07 season, but he only saw minutes in 07-08 during garbage time. The knock on Wood has been that he doesn't play defense, and Everhart has plenty of other options at the guard position. Don't be shocked if Wood transfers, opening up yet another scholarship for Everhart.

This much we can say for sure: Kieron Achara, Gary Tucker, and Reggie Jackson have all exhausted their NCAA eligibilty and will not be apart of the 08-09 Duquesne squad. Achara, Tucker, and Jackson were significant contributors during the 07-08 season and they will be difficult to replace next year.

I have been covering Duquesne's recruiting efforts at my Rivals.com web page, OnTheBluff.com, and if I can say one thing for sure it is that Everhart and his staff have been keeping tabs on a large number of talented high school and JC prospects.

The 08-09 Duquesne basketball team could look a lot like last year's team if Shawn James and Stephen Wood return, but if James goes pro and Wood transfers the Dukes will feature a large number of new players. Everhart has had no trouble bringing talented players to the Duquesne program and I doubt this off season recruiting period will be any different. We will all just have to wait and see what happens.

One and done? Shawn James talking about going pro

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:52:00 +0000

InsideHoops.com broke the story

James has said that he will test the NBA waters and see how much interest pro scouts have in drafting him before he hires an agent. James can still come back to Duquesne if he does not hire an agent. This shouldn't be much of a shock to Duquesne fans, James is 24 years old, and if pro scouts tell him he has a good shot at being a 1st round draft pick there is no reason for him to come back to Duquesne. 1st round NBA draft picks receive 3 year guaranteed contracts, so being slotted as a 1st round pick would be huge for James. If James isn't being considered as a 1st round pick he should come back to Duquesne to improve his draft stock. James battled shoulder and back injuries most of the 07-08 season and a healthy 08-09 season could help improve his NBA draft stock for the following year's NBA Draft.

What does this mean for Duquesne?

If James leaves the program Duquesne will have no legit post players on their team. Other than James the only other players on Duquesne's roster over 6'7 are little used sophomore David Theis, and walk-on redshirt freshman Brandon Harris. Theis is more of a jump shooter than a post player, and Harris hasn't shown he is a Division I caliber basketball player. Duquesne has not added a player over 6'5 to their roster so far in their 2008 recruiting class, but they still have scholarships to give and are actively looking at some big guys. Check OnTheBluff.com for all Duquesne recruiting news and info.

What to do about the A.J. Palumbo Center?

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:26:00 +0000

Now that the 07-08 season is over for the Dukes the focus is on recruiting and other issues for the program. As the Duquesne coaching staff recruits potential prospects they have to sell Duquesne University and the basketball program, and one of the biggest negatives about coming to Duquesne is the A.J. Palumbo Center. The Palumbo is old, (it was built in 1988), small (has a capacity of 5,358), and lacks the amenities of newer arenas in Pittsburgh and at other Atlantic 10 schools. When a recruit has been to Temple's beautiful 10,000 seat Liacouras Center or Pitt's 12,000 seat Petersen Events Center (pictured below) that features five courtside luxury suites, six club suites, six loge suites, 193 supersuite seats, and five building levels the A.J. Palumbo Center looks like a dump. More than half of the seating at the Palumbo Center is still bleacher seating after all.

The question remains, what can/should be done? In my mind there are several options: 1. renovate the existing Palumbo Center, 2. build a new arena, or 3. move some or all of Duquesne's games to the new Penguins arena. Duquesne recently made a large investment in renovating and improving Rooney Field, and Duquesne spent 2 million dollars renovated the Palumbo in 2006 so there is no way a new arena will be built, and it is doubtful Duquesne will put more money into the Palumbo in the near future. The most realistic option in the short term is to play some or all of Duquesne's games at the Penguins new arena.

An artists rendering of the planned Penguins Arena

There are some pros and cons to playing at the Pens new arena.

Pros:

The Pens arena will be a brand new arena used primarily by a pro team with all of the accompanying amenities and luxuries.

The Pens arena is extremely close to Duquesne's campus making it easy for students to travel from campus to the facility.

