Duquesne category, Page 29
Controversy, intensity, sharp elbows marked previous chapters of Pitt/Duquesne rivalry
The Pitt/Duquesne basketball rivalry has cooled over the years. In 2020, for the second consecutive season, it won’t appear on the Pittsburgh sports calendar. Yet there are several moments that made it the most intense rivalry in the city’s history. Duquesne’s Andy Sisinni played in nine of the 87 games...
Mark Madden: Pitt basketball should stick to its word, play Duquesne
Pitt should play Duquesne in men’s basketball for any number of reasons. But the main reason is because Pitt said it would. In March 2019, a statement released by Pitt quoted athletic director Heather Lyke thusly: “The City Game is a time-honored basketball tradition in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, our scheduling dynamics...
Dukes AD, Keith Dambrot sound off as City Game between Pitt, Duquesne not on schedule
The City Game, which used to be an annual grudge match between Pitt and Duquesne, has been kicked off the area sports calendar again. Pitt coach Jeff Capel said Thursday the Dukes won’t be on his nonconference schedule for the second year in a row. When asked if Pitt will...
Penn State, Duquesne, WVU and Pitt teams recognized for academic progress
A total of 16 collegiate athletic teams from four local universities earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards for their Academic Progress Rates (APR). The awards are presented annually by the NCAA to teams finishing among the top 10 percent in their sport over four academic years (2015/16-2018/19). APR is determined by...
Duquesne’s UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse won’t be ready in time for start of winter sports seasonsVideo
After sitting through a nearly two-month construction delay on Duquesne University’s UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, athletic director Dave Harper said Monday that the $45 million facility won’t be ready for at least the first part volleyball season nor the start of the basketball season in November. “That’s not going to happen,”...
Former Duquesne and WPIAL Olympic hopeful now a front-line nurse battling covid-19
Softball and baseball aren’t on the list of athletic accomplishments for former Duquesne and WPIAL athlete Anna Simone. Track is. After a stellar stint with the Dukes track team, Simone made a push for the 2016 Olympics. She also played soccer and basketball at Mt. Lebanon. But in trying to...
New Jersey center verbally commits to Duquesne
Duquesne received a verbal commitment Friday from 6-foot-11 center Mounir Hima of St. Benedict’s Prepatory School in Newark, N.J. After he signs a letter of intent, Hima will be the only center in Duquesne’s 2020 recruiting class. The Dukes have signed six players — all guards and forwards. Hima, a...
Pitt, Duquesne, Robert Morris coaches band together in attempt to bounce covid-19
Keith Dambrot is serious when he says people need to practice social distancing as one of the best ways to fight covid-19. “Our daughter (Alysse) works in a physical therapy facility,” Duquesne’s men’s basketball coach said, “and we told her, ‘Don’t come (to visit).’ “We love our daughter, but we...
A-10 commissioner discusses trimming basketball tournamentsVideo
Atlantic 10 commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade can’t say for sure how, when or if fall sports will be contested in her conference this year. But she told reporters Monday she has been in talks with conference schools, including Duquesne, about a variety of plans that also could involve winter sports...
Duquesne’s Keith Dambrot will welcome 6-man freshman classVideo
Through his three seasons at Duquesne, Keith Dambrot has shown a willingness to change the immediate face of the program when he thought it was necessary. This offseason, however, the 61-year-old coach focused on the future, signing six players who may improve depth initially and could form a solid foundation...
Ex-Duquesne corner Harrison-Ducros might hear name called in NFL DraftVideo
Duquesne hasn’t had a player taken in the NFL Draft since 1951. Only one Duke has played in a regular-season NFL game since 1953: undrafted free agent defensive back Leigh Bodden, who played parts of eight seasons, the last with New England in 2011. History isn’t the only obstacle cornerback...
Duquesne plans challenging start to 2020-2021 basketball season
Duquesne will confront a tough gauntlet of opponents early next basketball season when the Dukes compete in the Maryland Showcase. They will play three games in seven days and face two opponents that won 20-plus games in 2019-2020. The series will be punctuated Nov. 22 when Duquesne meets Big Ten...
