Duquesne Dukes
Overall Rank: #62
Conference Rank: #3 Atlantic 10
Duquesne Team Page
2010-11: 19-13, 10-6
2010-11 postseason: CBI
Coach: Ron Everhart (83-74 at Duquesne, 257-239 overall)
Coach Ron Everhart is used to playing small. He has done it in the past, he will do it in the future and he has to do it right now at Duquesne. Despite being a 6-5 wing, B.J. Monteiro will likely start at power forward. Monteiro is the next in the long line of undersized players who will have to take on that role. Monteiro is a solid all-around scorer, but he will have to keep scoring and take over much of the rebounding duties.
Who’s Out:
Bill Clark played that role last season, averaging 16.2 points and 6.2 rebounds. He led the team in scoring and proved to be a superb rebounder for a wing. That is what Monteiro will have to do this time around. Damian Saunders was the big man under the basket with four guards surrounding him. Saunders was not that big, at 6-7 and 210 pounds, but he fit perfectly into the offense. Saunders could get up and down the floor, make up for the team’s lack of size with his athleticism and knack for rebounding and blocking shots. Saunders was one of the best defenders in the nation, but he also averaged 12.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 steals. There was not much Saunders could not do and finding a replacement will be nearly impossible. Forwards Rodrigo Peggau, Joel Wright and David Theis are all forwards who played some last season. That group pretty much covered the six minutes per game when Saunders needed a break and picked up any slack at the four spot when the Dukes needed to play big.
Who’s In:
Think this will be a recruiting class full of big guys who are supposed to replace Clark and Saunders and turn this into a team with a frontcourt? Think again. That is not what Duquesne wants to do and they have proven that they do not have to do it. However, the key newcomer is the man who will help replace Saunders this season. Derrick Martin redshirted last season and the 6-9, 220 pound freshman can get up and down the floor in the hurry and keep up with the rest of the guards. As long as he can hit the glass and help Monteiro play some defense in the paint, Martin will be doing his job. Mamadou Datt has some size as well and could see some minutes at the five spot this year. Kadeem Pantophlet could be the next Monteiro or Clark. The 6-6 wing has the size and strength to play the power forward spot in Coach Everhart’s system. Danny Herrera is another wing who will vie for playing time and the Dukes hope P.J. Torres can be the point guard of the future, albeit the distant future and fill in at the wing in the meantime.
Who to Watch:
For the next three years the point guard job belongs to T.J. McConnell. McConnell had a superb freshman campaign, averaging 10.8 points, 4.4 assists and just 1.8 turnovers per game. He even spearheaded the defensive effort and tallied 2.8 steals per contest. The sky is the limit for McConnell. This year he can do more scoring with Clark and Saunders gone. And he certainly has the ability to score a ton. McConnell is a superb outside shooter and any defense that sits back to try and stop him from driving to the rim will get burned by the long ball. Mike Talley is a pretty good shooter too. The 5-11 sophomore started 27 games a season ago and proved to be a solid secondary ball handler and a decent scorer. Most of his shooting will come from beyond the arc, but for a 5-11 freshman it was understandable. He will mix things up a bit more as a sophomore. Sean Johnson or Eric Evans will battle it out for the other starting role. Johnson was the team’s sixth man last season and averaged a solid 9.8 points per game. Evans is a more experienced player who is a better shooter, but this team needs rebounding and Johnson is the better rebounder of the two. Both are better rebounders than the 5-11 Talley, so there will be times when Talley might provide that spark off the bench.
Final Projection:
So if the newcomers do not pan out, who is left to play the five spot? The only returning forward on the roster is Andre Marhold. The numbers do not tell us much about the 6-6 junior, as he played just 8.0 minutes per game as a sophomore. However, he is a great athlete who can get up and down the floor in a hurry. Is he big enough to play the five spot? Not against most opponents, but if he starts playing up to his potential and the newcomers can manage the five spot, at least Duquesne will have some options and can play big when they have to.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
Projected Starting Five:
T.J. McConnell, Sophomore, Guard, 10.8 points per game
Mike Talley, Sophomore, Guard, 6.9 points per game
Sean Johnson, Junior, Guard, 9.8 points per game
B.J. Monteiro, Senior, Guard, 11.4 points per game
Derrick Martin, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season
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