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2/11/2018 12:17 pm  #51


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

Hey guys. First post, but I've been following your board since the beginning of the season. I'm an Akron Zips fan, and lurk on your board to follow Dambrot's time at Duquesne. 

I wanted to comment a bit regarding the X's & O's of Dambrot's game plan, as well as consistencies you might see.

- Someone previously mentioned that Dambrot should have gone into a zone. Don't expect to see much zone from Dambrot. Ever. The few times he ran a zone in his 13 or 14 years at Akron were disastrous. It looked as if they never practiced a zone before, and we would quickly go back to man defense. 

- Dambrot's offense might make you scratch your head a bit, assuming he hasn't strayed too far from his Akron tendencies. At Akron, especially when we had Zeke Marshall, our big man was often found at the 3 pt line or beyond. They'd set picks and potentially roll to the basket, but were rarely fed on the roll. In his final years at Akron, we had a 300 lb center (Isaiah "Big Dog" Johnson). He had good passing abilities his junior and senior years, so the offense ran through him. The ball would go into him, and typically come out for a 3 pt shot attempt. For a majority of Dambrot's time at Akron, we lived by the 3, and died by the 3. Aside from the two offensive strategies I mentioned, it was very frustrating. Very little ball movement (on and off), lazy inbounds plays, driving to the basket etc. 

- Dambrot seems to love to "win ugly." He might compile a decent amount of wins, but if you watch a game he's coaching vs. say a high-level mid-major (Butler for example), you'll ask yourself why Dambrot's teams don't do things other teams do. Simple basketball IQ and strategy is missing at times. I don't remember too many of our players jumping passing lanes, making back cuts, etc., under Dambrot.

- I saw the previous game's thread regarding Dambrot's comments towards your announcer. Dambrot is a sore loser, and not in a good way. We typically got the politically correct, generic post-game comments after losses ("they made their shots and we didn't" and crap quotes like that). It made you wonder if he actually sees fault in his methods, or if he digs deeper into his trench of ways. Now, I don't know if I've ever heard him make derogatory comments towards anyone, especially an announcer, but his post-game shows/comments grew old as he plateaued. Lots and lots of excuses.

- Not sure what your team's free throw percentage is this year, but it was never good during Dambrot's time at Akron. We lost many a big game due to free throws. 

- Player development left something to be desired, especially in the freshman and sophomore seasons of players. Dambrot isn't a great recruiter, but he did land Zeke Marshall from McKeesport, PA. He was a 4 star 7 footer with a huge wingspan. Zeke didn't really develop until his junior and senior seasons. That was quite common with a majority of the players Dambrot coached, which is why I bring it up (otherwise I would put it more on the players themselves). 

- Speaking of excuses... Dambrot took a struggling Akron program to new heights, but as I previously mentioned, he plateaued. The consistent 21-win seasons grew old and empty when those 21+ wins came against a low level of competition, and ended either in the MAC tournament or the first round of the NCAAs (0-3 in his time at Akron in the NCAA Tournament, while blowing a lead against Gonzaga in '09 and leaking oil in '11 against Notre Dame). Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed going to the MAC Finals for 8(?) straight seasons and the NCAA Tournament 3 times, but as the glass ceiling (a NCAA Tournament win) stayed in tact, it grew frustrating and the excuses started to come out. Dambrot consistently blamed the JAR (Akron's basketball arena) and the MAC for his lack of post-season achievements. None of those excuses had anything to do with his teams under-performing in games that mattered. 

I am very appreciative for what Dambrot accomplished during his time at Akron, but I'm also glad we have a new coach now to hopefully take us to the new heights that Dambrot was unable to. I'm interested to see what Dambrot accomplishes at Duquesne, since he presumably can't make anymore excuses since the A10 is traditionally better than the MAC (multi-bid league vs. single bid) and your arena with its renovations is much nicer. I'd be interested in hearing what you're seeing this season in regards to my comments. 

Good luck the remainder of the season, and I hope to see you guys on our upcoming schedules. 