The Pens arena will be sold out for every Pens game and tickets to Pens games are extremely expensive. By playing some or all of Duquesne's games at the new arena it will allow sports fans in Pittsburgh an opportunity to see the new facility while also exposing them to Duquesne's basketball program which is on the upswing.

Cons:

The Pens arena has an 18,500 seat capacity. Duquesne can't fill their own 5,300 seat facility, more than 3/4 of the Pens arena would be empty if Duquesne played there.

Two years ago Duquesne invested 2 million dollars into renovating the AJ Palumbo Center, why would the University want to move the arena's main attraction, (the basketball team), out of the facility?

This is a difficult spot for Duquesne. I'd love for the Dukes to play at least one home game a season at the Pens new arena, preferably a against a big time opponent. Duquesne needs to make a decision, either make a major commitment to renovating and updating the Palumbo Center or start fund raising and planning for a brand new state of the art facility.

Working for Rivals.com

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:08:00 +0000

Rivals.com has hired me to cover basketball recruiting for our beloved Duquesne Dukes. I will be running Duquesne's Rivals page, OnTheBluff.com. Someone else had been running the site until 2004, but it has not been updated since then. I have written several posts this week for the OnTheBluff.com and as I add more coverage the older stuff will slowly filter off of the page. OnTheBluff.com will soon be featuring a message board as well. I will no longer post recruiting info on Dukes Court, so be sure to check OnTheBluff.com for all of your Duquesne basketball recruiting information.

Will Michael Davenport sign with Duquesne?

I got a scoop this morning on the Dukes' most recent scholarship offer. Ron Everhart has offered 6'3 Michael Davenport a shooting guard from Cincinnati OH a scholarship. Check out OnTheBluff.com for the details.

Pryor going to Ohio State

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:55:00 +0000

It's about time Terrelle

It's official, (we hope), Terrelle Pryor announced this morning that he will attend "The University of Ohio State," no I am not kidding that is what he said at his press conference. Come on TP if you are going to have two press conferences about your college choice at least get the name right! The Post Gazette's Mike White gives us all the details.

I am not much of a college football fan so I didn't really get that excited about the whole Terrell Pryor thing, but I will officially say that I am glad he isn't going to Michigan. I am not a fan of Rich Rodriguez and I am glad he didn't get his hands on Pryor. Prior to the press conference this morning I had a day dream where Pryor was playing hoops for Duquesne, now that put a smile on my face.

2005 super recruit Ryan Perrilloux is proof that being a big name recruit doesn't guarantee success.

Pryor mania reminds me of one time heralded recruit Ryan Perrilloux. Perrilloux was an African American can't miss QB prospect out of Louisiana. Some recruiting experts called him the most dangerous offensive weapon in the nation, noting his strong arm, quick release and pinpoint accuracy. He won the 2004 Hall Trophy as the nation's most outstanding high school football player and was named “Offensive Player of the Year” by USA Today. He was also named National Offensive Player of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus, Ohio, Louisiana's Mr. Football and Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year as well as a Parade All-American. Perrilloux got invited to the Elite 11 Quarterback Camp as well as to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. All of the SEC schools were selling their soul for a shot at this kid. Perrilloux gave a verbal to Texas but eventually backed out of his verbal and committed to LSU.

2005 season: redshirted

2006 season: played sparingly behind JaMarcus Russell and Matt Flynn

2007 season: Perrilloux was suspended by head coach Les Miles to start the season, started 2 games and then was suspended again for violating team rules.

In short, stud recruits don't always pan out and Terrelle Pryor has a lot of work to do before he earns playing time on a very talented OSU squad. If things don't work out at OSU I am sure Duquesne can find room for Pryor on their hoops squad...

Participate in the Dukes Court NCAA Bracket Poll

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:19:00 +0000

Providence coach fired, could Ron Everhart replace him?

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:57:00 +0000

All year long there has been speculation that Ron Everhart would leave Duquesne for a bigger program, and Providence was the school most often mentioned, now the door to that job at Providence is open. Will Everhart leave Duquesne? The Dukes lost 5 games in the stretch run of the season, failed to win close games, and lost to a very beatable La Salle team in the 1st round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, for all of those reasons I think Everhart will be back at Duquesne next year. Only time will tell.