RMU’s Chris King on challenges athletic directors face because of covid-19
First-year Robert Morris athletic director Chris King had just gone through a full week of overseeing his teams barrel through playoff performances. The men’s basketball team had just won the NEC Tournament at the brand-new UPMC Events Center. His women’s team finished 17-1 in conference play. The men’s hockey team...
Duquesne lands three-star forward Toby Okani
Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot continued to build his class of 2020 on Friday when forward Toby Okani verbally committed to enroll. Okani made the announcement on his Twitter account. ???? Ramiir Dixon-Conover (@1neRDC) April 11, 2020 Okani, 6-foot-7, played at Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Mass., last season. He is...
Duquesne gets commitments from Sincere Carry’s brother Mike Bekelja, forward Chad Baker
If you wanted to talk to Mike Bekelja on Tuesday to ask him about verbally committing to Duquesne, he had one request: “Can we talk later? I’m currently working out. I’m sorry.” Bekelja is one of two players who committed to Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot in the past two days....
Freshman guards Ashton Miller, Evan Buckley leaving Duquesne
Two freshman guards are leaving the Duquesne basketball program. Ashton Miller, the cousin of director of player development Ashton Gibbs, has entered the NCAA transfer portal while Evan Buckley is leaving and has no plans to play elsewhere, a team spokesman said. While playing in 23 of 30 games this...
Char Valley grad Christian Kuntz ready for 2nd chance with Steelers after XFL runVideo
Christian Kuntz’s foray into the XFL produced the desired result. Kuntz, a Chartiers Valley and Duquesne graduate, signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday, two weeks after the XFL canceled its season after five games because of concerns over the spread of covid-19. Kuntz played long snapper for the Dallas...
Former Duquesne guard Frankie Hughes transfers to San Diego
Junior guard Frankie Hughes, who missed the entire Duquesne season after undergoing knee surgery, posted on his Twitter account his intention to transfer to the University of San Diego. He was not expected to return to Duquesne for the 2020-21 season. pic.twitter.com/iAQ8hgaPvo— f r a n k i e (@_4l0w)...
Coronavirus halts construction of Duquesne’s UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse
Dave Harper remains optimistic UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse will open in time for Duquesne’s winter sports season, but he also knows grim reality in the form of the covid-19 pandemic might intervene. Duquesne’s athletic director said Monday that construction stopped Friday on the $45 million makeover of the former A.J. Palumbo...
Penn State’s Lamar Stevens, WVU’s Oscar Tshiebwe honored by NABC
Four players — one each from Penn State, West Virginia, Duquesne and Robert Morris — were named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division I all-district teams. Penn State’s Lamar Stevens and West Virginia’s Oscar Tshiebwe were named first team District 7 and 8, respectively. Duquesne’s Marcus Weathers and...
Duquesne guard Frankie Hughes will transfer
Duquesne guard Frankie Hughes, who sat out this season after undergoing knee surgery in October and was not expected to return, has entered his name in the transfer portal. Hughes led the Dukes in successful 3-points shots (67) during the 2018-19 season after transferring from Missouri. He averaged 8.9 points...
Tim Benz: Players, teams that could suffer most under coronavirus sports shutdown
The coronavirus sports shutdown may be worse than originally thought. On Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control recommended “that for the next 8 weeks, organizers … cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the United States.” That means sports. All of ‘em. The NCAA...
North Allegheny product Isaacs soars for Duquesne tennis team
North Allegheny alum Jared Isaacs is on a record-setting pace as a senior on the Duquesne men’s tennis team. Isaacs became the Dukes’ all-time singles wins leader with his 77th career victory in an Atlantic 10 match against Davidson on March 3. In the next dual match, he became the...
NCAA cancels men’s, women’s basketball tournaments
March Madness came to a screeching halt before a bracket could even be filled out. The NCAA canceled its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments Thursday because of the spread of coronavirus, putting an abrupt end to the season less than a month before champions were to be crowned. The unprecedented...
A-10 cancels tournament; Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot wonders if NCAA will do the same
Duquesne’s men’s basketball team was in Brooklyn, N.Y., less than 24 hours before the Atlantic 10 canceled the remainder of its tournament Thursday morning in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. Duquesne was scheduled to play its first game in the tournament at 8:30 p.m. Thursday...
