Duquesne men's basketball seeks strong start in Joyce's 2nd year at helm

Dru Joyce III is well aware of the struggles Duquesne faced in his first season as a Division I head basketball coach after the Dukes’ miraculous run to a long-awaited return to the NCAA Tournament a year earlier.

For example, that ugly 0-6 start stands out.

A new team dominated by transfers just didn’t click.

Duquesne wound up losing nearly 20 games (13-19) and struggled to an 8-10 Atlantic 10 record, bowing out of the conference tournament following a first-round loss to St. Bonaventure.

A year later, Joyce said, “There are still areas where we need to improve.”

In this age of roster overhaul, nothing is promised, and last year’s debacle is proof.

But with four new transfers and two of four incoming freshmen cracking the lineup, a come-from-behind 83-81 exhibition victory last week at Virginia Tech offered hope for the Dukes’ return to prominence in the city’s college basketball landscape.

“As we rebuild, I’m not necessarily thinking of the win as much as how did we handle a real game environment,” Joyce said. “I think we did a good job of handling the challenges of the environment (at Virginia Tech’s storied Cassell Coliseum).”

For some perspective, the Hokies, in a preseason poll, were predicted to finish two spots ahead of crosstown Pitt in the ACC.

It’s Year 2 now for Joyce and the Dukes, and the former all-state Ohio high school guard, career assists leader in college at Akron and longtime European pro player appeared confident going into Monday night’s opening game against Niagara at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

But he cautioned against overconfidence (see last season’s consecutive losses to Lipscomb, Princeton, DePaul, Milwaukee, South Dakota State and Hampton to start the year).

“You don’t know when your opportunity is about to hit you,” Joyce said. “I’ve learned that, as a player and through life, and in things that my parents have taught me. I’ve learned that, as a coach, you just don’t know. Be ready. Don’t try to get ready in the moment. Just be ready.”

As Duquesne was nearing the start of his second season at the helm, Joyce moved further past his time as the Dukes’ associate head coach and more into the role as the team’s general.

He is reminded daily of his final season in 2024 under his coaching mentor, former Duquesne boss Keith Dambrot, who led the Dukes to 25 victories, including a first-round NCAA Tournament victory over BYU.

He understands the high goal that was established for the once-storied program anchoring Pittsburgh’s Bluff neighborhood.

He also lives with the knowledge that, when his time arrived to sit in the big chair, Joyce and the Dukes miserably fell short.

Returning senior guard Cam Crawford, who led the A-10 in 3-point shooting last season (43.1%), prefers to look ahead. He’s certain Joyce wouldn’t want it any other way.

The happy exhibition outcome at Virginia Tech “gave us some confidence. That was pretty high-level competition,” said the 6-foot-5 Crawford, a transfer two years ago from Marshall. “It showed us what we’re capable of doing this season. We’ve got a long way to go, but that was a good way to start. Last year, we were 0-3 in scrimmages and exhibitions, so to get a win means a lot.”

Not only did the Dukes come away victorious on the road against a power conference school, they also rolled past Cleveland State in an earlier home scrimmage.

“Our big emphasis is trying to play faster and really have more possessions than the other team,” Crawford said. “We want to turn teams over, get offensive rebounds, have a lot more high-scoring games this year. We’ve got a lot of players who can fill it up.”

Only three of six returning Duquesne players — 6-9 David Dixon, 6-10 Jakub Necas and 6-5 Maximus Edwards — saw significant playing time last season. The others were sidelined while recovering from injuries: 6-4 Jake DiMichele, 6-5 Alex Williams and 6-4 Brandon Hall.

Expect an initial starting lineup that includes three transfers, including a backcourt of 6-2 Tarence Guinyard (first-team Ohio Valley selection at UT Martin) and 6-5 Jimmie Williams (South Florida), both of whom scored team highs of 21 points against Virginia Tech.

The other is 6-10, 265-pound John Hugley IV, who scored 10 points against the Hokies before exiting with two technical fouls. Hugley played three years at Pitt — he averaged 14.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in 2021-22 — and one each at Oklahoma and Xavier.

“I know, and I think a lot of people know, that he possesses a lot of talent and a high basketball IQ,” Joyce said. “He has an opportunity with the staff and with his teammates to really have some success, which has been missing in his career for a few years. To know what that feels like. I think he has a great chance of feeling like, ‘Man, the hard work and preparations finally has its day of paying off.’ ”

Duquesne’s sizable lineup includes five players who are 6-10 — among them Charleston transfer Stef van Bussel — and averages 248 pounds.

Two other 6-10 players — Lazar Milosevic and Frederik Jellum — are among the freshman crop, which also includes 5-10 Dom Aiekins and 6-2 Arness Lawson.

The immediate goal, Crawford said, is obvious.

“It’s definitely important to get off to a good start, and I think we will,” he said. “We already started with the exhibition and scrimmage wins. That kind of sets the tone for this season. For the guys in the locker room. All of us — the veterans, the new guys, the freshman — it’s important to realize that what we’re doing works. We need everybody to buy in and continue to stay together.”