From the St. Louis Post-dispatch coverage of tonight's game, here is what coach Jim Crews thinks of our guards and our team.  

“Colter had a couple of tough ones,” SLU coach Jim Crews said. “He was out there and we had a hand up pretty good but he’s a great player. Here’s a kid who beat cancer and it’s a pretty remarkable story. He’s been a pretty good player and he and Mason hung in there when Duquesne was struggling. They’ve got a really good team now. We as a staff think they’re one of the better teams in the league.”

 

How could Jim Crews possibly know how bad we are?  He and his team have lost to us twice now.

indygjm wrote:

Here's a link to some photos from the St. Louis Dispatch.  Some great shots of Dukes in action. 

http://www.stltoday.com/gallery/sports/college/slu/slu-loses-to-duquesne/collection_3b0c2c94-8d79-56ed-a0f6-9968364aecc8.html#0 

On an unrelated note, I really hope we keep the three throwback uniforms in the mix for years to come. They are really sharp. I could do without those gray ones though

Dukes2012 wrote:

indygjm wrote:

Here's a link to some photos from the St. Louis Dispatch.  Some great shots of Dukes in action. 

http://www.stltoday.com/gallery/sports/college/slu/slu-loses-to-duquesne/collection_3b0c2c94-8d79-56ed-a0f6-9968364aecc8.html#0 

On an unrelated note, I really hope we keep the three throwback uniforms in the mix for years to come. They are really sharp. I could do without those gray ones though

Looking at the uniforms, the gray one suck. The red ones are awesome. The blue isn't bad, but I'd like to see them done exactly the way the red ones are. Give me a white version as well. Use the Norm Nixon era whites as an alternate look. Get rid of the rest.
 

Last edited by duq81 (1/31/2016 9:24 am)

FAM wrote:

Looking at the pictures in the St. Louise Dispatch I did not focus on the players...I wanted to look at the crowd.  There were some empty seats, but there were many more seats filled.  We are winning, there is a renewed interest in the media, especially after the snow storm situation, and we actually aren't bashing each other on this board.  I don't care if the athletic department has to give out french fries from Frank n' Wally's for kids to go...oh, they are gone, aren't they.  Well, how about shirts...um, tried that, it really doesn't work well, how about texting the students, which they can, putting pictures of the players in the dorm entrances, and meeting with the various academic, social, Greek, and other groups to speak with them.  How about contacting the professors there and encouraging them to go along with asking them to encourage their students.  The time is now and I know for a fact that a lot of things are in the works, but for the rest of the season more has to be done.  Go Dukes.

What I noticed is how nice the arena is. The situation at SLU is different than what we have here. Mizzou is a factor there, in a way Penn St. will never be in Pittsburgh, but they don't have a Pitt to compete with in their backyard. They are THE local school. We are not. The last 40 years has made this a Pitt city, which makes it difficult to get the attention of the fan who has no ties to the school. It also hurts that Xavier, the one school that had enough juice to get the attention of the average local fan, is no longer on the schedule. Modest winning is not going to build a large fanbase. We found that out under Ron. Duquesne will have to become a consistent power in the A10, including frequent trips to the NCAAs, if they want to start filling Palumbo on a consistent basis.
 

duq81 wrote:

grammudder wrote:

From the St. Louis Post-dispatch coverage of tonight's game, here is what coach Jim Crews thinks of our guards and our team.  

“Colter had a couple of tough ones,” SLU coach Jim Crews said. “He was out there and we had a hand up pretty good but he’s a great player. Here’s a kid who beat cancer and it’s a pretty remarkable story. He’s been a pretty good player and he and Mason hung in there when Duquesne was struggling. They’ve got a really good team now. We as a staff think they’re one of the better teams in the league.”

 

No, we stink to high heaven. I know, I read it on this board.
 

​What do you think Crews is going to say? " Duquesne really stinks, but we lost to them twice anyway?"
 

The Dome wrote:

I understand we won a road game and that's nice and its nice to have a winning record but why is there so much angst when a few of us that I term as realist look at the games objectively. This is the worst team in the league I don't care who they beat at home. How can you be satisfied by 9assists, 18 turnovers and 24 fouls. That may be work against St. Louis but come on who in the top 100 are you beating playing that way. BTW Seth Davis who I hate but he does have a finger on the pulse of the NCAA since it's a CBS property believes the A-10 will get 2 bids 3 on a stretch. GW lost another bad game at home in double overtime to Richmond with two of its starters on the bench having foul out. And as I'm typing this there are behind at the half to GM. After the first 3 teams the league is looking average. Sorry just calling it as I see it.

What do you make of the Dukes as the #1 team in the A10 for FG% Defense?  Probably just dumb luck.

