Duquesne Basketball Recruiting
Duquesne Offers 6-foot-10 Forward Prospect
Dru Joyce III and his staff have been hard at work all offseason, looking to build a roster for this upcoming season and for future years.
The Dukes made a move on Tuesday to help with the latter of those two options.
Joyce and his staff extended an offer to Collin Ross, a 6-foot-10 forward in the high school class of 2026. He plays for SPIRE Academy, a midwestern prep school that has produced many Division One players, namely LaMelo Ball.
Check out Ross’ post here.
In a recent article, On3 Sports highlighted Ross’ skill set.
“Just off the look test alone, Collin Ross is intriguing,” the article said. “At 6-foot-10, he brings great length with unique athletic fluidity for a player his size. Where he first jumps out is on the defensive end. He can slide and switch but also guard down a lineup to provide weak side rim protection. Offensively, Ross played within himself, staying around the basket and finishing plays as a vertical lob threat out of the dunker spot. He aggressively attacked the front of the rim, which was refreshing to watch. Ross showed touch with a consistent release which is intriguing as he continues extend his range.”
Duquesne has been busy recruiting all offseason, focusing on transfer portal prospects but also keeping an eye on high-school talent.
The Dukes have brought in four transfers so far: Jimmie Williams (South Florida), John Hugley (Xavier), Stef Van Bussel (College of Charleston), and Tarence Guinyard (UT Martin).
According to TPR’s transfer database, out of the 19 players tracked that received interest from the Duquesne staff this spring, Guinyard was the highest-rated of the bunch. He owns an 84 overall rating on the TPR database, and is the No. 48 overall guard out of 1,300+ guards that entered the portal this spring.
Williams is next on the list, owning a 68 overall rating. Williams played in 30 games this past year for the Bulls, averaging over seven points per game. With a relatively small sample size, he showed he can shoot the three. 40% from downtown is going to play at any level, and Williams brings that to Duquesne at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds. Not bad.
Hugley is a 51 overall in the TPR system due to poor numbers at Xavier. However, the Dukes aren’t looking for the Xavier version of Hugley. They are looking for the Pitt, or even the Oklahoma version of Hugley, who was at one point a dominant, physical force inside that could score with the best of them at the high-major level. Hugley has averaged eight points per game in three separate seasons at the high-major level so far in his collegiate career, and should be a massive addition in the A10.
Van Bussel is more of an unknown prospect. Due to injuries, he never saw the floor at College of Charleston. At Saint Louis, he appeared in 21 games two seasons ago, playing under eight minutes per game. However, he has a track record of solid play in international competition. Find out more here.