Last edited by LurkingZip (2/11/2018 2:05 pm)

 

2/11/2018 1:11 pm  #52


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

Dear Lurking Zip,
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you and thank you.  Now, with that said, the thank you's are knowing that all of us aren't crazy on this board and none of the thank you's are negative toward Coach Dambrot.

So, overall, and in no particular order, thoughts on your thoughts:
1.  We had a terrible coach - many of us stopped going because of him.  Not only did he lose, he blamed the players.  Dambrot is refreshing.
2.  From what I have seen and read he is probably going to be on the same level of Ron E. who coached before our terrible coach.  Brought the program up, won more than the many terrible coaches before him, lost a few we should of won, but renewed the interest in the basketball team.
3.  You obviously know this coach per your comment on foul shots alone!
4.  Those with 3/4 of a brain on this board know that he got a late start on recruiting and as I said on a different post, if folks would have seen our record today, without knowing what wins or losses came when, most would be pleased.
5.  Because we were so far down, he will be fine here for 5 plus years and I say that going on past records.  One of the things that drove me crazy was folks who thought the last coach was going to be so good.  If you looked at his previous record he wasn't for the first 6 or 7 years at LIU and he couldn't handle the A-10.  Dambrots coaching record has been very good and when I discussed him with a good friend of mine who was a Duquesne player in the 70's, he mentioned who he believed the competition in the MAC could be compared at times to a number of teams in the A-10 and that Coach D. would be fine.
6. One always has to look where someone was to see expectations of the future.  The Browns just want a winning record right now and if they got a year or two, the fans would be pleased for a while.  In New England, they believe the Patriots are terrible because they didn't win the Super Bowl and here in Pittsburgh, our complaints are the Head Coach sucks and should be fired because he can't get us back to the big game.  Everything is relative.
7. Myself like many others, start out watching our games thinking we will win or could, unlike the past 5 years when we expected to lose.

Thanks again for your synopsis, it was excellent, truthful but not mean.  By the way, I have no problems with a sore loser!

Last edited by FAM (2/11/2018 1:13 pm)

 

2/11/2018 1:52 pm  #53


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

A couple of nice posts, but let's remember the coaches who denied they ever thought of Duquesne or taking the job. KD took a chance coming here, the last successful coach got submarined and fired then a desperation hire in Ferry was made. And instead of winning 100 games, Jim lost and lost.

We are in a rough spot of season but I think he will coach these guys to be better.

The Dayton 2 nd half was awful but really how many teams can go 20-24 shooting threes as well as layups? Then Fordam does almost the same thing in 2nd half, heck that point guard was driving for layups with Smith all over him, even though no foul was called he still made the shots.

Sometimes teams play out of their minds and every thing goes in.

Not excuses but just what I watched.

I was wishing as the game wound down and we were out of it the Dukes would drive for layups instead of jacking three's, just to cut the score and maybe pickup foul shots. Then trap on inbound pass. As it was I don't think we scored the last three min. Or if so just once.

Oh well, a week off and back to basics and then begin again up in Olean.


I guess I am hooked for life as a Duquesne fan........


A diehard fan since 1961
 

2/11/2018 2:20 pm  #54


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

CLK wrote:

"If you see somebody at the top of the Palumbo Center on the roof tonight that’s probably going to be me.  I have a good facade. I can fake left and go right, but I’m not a happy guy right now. I work too hard at this to have performances like that. I must second-guess myself, our staff, whatever we have to do. It’s not the players. I refuse to put it on the players. It’s all of us. ... They didn’t bring me here not to win, so when we don’t win or we don’t play well that’s on me. I'm a big boy."  - Keith Dambrot

I give KD credit.  He knows what this team is capable of doing. Yesterday's performance  was not acceptable, no excuse.  The last thing KD wants is for this team to fold like a cheap tent in the last 5 games of the season and be known as "The Same Old Dukes".     

One of the many exciting, refreshing qualities of this coach.

 

2/11/2018 2:23 pm  #55


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

LurkingZip wrote:

Hey guys. First post, but I've been following your board since the beginning of the season. I'm an Akron Zips fan, and lurk on your board to follow Dambrot's time at Duquesne. 