The Turning Point? The 07-08 Season in Review

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:45:00 +0000

Two years ago Duquesne was one of the worst basketball programs in the country with a 3-24 record. Danny Nee was fired, and Ron Everhart was brought in from Northeastern to turn around the struggling Duquesne program. Coach Everhart cleaned up the Dukes program, and even though he was playing with a young inexperienced team that was depleted by off court injuries due to an on campus shooting the Dukes improved dramatically and won 10 games finishing 10-19 and 6-10 in the A10 last year.

The 07-08 season started with bad news for the Duquesne basketball program. Duquesne's star player and 06-07 A10 Rookie of the Year Robert Mitchell (pictured right) had a falling out with Coach Everhart and he decided to leave the program and transfer to Seton Hall. Mitchell wouldn't be the last player to leave the Dukes program in the off season, junior college All-American Stuard Baldonado, (who had sat out the 06-07 season while he recovered from a bullet wound in his back that occurred as a result of an on campus incident) decided he was going to leave the program after he sued the school and subsequently was suspended for several scrapes with the law. When Baldonado was being recruited by Duquesne he was considered one of the best JC players in the country. Baldonado never played a game in Duquesne uniform.

Despite losing their most talented returning player, and one of their best new players the Dukes started off the 07-08 season on a 6 game winning streak. The Dukes would struggle through a tough December dropping close decisions to now nationally ranked Drake, and a then full strength Pitt squad. By the end of the non-conference schedule the Dukes had earned a 10-3 record with their only loses coming to ranked teams, Drake, Pitt, and WVU.

The Dukes A10 season was a frustrating one. The Dukes were able to upset A10 powers Saint Josephs and Dayton, but they also lost to A10 bottom feeders St. Bonaventure, Fordham, and La Salle. Had the Dukes been able to take care of business against the bottom feeders the Dukes would have secured their first 20 win season since 1980-81. But 20 wins was not meant to be. Oddly enough even with some heart breaking loses during A10 play the Dukes were able to secure a spot in the A10 Tournament, and earn a favorable tournament match up facing a beatable La Salle team in round 1. The Dukes' loss to La Salle in the first round of the A10 Tournament was a microcosm of the Dukes' biggest problem all season, their failure to win close games. The Dukes ended the season 1-9 in games that were decided by single digits. The Dukes only single digit win was their 2 point upset victory over Dayton when Shawn James surprisingly hit back to back 3 pointers in the final minute.

The Dukes added 4 key players to their program this year: transfers Shawn James and Kojo Mensah in addition to freshmen Damian Saunders and Bill Clark. James and Mensah ended the season as the Dukes top 2 scorers with 12.6 and 12.1 ppg respectively. Shawn James also broke the career blocked shots record mid way through the season, he ended the year with 111 blocked shots. Mensah had an up and down season for the Dukes. Kojo was a big part of the Dukes strong non conference run, but he played inconsistently during the A10 schedule. Kojo seemed to be in and out of Ron Everhart's doghouse throughout the season for his poor ball control and team leading 89 turnovers.

Damian Saunders played a huge role on this team as a freshman. Saunders seems to have picked up one of the toughest aspects of the game of basketball, defense, early on in his career. Saunders led the team in steals with 45, and was 3rd on the team with 39 blocked shots. Saunders also displayed wonderful ball control only turning the ball over 32 times this season, the lowest amongst any of the regulars in Duquesne's rotation. Saunders will play an even bigger role as he continues his career at Duquesne and I expect him to be considered one of the best players at his position in the A10 by the time he is a junior.

Bill Clark rounds out the list of Duquesne's newcomers who made a significant contribution this year. Clark led the team with 40 made 3 point shots, but he only shot 31% from beyond the arch, and he shot poorly from the field in general shooting 38%. Clark struggled with his shot but hopefully will find consistency as he continues to mature and develop as a basketball player. The one aspect of Clark's game that I love is his tenactiy. Clark seems to play better in clutch situations, and he turns up his game when it matters most. I don't think Clark's ceiling is quite as high as Damian Saunders, but I do expect him to become a star later in his Duquesne career.

