I love RE as much as the next person but....Truth,  RE had no team that would ever have had a 22 point lead at Richmond,

Great effort and result yesterday.  Rebounding is a key to getting out in transition.  I'm pretty sure that the games in which Duquesne didn't run, they were being handled on the boards.  If you're not rebounding, it's tough to run.
From what I've seen, this conference is up for grabs.  as I am typing this note, I just heard Mike Decourcey on the Fan.  He said that KD is the best coach that Duquesne has had since Red Manning.  He also said that Duquesne has as good a chance as anyone in the A-10 to win the tournament and go the tournament.   I, for one, will sit back and enjoy the next few weeks.  This is way better that what we've experienced in a long time.  
 

I want to see Duquesne win as badly as the next person.  I have never been a basketball coach or player so I hesitate to criticize but I do have an opinion.  You know what they say about opinions!  I think that the young front court players should play much more.  The older guys are getting worked on the boards, play poor defense which leads to fouls and miss too many shots in close.  The freshmen will make their share of mistakes and that is to be expected.  I hope McGriff is available soon.  We need more height in the backcourt and we need scoring from the point.
As for the coach, let's see where we are at the end of the season.  Any coach is as good as his players. No scheme or plan will compensate for a lack of talent.  If he misjudged the ability of some of the players who were brought in, that's on him.  However, maybe he didn't have any better options.  
I'm frustrated too because I really want them to be good. I'm hoping they don't totally implode.  Time will tell.

Duques102, I agree that Duquesne is a built on MAC-type players.  That won't cut it in the A-10.  I agree that it's no accident that Clark is Duquesne's best player and he was a VCU recruit.  As in all sports, talent wins in basketball.  If you don't have the talent, you will lose no matter who your coach is and what your scheme is.

I understand that KD prefers to play "older" players but i would much rather see Dixon, Barre and Rozier than Rotroff, Reese and Brewer.  I would live with their mistakes as they gain more experience and hope that they are better by tournament time.  I've seen enough of the veteran players to think that the best opportunity for this team is to go with talent over experience.  

I hope the Pirates are good.  I am a baseball fan and would love to see it!

The Steelers stink; Pitt stinks in football and basketball; Penguins don't get major attention until spring; Pirates stink.  Duquesne has to win...and keep winning...and then hopefully the media will stop talking about Kenny Pickett for a minute and start to mention Duquesne...and then people will start to attend.  I hope it happens because this team has potential and deserves support.

I was listening to the broadcast of the game last evening.  Jarrett and Ray described Hima as long and athletic.  Jarrett said that Hima has been playing basketball for only three years.  He said that Hima might not ever be a big time scorer but that he could be a good rim protector, defender and rebounder.  So, given that it was evident early on this season that this team was going nowhere, why wasn't Hima playing more?  He should have been, and should be now, playing at least 20-25 minutes a game.  Jarrett said that the only way that Hima is going to improve is by playing. 
I hope Hima doesn't transfer.  I fear that some other school will convince him that he won't get the coaching he needs at Duquesne and that he would do better elsewhere.  I would make keeping Hima a priority over any other player on this team and that is whether or not there is a coaching change.

Pistol and Iron Duke--I completely agree with both of you.  You both make valid points as usual.  Rotroff was playing better this year but he is not the kind of player who would flip Duquesne's record.  As for Hima, what is there to lose in playing him?  Duquesne loses when he doesn't play so KD might as well let him play.  

I repeat...Duquesne doesn't have A-10 level players.  John Wooden (coached Abdul Jabbar, Bill Walton, Sidney Wicks, Gail Goodrich, Henry Bibby, etc.) would be losing with this Duquesne team.  Like in all sports talented players win games not coaches.  The coach's primary job is to recognize talent and get it in the door.  The players will take care of winning games.

Take the points.  Until they cover, I would bet against them.

There is a bright side to this mess.  Betting against Duquesne is better than a treasury bond.   

Ironduke81 wrote:

FAM wrote:

IronDuke,
I’ll say it again, since your love of DU bball n Dambrot is a strong impetus for your remarks. Dambrot isn’t going anywhere… he has two years left and will be given the opportunity to change his record around. Everyone wants him to be successful. Folks are upset and rightly so. There are no more DU excuses. He got the salary he wanted, the recruiting freedom he wanted, the Fieldhouse he wanted, and more. These are his players he recruited the last few years. He has NOT produced thus far. I hope he does and want him to. But for heavens sake, look at his record so far this year… one in which he said that this is his best team ever. What worries me more is the two players he recruited for next year…two kids not recruited by any strong teams in the USA.
With all of that said, I want Dambrot to succeed and hope we don’t lose another game this year. I, like you, love DU bball. Though I don’t have a million dollars I do have season tickets and also contribute. I am also tired of DU losing.
BTW, I can tell you that they do care about the state of the program… do you think Ferry got fired before his contract was up because he was successful? Plus, with the salaries and new Fieldhouse the University has more money invested in bball than ever before.

Again write a check. Two alumni at Indiana stroked two checks to buy out Archie Miller. Duquesne thanks to Covid can’t afford a buyout.

Archie Miller is sitting idle?  That is interesting.  Sean too?  
 

levon1975, I agree that Duquesne competed well against a higher ranked team on the road.  However, Marshall didn't shoot well in the first half and Duquesne had a 17 point lead.  It is disappointing and deflating to lose games when you have had double digit leads relatively late in the game and that seems to be a pattern so far this season.   I think good teams win those games whether they play at home or on the road.   

I can't remember when Duquesne had a player who could be counted on to come through at crunch time...Aaron Jackson maybe?  If there are others, I can't recall them.  It would be great to see someone develop to be that guy.  Hopefully, Duquesne will get better as the season progresses and will win its share of games.  Time will tell.