I wanted to comment a bit regarding the X's & O's of Dambrot's game plan, as well as consistencies you might see.

- Someone previously mentioned that Dambrot should have gone into a zone. Don't expect to see much zone from Dambrot. Ever. The few times he ran a zone in his 13 or 14 years at Akron were disastrous. It looked as if they never practiced a zone before, and we would quickly go back to man defense. 

- Dambrot's offense might make you scratch your head a bit, assuming he hasn't strayed too far from his Akron tendencies. At Akron, especially when we had Zeke Marshall, our big man was often found at the 3 pt line or beyond. They'd set picks and potentially roll to the basket, but were rarely fed on the roll. In his final years at Akron, we had a 300 lb center (Isaiah "Big Dog" Johnson). He had good passing abilities his junior and senior years, so the offense ran through him. The ball would go into him, and typically come out for a 3 pt shot attempt. For a majority of Dambrot's time at Akron, we lived by the 3, and died by the 3. Aside from the two offensive strategies I mentioned, it was very frustrating. Very little ball movement (on and off), lazy inbounds plays, etc. 

- Dambrot seems to love to "win ugly." He might compile a decent amount of wins, but if you watch a game he's coaching vs. say a high-level mid-major (Butler for example), you'll ask yourself why Dambrot's teams don't do things other teams do. Simple basketball IQ and strategy is missing at times. I don't remember too many of our players jumping passing lanes, making back cuts, etc., under Dambrot.

- I saw the previous game's thread regarding Dambrot's comments towards your announcer. Dambrot is a sore loser, and not in a good way. We typically got the politically correct, generic post-game comments after losses ("they made their shots and we didn't" and crap quotes like that). It made you wonder if he actually sees fault in his methods, or if he digs deeper into his trench of ways. Now, I don't know if I've ever heard him make derogatory comments towards anyone, especially an announcer, but his post-game shows/comments grew old as he plateaued. Lots and lots of excuses.

- Not sure what your team's free throw percentage is this year, but it was never good during Dambrot's time at Akron. We lost many a big game due to free throws. 

- Player development left something to be desired, especially in the freshman and sophomore seasons of players. Dambrot isn't a great recruiter, but he did land Zeke Marshall from McKeesport, PA. He was a 4 star 7 footer with a huge wingspan. Zeke didn't really develop until his junior and senior seasons. That was quite common with a majority of the players Dambrot coached, which is why I bring it up (otherwise I would put it more on the players themselves). 

- Speaking of excuses... Dambrot took a struggling Akron program to new heights, but as I previously mentioned, he plateaued. The consistent 21-win seasons grew old and empty when those 21+ wins came against a low level of competition, and ended either in the MAC tournament or the first round of the NCAAs (0-3 in his time at Akron in the NCAA Tournament, while blowing a lead against Gonzaga in '09 and leaking oil in '11 against Notre Dame). Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed going to the MAC Finals for 8(?) straight seasons and the NCAA Tournament 3 times, but as the glass ceiling (a NCAA Tournament win) stayed in tact, it grew frustrating and the excuses started to come out. Dambrot consistently blamed the JAR (Akron's basketball arena) and the MAC for his lack of post-season achievements. None of those excuses had anything to do with his teams under-performing in games that mattered. 

I am very appreciative for what Dambrot accomplished during his time at Akron, but I'm also glad we have a new coach now to hopefully take us to the new heights that Dambrot was unable to. I'm interested to see what Dambrot accomplishes at Duquesne, since he presumably can't make anymore excuses since the A10 is traditionally better than the MAC (multi-bid league vs. single bid) and your arena with its renovations is much nicer. I'd be interested in hearing what you're seeing this season in regards to my comments. 

Good luck the remainder of the season, and I hope to see you guys on our upcoming schedules. 

  
Troll alert.  Let me apologize for ZipNation....there are many who did not like KD and troll him continually on ZipsNation.org forum. Grade KD yourself on his results.  I think it is best to wait until after the season so you don't get caught up in the ups and downs of the season....but that is your call.  If I am not mistaken...this guy is a mid 20s college dropout who has an ax to grind with KD and criticizes him at every opportunity.  This is a pretty fair board with articulate and intelligent posters.  Use your own eyes judge what you see.