Gary Tucker and Reggie Jackson were vastly improved this year after playing smaller roles last season. Tucker and Jackson were JC teammates and both came to the Dukes with 2 years of eligilbilty when they started their careers here last season. Tucker and Jackson both learned to play tougher more consistent defense, and become contributors on offense. Reggie Jackson had several big games for the Dukes throughout the season, and Jackson played well for the Dukes down the stretch. Both Tucker and Jackson will be missed next year.

I have to tip my hat to Kieron Achara. Kieron was finishing out his long successful career this season at Duquesne, and sadly he knew coming into the season he would be playing second fiddle to Shawn James. Achara had already earned his diploma and could have chosen to forego his last year of eligibility rather than spend the year in James' shadow. Achara chose to come back to Duquesne and the Dukes were a much better team because of it. Kieron earned a 4.0 GPA and was named Scholar Athlete of the year for the 2nd time by the Atlantic 10 this year. In addition to his continued success in the class room Kieron averaged 11.3ppg, 4 rpg, and 45 blocked shots. You will be missed next year Kieron good luck in your professional basketball career.

If someone told me the Dukes would finish the season 17-13 with wins over Dayton and Saint Josephs I would have chuckled but that is how the season ended for Duquesne. The 07-08 season should be considered a success and we should all congradulate Ron Everhart and his team for their efforts this season. Thanks for an exciting season guys.

What made this season so difficult was that the Dukes showed so much promise, but they just couldn't find a way to win close games. Again the Dukes were 1-9 in single digit games, and if they could have won just 3 more of those they could have won 20 games and given themselves a great shot at the NIT Tournament.

Questions for next year:

How will the Dukes respond to the departure of Kieron Achara, Reggie Jackson, and Gary Tucker?

Will Ron Everhart be able to recruit a talented post player to replace Kieron Achara?

How will the new recruits fit into the Duquesne program?

Will the Dukes continue to play the 10/40 two platoon system next year?

Will the Dukes continue to improve their record next year by winning more than 17 games?

Dukes lose another close one 82-79

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:26:00 +0000

Can the Dukes win a close game, that was the question that every Dukes fan had to be asking themselves coming into tonight's game. The Dukes have only won 1 game this season by single digits. The Explorers kept the game close and the game was tied at 79 with less than a minute to go, Duquesne had the ball. The Dukes presumably in control of the game promptly turned the ball over. Aaron Jackson fouled Green with 23 seconds left. Green made 1 of his 2 free throws. The Dukes were then down by 1 with 23 seconds left, the shot clock turned off. Will the Dukes get the monkey off their back?

The answer?

The Dukes promptly turned the ball over...

La Salle made their free throws and the Dukes season is over. The broken record continues, the Dukes cannot win close games.

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Darnell Harris 21 points for La Salle
Rodney Green scored 18 for La Salle

"The General" Reggie Jackson scored a career high 29 points, and 4 three pointers in a losing effort for Duquesne.

Dukes half time update

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 22:25:00 +0000

Dukes trail 39-36 at the half.

I felt the Dukes played well in the first half, and they got some breaks. La Salle is only 3-5 from beyond the arch and the Explorers are shooting horribly from the free throw line, 6-12. Both teams have been equally bad with the basketball the Dukes turned the ball over 10 times, the Explorers turned it over 12 times.

One of the problems Duquesne has had in their recent 5 game losing streak was that they relied too much on the player with the hot hand and the rest of the players stood around watching. Fortunately the Dukes all seem to be working to contribute on the floor so far tonight.

The fact that the Dukes played so well and are actually trailing scares me. Duquesne cannot lose to La Salle. The Dukes have had such a great season, it would be a shame to lose to a team like La Salle in the first round of the A10 Tournament.

