The odd timing of this transfer lends support to Ferry's statement that a personal issue had arisen. Not a huge loss basketball-wise, but I wish Jackson the best moving forward. Seemed like a nice kid.

Last edited by Dukes2012 (8/16/2016 11:27 am)

This reminds me of past coaches who would lose transfers to D-2 and D-3 programs, now we lose them to Jr. Colleges.

How about we develop players for a change.

Isn't that part of, you know, a program?

I knew there was something to read into about him not being in the end of summer program picture with the rest of the guys!

Doubt it was a personal issue. Prob more of a situation where he knew where he fell in the pecking order at the three spot with guys like Mike, James, abrahamson, and some of the other guys vying for the position. It almost seemed like something had to happen there with the glut of guys we have trying to fill that role.

Last edited by Duques102 (8/16/2016 12:40 pm)

ElDuque wrote:

Duques102 wrote:

I knew there was something to read into about him not being in the end of summer program picture with the rest of the guys!

Yes, you did!

And Simms I understand your point, but if it's a problem Ferry can't solve at Duquesne then pretty much we'll never see another NIT or NCAA appearance. We don't get blue chips, the guys we do get don't stay long enough to develop, the guys who do stay aren't wanted enough by other programs to entice them to leave.

Might be the beginning of the end here. Or resignation to more of the same going forward.

No, not at all.  Don't read too much into this transfer.
Anyone close to the program would not be surprised by the transfer.  In order to "develop," a player he must want to work to get better, and be willing to dedicate himself to hard work.  In this case, the outcome was the best for both sides.  He is a likeable guy and I wish him nothing but the best. 

Since we added a preferred walk-on (if we still use that term) I wouldn't mind using the scholarship for the next recruiting class. Ferry has a lot of targets and maybe we land the best four.

I was iffy about Jackson but I thought he gave us depth at least behind James. I wasn't so iffy about Gill or Powell but they're gone too.

No disrespect levon but if I had the knowledge you have about the program I'd stick my thumbs in my eyes. I'll never get that close again.

Root for the laundry. The players turn over any year anyway. Like an Independent League baseball team.

Root for the laundry, says I.

Down to 12 scholies.  Bench is now Steel, Sanders, Robinson and Castro(assume Smith,  Abrahamson, Blackman, Lewis and James are starters). I don't count the freshmen(Littleson, Mike and Lewis) as playing many meaningful minutes(The Ferry Philosophy of Player Retention and Development)
Better hope that Castro improves, Sanders doesn't foul, Steel shoots better than the thirty percent he did in the under 19 competition in UK and Robinson is inspired otherwise we will have another long season.

Econ69 wrote:

Down to 12 scholies.  Bench is now Steel, Sanders, Robinson and Castro(assume Smith,  Abrahamson, Blackman, Lewis and James are starters). I don't count the freshmen(Littleson, Mike and Lewis) as playing many meaningful minutes(The Ferry Philosophy of Player Retention and Development)
Better hope that Castro improves, Sanders doesn't foul, Steel shoots better than the thirty percent he did in the under 19 competition in UK and Robinson is inspired otherwise we will have another long season.

12 is plenty, he has to use them correctly. Last year, his starting guards played too much, while the frontcourt was a revolving door. He needs to settle on a 9 man rotation (uptempo teams need to play more guys than halfcourt teams) by the start of league play. In the backcourt, 25-26 minutes for your starters, 20 minutes for your main backup, and 10 minutes for the fourth guy. Two reserves up front as well. Expect any sophomore or junior not in the rotation to transfer. That is just the way it is now. Players are no longer willing to wait their turn, or settle in permanently as a reserve. Coaches don't really care, if it becomes apparent that a freshman, or especially a sophomore, is not really going to be a difference maker, coaches are more than happy to see them leave, opening a slot for hopefully, a better player. Simms hit the nail on the head when he said it's a problem all across college basketball.
 

phil95 wrote:

At some point, in order to get over the hump to real program growth, a few of these "steals" must develop or be developed at the same time & hang around to be juniors & seniors together while a higher grade of underclassmen matures. DU is too depressed as a program & the A-10 is too strong as a conference for a superstar to join up & transform the situation.

Powell, Gill, Jackson, Castro, Sanders, Smith, Mike,Robinson, & Mason were/are "a steal"  to varying degrees. Is there any reason to be optimistic that Ferry & Co. have any shot at bringing this to fruition? 

I just can't see it. That is why, without an seriously encouraging outcome to this season, Coach Ferry has to go.

Honestly, it hasn't happened since Manning retired. We had Norm Nixon. One winning season. We had Bruce Atkins, two winning seasons, and a season where we broke the school record for losses. Derrick Alston, one winning season. Mike James, no winning seasons (not even close). Aaron Jackson and Damian Saunders, four winning seasons, but no less than 13 losses every year (and this is our high point). Is there any reason to be optimistic that any coach that would be willing to come here could actually get the job done? Getting the job done would be earning an at large bid to the NCAAs. This would require at least 24 wins, and no more than 7-8 losses. We haven't won at that rate since 1972. In fact, we haven't come close. 16-8 in 1973, and 20-10 in 1981 are the only times we've won at least 2/3 of our games.

ElDuque wrote:

Ajax played a year under Nee, and the first year of Ron was under .500, so he saw only two winning seasons.

I'm talking combined, not individually. Actually, Ron's three best seasons came with Saunders on the team. Maybe Mike and Smith can be this team's Saunders and Clark, cause that's what it's gonna take for us to move forward.
 

Phildog wrote:

CLK wrote:

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/duquesne/2016/08/16/Duquesne-basketball-sophomore-Mar-Qywell-Jackson-transfers/stories/201608160147

 
Well maybe Jackson felt he was under recruited by the grad transfers and freshmen so a D-1 program hooked him up with a JC to play at with other D-1 transfers and work on his game, then transfer and play next year in a program where he could fit in and play. Hopefully for him, maybe a plus 500% school in basketball.

Or maybe he just found them on his own?

Wouldn't shock me. By doing this, he doesn't have to sit out another year. Isn't this what McKoy did?

Too bad we couldn't put these big three on the court together for four years:

Nixon, Atkins and Flenory, with Arnold and senior year Fred Moon. John Moore and Silk Dixon off the bench.

Pipkins, James and Stephenson, with Alston and Wayne Smith. Sellers, Hargrave and Whitehead off the bench.

Sanders, AJax and McConnell, with Achara and Billy Clark. Healthy Sean James, Monteiro and Tucker and Reggie Jackson off the bench.

McConnell, Soko and Micah Mason, with Lewis and McKoy. Still searching for bench players.