I have been impressed by most of the posters here and the overall respect and conversation/debate that goes on here.  That is not the case on many other schools boards.  The respect shown here has made me research DU as a possible school for my daughters.  

I have enjoyed following Duq this year.  Since I did not attend DU...I do not have an emotional attachment to the school or program so I see things in a less emotional way than most here.  College basketball is my love and I really enjoy the development that teams and programs go through.  It is human nature to want to short cut the process and be successful in year 1.  As I mentioned before...I graduated from Miami and Akron.  Duq and my 2 schools all have new coaches, depleted rosters and play freshman.  All 3 fan bases thought they would or could compete for the league championship (at some point)...I guess we can't help ourselves.  My analysis of Duq is that they have a lot of "high maintenance" guys that need the ball.  They do not pass the ball well yet and ball movement is rather slow.  I am sure that will change....but not this year.  Next year things will be drastically different.

Lastly...one thing that the Zips fans are dealing with is the implosion of the Zip program.  It appears that some players have quit on the program.  Groce has called them out and basically said it is his way or the highway and people need to get with the program or leave.  Compare that to what KD has to say.  Trust me on this...DU is in good hands.

Last edited by Dsnyder15 (2/12/2018 12:53 pm)

 

2/11/2018 2:38 pm  #56


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

Mr. Dsnyder,
Thanks for posting.  I don't know whether he is a troll or not but trolls usually don't give a fair analysis which appears he did.  Hopefully you got from my post that we do believe we are in good hands.  As far as your children attending Duquesne, speaking with prejudice, it would be a great decision.

 

2/11/2018 2:44 pm  #57


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

LurkingZip wrote:

Hey guys. First post, but I've been following your board since the beginning of the season. I'm an Akron Zips fan, and lurk on your board to follow Dambrot's time at Duquesne. 

I wanted to comment a bit regarding the X's & O's of Dambrot's game plan, as well as consistencies you might see.

- Someone previously mentioned that Dambrot should have gone into a zone. Don't expect to see much zone from Dambrot. Ever. The few times he ran a zone in his 13 or 14 years at Akron were disastrous. It looked as if they never practiced a zone before, and we would quickly go back to man defense. 

- Dambrot's offense might make you scratch your head a bit, assuming he hasn't strayed too far from his Akron tendencies. At Akron, especially when we had Zeke Marshall, our big man was often found at the 3 pt line or beyond. They'd set picks and potentially roll to the basket, but were rarely fed on the roll. In his final years at Akron, we had a 300 lb center (Isaiah "Big Dog" Johnson). He had good passing abilities his junior and senior years, so the offense ran through him. The ball would go into him, and typically come out for a 3 pt shot attempt. For a majority of Dambrot's time at Akron, we lived by the 3, and died by the 3. Aside from the two offensive strategies I mentioned, it was very frustrating. Very little ball movement (on and off), lazy inbounds plays, driving to the basket etc. 

- Dambrot seems to love to "win ugly." He might compile a decent amount of wins, but if you watch a game he's coaching vs. say a high-level mid-major (Butler for example), you'll ask yourself why Dambrot's teams don't do things other teams do. Simple basketball IQ and strategy is missing at times. I don't remember too many of our players jumping passing lanes, making back cuts, etc., under Dambrot.

- I saw the previous game's thread regarding Dambrot's comments towards your announcer. Dambrot is a sore loser, and not in a good way. We typically got the politically correct, generic post-game comments after losses ("they made their shots and we didn't" and crap quotes like that). It made you wonder if he actually sees fault in his methods, or if he digs deeper into his trench of ways. Now, I don't know if I've ever heard him make derogatory comments towards anyone, especially an announcer, but his post-game shows/comments grew old as he plateaued. Lots and lots of excuses.

- Not sure what your team's free throw percentage is this year, but it was never good during Dambrot's time at Akron. We lost many a big game due to free throws. 