Kojo's former team earns NCAA bid

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:55:00 +0000

Siena Claims MAAC Title and Trip to NCAA Tournament

Kojo Mensah (pictured right) left the Siena program after the 2005-06 season to come to Duquesne. I remember when all this went down, Siena didn't want to let Kojo leave, they threatened not to release him from his scholarship, and it was a big mess. As a sophomore at Siena Kojo averaged 16.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 35.1 minutes per game. Siena eventually let Kojo leave the program and he transferred to Duquesne.

Kojo came to Duquesne and sat out the 06-07 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Kojo was one of the Dukes who was injured in the on campus shooting that rocked the Duquesne program during the 2006-07 season. This year Kojo has struggled to find consistency in his role with the Dukes and honestly he has not reached his full potential while in a Duquesne uniform. Kojo is averaging 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 23.8 minutes per game this year for the Dukes. Kojo is shooting 39% from the field and only 24% from beyond the arch this year for Duquesne.

One has to wonder if Kojo's career would have been better had he stayed at Siena rather than transferring to Duquesne where he has been shot, and seen his stats and minutes decrease.

I think that Kojo's numbers have decreased because of the 10/40 two platoon system. One of the biggest drawbacks from the 10/40 is that the Dukes' star players see reduced minutes while players from the end of the bench are in the game as a part of one of the two platoons. In addition to providing less minutes to the Dukes' most talented players the two platoon system does not allow players to develop any kind of rhythm because every 3-5 minutes all 5 players on the floor are forced to sit on the bench. This begs the question, will Ron Everhart stick with the two platoon system next year, or go with the 8 man rotation he has been using the last few weeks of the season? All I know is that I want to see players like Kojo Mensah, Shawn James, and Aaron Jackson see significant playing time every game next year.

I'm back, kind of...

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 14:42:00 +0000

Sorry for the lack of posts the last week or so. I spent most of last week in bed with a horrible cold, and then this weekend I was in Allentown PA for my fiance's surprise bridal shower. I am back in Pittsburgh this week the worst of my cold seems to be over, now it is time to focus on the Dukes.

Duquesne crushed Saint Louis on Saturday night behind a stellar performance from Kieron Achara who was playing his last home game at Duquesne. I was so happy to hear about Kieron's strong showing on Saturday. Kieron has been a wonderful part of the Duquesne basketball program. In addition to being a strong contributor to the Dukes on the floor Achara has been the kind of stand up young man that every program and school needs. Achara has also excelled in the classroom during his time at Duquesne, he has received numerous awards and recognitions during his time at Duquesne for his academic record.

Kieron is going to pursue a professional basketball career when he leaves Duquesne after this year. Kieron has always been a favorite of mine and I wish him the best next year.

It was announced this morning that for the second consecutive season, Kieron Achara of Duquesne garnered Student-Athlete of the Year honors in voting among the Atlantic 10's sports information directors.

The Dukes did qualify for the A10 tournament and have received what I consider a great draw in terms of how the brackets break down. The 10th seeded Dukes will face the 7th seeded La Salle Explorers in the first round of the A10 Tournament Wednesday night at 6:30pm. La Salle and Duquesne split this year, with the road team winning both games. There is no doubt in my mind that the Dukes are capable of beating La Salle. If the Dukes take out La Salle they will play the #2 seeded Temple Owls on Thursday at 6:30pm. Even though Temple is the 2 seed they are still a team Duquesne is capable of defeating. The Dukes played poorly in their loss to Temple last Wednesday, (the Dukes turned the ball over 19 times and allowed Dionte Christmas to score a season high 37 points), yet they still had a shot to win at the end of the game. The Temple game was also at Temple, a major advantage for the Owls, if these teams played a rematch in the tournament it would be at a neutral site.

The real question is which Duquesne team will show up in Atlantic City, the one that beat St. Joe's and Dayton, or the one that lost to St. Bonaventure, La Salle, and Fordham? Let's hope the first team is the one that shows up at "AC by the sea."

The Atlantic 10 announced their all conference teams today, here are our Dukes:

All-Rookie team:

Damian Saunders

The All-Defensive team:

Shawn James

Student-Athlere of the Year:

Kieron Achara. Achara is the third individual to be twice named the Student-Athlete of the Year in men's basketball, joining Saint Joseph's Bill Phillips (2001-02) and Brian Thornton of Xavier (2005-06).

