For Duquesne's Dru Joyce III, 'patience' is becoming a coaching virtue

Duquesne basketball coach Dru Joyce III had one clear roster-building agenda this offseason.

Get bigger.

Based on the responses he is getting from people who know his program, mission accomplished.

“Anyone who has walked in our gym has said to me, ‘Coach, you have some different size this year.’ That was an emphasis for us to add some depth at the 5-position, and at the 4. To play with a different style,” Joyce said. “Scoring around the rim and getting to the free throw line were very important as we researched how we can improve. If you have good bigs around the rim, they can take care of both of those categories for you.”

The Dukes were 11th in the 15-team conference in rebounding (34.1 per game). They were 14th in free throw attempts at 544 and last in makes at 354.

John Hugley IV, Stef van Bussel, Lazar Milosevic and Frederik Jellum are all new players to the program who measure at 6-foot-10. They’ll join returning players Jakub Necas (6-10) and David Dixon (6-9) in the Dukes frontcourt.

Hugley — who has played in the ACC (Pitt), Big 12 (Oklahoma) and Big East (Xavier) — knows much of that expected frontcourt production is supposed to come from him this year as he transitions to Atlantic 10 play.

“It falls on my shoulders a lot. I feel like my coaches and teammates do a great job picking me up every day,” Hugley said. “I’ve really learned from the different coaches I’ve played with. Different brands of basketball. I feel like I’ve become a better defensive player over the years.”

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The Dukes also got bigger at guard, as the likes of transfers Tarence Guinyard (6-1) and Jimmie Williams (6-5) are likely to absorb most of the respective minutes that had been played by departed backcourt players Kareem Rozier (5-9) and Tre Dinkins (6-2).

“I wouldn’t say (Guinyard) is one of the bigger guards that will be playing throughout the conference. But his quickness, his speed, his athleticism, allow him to play like he’s about 6-foot-5,” Joyce said. “He does a great job getting to the free throw line. He was close to eight attempts a game at U.T. Martin. That’s a very high rate for a guard that’s only 6-1 on his best day. We’re looking forward to his output really affecting the game in multiple ways.”

But for Joyce, changes aren’t limited to his roster. Heading into his second year as a college head coach, he’s made a few changes to himself as well.

“I want to coach with more patience,” Joyce said. “I wanted to make sure that I was a teacher on the floor and not someone who just demanded and pushed guys, but understood if they don’t have it today, they’re going to be better tomorrow. We just have to take the steps in that direction.”

Joyce said that patience isn’t limited to how he’s handling himself on the court.

“Patience in recruiting,” Joyce added. “In year one, I felt I did a rush job, almost. I liked my players. But did I research everything? Did I find out all the details of what I needed to know from a character standpoint? From a background standpoint?”

Joyce claims that this year, he and his staff took more time in assembling the roster.

“We wrote every name down. We checked character. We checked high school records. We checked transcripts and attendance,” Joyce continued. “We just wanted to really find out who our young men were, to make sure that we’re not just bringing in quality basketball players, but quality young men that want this opportunity to find a way to be better.”

Most of Joyce’s players said that they haven’t noticed much of that intended personality adjustment from Joyce yet. However, they have picked up one specific practice nuance that they believe will benefit this year’s team.

“We’re playing five-on-five a lot more,” Dixon said. “It’s helping us learn how each other plays. Instead of just running, we are getting our conditioning by playing five-on-five. It’s accomplishing more than just conditioning. We are learning how to play with each other. Working on our games. Working on the offense as well. Getting a lot done.”

How much got done, how much the increased size has helped and how much patience Joyce has gained will all be tested for the first time against Niagara in the season opener Monday night.