- Player development left something to be desired, especially in the freshman and sophomore seasons of players. Dambrot isn't a great recruiter, but he did land Zeke Marshall from McKeesport, PA. He was a 4 star 7 footer with a huge wingspan. Zeke didn't really develop until his junior and senior seasons. That was quite common with a majority of the players Dambrot coached, which is why I bring it up (otherwise I would put it more on the players themselves). 

- Speaking of excuses... Dambrot took a struggling Akron program to new heights, but as I previously mentioned, he plateaued. The consistent 21-win seasons grew old and empty when those 21+ wins came against a low level of competition, and ended either in the MAC tournament or the first round of the NCAAs (0-3 in his time at Akron in the NCAA Tournament, while blowing a lead against Gonzaga in '09 and leaking oil in '11 against Notre Dame). Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed going to the MAC Finals for 8(?) straight seasons and the NCAA Tournament 3 times, but as the glass ceiling (a NCAA Tournament win) stayed in tact, it grew frustrating and the excuses started to come out. Dambrot consistently blamed the JAR (Akron's basketball arena) and the MAC for his lack of post-season achievements. None of those excuses had anything to do with his teams under-performing in games that mattered. 

I am very appreciative for what Dambrot accomplished during his time at Akron, but I'm also glad we have a new coach now to hopefully take us to the new heights that Dambrot was unable to. I'm interested to see what Dambrot accomplishes at Duquesne, since he presumably can't make anymore excuses since the A10 is traditionally better than the MAC (multi-bid league vs. single bid) and your arena with its renovations is much nicer. I'd be interested in hearing what you're seeing this season in regards to my comments. 

Good luck the remainder of the season, and I hope to see you guys on our upcoming schedules. 

Interesting post. It's not surprising that KD has weak spots, and sometimes does things that frustrates the fans. This is true of all but a handful of coaches. While some folks around here have dreams of returning to what we were 50 years ago, I think most would be happy if he could just take us one step beyond where Everhart took us. The fact that he did well in the MAC indicates that he can, as the main difference between the MAC, and the A 10, is that the MAC lacks the one or two elite teams that the A 10 always seems to have. There is no Rhode Island in the MAC, but after St. Bona, there is little difference in the quality of the teams in the two leagues. Thus, if KD could beat those MAC teams, he should be able to handle the bulk of the teams in the A 10 once he gets a full roster. If he does that, we may not be a regular in the NCAAs, but we'll get there occasionally, with some NITs mixed in. I'll gladly take that. Considering his age, he won't be here for an extended period, but we'd like to see him be successful to the point where when he decides to retire, coaches will be lined up to interview for this job.

We're like a couple of newlyweds. At the beginning, we're madly in love, and everything is peaches and cream. Then you notice that she likes to eat in bed, and leaves crumbs on the sheets.  She notices that you never put the seat back down after using the toilet. Nothing major, but little things that let you know that neither of you are perfect, and that like with all relationships, there will be some things you don't like about each other. We're just reaching that point with KD. After a period where he could do no wrong, we're seeing that he has a few warts, just like everyone else. We'll have to learn to live with some of these warts.

 

2/11/2018 3:25 pm  #58


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

I am in no way a "troll". As Dsnyder mentioned (no idea who he is or how he knows anything about my background), there are some Akron fans (including myself) that grew tired of Dambrot's lack of next-level achievements and his excuses, after getting us to a very competitive mid-major level. I don't necessarily have an "ax to grind" with KD, but I certainly didn't appreciate how he left, blaming the MAC, the JAR, and even the fan base for his ceiling, all the while being the highest paid coach in the MAC at a school that has financial issues that are public knowledge. Regardless, that emotion isn't present in my post. 

I decided to post after seeing some posts that expressed some frustration with some X's & O's. I and other Zips fans spent 13 seasons watching KD coach. Some of the frustrations that were in the posts dealt with issues some Zips fans had for 13 years; again, the frustrations grew towards the end of the 13-year tenure when the program seem to become stagnant. I thought it would be helpful if y'all had some background regarding KD's coaching style and strategies from a fan's perspective. 