All-Academic Team:

Kieron Achara (3 time member of hte All-Academic Team)

The big awards:

Xavier's Sean Miller was named A10 Coach of the Year.

UMass's Gary Forbes was named A10 Played of the Year.

Richmond's Kevin Anderson was the A10 Rookie of the Year.

UMass' Ricky Harris was the Chris Daniels Award recipient as the league's most improved player.

Josh Duncan of Xavier was named Sixth Man of the Year.

Stanley Burrell of Xavier was named Defensive Player of the Year.

No Dukes appeared on any of the A10 All Conference teams.

Dukes crush Saint Louis...

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 23:44:00 +0000

I am currently in Allentown PA at my fiance's bridal shower for the weekend. Needless to say I missed the game this afternoon and of course the Dukes rolled and are back on track for a potential run in the A10 tournament. Let's Go Dukes!

Dukes lose to Temple 90-85

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 12:12:00 +0000

Bad defense, too many turnovers, and Dionte Christmas are the reasons the Dukes lost to Temple last night. How many open layups did Temple have in the first half? Way too many. How often were the Dukes sloppy with the basketball? Too often, (19 turnovers). How many points to Dionte Christmas drop on Duquesne last night? Too many, (a career high 37.)

The Dukes look like an inferior team in the first half constantly trailing, making mental mistakes, and allowing easy buckets. The only thing that kept the Dukes in the ball game was the fantastic offense play from Reggie Jackson and Kieron Achara. Early in the 2nd half it looked like Temple was going to run away with the game but then all of a sudden the Dukes went on a big run and got back in the game. Kieron Achara had a career game for Duquesne in Shawn James' absence. Achara was 5-6 from beyond the arch, he ended the game with 24 points.

The Dukes kept it close down the stretch run of the game but 2 missed free throws with less than 3 minutes left may have been the clinching point in the game. Duquesne trailed by 2 with Gary Tucker at the line to shoot 2. Tucker missed both of his free throws, Kieron Achara battled for the rebound on the 2nd miss, but lost the ball to a Temple player who he then fouled. The Temple player made both of his free throws to give the Owls a 4 point lead. That 4 point swing was the difference in last night's game.

Gary Tucker has been involved in a collision with Temple's Mark Tyndale in the first half, and every time Tucker touched the ball after that collision the Temple fans chanted obscenities at Tucker. I have never seen a player react so poorly to heckling. From that point in the game on Tucker went into a shell. Tucker ended the game with 1 point, 2 turnovers, on 0-5 shooting from the field, and 1-4 from the free throw line in 21 minutes of playing time.

Lately it seems like a handful of players step up for Duquesne, but the rest of the team doesn't show up. A total team effort is necessary if Duquesne expects to win at Temple. The Dukes lack the defensive energy that they played with when they were playing so well earlier this season.

Kojo Mensah played reluctantly in the first half but he finally got some of his confidence back in the 2nd half. Kojo ended the game with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 5 turnovers. Kojo had been playing without any confidence the last few games and hopefully his strong 2nd half performance against Temple will help him get back on track against St. Louis.

The Dukes have now lost 5 in a row and still have not locked up a spot in the A10 tournament. Duquesne will finish their regular season schedule this Saturday when they host Saint Louis at 4pm. The game will be aired locally on Fox Sports Pittsburgh.

James has shoulder tear

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 01:16:00 +0000

Duquesne University forward/center Shawn James has been diagnosed with a small tear in the labrum of his right shoulder and is doubtful for Wednesday night's game at Temple. He is scheduled to see a shoulder specialist tomorrow morning. "Shawn had an MRI done this morning that showed a small tear," said Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart. "Our team physician felt it best that he see a specialist before beginning any kind of rehab and he'll do that tomorrow. "He will not be traveling with the team. If it is determined that he can play, there is a possibility we could fly him to Philadelphia tomorrow and have him for limited duty. If not, he'll stay back and begin rehab."

The Dukes have lost 4 games in a row with Shawn James in the lineup, maybe James' injury will force some of his teammates to step up and help get the Dukes get out of the funk they are in.