I understand observations and criticism.  I am fine with that, especially in regards to individual efforts on the court.  But to constantly bemoan the level of talent isn't constructive IMO.  We are in arguably the best non BCS conference for basketball (Big East is probably better) yet with each win we fail to impress because our league apparently sucks.  Unfortunately, this is the league we are in, and there is no point complaining about it.  If you were a St. Francis grad and you were starting to win in the NEC, would you constantly complain that the teams in the conference suck?  Is everything Andy Toole and Mike Rice  accomplished at RMU worth nothing because the NEC is a one bid league?  I just don't get it.  If you think our league sucks, root for a BCS team then I suppose.  No one is proclaiming us NCAA Tourny material.  Everyone is happy because we are showing vast improvement, and winning is a huge plus.  It's nice to win and feel good.  We are blessed to be in such a good league.

 That said, here are some observations I have from the SLU game.

1.  Eric James had NO confidence in his jumper.  SLU played off of him and it really hurt his effectiveness.  He had a wide open three at one point, took two dribbles, and launched a long two (the worst shoot in hoops) that clanged off the rim.  I'd love to see him improve in this area.  He was still able to rebound well and cause some chaos, but SLU had a good game plan for him.  He reminds me of bit of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in this regard, although obviously less talented.  

2.  Jackson and Steel both got a good amt. of minutes.  People were complaining that Josh has not seen the floor, but Ferry inserted him for a good portion of the game.  He didn't do much, but he also didn't make any glaring mistakes and played solid defense.  Jackson looked antsy at first, and took some ill advised shots.  I was glad to see him calm down, and even more impressed with his strong take to the basket for the and 1.  He seems to have a decent (although not great) handle.  

3.  Is it an unwritten rule that your starting lineup at the beginning of the game MUST be the starting lineup in the 2nd half?  I would have loved to see more of Powell and Lewis on the court together.  Powell just opens up the inside game so much.  His driving ability is beautiful, and he has really improved on his passing.  Numerous times SLU doubled down and Powell made a sweet dish to Lewis for the finish.  I'm assuming Ferry sat Powell towards the end of the game due to his weak free throw shooting?

4.  Lewis may be the person playing Cold Hands in Game of Thrones, but he sure does cause a lot of problems for opposing teams on defense.  He just does such a great job of putting his hands up and acting like a giant tree.  

5.  I really hope we have a great crowd on Saturday.  I plan on driving up from Altoona for the 2nd game of the year. My first game was Bonaventure and it was great!

Last edited by Simms (1/31/2016 3:36 pm)

Simms wrote:

I understand observations and criticism.  I am fine with that, especially in regards to individual efforts on the court.  But to constantly bemoan the level of talent isn't constructive IMO.  We are in arguably the best non BCS conference for basketball (Big East is probably better) yet with each win we fail to impress because our league apparently sucks.  Unfortunately, this is the league we are in, and there is no point complaining about it.  If you were a St. Francis grad and you were starting to win in the NEC, would you constantly complain that the teams in the conference suck?  Is everything Andy Toole and Mike Rice  accomplished at RMU worth nothing because the NEC is a one bid league?  I just don't get it.  If you think our league sucks, root for a BCS team then I suppose.  No one is proclaiming us NCAA Tourny material.  Everyone is happy because we are showing vast improvement, and winning is a huge plus.  It's nice to win and feel good.  We are blessed to be in such a good league.

 That said, here are some observations I have from the SLU game.

1.  Eric James had NO confidence in his jumper.  SLU played off of him and it really hurt his effectiveness.  He had a wide open three at one point, took two dribbles, and launched a long two (the worst shoot in hoops) that clanged off the rim.  I'd love to see him improve in this area.  He was still able to rebound well and cause some chaos, but SLU had a good game plan for him.  He reminds me of bit of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in this regard, although obviously less talented.  

2.  Jackson and Steel both got a good amt. of minutes.  People were complaining that Josh has not seen the floor, but Ferry inserted him for a good portion of the game.  He didn't do much, but he also didn't make any glaring mistakes and played solid defense.  Jackson looked antsy at first, and took some ill advised shots.  I was glad to see him calm down, and even more impressed with his strong take to the basket for the and 1.  He seems to have a decent (although not great) handle.  

3.  Is it an unwritten rule that your starting lineup at the beginning of the game MUST be the starting lineup in the 2nd half?  I would have loved to see more of Powell and Lewis on the court together.  Powell just opens up the inside game so much.  His driving ability is beautiful, and he has really improved on his passing.  Numerous times SLU doubled down and Powell made a sweet dish to Lewis for the finish.  I'm assuming Ferry sat Powell towards the end of the game due to his weak free throw shooting?

4.  Lewis may be the person playing Cold Hands in Game of Thrones, but he sure does cause a lot of problems for opposing teams on defense.  He just does such a great job of putting his hands up and acting like a giant tree.  

5.  I really hope we have a great crowd on Saturday.  I plan on driving up from Altoona for the 2nd game of the year. My first game was Bonaventure and it was great!

Great post Simms!

duq81 wrote:

Simms wrote:

I understand observations and criticism.  I am fine with that, especially in regards to individual efforts on the court.  But to constantly bemoan the level of talent isn't constructive IMO.  We are in arguably the best non BCS conference for basketball (Big East is probably better) yet with each win we fail to impress because our league apparently sucks.  Unfortunately, this is the league we are in, and there is no point complaining about it.  If you were a St. Francis grad and you were starting to win in the NEC, would you constantly complain that the teams in the conference suck?  Is everything Andy Toole and Mike Rice  accomplished at RMU worth nothing because the NEC is a one bid league?  I just don't get it.  If you think our league sucks, root for a BCS team then I suppose.  No one is proclaiming us NCAA Tourny material.  Everyone is happy because we are showing vast improvement, and winning is a huge plus.  It's nice to win and feel good.  We are blessed to be in such a good league.

