Duquesne Basketball
Duquesne/Dambrot Adds First Player and Makes Offers
Keith Dambrot realizes that a lot of work needs to be done at Duquesne. So within an hour of getting the job he got to work.
Not even waiting for a press conference, Dambrot and his staff hit have the recruiting trail and picked up their first new player.
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A lot happened late last night so here’s a recap.
Let’s start with the first addition to the roster under the Dambrot era.
Akron freshman point guard Tavian Dunn-Martin has decided to transfer from Akron and will join Dambrot at Duquesne. Dunn-Martin (5-foot-8, 155 pounds) is from Huntington, West Virginia and averaged 4.0 PPG as a freshman. During his senior year of high school, Dunn-Martin was named the Evans Award recipient, given to the state’s best player.
Dunn-Martin will have to sit next season but will have 3 years of eligibility remaining.
The new Duquesne staff also were on the phone extending their first three scholarship offers.
David Collins (6-foot-3, 200 pounds, SG, First Love Christian Academy)
“Coach Dambrot told me he was starting something great at Duquesne and there was some playing time that I could earn. It means a lot (early offer from Dambrot) to me and makes me feel like a priority. I haven’t seen the campus and I would like to see it,” said Collins.
Aside from Duquesne, Collins also holds offers from Cincinnati, Siena, St. Bonaventure, Missouri State and Robert Morris.
Jack Ballantyne (6-foot-9, PF, Warren, Michigan)
“Well, Coach Charles Thomas called me right away. I had just left the gym and didn’t hear the news yet. He told me about the move and the deal and I was thrilled. U of Detroit and Duquesne are my final two schools, but the relationship I have with the coaching staff now at Duquesne is vital to me and my family. So Duquesne jumped into my top 2. Coach D was very busy, but Coach Thomas and Rick told me he wanted them to call me first and wanted to offer me immediately. I was pumped for the opportunity and I look forward to visiting Duquesne in the near future. It means a lot that they would offer me so early but it just shows how close we are as a unit. One family to another.”
Courtesy of Jack Ballantyne
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Torrey Patton (6-foot-4, 192 pounds, SG, Trotwood Madison HS, Ohio)
“I received the offer and instantly got excited. It was a great feeling knowing my hard work paid off. I know this is only the beginning though and I still have work to do. Coach McFadden called me and told me I would be a great fit for the program & they would love to have me,” said Patton.
“It means a lot to me that I was one of the first offers given out. It shows that I’m a player on their radar and that they have a lot of interest in me. I’m very interested in checking out Duquesne and I can’t wait to visit. From what I’ve seen it looks like a beautiful place and somewhere I would enjoy being.”
Courtesy of Torrey Patton
Dylan Swingle (6-foot-9, 275 pounds, PF, Bainbridge, Ohio)
“It’s very exciting to be offered by Duquesne. One of the coaches called me and said they wanted me to help start something great and said they wanted me to come with them. It means a lot, Coach D is a great coach and I would love to play for him and him offering me first feels great. It shows how much I would mean to this program,” said Swingle.
“Yeah, I would love to check out Duquesne. I visited the city of Pittsburgh a few months ago and I loved it so I would for sure love to go back.”
Courtesy of Dylan Swingle
One other thing to keep your eye on. Duquesne freshman guard Mike Lewis II, who previously announced that he was asking Duquesne for a release from his scholarship, started following Coach Dambrot on twitter.
