Recon: Duquesne University

Even this idiot knows the dealLet’s keep this one simple and factual. Gem City’s finest have five games remaining. Three of those happen to be on the road, a scenario that hasn’t been kind to this program in the past. Two of those roadies are against Hexagonal beasts, Temple and Richmond. Let’s play devil’s advocate and assume that UD loses both of those ballgames, surely not an outlandish supposition in any sense of the word. Just by strictly looking at the loss column, that would bring UD’s total defeats on the season to a staggering six.

At 11-5 (which would mean a road victory against either the Owls or the Spiders), this team looks like, smells like, and acts like a legitimate tournament team. At 10-6 things get murkier than the toilet water at a bus station, but given the unrecognizable condition of college basketball I am still willing to suspend disbelief and hold onto the hope that a couple of wins in Atlantic City will seal the deal.

However, at 9-7 (picture me jabbing you in the chest with my pointer finger at this point) one has to believe that nothing short of a Atlantic Ten tournament championship will get the Flyers to the Dance. Now before you even contemplate dreaming up a creative scenario whereby a 9-7 Atlantic 10 team is a formidable candidate for the NCAA Tournament, ask yourself this: do you really want to live in a world that would allow a 9-7 Dayton squad into the tournament? Is that the kind of world you want to raise your children in? (As a side note, could you imagine a worse year to forward the idea of expanding the NCAA tournament to 96 teams? This season will always signify what an absolutely horrible idea that was. I realize our culture is increasingly intent on rewarding mediocrity, but there isn't an articulable argument to be made that would convince the majority of basketball fans that expansion to 96 would somehow improve the competitive spirit of the NCAA Tournament).

Don Donoher has had it up to here with this bullshitSo where does this leave us? In a sense, on the razor's edge. A loss to Duquesne means UD would have to sweep Temple and Richmond -- let's put those odds at somewhere around 15% -- to have any chance of an at-large bid (At least I think so, it seems that bubble teams keep losing and the bar keeps getting set lower and lower, so who knows what the future holds at this point). In sum, Sunday's game is a ...(deep breath)... MUST WIN!!!!!!!!!! Buckle up.

Overview. The Dukes are currently 5-7 in the league, but that’s sort of a deceiving indication of what kind of club they are. Certainly, UD fans are aware that Duquesne is capable of beating any team in the league on any given night. Although Duquesne was slated to take a step back this season (you don’t move on from a player like Aaron Jackson, you stay awake at night wondering if he is looking at the same star you are), they haven’t played to the level that most pundits expected. If not for Jason Duty's choke job from the foul-line at the end of the UD game, the Dukes would be 6-6 going up against a 6-5 Dayton squad for sole possession of seventh place in the A-10.

Meet and Greet. The buck stops with Damian Saunders. He currently leads the Atlantic Ten in minutes per game, rebounds per game, steals per game, and blocks per game. Throw in his fifteen points a contest and you have one of the most valuable and complete players in the conference. Saunders had 21 and 11 during his last time out against UD, playing 43 minutes in the overtime loss. Saunders puts in a man's day of work every time he steps on the floor, averaging an impressive 38 minutes a game this season. The only way he leaves the court is if he is in foul trouble or has an open, festering wound.

Saunders sleeps twenty minutes a dayForwards Bill Clark and B.J. Montiero round out the starting frontcourt for the Dukes. Clark has been really coming on during the back stretch of the conference schedule, scoring 34 against La Salle last weekend and 18 in DU’s upset victory over Charlotte on Wednesday. Montiero has been hot over the last few games as well, averaging just under fifteen points a game during the Dukes last three games. Clark and Montiero are probably Duquesne's best perimeter shooters, and they do decent work on the boards as well.

The Duquesne backcourt is led by sophomores Melquan Bolding and Eric Evans. Bolding is the epitome of streaky. Although he averages 12 points per outing, his scoring outputs are 18 point games sandwiched between 6 point performances. Evans is the team’s best Tweeter and does a pretty good soft shoe. Lest we forget Jason Duty, the Patron Saint of Missed Free-Throws, plays a significant role for this Dukes squad as well. Duty is having a horrible season shooting the ball, but has good hair -- and that, my friends, means everything.

