Duquesne category, Page 23
Ex-Duquesne center Michael Hughes joins pro team in Austria
Center Michael Hughes, the most accurate shooter in Duquesne basketball history, has signed a contract to play professionally for BC GGMT Vienna of the Austrian Basketball Superliga. He joins former teammate Baylee Steele, who plays for PGE Spojnia Stargard in the Polish EBL, as the second ex-Duquesne player in the...
Back to normal, Duquesne picked tied for 2nd in NEC preseason poll
After an unprecedented, but successful, spring season, Duquesne was picked to finish in a tie for second with Central Connecticut in the Northeast Conference preseason coaches’ poll released Tuesday. The Dukes received two first-place votes while preseason favorite and defending champion Sacred Heart appeared on four of the seven ballots....
Tim Benz: SEC expansion isn’t just about trying to dominate the NCAA; it’s preparing for a world after the NCAA
As the drama continues to swirl around the Southeastern Conference’s attempt to absorb Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12, many characterize the advance as an SEC attempt to form a “super conference.” Wait. I thought that’s what the SEC was already. No? A lot has been written and said...
Former Canon-McMillan, Peters Township boys basketball coach Rick Bell joins Duquesne women’s staff
Rick Bell’s resume is difficult to ignore. Along with his 31 years as head boys basketball coach at Canon-McMillan (18 years) and Peters Township (13), Bell was an assistant coach in the 1996 McDonalds All-American Boys Game at the former Civic Arena where his players included Kobe Bryant and four...
Tim Benz: NCAA needs to be fixed, not eliminated. Focus on solutions, not fake outrage
This happens from time to time at “Breakfast With Benz.” I get an email, tweet or a post in the comments section that I want to use for “U mad, bro?” However, sometimes that comment itself gets me mad enough that I find myself writing a response so long, it...
Duquesne plans to open Cooper Fieldhouse for fans to explore
Duquesne isn’t bragging about its unbeaten record inside its UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Not after only two games. But it surely doesn’t mind showing off the venue in advance of the 2021-2022 season. Duquesne will hold two open house events at its newly constructed on-campus home July 28-29. Duquesne officials are...
U mad, bro?: Fans have anxiety about trading Adam Frazier, doubts about the Pirates draft, concerns about college sports
Anxiety about an Adam Frazier trade. Depression over the Pirates draft philosophy. And concerns over the future of college sports. That’s what filled up the comments section in the columns, email inbox and Twitter interactions for this week’s “U mad, bro?” We start with a tweet from Kenny. He agrees...
Duquesne ponders long-term effects of Supreme Court ruling on college athletics
When Keith Dambrot was playing baseball at the University of Akron and merely trying to keep ground balls from smacking him in the face, he never imagined how college athletics would change in the next four decades, and how he must change with it. “Never,” he said. “I was just...
Tim Benz: Pitt? Duquesne? Chatham? Who picks up the torch of Pittsburgh DI hockey if Robert Morris folds programs?
Hopes of saving the Robert Morris hockey teams are on life support. So the question needs to be asked if any other local universities might be interested in stepping up and filling the void for Pittsburgh area NCAA DI hockey that would be created if the Colonials can’t stay on...
Atlantic 10 announces 2021-22 men’s basketball schedule pairings
Duquesne’s men’s basketball team learned Thursday which teams it will get to face twice for the 2021-22 Atlantic 10 season. The Dukes will play home and away games against Davidson, Dayton, Fordham, George Washington and St. Bonaventure as part of the league’s 18-game schedule. This is the second straight season...
First Call: Steelers get preemptive ‘no thanks’ from free agent; Donald Trump tied to Spygate bribe allegation
Thursday’s “First Call” features a “thanks, but no thanks” to the Steelers from a rumored free agent of interest. Also, Spygate is back in the news. We’ve got a look at the NFL’s salary cap for 2022. Duquesne’s football schedule has been released. And LeBron James pumps up Dukes basketball...
Keith Dambrot says Dukes ‘raised our standards’ in almost total roster makeover
Well before Duquesne’s 16-point loss to St. Bonaventure in the Atlantic 10 Tournament — a performance he called “pitiful” and “predictable” — Keith Dambrot had made up his mind. “I decided we needed to reboot, reorganize, regroup,” he said. “I have a saying: ‘You can’t lower your standards. You have...
City Game between Pitt, Duquesne won’t be part of the 2021-22 basketball season
The Pitt and Duquesne basketball teams won’t play each other this season for the third consecutive year, the longest suspension of the City Game since they didn’t play from 1940-1952. Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot said negotiations have occurred this year, but “the terms weren’t amiable for us at that point.”...