I think he was a good hire, especially given his connection's to Duquesne with his dad. As my original post mentioned, I am appreciative of the level to which he took the Zips program. Some Zips fans still have great admiration for him (those of us who aren't his biggest fans anymore tell those people to travel to Pittsburgh to become Duquesne fans; you're welcome for the extra revenue ). He will most likely take your program to an exciting level you probably haven't experienced in some time (much like Akron). I'm interested to see if he can break through his proverbial glass ceiling. 

Last edited by LurkingZip (2/11/2018 3:27 pm)

 

2/11/2018 3:26 pm  #59


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

Thanks Dsnyder15.  I thought he sounded like someone with an ax to grind.  I had to laugh at his comment of winning 21 games a year and winning championships but not winning in the NCAA was getting old.  It was like telling starving people they are tired of eating steak and lobster every night.  :-)

 

2/11/2018 3:39 pm  #60


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

CLK wrote:

Thanks Dsnyder15.  I thought he sounded like someone with an ax to grind.  I had to laugh at his comment of winning 21 games a year and winning championships but not winning in the NCAA was getting old.  It was like telling starving people they are tired of eating steak and lobster every night.  :-)

Winning 21+ games a year against lower-end DI schools and periodically winning MAC championships but not winning in the NCAA tournament is like being served tiny steak and lobster with little meat inside. At some point, you get hungry for more. 

Last edited by LurkingZip (2/11/2018 3:40 pm)

 

2/11/2018 4:58 pm  #61


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

Here is a clue.  "Live and die by 3" yet the leading scorer was the center who did not shoot the 3.  If you are a hammer....everything looks like a nail.  I sincerely apologize for bitter Zips fans coming on this board and throwing shade.  I will not add to this debate further.  Thanks for allowing me to join your group.

 

2/11/2018 5:37 pm  #62


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

LurkingZip wrote:

I (those of us who aren't his biggest fans anymore tell those people to travel to Pittsburgh to become Duquesne fans; you're welcome for the extra revenue ). He will most likely take your program to an exciting level you probably haven't experienced in some time (much like Akron). I'm interested to see if he can break through his proverbial glass ceiling. 

​A lot of us long suffering old timers realize that Duquesne will NEVER be a Duke or a Kentucky ever. But we do think that our urban Catholic school with a solid academic reputation can be what Xavier was when they were in the A 10. i.e. always in the top five in the League, winning the title on more than one occasion and once a decade getting to wear our white shirts on Day 1 of the Big Dance. A bad year would be the NIT with a good chance of winning that tournament.

​From what I have seen Dambrot can get us to the point where we can think about that!
 


Vicimus Atlanticum decem
 

2/11/2018 5:44 pm  #63


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

LurkingZip wrote:

CLK wrote:

Thanks Dsnyder15.  I thought he sounded like someone with an ax to grind.  I had to laugh at his comment of winning 21 games a year and winning championships but not winning in the NCAA was getting old.  It was like telling starving people they are tired of eating steak and lobster every night.  :-)

Winning 21+ games a year against lower-end DI schools and periodically winning MAC championships but not winning in the NCAA tournament is like being served tiny steak and lobster with little meat inside. At some point, you get hungry for more. 

There is a real opportunity for an at large bid from the Atlantic 10. If Dambrot schedules the same way he has moving forward, shame on him because he's blowing an opportunity. I also don't think he's an idiot and the guy knows he's going to have to do things differently. 

As for winning an NCAA tournament game from the MAC, when you're a 12-15 seed most years you're not expected to do much. Honestly, how many games has the conference won in the tournament since Dambrot took over. 3-5? What was the highest seed? 9 or 10? The Atlantic 10 doesn't feel like a huge step up especially since we're down this year and we don't have football. In a normal year though it's a completely different ball game. 

