Just some info as my son happens to be at DePaul. Obviously, it's been a rough stretch for them and this year was abysmal. So bad, that the HC was dumped mid-season.

That said, they have a very nice arena although it is not on either of their two campuses. There is a new HC now and, possibly most importantly, they are building a brand new practice facility on campus for both men and women. There is a separate student fitness center where I believe the teams practiced. Seems much like Duquesne in that the admin has recognized the importance of investing in these programs. 

Any word on Williams?

PhoenixRising2 wrote:

Players having some fun with the schedule release via Twitter/X.

https://twitter.com/DuqMBB/status/1699483549429293369?s=20

This was fun. Credit where it's due, nice to see the social media folks stepping up a bit. This was on Instagram, as well. Looks like some neat personalities on this team. Run with it.

indygjm wrote:

I just noticed that Dayton's Mustapha Amzil entered the portal.  Why would someone who gets a lot of minutes playing on one of the conference's perennial powers before 10,000 home fans and was considered a rising star would want to leave that situation?  Hard to figure...

Presumably, looking for a situation that will get him dancing and concerned (maybe rightfully) that the A-10 doesn't help him get there. He looked very frustrated this year on the occasions that I saw him. Definitely has some skills that could contribute to a P5 program. Maybe plays post-season in '24 and raises his stock.

Maybe a bit naïve but is there a way that the portal and NIL stuff could benefit smaller programs and conferences? The old "big fish in a small pond" argument. If I'm a reasonably talented kid riding the pine in a P5 program, I might look to a smaller school/market with some NIL $$ to get my name out there. A couple P5 talented kids pieced together with a solid core could be a recipe for team success. Agree that evaluation of player and "fit" is critical.

Yes. Clearly more tournament experience is needed.

We get the Explorers. LaSalle ends up with an 18 point victory. Looked really solid at times but vulnerable at others. Nonetheless, they come in confident and Dunphy is a wizard. Dukes better not be looking past them.

Not hoops, but lived with a coach and done some coaching of my own over the course of my life. There is no coach, who has achieved any level of success who doesn't feel responsibility for his team's failures. If you have been to the mountain, you feel heavy when you can't get back because you know that you are capable of getting your team there. It could be any combination of personnel, chemistry, illness, injury, or simply not connecting with your squad but you feel all of that deeply and personally. I don't think that the word in the articles matters much..."tough season (with, for, from, because of, despite, under) KD". The point is that last season was not what he wanted or expected, that hit him hard, and he did something about it. Onto a championship! Go Dukes!!

Looks like no Rozier today. Any word on Brewer?
https://pittsburghsportsnow.com/2022/12/21/kareem-rozier-out-for-duquesne-mbbs-game-today/?fbclid=IwAR0sGqvA1pRguqqU3GcVlZKglaJEIn9lD84_0LoxQgG-mNxaS1rZpYiua1E

Looks like students are gone all week.
https://www.duq.edu/academics/academic-calendar/fall-2022.php

BluffHunter wrote:

There were probably just as many students behind the net as the rest of the stands combined! If the students can continue to show out, and I believe they will if we continue to win, this could be a special season. I was highly impressed with the full court press and the overall height difference compared to last year. Onto Lexington Friday! 

Students were pumped up and into the game. I was very impressed by the team's interaction with them after it was over. High fives and solid acknowledgement of the fans as they exited the court. That will help to keep them coming back (along with W's). Well done, team and coaches. 

One critique, would've been nice to hear the fight song play a bit longer even if it is a recording.

Maybe these are not mutually exclusive arguments. Certainly both can be true. What makes Duquesne different...a losing record for most of the past 40 years sure doesn't help. If I'm another coach, the easy line is, "They haven't won regularly there forever, they're never going to. Come play for a winner. It's more fun." How do you counter that?

Not sure of the reasons why but today's young people, and a lot of older ones, feel very little loyalty to schools or coaches and sometimes friends, family, or even faith. Everything is transactional. Retaining players, students, employees, congregants, etc. is extremely difficult in 2022 and ideas on how to do it, I'm afraid, miss more often than they hit. If anyone has a magic bullet for retention, don't share it here. Market it and retire.

https://northcatholicathletics.org/news/2022/4/5/general-barton-named-athletic-director.aspx