Freshmen Sean Johnson and Rodrigo Peggau, and seven-foot sophomore Morakinyo Williams, pick up the pieces when they have to. Johnson was a fairly regarded recruit who has performed admirably in relief during the season (6 ppg, 43% from the field). Peggau is a swarthy Brazilian who dreams in 3-D, Williams is the Duke most likely to have eaten lion meat. 

The Numbers Game. “A statistician is someone who is good with numbers, but lacks the personality to be an accountant.”

		PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
	UD	70.3	42.0	66.2	32.8	39.0	12.1	26.5	14.8	14.4	6.4	3.5	19.5
	DUQ	69.5	42.0	60.8	25.9	38.6	13.1	25.5	13.7	14.7	7.9	4.8	18.8
	UD Opponents	61.4	39.3	65.0	32.6	32.4	9.9	22.5	10.9	14.8	5.8	3.5	19.0
	DUQ Opponents	69.4	40.1	64.4	32.6	42.2	15.3	26.8	13.8	16.4	6.4	4.2	20.3

Statistically, there is not much separating these two teams. Both score around 70 points a game, rebound the ball fairly well and share the same exact shooting percentage. The numbers that are shocking to me are the rate at which the Dukes connect from the stripe and from behind the arc. Duquesne hits just 60% of its free-throws and a dismal 25% from three-point territory. You would think that a team that scores seventy points a contest would be fundamentally sound from the stripe and downtown, but that's just not the case with this team. Jason Duty is the team's best three-point shooter (33%) and Bill Clark is DU's most solid foul-shooter (73%).  Paul Williams would be considered a sharp-shooter on this team. Lastly, don't rub your eyes, the Dukes do in fact give up almost 16 offensive rebounds per game. Ghastly, ghoulish stuff.

Jason Duty, pray for usPrediction: The boys in the desert currently have your Flyers as five point favorites coming into this one, which seems a bit high considering the outcome from January and the fact that UD struggles on the road, but that's why sports books print money and your wife won't let you have a debit card.

I'm going to be honest for the first time in my life, I'm really worried about this one. Dayton is staring down the barrel at two losses and their play on the road is, to put it kindly, completely fucking abysmal. Duquesne should have taken the Flyers down when they were at the Arena, so you have to assume that the Dukes will come into the game playing with a lot of confidence, full of piss and vinegar. But the Dayton Flyers are the C students of college basketball, they do just enough to get by. The Dukes game will be no different.

The Flyers escape Pittsburgh with the win, 77-72. Marcus Johnson hits a big three pointer to give Dayton a three-point lead and Chris Johnson hits two free-throws to ice the game for UD. BG gets the necessary victory and turns his attention to the Temple game on Wendesday (does UD even go back to the Gem City, or does the team just head to Philly and lie in wait for the Owls?). Now the only question remains, can Gregory possibly use tainted cheese-steaks as an excuse for a loss twice in one season? I think BG has huge, sweltering balls, so I say yes. Stay tuned.

Getting it Started, Slowly

“He’s tremendous,” Duquesne coach Ron Everhart said. “Coming into the game, we talked to our guys about the obvious, which is Chris Wright. But now, this year ... all of a sudden it’s Chris Johnson.

I logged into my Bodog account late Friday night/early Saturday morning (by the way, how about an iPhone app, Bodog? Let’s make my life easier), and had the internal monologue that all degenerate gamblers have maybe two or three times a year. “I’m either going to make a shitload on this game or end up dropping an amount of money I can’t afford to lose.” The Duques were thirteen point dogs against our Gem City Warriors. Let me repeat that, UD was giving 13 points to an A-10 opponent. (If my life was a terrible movie, and I’m still hopeful that it could be someday, I would go down to the pawn shop and sell off the vintage guitar that got me through all the tough times. Unfortunately that wasn’t an option, so I had to work with the balance in my account.) Was this to be a classic trap game? Fortunately for my bankroll and the basketball Flyers, no. Your Dayton Flyers escaped with a 78-72 victory.

