Duquesne Basketball
Duquesne Guard Jake DiMichele Tells Story: From Walking On to NCAA Tournament
Duquesne basketball’s Jake DiMichele is heading into year two with the program.
DiMichele announced in mid-May that he had been placed on scholarship by Dru Joyce III and the Duquesne basketball staff after just one season on the bluff. Now, before the sophomore campaign, he joined The Pittsburgh Basketball Show to break down his successful freshman season and talk about the new team in Pittsburgh.
Duquesne basketball on Pittsburgh Sports Now is sponsored by The Summit Academy: setting young men on the path to a better future.
Watch the full interview by clicking here.
The 6-foot-4 McKees Rocks native earned playing time in 30 games, averaging 6.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. He scored 8 points on 3-for-6 shooting in Duquesne’s First Round win in the NCAA Tournament over BYU.
On the year, he shot 46% from the field and 31% from the field. DiMichele started 21 games as a rookie, and the Dukes went 15-6 in those 21 games.
Duquesne's 2024 March Madness Tournament coverage is sponsored by Leon's Billiards & More, Moon Golf Club and Archie's on Carson! Their contributions have allowed us to cover the Dukes run in Omaha, Nebraska. We appreciate their support!
“Coming from my prep season and the different struggles and things I had to go through, I just looked at being at Duquesne as a blessing, whether I played or not,”DiMichele said. “Before I made the decision, I kind of looked at the roster. Seeing Dae Dae and Jimmy, obviously, they’re the two guys. I realized, with all of the transfer stuff, I may not get the time that I wanted to see. But, Ihave a great opportunity to grow and develop and just get better every day. Then, once we got in the Summer and started practicing, I realized that I can hold my own with these guys and I really do have a chance to make an impact.”
The former walk-on played his high-school basketball at OLSH in the WPIAL before taking a prep year at First Love Scotland Campus. DiMichele finished his high-school career as No. 2 on the WPIAL’s all-time leading scorers list.
At First Love, he earned First Team All-EPL (Elite Prep League) after averaging 24 points per game on 53% shooting. He hit 37% of his three-point attempts on the year, per EPL.
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