Don't forget that the Temple game will be on Fox Sports Pittsburgh at 7pm.

Bullet Points

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:05:00 +0000

Shawn James is listed as questionable for the Temple game Wednesday night.
Ron Everhart: "It might be worse than what we originally thought. We'll know more when we get the test results (today)"
The game against Temple on Wednesday will be aired live on Fox Sports Pittsburgh, tip off is scheduled for 7pm

Local big man mulls scholarship offers

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:53:00 +0000

Mckeesport's 7'0 209 pound junior center Zeke Marshall (pictured left) has received scholarship offers from some some big time programs including Pitt, Virginia, and Virginia Tech after growing several inches in the last year and vastly improving his game during his junior season. Duquesne has showed interest in Marshall but has yet to offer him a scholarship according to Scout.com. Marshall will be a part of the 2009 recruiting class.

The Dukes have yet to sign a legit post player for the 2008 recruiting class, 6'8 Ali Djim has signed with the Dukes but things seem to be up in the air with him right now, and even if he does come to Duquesne he has "project" written all over him. The Dukes offered a scholarship to 6'9 225 pound center Garvin Hunt of Weston, FL, but he has since committed to Penn. Duquesne had also offered a scholarship to 6'11 Maurice Sutton from Upper Marlboro, MD, but it appears that he no longer has a scholarship offer waiting for him at Duquesne. Sutton is still being recruited by La Salle, Seton Hall, and South Flordia.

The Dukes have several talented guards in their 2008 recruiting class but they need to add at least one post player to their list of recruits or they take the risk of having only 3 or 4 post players next season depending on if Shawn James returns to the program or not. Maybe it is just me but having only Ali Djim, David Theis and Brandon Harris as our post players scares me.

Dukes drop ball -- fall to 49ers -- Shawn James injured

noreply@blogger.com (The Duke from Dukes Court) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 04:13:00 +0000

Game Wrap up
Box Score

When will we see Shawn James in uniform again?

The Dukes have now lost 4 in a row and must win at least one more game this season to make the A10 Tournament. Pretty scary to think that in January we were talking about this team going to the NCAA Tournament and now they are fighting to make the A10 tournament. It gets worse: Shawn James hurt his shoulder yesterday when he collided with Charlotte's Charlie Coley midway through the second half. James did not return to the game following the collision. James' is expected to undergo tests today in Pittsburgh to determine the extent of the injury.

18 turnovers, 4 committed by Kojo Mensah vs. only 1 assists from Kojo, missed open shots/layups, and 10 total points from Shawn James and Aaron Jackson all led the Dukes to their 11th loss of the season. The Dukes simply have not learned how to win close conference games. Great teams win games when they play poorly, Duquesne did not give a strong performance yesterday and they couldn't find a way to close out the game with a W. The Dukes won 10 games last year, and they have 16 wins this year, next year I expect the Dukes will win a few games like the one they lost yesterday.

Bill Clark had a strong showing yesterday and is quickly moving up my list of important Duquesne players. Clark is tough, when he gets bumped or fouled it seems to flip a switch inside of him and he subsequently turns his game up a notch. Clark ended the game with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 steal, and 1 block. Clark has had two major problems this year, 1. confidence, and 2. consistency. Clark went through a long shooting drought in the middle of the season and he started passing up shots and playing tentative basketball. Clark is at his best when he is playing aggressively. Clark also lacks consistency, one game he will play great, the next game he will be invisible and only take 1 or 2 shots. I would expect Clark to remedy these problems the more playing time he gets and the more he matures. Look for Bill Clark to play a much larger role for the Dukes next year.

Is Shawn James' injury a blessing in disguise? This has been a great year for the Dukes, and another in a big step towards a successful basketball program, but let's be realistic, this year's team isn't going anywhere in the A10 tournament and may not even make the NIT now that they have lost 4 in a row. I'd rather lose James for the rest of this year if it means he will come back to play his last year of eligibility. One would assume that if this shoulder injury keeps James out a few games he would come back next season in an effort to prove he is healthy to pro scouts.