Chris Wright looked to be the goat of the game when he fouled Duquesne’s Jason Duty on a three-point attempt with just 3.5 seconds to play. It was the type of “heady” play that kids like Duty are always credited with making, but rarely do. Nevertheless, Duty did Wright one better by missing two of his three ensuing foul shots, denying Duquesne the victory in regulation. Rob Lowery dribbled the ball of his foot to close out the second half, sending the game into OT tied at 63.

Overtime is the gambler’s lament, more than a few bad gambling beat stories begin with a game miraculously sent into an extra frame. The momentum shifts heavily to the team that escaped imminent defeat, in this case our Flyers, and the five minute period has a tendency to be dominated by whichever team jumps out to the quick lead – again, our Flyers. Dayton scored the first seven points of overtime and never looked back, earning a vital victory in their conference opener. The Dukes dig themselves a deeper hole, falling to 0-2 in A-10 play.   

As General George S. Patton once said, "untutored courage is useless in the face of educated bullets." Prepare to be educated, you godless cretins.

• Best line of the night goes to Larry Hansgen: "He is cut! Chris Wright is cut and bleeding!" I would probably pay Larry Merchant 500 bucks to utter that phrase for me.
• Why Luke Fab was in the game with two minutes to go in regulation is beyond me. Damian Saunders was literally drooling when he saw that he had Luke isolated on the wing. Saunders went right after Fabulous and drew an easy foul, it was puzzling to say the least.
• Chris Johnson just continues to rewrite his own legend. 26 and 20? I don't care what level of basketball you are playing, those are freakish numbers. Johnson had 33% of the team's points, 33% of the team's offensive boards and 45% of UD's defensive rebounds. Just a thoroughly dominating performance.
• Oscar knows a lock when he sees one, UD laying double-digits in conference? Yes, please.Chris Wright turned in a decent performance, scoring 16 and snaring 11 rebounds. Wright shot the ball poorly, 4-for-13 on the night (30%), but was aggressive going to the basket and got to the foul line fourteen times on the afternoon. And although Kountry Chris' stoke for the line wasn't much better, 8-for-14 (57%), it reflected a dedicated attempt to go to the hole, not relying on jumpers he can't hit consistently.
• That's the last conference opener Kurt Huelsman will ever play in a UD uniform. The euphoria that just rushed through my body can only be rivaled by the initial hit heroin provides. Good stuff. 
• The play from the point was up and down all game long. Warren probably got the better of the action, finishing with a game-high eight assists (to go along with six points and four rebounds), but Lowery was able to hit a couple of key threes in the second half.
• Luke Fab waited just less than a minute to get off a three-pointer, which he hit early in the second half. Fabrizius played seven minutes, got beat on defense a few times and didn't grab a rebound. But that three, people, he's back!!
• The best of the news on the day might have been the play of Marcus Johnson. Although it was not a vintage MJ performance we all expected to see night-in and night-out this year, Marcus hit a few outside shots and finished the game with 11 points. M. Johnson is shooting 53% over the last three games. May he continue to rise from the ashes like a mini-phoenix.
• Paul Williams continues to be this team's silent killer. You ask your typical Flyer fan about Paul Willie and they probably will have complimentary things to say. Which is curious because his play, as far as I'm concerned, continues to suffer. At the very least it seems that Gregory has noticed, as Williams logged a season-low 13 minutes against the Duques. PW went 0-for-3 from the floor, lowering his percentages to 34% (from the flo') and 29% (from three)  on the year. 
• With Xavier looming in just seven days, Dayton could not afford a loss to Duquesne today. Assuming UD takes care of business against Fordham this Wednesday, UD could have potentially dropped to 1-2 in Atlantic 14 play. Not a great start for a team that can probably only afford to lose 4-5 games in conference. 

Duquesne vs. Dayton

Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%): adjusts for the fact that a 3-point field goal is worth one more point than a 2-point field goal.
Turnover Percentage (TO%): is an estimate of turnovers per 100 plays.
Offensive Rebouning Percentage (OR%): measures a team's ability to get offensive rebounds.
Free Throw Rate (FT Rate): is a measure of both how often a team gets to the line and how often they make them.