 That said, here are some observations I have from the SLU game.

1.  Eric James had NO confidence in his jumper.  SLU played off of him and it really hurt his effectiveness.  He had a wide open three at one point, took two dribbles, and launched a long two (the worst shoot in hoops) that clanged off the rim.  I'd love to see him improve in this area.  He was still able to rebound well and cause some chaos, but SLU had a good game plan for him.  He reminds me of bit of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in this regard, although obviously less talented.  

2.  Jackson and Steel both got a good amt. of minutes.  People were complaining that Josh has not seen the floor, but Ferry inserted him for a good portion of the game.  He didn't do much, but he also didn't make any glaring mistakes and played solid defense.  Jackson looked antsy at first, and took some ill advised shots.  I was glad to see him calm down, and even more impressed with his strong take to the basket for the and 1.  He seems to have a decent (although not great) handle.  

3.  Is it an unwritten rule that your starting lineup at the beginning of the game MUST be the starting lineup in the 2nd half?  I would have loved to see more of Powell and Lewis on the court together.  Powell just opens up the inside game so much.  His driving ability is beautiful, and he has really improved on his passing.  Numerous times SLU doubled down and Powell made a sweet dish to Lewis for the finish.  I'm assuming Ferry sat Powell towards the end of the game due to his weak free throw shooting?

4.  Lewis may be the person playing Cold Hands in Game of Thrones, but he sure does cause a lot of problems for opposing teams on defense.  He just does such a great job of putting his hands up and acting like a giant tree.  

5.  I really hope we have a great crowd on Saturday.  I plan on driving up from Altoona for the 2nd game of the year. My first game was Bonaventure and it was great!

Great post Simms!

Eric got 2 quick fouls early and had to play hands-off, plus coach was forced to sit him more and early, which opened up some time for the other 2, both got good minutes and it didn't hurt the out-come. I agree,  Powell and Lewis are good in the paint together, and in past years this would have been a loss without these two Bigs. . Great team work.  I hope the crowd is there on sat. too.    

WEB wrote:

Tejas_Duke wrote:

Ok, someone needs to fill me in here on something. I am typing this from the hotel computer in the French Quarter, here for my wife's milestone birthday and having a blast, was following the last 1:30 on the ESPN  game tracker, before we head out to the parade, so I got a very limited description of the action.

Dukes are up by about 8 with 1:25 left to play. How the hell do they commit not one but two fouls when it's the other team that is supposed to be fouling?  Someone please tell me how the hell they managed to let St. Louis hang around and give them free throws.

People were complaining why we let teams roll the ball up the floor. We change that and get 2 steals. And...no one mentions that.

Hey, slow week, I'll bite, we only see this roll down the court thing when we are winning, ( rare till this year) but Ferry and the Dukes are beginning to pick up on it and stole the ball twice. ( A steal to a score is a 4 point play, 2-they didn't get a chance, and 2-you got on the cheep)  Steals are the hidden stat. It sometimes breaks the back of the other team. It helped here.  Eric stepped into the passing lane a couple of times ( though unsuccessful ) to get the steal.  In the future he will.  This game the Dukes chose to do something with the roll-in.  It's a very good sign, that they know, this season is beginning to be something special.  I'd like to see some pressing on the in-bound to show this team has some swagger too.   

Last edited by NapaDuke (2/03/2016 11:00 am)

currentstudent wrote:

NapaDuke wrote:

WEB wrote:

People were complaining why we let teams roll the ball up the floor. We change that and get 2 steals. And...no one mentions that.

Hey, slow week, I'll bit, we only see this roll down the court thing when we are winning, ( rare till this year) but Ferry and the Dukes are beginning to pick up on it and stole the ball twice. ( A steal to a score is a 4 point play, 2-they didn't get a chance, and 2-you got on the cheep)  Steals are the hidden stat. It sometimes breaks the back of the other team. It helped here.  Eric stepped into the passing lane a couple of times ( though unsuccessful ) to get the steal.  In the future he will.  This game the Dukes chose to do something with the roll-in.  It's a very good sign, that they know, this season is beginning to be something special.  I'd like to see some pressing on the in-bound to show this team has some swagger too.   

Also did anyone notice at the end when SLU was putting on their full court press? SLU got a bucket and immediately the dukes in bounded the ball before SLU was able to get into position. Gotta love that. 

Yes , I did, we,  the Dukes don't  press at all, so we are not that familiar with it, still, to the credit of our senior guards, and the rest of the crew, we didn't fall apart under that pressure. If you want to see a lead evaporate, than give up easy points on turnovers under pressure just because your team don't practice it. Credit Ferry here.

Last edited by NapaDuke (2/04/2016 12:06 am)