 

2/11/2018 6:38 pm  #64


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

CLK wrote:

Enough of this pampering.  Yes the future looks bright.  Yes this team has overachieved this year and driven up expectations.  However this loss was inexcusable.  The team was not ready to play, lacked intensity and toughness that they displayed all year.  The Dukes got clobbered at home to the worst team in the League.  I don't really want to hear excuses about fatigue and short turn around either.  Fordham had to travel, was without their best player, and only had 6 scholarship players.  At this point I don't give a crap about next season.  I don't want to see this type of basketball (if that is what we saw yesterday by the Dukes) anymore this season.  I don't want to see a bunch  street ballers, ball hogs, or quitters on defense, nor do I want to hear excuses that they are tired.  I want to see the effort we saw again URI and the Bonnies and let the chips fall where they may.  Anything less and I will be disappointed.

Not pampering and not making excuses. I'm seeing silly stuff slamming individual players and sillier stuff talking about Lewis and Williams transferring, and the silliest stuff being individuals thinking they can speak for the entire fan base. Just trying to level set here, sir. Oddly, when I expressed optimism about the upcoming season in terms of how many games this team could win, there were a few folks who thought I was being unfair. I think, looking back, I'm pretty much on the money.

​For the neurotic part of the fan base, it's easy to jump on the bandwagon when things are going well, and easier to jump off after three consecutive losses. Let it ride. Let it play out. 

I'm in this for the long haul. But I don't think the fun is over this year.
 

 

2/11/2018 6:46 pm  #65


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

fjhryn wrote:

​This guy sounds very much like what Pitt fans sounded like in getting rid of Jamie Dixon. Now those same fans are enjoying the "success" of Stallings. Thank you sir for your insight on the shortcomings of Coach Dambrot. But we long suffering Dukes fans will take him, warts and all.

You hit the nail on the head here. It's called "rising expectations". When you're losing, fans want a winning season. Then they want postseason play. Then they want to make the NCAAs. Then they want to win a game, or two. Then make a deep run. Then the Final Four. Then the Championship. Fans are happy when the team makes each step, but then they begin to grumble if the next step isn't forthcoming.
 

 

2/11/2018 7:02 pm  #66


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

Lurking Zip... as one to ask for Ferry to leave and to discuss the situation with the AD I didn’t take your post as a Dambrot hater. Folks are sensitive from years of losing. Some of your comments actually demonstrated specific basketball observations and as one who believes in Dambrot and is happy he is here I have no problem with past experience from a former fan. I actually watched the Zips vs. Toledo last week and wondered how the fan base was dealing with the new coach in light of the Zips not so good record. No coach is perfect.

 

2/11/2018 8:27 pm  #67


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

The only success a MAC team has had in recent memory is Ohio U. making the Sweet 16 in 2012.
The MAC  always gets a very low seed and a brutal First Round game. I can't fault KD for his NCAA record.
The coach of that Ohio U team was John Groce who replaced KD at Akron.


"Facts are stubborn things."
                                 John Adams
 

2/11/2018 9:49 pm  #68


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

ElDuque wrote:

CLK wrote:

Enough of this pampering.  Yes the future looks bright.  Yes this team has overachieved this year and driven up expectations.  However this loss was inexcusable.  The team was not ready to play, lacked intensity and toughness that they displayed all year.  The Dukes got clobbered at home to the worst team in the League.  I don't really want to hear excuses about fatigue and short turn around either.  Fordham had to travel, was without their best player, and only had 6 scholarship players.  At this point I don't give a crap about next season.  I don't want to see this type of basketball (if that is what we saw yesterday by the Dukes) anymore this season.  I don't want to see a bunch  street ballers, ball hogs, or quitters on defense, nor do I want to hear excuses that they are tired.  I want to see the effort we saw again URI and the Bonnies and let the chips fall where they may.  Anything less and I will be disappointed.

Not pampering and not making excuses. I'm seeing silly stuff slamming individual players and sillier stuff talking about Lewis and Williams transferring, and the silliest stuff being individuals thinking they can speak for the entire fan base. Just trying to level set here, sir. Oddly, when I expressed optimism about the upcoming season in terms of how many games this team could win, there were a few folks who thought I was being unfair. I think, looking back, I'm pretty much on the money.

​For the neurotic part of the fan base, it's easy to jump on the bandwagon when things are going well, and easier to jump off after three consecutive losses. Let it ride. Let it play out. 