Franklin Regional grad Matt Busche wins A-10 title, sets Duquesne record
Matt Busche missed qualifying for the NCAA Division I Regional Track and Field championships by a second. But the Duquesne sophomore and 2018 Franklin Regional graduate has put the disappointment behind him and is already looking forward to the 2022 season. What takes away the hurt a little is the...
Duquesne transfers total 8 players after freshman forward Andre Harris enters portal
Duquesne lost its eighth player to the NCAA transfer portal Thursday when freshman forward Andre Harris added his name to the list. Harris played in 17 of Duquesne’s 18 games, averaging 3.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 11.1 minutes per game. At 6-foot-7, 225 pounds, he gave the Dukes a presence...
If WVU can play Penn State, Duquesne, Pitt on consecutive football Saturdays, why not Pitt vs. Duquesne?
A random tweet about West Virginia opening the 2023 football season with consecutive games against Penn State, Duquesne and Pitt raised this question Wednesday afternoon (also on Twitter): Why not Pitt vs. Duquesne in football? Major pats on the back to West Virginia for scheduling the first three games of...
TCU transfer Kevin Easley Jr. enrolls at Duquesne
Duquesne officially added a seventh member to its 2021-22 recruiting class Tuesday when forward Kevin Easley Jr., a transfer from TCU, enrolled. Easley verbally committed to Duquesne on May 6. Easley Jr. (6-foot-7, 225 pounds) averaged 4.5 points and 3.7 rebounds last season and was one of only three TCU...
Duquesne basketball plans trip to the Virgin Islands for 2021-22 season
After a season of covid-19 cancellations, Duquesne has begun to assemble its 2021-22 basketball schedule, and it will include a trip to the Virgin Islands. The Dukes will play Colonial Athletic Association regular season co-champion Northeastern on Nov. 19 in the first round of the eight-team 2021 Paradise Jam. The...
Part of rebuilt roster, ex-TCU forward Kevin Easley verbally commits to Duquesne
After losing guards Tavian Dunn-Martin and Jett Roesing to the NCAA transfer portal this week, Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot received a verbal commitment from 6-foot-7 forward Kevin Easley Jr., who played last season at TCU after transferring from Chattanooga. During his redshirt sophomore season at TCU, he averaged 4.5 points...
Duquesne’s Tavian Dunn-Martin changes mind, decides to enter transfer portral
Duquesne guard Tavian Dunn-Martin, who earlier this offseason said he was returning to Duquesne for his final season of eligibility, has changed his mind and will enter the NCAA transfer portal. Dunn-Martin played three seasons at Duquesne, first as a shooting guard and then as a point guard this season...
Duquesne basketball hires Jordon Rooney to help players advance their brands
Reacting to the changing face of college athletics, Duquesne has named Jordon Rooney as a Personal Brand Coach for the men’s basketball team. Rooney called the move a “positive institutional disruption” Rooney, who is helping former Pitt safety Damar Hamlin launch his own digital trading cards, will work with Duquesne...
Duquesne freshman Chad Baker decides to transfer
Freshman Chad Baker wasn’t Duquesne’s best player during the 2020-2021 season, but he flashed impressive shooting ability that offered hope for the Dukes’ future. Duquesne won’t get an opportunity to benefit from Baker’s potential, however, after the 6-foot-7 forward from the Dominican Republic informed coach Keith Dambrot that he intends...
Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot gets signed letters of intent from 3 transfers
The letters of intent and financial aid agreements are signed and delivered, and Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot is finally free to talk about his three-man raid on the NCAA transfer portal. Guard Leon Ayers III (Mercer) and forwards Rodney Gunn Jr. (Lenoir-Rhyne) and Tre Williams (Indiana State) will be part...
Duquesne adds point guard Jackie Johnson to 2021 recruiting class
Check out the shooting percentages compiled this season by Duquesne recruit Jackie Johnson, a point guard at Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy. The Marathon Continues, 100% Committed ⚪️? pic.twitter.com/BzSBE49SvH— Jackiejohnson (@_jackiejohnson1) April 14, 2021 Playing up in class against largely post-graduate players, Johnson shot 59.3% from the field, 91.9% from the...
Duquesne loses bid for NEC title in overtime loss to Sacred Heart
Football in the ‘Burgh on a Sunday usually means a fall date with the Pittsburgh Steelers. On this particular spring Sunday afternoon during a season of uncertainty, college football was the showcase on the Bluff. But the home team did not prevail. Sacred Heart forced Duquesne quarterback Joe Mischler to...
