Report: Duquesne gets commitments from La Salle twin forwards Hassan, Fousseyni Drame
Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot has returned to the NCAA transfer portal to restock his team for the 2023-2024 season.
The Dukes have received verbal commitments from twin 6-foot-7 forwards Hassan and Fousseyni Drame, The Athletic reported. The twins helped lead Saint Peter’s to the 2022 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight before transferring to La Salle for the ‘22-’23 season.
????Fousseyni Drame and Hassan Drame will transfer to Duquesne
Fousseyni averaged 8.8 points & 5.7 rebounds
Hassan averaged 6.4 points & 4.3 rebounds at La Salle @TheAthleticCBB pic.twitter.com/UeM0YzvUZM
— Tobias Bass (@tobias_bass) April 5, 2023
The Dukes are getting players who are accustomed to playing in big games. Hassan Drame hit two clutch free throws in the final two minutes of Saint Peter’s 67-64 upset of Purdue in the 2022 Sweet 16.
The twins also helped Mali, their native country, win the U19 silver medal in the International Basketball Federation World Cup in 2019.
During Saint Peter’s run to the Elite Eight last year, Fousseyni Drame played in 33 games, led the Peacocks with an average of 6.4 rebounds per game and was second in field goal percentage (55.3%, 89 of 161). That season, his brother averaged six points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 50% (77 of 154).
They transferred to La Salle for the 2022-23 season and they were regular starters. Fousseyni led the Explorers with 5.3 rebounds per game while averaging 8.8 points. His brother averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds.
Hassan Drame recorded a near double-double March 8 against Duquesne (eight rebounds, nine points) in La Salle’s 81-70 victory in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Each brother blocked a shot in the come-from-behind victory.
Note: Since the end of the season, Duquesne sophomore guards Quincy McGriff and Jaylen Cole-Williams have entered the transfer portal. McGriff played in 29 games, with seven starts, and averaged 5.3 points per game. Cole-Williams appeared in only seven games, without scoring.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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