		S	MIN	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	FTM	FTA	FT%	3PM	3PA	3P%	OR	DR	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
	D. Saunders	*	43	21	9	17	52	2	5	40	1	5	20	5	6	11	2	1	2	4	4
	E. Evans	*	38	9	3	13	23	2	2	100	1	5	20	1	1	2	6	1	0	1	2
	B. Monteiro	*	25	1	0	5	0	1	4	25	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	0	1	2
	J. Duty	*	21	12	3	4	75	3	5	60	3	4	75	0	2	2	0	1	0	2	3
	B. Clark	*	16	2	0	7	0	2	2	100	0	3	0	2	3	5	0	0	0	3	5
	M. Bolding		36	13	5	11	45	3	3	100	0	3	0	1	7	8	4	2	0	2	4
	M. Williams		23	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	3	3	6	2	0	0	0	4
	S. Johnson		22	14	6	10	60	2	4	50	0	1	0	1	2	3	0	0	0	1	4
	R. Peggau		1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
		S	MIN	PTS	FGM	FGA	FG%	FTM	FTA	FT%	3PM	3PA	3P%	OR	DR	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF
	C. Wright	*	37	16	4	13	30	8	14	57	0	3	0	5	6	11	1	1	3	5	2
	C. Johnson	*	31	26	9	16	56	6	9	66	2	5	40	5	15	20	0	0	0	0	3
	K. Huelsman	*	29	3	0	1	0	3	4	75	0	0	0	3	2	5	1	0	1	1	1
	L. Warren	*	25	6	1	3	33	4	6	66	0	0	0	1	3	4	8	0	1	3	2
	M. Johnson	*	24	11	4	8	50	2	3	66	1	2	50	0	3	3	1	0	0	1	4
	M. Perry		23	4	2	6	33	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	2
	R. Lowery		23	9	2	6	33	3	4	75	2	5	40	0	1	1	1	0	0	4	2
	P. Williams		13	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2
	D. Searcy		10	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	4	0	0	0	1	0
	L. Fabrizius		7	3	1	2	50	0	0	0	1	2	50	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2

Recon: Duquesne University

One of these men is "scrappier" than the othersWe are about to take a step into the abyss that is the conference season. With the respect for the league at all all-time high, Dayton has the opportunity to re-establish itself as a tournament worthy program. Without a marquee out-of-conference victory (Georgia Tech, coming off a turrrible loss against Georgia, will likely be 0-2 in the ACC after their game with Duke today), UD probably needs around 11-12 regular season wins to remain in the NCAA tournament picture.

For a team that has a tendency to struggle on the road, the away schedule has three matchups that jump off the page: Xavier, Richmond and Temple. UD will be expected to lose all three of those contests. Which means Dayton almost needs to go 8-0 at home again this year to ensure a chance at 11-12 wins. This means a loss to a team like Duquesne, at home, needs to be avoided at all costs. Am I simplifying things? Sure, but that's what we do here. Besides, you kids already know the score. Razor-thin margin of error...can't afford any unforeseen slipups...protect Blackburn Court...blah blah blah.

The Kavanaugh Conundrum. I love the Dooger, there I said it. Some UD fans are routinely critical of his articles and viewpoints, which is strange because Harris is essentially a mouthpiece for the university. That's not a knock on Doog, as an outfit like the Dayton Daily News isn't looking to employ the types of contrarians that the Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times or the New York Post regularly hire. UD basketball is the only game in town, and a dying newspaper in a dying city isn't looking to ruffle feathers.

Case in point -- Harris' latest article details the learning process Matt Kavanaugh is experiencing while picking splinters out of his ass. It's the type of puff piece you have to read to really appreciate. 

Although he was a first-team Division I all-state player and was recruited by Big East schools, the 6-foot-10, 255-pound Kavanaugh discovered there’s still plenty left to learn at the college level.

Kav needs a mentor, enter McSwaggaLet’s quickly clear something up; there is a substantial difference between “being recruited” (receiving letters, interactions with college coaches, etc.) and receiving an actual scholarship offer. For the record, Matty Kav was offered a free ride by only three schools: the U. of D., Kent State and Miami-Ohio. Let’s stop spreading misleading information in order to justify Kavanaugh’s recruitment. It’s not like every recruit is expected to pan out, that’s unrealistic. Some will sit on the bench, seemingly getting paler by the minute, and get outscored by walk-ons. It happens.

