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Duquesne Basketball

Duquesne Mailbag: Answering Your Basketball Questions

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Duquesne head coach Dru Joyce III

It has been ages since a Duquesne mailbag has been done. With this, questions were taken from social media with a focus on both men’s and women’s basketball. Without further ado, here we go.

With how good they’ve looked over these past few weeks and the chemistry they’ve been building, how do you see DiMichele fitting back into the rotation and adding to this chemistry? Will one guy see a drop in minutes, or will it be a balance to make sure Jake gets his minutes? – @DJ12709

Should Jake DiMichele redshirt? – Bob Healy III

For reference, the first of these two questions came before the St. Bonaventure game.

Jake DiMichele’s insertion into last season’s starting lineup was one of many correct decisions last year’s staff made. Speaking with the staff last year, everyone was high on this, with Terry Weigand specifically expressing his going to bat for this decision.

As we reported earlier this week, DiMichele was back practicing, though at some point between Monday’s practice the media had access to and Saturday’s game against St. Bonaventure he had another setback.

DiMichele has been dealing with plantar fasciitis and had foot issues as recently as a couple of weeks before the season. He was named to the all-tournament team at the Cayman Islands Classic and was the most consistent Duquesne player there, although he has not played since.

Now there are more questions than answers as we draw closer to February. The boot could mean anything, but given how many starts and stops there have been, it would be incredibly difficult not to be frustrated.

It would be unfair to guess an educated timetable as none has been provided by Duquesne, but when he returned to the court, it took two weeks for him to really get it going upon his return the last time.

Any form of a healthy DiMichele would be an asset to this team. A lot will be looked at with roles. Players such as Cam Crawford and Jakub Necas have really stepped up in his absence and Maximus Edwards has really found his stride these last two games, to the point the Atlantic 10 named him Co-Player of the Week.

This team and the basketball in general are humming, Duquesne has hit its stride. That much is clear.

Last week, I got to speak to a former Duquesne men’s basketball player about this very topic and his belief is that DiMichele’s return can complete this team, and I tend to agree.

When Dru Joyce III looks down his bench and can substitute players with confidence knowing what he will get, that is special and this has certainly been possible of late, but a healthy DiMichele just turns the pendulum that much more.

Ultimately if DiMichele were to return this season, his feedback and conversations with Joyce and the training staff can be used to set a base at the beginning.

At this point any potential return would have a varying proximity towards March’s Atlantic 10 Championship. Obviously, the sooner he could return, the more stretched out and more minutes he would get.

If he were to return, players may see respective roles change to some degree and that can be hard to take, but good teams are able to make that adjustment. Duquesne is showing that it can be a good team as it has shown both a flexibility and willingness to do whatever it takes to win.

Sacrifice is a part of winning and last year’s team understood that. Everyone had to make sacrifices in order for that team to fulfill its potential, no one more so than both Hassan Drame and Andrei Savrasov last season. Proven players on NCAA Tournament teams who willingly took a back seat, because that was what was deemed necessary for history to be made.

Of course, on the flip side, if DiMichele were not able to give it a go or time is not on his side, then the potential for a redshirt would be there if that is deemed in the best interest of both sides.

If that were the case, it would be a shame for DiMichele who is one heck of a competitor, but that would not mean any less of how important his role remains. He still has a lot to contribute to this team and that cannot be lost on anyone.

The Atlantic 10 is as wide open as it has been in recent memory and Duquesne has put itself in the mix and now has more help on the way.

Sandy Schall, Coldwell Banker

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