I'm in this for the long haul. But I don't think the fun is over this year.
 

I was not responding to you my friend.  Just comments on various parts of the internet providing excuses for the poor performance against Fordham.  
 

 

2/11/2018 9:51 pm  #69


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

Dsnyder15 wrote:

Here is a clue.  "Live and die by 3" yet the leading scorer was the center who did not shoot the 3.  If you are a hammer....everything looks like a nail.  I sincerely apologize for bitter Zips fans coming on this board and throwing shade.  I will not add to this debate further.  Thanks for allowing me to join your group.

Really glad to have you a part of this Board.  Enjoy your insight which has pretty much been on the money.
 

 

2/12/2018 8:47 am  #70


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

LurkingZip wrote:

CLK wrote:

Thanks Dsnyder15.  I thought he sounded like someone with an ax to grind.  I had to laugh at his comment of winning 21 games a year and winning championships but not winning in the NCAA was getting old.  It was like telling starving people they are tired of eating steak and lobster every night.  :-)

Winning 21+ games a year against lower-end DI schools and periodically winning MAC championships but not winning in the NCAA tournament is like being served tiny steak and lobster with little meat inside. At some point, you get hungry for more. 

Dude, you're Akron, you arent winning the NCAA tournament.  We are Duquesne, we arent winning the NCAA tournament.  If we win an occasional A10 or A10 tourney, and get some NCAA bids, we are fine with that, actually we would be joyous.  We've been a rotten program for the better part of 40 years.  I've seen 3 NIT games that I can remember, I'm 45 y/o.


 

Last edited by townsonkid (2/12/2018 8:49 am)

 

2/12/2018 11:15 am  #71


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

CLK wrote:

ElDuque wrote:

CLK wrote:

Enough of this pampering.  Yes the future looks bright.  Yes this team has overachieved this year and driven up expectations.  However this loss was inexcusable.  The team was not ready to play, lacked intensity and toughness that they displayed all year.  The Dukes got clobbered at home to the worst team in the League.  I don't really want to hear excuses about fatigue and short turn around either.  Fordham had to travel, was without their best player, and only had 6 scholarship players.  At this point I don't give a crap about next season.  I don't want to see this type of basketball (if that is what we saw yesterday by the Dukes) anymore this season.  I don't want to see a bunch  street ballers, ball hogs, or quitters on defense, nor do I want to hear excuses that they are tired.  I want to see the effort we saw again URI and the Bonnies and let the chips fall where they may.  Anything less and I will be disappointed.

Not pampering and not making excuses. I'm seeing silly stuff slamming individual players and sillier stuff talking about Lewis and Williams transferring, and the silliest stuff being individuals thinking they can speak for the entire fan base. Just trying to level set here, sir. Oddly, when I expressed optimism about the upcoming season in terms of how many games this team could win, there were a few folks who thought I was being unfair. I think, looking back, I'm pretty much on the money.

​For the neurotic part of the fan base, it's easy to jump on the bandwagon when things are going well, and easier to jump off after three consecutive losses. Let it ride. Let it play out. 

I'm in this for the long haul. But I don't think the fun is over this year.
 

I was not responding to you my friend.  Just comments on various parts of the internet providing excuses for the poor performance against Fordham.  
 

Didn't take it personally, my friend. Since my comments are probably coming across as a little "rah rah" compared to so many others, I just wanted to explain my tone.

There's no excuse for playing poorly. And it certainly won't be tolerated by Coach Dambrot.
 

 

2/12/2018 11:27 am  #72


Re: Game Thread - Fordham Rams (home)

Very difficult losing to Fordham as we did. Kind of a kick in the teeth. We are supposed to win those games but we didn't. A bump in the road? I hope so and I think so. Could serve as a wake up call that something isn't right. Those things that we were doing early in A-10 play are not working now. Hit a wall? Maybe. Whatever the case may be, we all just need to remain calm and let the season play out. After all, what else would you suggest? I do have faith in KD to get the job done. Yes. I want some more wins this year. next year will take care of itself. The week off will most certainly help. Let's get St. Joes on Saturday!! Go Dukes!!

 

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