The way I look at it, we already have a solid freshman big man in Josh Benson. We have an excellent recruiting class coming in next year. At this point who cares if Kavanaugh languishes away at the end of the bench for the rest of his career? If he develops into the type of kid that can come in, burn some minutes in relief, and stay out of the way – then so much the better. However, it’s clear that this team doesn’t need Matt Kavanaugh to be successful, so what his future holds is basically irrelevant. Whatever will be will be. I'm about as interested in Kav's future as I am in Logan Nourse's.

Okay, enough delaying, let's take a look at the Duques. 

View from Above. The Dukes (9-6, 0-1) opened up their conference account Wednesday with a loss at home against Richmond, 80-68. Returning four starters from last year’s 21-13 NIT team, the Dukes have struggled out of the gate. On a positive note, Melquan Bolding finally returned to the lineup against the Spiders after fracturing his wrist in Duquesne’s opening game against Nicholls State. Bolding scored three points in fourteen minutes against UR.

Duquesne is not a particularly deep team, with five players playing 30+ minutes per game. Expect the Dukes to play eight to nine players this afternoon.  Coach Ron Everhart isn’t scared of anything, especially not the Flyers. Everhart has a 3-2 record against UD, most recently taking down Dayton in the semifinals of the conference tournament last year. Bolding went off in that game, hitting 7-of-10 three-point attempts in route to 24 points in the win.  

Meet and Greet.  You want some rebounds? Damian Saunders will get you some rebounds. He leads the nation in rebounds per game (12.9) and double-doubles (12). Add in fourteen points a game and you got yourself one of the more unheralded players in this flawed nation of ours. Oh, and Mr. Saunders also averages 3.1 steals (4th in the nation) and 3.5 blocks a game (8th nationally). He is what older people would cleverly refer to as a “stat sheet stuffer” while glancing around the room for approval. The two areas the junior forward is struggling with this year are his three-point shooting (18%) and foul-shooting (49%).

Saunders: jack of all trades, master of someFellow junior Bill Clark leads the Dukes in scoring (14.9). Clark is struggling from the outside this season, only hitting on around 25% of his three-point shots thus far. However, he did hit Duquesne’s most important bucket this year, a shot from behind the arc with around ten seconds left to give the Dukes a win at Iowa earlier this year. Clark also does some work on the boards, bringing down 6.3 rebounds a game.

Sophomore wingman B.J. Monteiro performed admirably in relief for Bolding, scoring twelve points and grabbing six rebounds a game in his place. Coming into this season his career best was 12 points, which he scored against UD. He has eclipsed that mark several times already this season, scoring a career-best 27 against Canisius. Expect Bolding to split time with Monteiro as he slowly works back into game shape.     

Duquesne’s backcourt is led by Eric Evans and Jason Duty. Evans, a sophomore guard from Detroit, is a below average from the perimeter, but can penetrate and dish like Rod Strickland. Evans (10 ppg, 4 apg, 3 rpg) is shooting just 35% from the field. Duty, the lone senior on Duquesne’s roster, has been hampered by minor injuries all season and as a result has struggled from the perimeter. Duty, who is averaging five points on the year, is hitting 31% from the field – 28% from three.

Freshman Sean Johnson and Rodrigo Peggau will likely get the majority of the bench minutes this afternoon. Johnson averages 6.4 points per game, 9.7 over his last six games. Peggau, a redshirt from Brazil, plays around ten minutes a game and comes in mainly to rebound and to cause opponents to question their sexuality. What was the first thing Peggua noticed when he got off the plane from Sao Paulo, the shitty weather or the second-rate women?

Numbers Game. If statistics sexually excite you, it's okay, you are not alone.

		PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
	DUQ	66.8	41.8	60.6	24.9	40.3	12.9	27.3	13.0	14.9	8.2	5.2	17.9
	UD	69.3	45.0	66.8	33.9	35.7	11.5	24.2	14.8	14.5	6.4	2.7	19.9
	DUQ Opponents	64.3	38.1	58.1	32.4	40.7	14.6	26.1	13.8	16.1	6.7	3.8	19.7
	UD Opponents	61.4	41.3	65.4	33.8	31.9	9.6	22.3	11.6	15.8	5.4	2.5	18.9

Those numbers are as accurate as they can be; Duquesne is shooting 60% from the line and just 25% from three. How about both teams come out in zones and first one to 40 wins? The Dukes are actually a decent defensive team, just not good enough offensively or on the boards to be competitive in the A-10 this year. The Dukes are without a significant victory this season, 0-5 against teams in the RPI top 50, UD would be their signature win.

Prediction: Vegas is giving the Dukes thirteen points in this one, which seems like a lot considering that Duquesne only lost Aaron Jackson from last year’s group of overachievers. However given their lackluster body of work, it’s hard to get a read on the Dukes. Certainly Bolding’s return adds some offensive punch to the team, but hardly enough to give Duquesne an edge. UD takes this one, 70-61. Chris Johnson scores 19 and Chris Wright drops 10 and 10. Luke Fab comes off the bench, hits a three within 20 seconds and all is right in the world.  

Duquesne University: Back from the Brink

The Duquesne University Dukes are coming off a stellar year where they quietly turned in a fantastic season.  This year, they will not be able to sneak up on the competition.  I got the exciting privilege to interview Thorton Mellon of the fantastic all things Duquesnse blog, Bluff Divers.  We talked about the Dukes continuing on last year's success, what it means to have a true out of conference schedule, Ron Everhart staying in Pittsburgh forever and ever, and of course, that fucking insane "language" called Pittsburghese.

DD: Let's take a look back at Duquesne's stellar 2008-09 season.  The Dukes finished 21-13 and not many people across the country will remember this but the Dukes were just 6 points away from an NCAA berth.  While an NIT bid (the first postseason berth of any kind since 1994) is nothing to sneer at if you are a Dukes fan, it had to be a little heartbreaking knowing that the NCAA Tournament was so close, yet so far away.  How would you rate last season in terms of all time Duquesne basketball history?

TM: To put everything in perspective, the Dukes season last year was like a really good trip to Vegas.  The Dukes' run in the A-10 tourney championship was like unexpectedly waking up with $3,000 in your pocket after crushing a three card poker table in drunken stupor.  And even though losing in the A-10 Championship was like blowing 2 of those g's at Sapphire without having your love muscle juiced, the trip was well worth the good times.  It was also an invaluable experience for what was the youngest team in D1 hoops last year and really opened a lot of eyes to what type of team the Dukes have the potential to be.  
  
On a side note: The A-10's worst officiating crew that had screwed us ridiculously at St. Joe's, among several other occasions, was calling the A-10 championship game.  You know, the short old guy with white hair comb-over and the two black guys.  The one who doesn't blow his whistle at all and the one who I think accidentally chokes on it then makes up a call.   So I pretty much knew weren't going to win.  FYI Jim Satilin (former disgruntled Dukes head coach who left the program in ruins in 1987) is the head of the A-10 officials, so we never seem to get any favorable calls, home or away.  Every questionable call went in Temple's favor down the stretch and at least four missed calls went against the Dukes in the final five minutes.  Conspiracy theory? You tell me.  
  
Last season was tremendous and I think that the Dukes have a chance to sustain a high level of play for a long time to come.  The first postseason appearance since 1994 is nothing to shake a stick at, but the best season in Dukes history is undoubtedly the 1955 NIT championship year.  As I am sure you are aware, the NIT was really considered to be the premier tournament back then and when the #6 DUKES beat #9 DAYTON at the Garden in the final.  The victory was considered by most pundits to be the true National Title.  Both the Flyers and Dukes that year would have mopped the floor with an NCAA “Champion” San Francisco team that featured Bill Russell. This is according to the late, great Pops Jordanoff (Duquesne junior in '55, legendary Bluff Diver hof'er, Robert Goulet look-a-like, and model for the Bluff Divers logo).  The '55 Dukes team featured back-to-back #1 overall NBA picks in Dick Ricketts and Sihugo Green.  Duquesne remains the only team in NBA history to have back-to-back #1 overall picks.  The Dukes continued to be a powerhouse in the fifties, sixties, and seventies, and as of 1980 were the 5th winningest program in college hoops history (Kentucky, UNC, Kansas, Duke, and Duquesne!!!  No seriously, I am not bullshitting you on this one).  So while last season was a great ride and a blast for long time Dukes fans, we still have a long long way to go.

