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6/16/2018 8:38 am  #1


Flashback 1968-69 Team

Living on campus in those days there was a very close connection between the team and the students.  Great team, great group of guys.

https://twitter.com/duqedu/status/1007778562378747905

 

6/16/2018 9:04 am  #2


Re: Flashback 1968-69 Team

Good bunch of guys, heck of a team. Love Barry flipping the bird.

 

6/16/2018 9:27 am  #3


Re: Flashback 1968-69 Team

Argubably The Best Team In School History.this Team Had Great Size And Something
Duquesne  Never Seemed To Have-great Depth.

 

6/16/2018 9:52 am  #4


Re: Flashback 1968-69 Team

stew wrote:

Argubably The Best Team In School History.this Team Had Great Size And Something
Duquesne  Never Seemed To Have-great Depth.

Great team, but not close to being the best in school history. That status belongs to the 53-54 team. Three NBA players in the starting lineup, including 2 overall first picks, ranked #1 in the nation, Top 5 all year. This was a legit candidate for best team in the country, the 68-69 team was not quite at that level. Still, that was the beginning of our last run as a national power. Who would have thought that 50 years later, we haven't come close to that level again.

It was never going to happen, but I'll always wonder what would have happened had Al Bailey took over from Red Manning, rather than John Cinicola.
 

 

6/17/2018 5:07 am  #5


Re: Flashback 1968-69 Team

I believe that Cinicola's elevation to new head basketball coach at Duquesne marked the beginning of the end of the golden era of our national prominence
Al bailey had demonstrated his basketball coaching abilities every game day when the Duquesne freshman took the court. The freshman always appeared to be prepared. focused and spirited. Al acted as their Marine drill sergeant. Al was a tough demanding mentor and did not accept less than total maximum performance.
Al brought fire. determination and fight and instilled it in every player he ever coached. MOST everyone was in shock when Al's number was passed over as head coach. Kingdoms are lost over far less but what might have been-could have been...

 

6/17/2018 7:54 am  #6


Re: Flashback 1968-69 Team

The real downfall started with Red Manning as AD. Then lack of support by both the priest President and priest Vice President. Rape case killed us.

 

6/17/2018 8:34 am  #7


Re: Flashback 1968-69 Team

apluski wrote:

I believe that Cinicola's elevation to new head basketball coach at Duquesne marked the beginning of the end of the golden era of our national prominence
Al bailey had demonstrated his basketball coaching abilities every game day when the Duquesne freshman took the court. The freshman always appeared to be prepared. focused and spirited. Al acted as their Marine drill sergeant. Al was a tough demanding mentor and did not accept less than total maximum performance.
Al brought fire. determination and fight and instilled it in every player he ever coached. MOST everyone was in shock when Al's number was passed over as head coach. Kingdoms are lost over far less but what might have been-could have been...

You really nailed it here! Cinicola got the job because he was next in line. Cinicola was a very nice man, but at a time when local recruiting was the key, he lacked the fire to successfully compete with Tim Gurgrich. I can't imagine that Bailey wouldn't have put up more of a fight for some of those City League kids that were dominating local ball in the mid 70s, especially Sam Clancy, who was starring at Fifth Avenue High, a school practically on Duquesne's campus. Mike Rice had the right amount of fire, but he wasn't as good, or as experienced a coach as Bailey, who again, probably should have been offered the job when Cinicola was fired.

Agree that Red as AD was a mistake. Actually, the school never really supported the program, they were just lucky to have stumbled onto Chick Davies, who built a foundation so strong, that it took them decades to destroy it.
 

 

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