I think one thing Ferry has going for him is the competition for playing time. I think he told his new recruits they would have equal footing to the returnees in terms of playing time. I would  think this creates an atmosphere of intense competition in practice and leads to an overall better product on the court. Another thing is that if a player did not want to be at Duquesne they would have left. In the half time interview JD asked Jerry Jones what made him stay. He pretty much said that he stayed because he likes the school and likes the team mates that remained. I think there were some players on the team last year that didn't like their team mates and didn't like Duquesne.

Also, I think Jim Ferry's personality lends well to coaching. He is tough and expects the best but also has a sense of humor and seems to speak the truth at all times. He doesn't skirt tough questions or make things sound better than they are. I don't see him as a secret message guy who the players need to fear. I am not trying to attack RE's character or tenure but it did seem players were strangely in the doghouse at times and other players seemed to challenge his authority occasionally. Time will tell if Ferry can surpass the success Everhart had but through two games I have some optimism.

One last thing, the ESPNU commentators seemed impressed at times by some of the plays the Dukes were running on offense. That is encouraging.

Dan I absolutely agree with your thoughts.  Ferry looks to be a guy who will not pull any punches.  Here is his quote from the Washington Post article:

Duquesne Coach Jim Ferry, who summed up the contest as “early, ugly basketball from two inexperienced teams.â€

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/georgetown-vs-duquesne-otto-porter-jr-leaves-with-injury-hoyas-hold-on/2012/11/11/7df0f148-2c56-11e2-a99d-5c4203af7b7a_story.html?wprss=rss_sports

levon1975 wrote:

The constant with a winning team must be defense.  With the Ferry system these guys are digging in and fighting through screens; and as they progress will get even better.  You need to know as a player that if play hard on defense and follow the system, the team will be rewarded with "stops".  I don't think this was the case under RE.  The defense was destined to fail against good teams due to the constant gambling, switching on all screens and lack of discipline.  By contrast I  can recall only one time last night when we got suckered on a pick and roll; or a backdoor cut for a layup. That is G'town's game and our guys were ready for it! That is progress. Despite two losses, we should be excited about the prospects for the future.

Good point.  I was impressed by how much better we looked defensively as a team.