DD: How can Duquesne build on that successful year?  It looks as if Duquesne is returning a lot of players that will only help build on that successful season.  However, Everhart and Co. will not have the services of 2009 First Team Atlantic 14 member and Most Improved player, Aaron Jackson.  Who is going to fill the void of losing an almost 20 points a game player?  Are there any incoming recruits that will help immediately?

TM: As Dayton definitely missed Brian Roberts last year the Dukes will certainly miss Jackson this year, but they will actually be a much deeper team with even greater athleticism with what they have coming in. I personally think they have a chance to be a better "team" now that they can't rely on AJAX to take over. Directly, Eric "Whachu talking about Willis" Evans and Melquan "Willis" Bolding, now sophomores, seem poised to pick up Jackson's slack.  In fact, I went back and watched the entire A-10 tourney run on my DVR, and Bolding and Evans (not AJAX surprisingly) carried the team in many, if not most key moments.  It will be exciting to see their development.   

In other areas, the Dukes should have the most formidable frontcourt they have seen under Ron Everhart. 7 footer Morakinyo "Mele keleke maka" Williams, a Kentucky transfer and former top 150 recruit, and 6'8'' Brazilian native Rodrigo Peggau, a medical redshirt last year who also starred in Only the Strong, will give the Dukes a must needed presence underneath the basket.  This will also free up Damian Saunders to play a lot of 3 in some sets and the 4 position when the Dukes go small, which will present a lot of problems both offensively and defensively for a lot of teams.  

Coming in as freshmen, they have two highly regarded prospects at positions they are already fairly deep at. Small forward Andre Marhold, a Pittsburgh native, chose Duquesne over Clemson and Winthrop, and grades out as an 85 (High Major Prospect) per Scouts.com and is rated #75 SF by ESPN.  He can play the 3 and 4 positions and is extremely athletic, aggressive, and apparently has a great work ethic which is exactly what Everhart looks for.  Also coming in is shooting guard Sean Johnson, an 83 by Scouts.com and #121 SG by ESPN.  He seems to be out of the MelRon Everhart, in an undated photoquan Bolding mode in that he is very athletic, can jump out of the gym and get to the basket, but can be streaky at times with his mid-range to long-range jumper. While these players will see valuable minutes, Everhart will make them earn their spots in the regular rotation as they sit behind returning starters at both of their positions. Regardless, the Dukes will be very deep and very athletic in Everhart's run and gun system.

DD: Looking at the Dukes' non-conference schedule, it looks a lot like Dayton's in terms of lots of so-so teams with a powerhouse team tinkered in there to keep the fans happy.  I doubt it's just me, but do you agree with me in saying that the 2 most important games are December 9 at West Virginia and the December 2 game vs Pittsburgh AT home.  Now, we all know that Duquesne is in Pittsburgh and Pitt rarely flirts with the lower level teams (and when they do, they get beat down...like Dayton did to them), but this has to be a HUGE game, right?  What are you expecting from these 2 games?

TM: First off, Pitt can suck a big fat terd. So can their fan base, which I will contend is by and large one of the least knowledgeable groups of fair-weather idiots that you will ever meet. Yes, their fans are worse than most “yinzer” Steelers fans who scream for Charlie Batch to play every time Big Ben throws an incomplete pass. Most of these fans can’t spell their names and are currently part-time janitors or secretaries for the companies and law firms that most Duquesne graduates own.

Pitt fans cannot seem to realize why their team can never "get over the hump," yet they NEVER challenge themselves out of conference, especially on the road. When they do, the results haven't been good.  Most Pitt fans also think college basketball began in the city started when Ben Howland took over as coach and think the double bonus is when Peter’s Pub runs Iron City AND IC Light bottles before home game. But even with Pitt's least experienced team in quite some time, their out of conference matchups, which I think includes games against the Oakland School for the Blind and the Bluffdivers All-Stars, will not present much of a challenge and should all but guarantee them a 20 win season.

