When we signed Tarin Smith, I said that a trusted source told me that he would be a good player for us. Of course last year every time Smith had less than a stellar game, I got ripped (and every time he had a good game there was nary a peep). I think this year we'll see much more consistency out of Smith. As you state about Eric James, I think the change in leadership at the top will make a significant difference for Smith.

Too early to think about starting lineups, of course, but assuming Coach Dambrot isn't all about the small lineup, as Ferry was, it seems logical that four of the returnees (Robinson, James, Lewis, Smith) will start with one of the new frontcourt players. Will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

I think you are right CLK,James lost confidence in himself and probably Ferry.You could never figure out
Ferrys thoughts on how to use James.He is athletic ,good defender,and he has some major explosiveness
driving to the hoop.Needs to improve his outside shot but Ferry always wanted everyone to take 3s and
that isnt James strength.
  With Dambrot he will get a lot of playing time and oppurtunities because he plays good defense,that is his
strength and he is capable of being a good rebounder.Looking forward to see this senior class and how
much more effective they will be with a fresh start playing for a good coach.
 

Last summer, there were posts about Eric James' off-season work and it sounded like he was poised to break out this past season. Moving him from starting SF to being I Mike's back-up was a mistake, in my opinion. Not to say that Blackman didn't give his best for the Dukes, and he was actually the difference maker against Pitt. 

Do believe both EJ and JRob (probably no arguments here) were very underutilized by Ferry. I hope they both get every chance and show their talents under Dambrot.

Tydus = IMike2?

Steve has very valid points and I agree with all the votes cast.  In my unprofessional opinion, though, from everything I have watched and read about Verhoeven , he is the real deal.  Frankly, and again only an opinion, I think he will surpass Mike in all phases.  So my vote remains with Verhoeven and I certainly will freely admit I am dealing with a freshman - but so we're Mike and Mike

Dukes2012 wrote:

I don't think tydus is as explosive athletically as Mike is, but he seems to be more skilled and well-rounded. He can handle the ball, appears to be a great passer, and has a nice midrange jump shot.

Mike was definitely more athletic and explosive you are correct, however I will have to disagree with most posters regarding Verhoeven being the same caliber player as Mike. I expect him to be a very good player that will develop as he gains more mass and strength during his career here, but Mike came in as a college ready player from day one. He is an absolute physical freak with the ability to shoot from all levels and drive to the basket. His passing will improve as he continues to develop because he is a smart basketball player.

Isiaha mike was definitely the most gifted player on the team last year by a wide margin. Lewis scored more and was more consistent over the course of the season but we saw a number of occasions where Mike absolutely took games over and dominated physically and from a scoring perspective. He was absolutely the most dynamic offensive player we had and was the most dangerous from any area on the court with the ball in his hands. That being said Lewis was still more of a leader and a team first guy, evidenced by both of their decisions when the dust settled.

We should have never been able to get Isiaha Mike. He was more under recruited than any guy I can remember. He was getting MVP honors at national tournaments all over the country and was regarded as the number 2 kid coming out of Canada for his year, which has become an absolute hotbed for basketball talent. He dominated in the Canadian version of the Macdonalds all American game.

The kid is 6'8", strong and athletic and will continue to gain strength. Can shoot the three, handle the ball, and create his own shot with the best of them. Last year, there were a number of occasions where he drove to the hoop and slammed it right over guys with authority. You don't see that from freshman. His athletic ability was completely off the charts, as referenced by the inbound play from the baseline that was successful a number of times last year where he seemingly flew through the air and hammered the ball over defenders in the lane.

Just look at who recruited him after he announced his decision to transfer. It was all top 15 programs. The kid has a legit shot at being an NBA player with a little more coaching and development. I saw Ovie and Damian Saunders here. They were the only other two guys I've seen play at DU that I thought had a chance to play in the league. I Mike is a much better all around player than both of those guys. Oregon and SMU have become power house programs and only recruit the top players in the country and both were desperate to snap him up.

All that being said, I am extremely excited about the guys who stayed and the guys coming in, not to mention how excited I am for the future. Despit that fact, let's not go with the revisionist history. Isiaha mike was an absolute stud and has the highest ceiling of any guy we have coming in or currently on the roster. We don't get Isiaha Mikes. That being said, I do expect that to change going forward, as I believe a coach like Keith Dambrot can make getting talent like that more akin to the standard, rather than the exception to the rule.

He was as tall as nakye and jrob, was more athletic than Eric James, could handle the ball as well as the guards, could pass and shoot better than Smith, and was the best guy on the team (besides maybe Blackman) at getting the rim and finishing. All at the age of 18 with no previous college b ball experience. I wouldn't say that he was a much better player than Lewis, as they have different strengths as players. They were easily the best two players on the roster last year. I wouldn't have wanted to keep one over the other necessarily, but Mike was the best out and out talent we had last year. Having the most talentisn't always the key to success however, and I'm over the moon happy to have Lewis II as the face of the program for three more years.

Last edited by Duques102 (5/31/2017 12:21 pm)

CLK wrote:

Tydus and Williams are true freshman with a lot of potential.. They both need to get stronger and bigger.  Both will get plenty of playing time next year, which will speed up their development.

 I agree that I-Mike was/is a tremendous athlete, but he also was a turnover waiting to happen.  He led the team in turnovers last year with 76. In fact the only two players on the team that had positive assist/to ratio were Smith and Castro.  I believe we will see much more structured and disciplined team next year.

The turnover numbers probably have a lot to do with Mike being a) a freshman and b) the focal point of the offense with Lewis II as a freshman and c) the coaching. That will get coached out of his game. Mike Lewis also got whistled for a ton of charges early last year and we saw that corrected as the season progressed.

There's a difference between good athletes and good basketball players. Just saying. And not a value statement on any player.

I like IMike a lot and hoped he'd stayed. I really wanted to see him here four years, and have a chance to develop under Coach Dambrot.

Gill also had his choice of top programs when he left.

ElDuque wrote:

I like IMike a lot and hoped he'd stayed. I really wanted to see him here four years, and have a chance to develop under Coach Dambrot.

Gill also had his choice of top programs when he left.

 
I always liked Gill, but Maryland exposed him once he got into conference play, he was a nobody barely playing.

Gill would have been Duquesne's leading scorer and Mike would have been eased into his role, and possibly Ferry would have eaked thru a 500 season, so I am happy it worked out that way with Gill going to the Maryland bench and We got coach D out of the bargain.

Maybe someday perhaps we will win 20 regularly and say to quote the Great Coach Chuck Noll " I Mike who?"

Yes, Mike was under-recruited, but that's because he was kicked out of St. Benedict's. He was first suspended for violating the school's code of conduct then kicked out altogether for breaking curfew by 90 minutes. He was considered a high-major recruit (SMU, Florida State, Seton Hall, etc.) before that happened. Interestingly, he never played HS basketball in Canada, got noticed on the AAU circuit. Though he put up some nice numbers at Trinity in Vegas, his recruiting stock never recovered until he proved himself at Duquesne last year. 

As for who I'm looking to see shine under Dambrot, Jordan Robinson should have the best opportunity. Bigs get a chance to score in the Dambrot system. Centers have led Akron in scoring five of the last six years. Robinson was recruited as a center and we've been told before that the 5 is his true and best position. The flashes of ability we saw in say the first halves of the UMBC and URI games, both of which were rewarded with extended benchings in the second half of those games as the Dukes' deficits ballooned, make me think that the talent is there, it's just a matter of a coach that knows how to utilize it, knows how to get the best out of the player. I'm pretty sure we have that coach now.