Duquesne Basketball Teams Optimistic As Season Approaches

Earlier at Duquesne Basketball’s Season Tipoff Event, fans had their first opportunity to be introduced to men’s and women’s basketball teams and when the respective coaches spoke to those gathered, it was very clear that expectations are high this season.

Of course, it is uncommon for a coach to be pessimistic about how his or her team will do heading into a season, but with Duquesne the standard has been raised this season for both teams.

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DUQUESNE MEN’S BASKETBALL

“They picked us last.”

Joe Reese offered the team’s rallying cry following the first game of last season. While often the preseason poll is not taken too seriously once a campaign starts, it was a team Keith Dambrot clearly enjoyed coaching.

“Last year when we were going really good, we were shooting the ball well,” he stated. “R.J. (Gunn) played hurt at the end of last year which I think really hurt us and I thought Joe Reece was a little beaten up too at the end. If we can shoot the ball at a high level like we did at the three-point line, obviously Tevin Brewer is a big loss for us, we feel like we can offset that. If we shoot at the same level, I feel we’ll be right there at the end.”

Already Dambrot feels he has accomplished the first goal which is to have good people on his team. It was a recipe which worked last year as the Dukes advanced to postseason play.

The atmosphere at practice has been one of players pushing each other and finding counters while doing so with plenty of energy.

As is always the case with Dambrot if you mess up multiple times, it is off to the sideline.

Duquesne is now an experienced side with guards in Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark III, both of whom earned recognition from the Atlantic 10 last season. Additionally, Kareem Rozier takes a jump as a sophomore and is poised for more playing time while remaining the leader of this group.

Duquesne Dukes guard Jimmy Clark III (1) March 1, 2023 David Hague/PSN

The post depth is even more present as Duquesne has had to withstand some preseason injuries. There is the hope that Dusan Mahorcic will be cleared to play come December and he would bring instant size and increased credibility to the post.

Both Chabi Barre and David Dixon were recently cleared. Barre got a taste of court time a season ago, while Dixon was given the opportunity to grow on the court.

Tre Williams comes in healthy and more explosive this season. A year ago, Williams picked up his defense, specifically shot blocking when he was moved into the post and guarded centers. Williams began to get noticed by opposing coaches for these efforts.

Dambrot is unsure if he will guard the four or five, citing a dependence on what personnel looks like.

The Dukes have several post options in Andy Barba, Fousseyni Drame, Hassan Drame, Matus Hronsky, Jakub Necas and Andre Savrasov.

Given that personnel, Duquesne is going to make some changes to its defensive structure, citing a desire to try and play fast and play more full-court pressure.

Dambrot believes more people will be able to play and that his team can be good at it. If Duquesne can put the returning and several new faces together, then it hopes for a successful season.

“Just have to bring it every day with our mental and physical toughness,” Dambrot concluded. “We’ve been close, just haven’t been able to get over the hump. We’re certainly capable, we’re capable of beating anyone in the league. Winners win games. Having winning records in the league and keep putting it out there year in and year out and pretty soon you build that tradition of winning.”

DUQUESNE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

If anyone asks coach Dan Burt what the team expectations are, the answer is always the same, a 20-plus win season and a postseason berth.

For much of Burt’s tenure, that was the standard, but the pandemic specifically hit his team hard at a time when it was young and learning causing a couple of seasons where this goal was not met.

Last season, Duquesne was 19-12, fought to the final seconds in its Atlantic 10 Championship loss and were just left out of a WNIT berth.

When Burt discusses this year’s team that familiar gleam in his eye is back. This team is ready to go.

“It’s really exciting because we’ve got people who can play multiple positions,” he said. “We’re a lot more explosive around the arc. We’re bigger, we’re older, we’re long, we’re strong and the big concern is how are we going to play these guys? That’s going to make it really difficult on me, establishing roles. Roles are different than status.  We actually had a role meeting (recently) so everyone clearly understands what their defined role is right now and that can change over the course of the season.”

With Duquesne returning nearly 98% of all relevant stats, the team understands its system well and will be playing a faster version of said system. Burt is more secretive of the defensive side but notes that it will be different.

All of this is being done with what Burt states is “better talent than we’ve had”. The team’s newcomers are pushing returners and all of it will lead to different kind of lineups.

Of course, this Dukes team is led by junior guard Megan McConnell, who at 5-foot-7 can change the game with her scoring, passing, rebounding and defending.

Duquesne Dukes guard Megan McConnell (4) November 19, 2022 David Hague/PSN

These efforts have been noticed across the conference and even that is not to Burt’s liking as he called her “the best player in the Atlantic 10” to those gathered at the tipoff event.

Junior guard Tess Myers has taken a jump in her game. Considered a sharpshooter from three-point range, Myers has become more vocal, improved defensively and is boxing out to grab rebounds.

In the post, Duquesne returners Precious Johnson and Ayanna Townsend, both of whom have also taken jumps in their respective games.

Amaya Hamilton has the ability to play any position on the floor depending on the lineup Duquesne opts for and Naelle Bernard continues to shoot well from the three-point line and use explosive movement when cutting towards the basket. Lauren Wasylson also started finding her shot as health and confidence built throughout the season.

Both Kaitlyn Ammons and Selma Kulo are expected to return to the court this season.

Duquesne’s four newcomers are Kiandra Browne, Raymi Coueta, Gabbi Grantham-Medley, Jerni Kiaku, each of whom bring a unique skillset to the team.

Scheduling wise, Duquesne opens its season against a Princeton team which is a top-40 program. The home opener is against Pitt and Kent State, Delaware, Bowling Green, Niagara, Vermont, Tulane, Maine and Arkansas Little Rock are all part of the non-conference schedule.

As Burt puts the returning pieces and the four new team members together, he made a quick, but clear determination.