For Duquesne, the Pitt game will undoubtedly be the biggest non-conference game of the year. Last time that Pitt played the Dukes at Palumbo, our Dukes staged a massive comeback after falling down early in the game, eventually losing at the end because of the stellar performance of man-child Sam Young. If the Dukes were to beat Pitt it would be the biggest victory of the Everhart era by far. This would be the type of victory that can significantly boost Alumni support from a very prominent and affluent Alumni base and at very least increase regional exposure for the program. It would also be huge in restoring a once great cross-town rivalry that would be very big for college hoops in the area. 

The WVU game is also a long time Eastern 8 rivalry game that the Dukes blew last year. Everhart and Huggy Bear are good friends, which adds to the game, but it definitely plays second banana to the Pitt game. If the Dukes were able to miraculously pull off both victories, the city would be on fire with Dukes fever!

DD: Ron Everhart is entering his 4th season at Duquesne and has pretty much been a God send.  I really don't feel like researching anymore so help us out.  To me, Duquesne has to be locking this guy up before he moves onto a bigger school. Let's be honest, it's going to happen.  What are your thoughts on what Everhart has done with this program?

TM: The Dukes signed Everhart to an extension after last season which runs through the 2013-14 season. Good Move. But as you know, a contract extension in college basketball is about as binding as the marriage vows between a low budget porn star and a crack dealer. Everhart is kinda local (from about an hour and a half south of the 'burgh in Fairmont, W.V.), is very Catholic, and his wife's from here, so I think he might stay. I have inside information that he wants to stay and build an Xavier/Dayton/St. Joes type program, but I received this insider tip from the same person that had inside info that John Belein was staying at WVU. Needless to say, he is seemingly on his way to fully resurrecting arguably the worst program in all of college basketball and has done an amazing overall job-despite how much I may malign his in-game coaching. If he does put the Dukes fully back on the NCAA map, he will be a hot commodity for many major programs. Prior to last season, he had been linked to Providence, LSU, and Virginia Tech because of his ties to those areas, but those three jobs seem much less likely to be available in the near future after last season. Duquesne's endowment is definitely large enough to bust up some serious green if need be and I think they will for Everhart. If he bolts, look for the Dukes to make assistant Coach and big time recruiter Bill Barton to succeed Teflon Ron.

DD: Last one.  Don't think you are getting out of here without using some Pittsburghese language.  If you can, please give us a few sentences with your prediction for this season and of course, including the words "yinz," "gumbands," "Sliberty," "Irrrrron City," and "Dahntahn."  And more words if need be.

TM: I hesitate to respond to this question as the Yinzers who speak Pittsburghese are the bane of my daily existence and it is clear that this question would be more suitable for the aforementioned moronic Pitt fans. But that being said I will say that if the Dukes go to the “torrrney, chrisht…I doughno….I will beeer bong abahhht 15 Irrrrons n’at, put on some Donnnie Irrris, go dahn to Sliberty to eat ahht one of them there hookers…city of championsh baby….yinz got nuthin…we got tha Stillerrrs Pensh Pannthers, and them Dookesss…screw the bucccoooos, they stink. Can’t believe they traded Mcllaaath and Freddy and Jack Jack…Byooooteeeful park tho."

Translation: If the Dukes win the A-10 Tourney, I will get ridiculously drunk on crappy beer while listening to really bad garbage band rock music.  I will the go to one of Pittsburgh's worst neighborhoods and sequester a street hooker with hopes of performing oral sex on HER.  I am an idiot that knows nothing about football, basketball, or hockey and takes odd masochistic pleasure through complaining about my baseball team and their trading of mediocre players, even though I attend 30 games a year.

Do you know that Donnie Iris was actually announced on opening day last year as "International Recording Artist: Donnie Iris?"  I guess that gig that they recorded on Donnie's camcorder in Hamilton, Ontario qualifies him as "international."  Only in my hometown.  GO DUKES!

Thanks to Thorton for the entertaining interview.  Duquesne is going to be a good team this year, so watch out Flyer fans!