This fourth year will be interesting to some...to me, next year is when I want to see if there are major excuses.

Coach:                   Ron E.                                                    Jim F.
Year 1                    10-19                                                      8-22
Year 2                    17-13                                                     13-17
Year 3                     21-13                                                    12-19
Year 4                     16-16                                                    --15-10 so far - season not completed
Year 5                     19-13
Year 6                     16-15

 

Last edited by FAM (2/15/2016 10:40 am)

CLK,
You are correct, I agree.  My point, though not well presented by me at all, was that this fourth year is not or may not be far off from the fourth year under RE, which in hind site, is a comparison again...my bad.  I am trying to NOT get too down over the loss yesterday and am looking for ANYTHING positive.  When you are up 10 points and lose, well, it upset me more than the Dayton game.  At least we lost to a very good team on that day.  So I went back to see how the last coach did in his fourth year.  Ferry could surpass that.  What I am very concerned with, and who knows what the future brings, is next year when his recruiting has been in full force.  I am still hoping someone can tell me something positive about yesterday or the upcoming games...somebody, anybody, please tell me something positive.  The game yesterday put me into a 20 years ago old DU bball funk!!! 

Hilltopper wrote:

CLK wrote:

It is hard to think about the fact that the Dukes were once 10-2 with the prospects of a very good year ahead.  Visions of sugarplums danced in our heads.  Now, at least for me, I am back to that same old Duquesne basketball funk and resignation of bottom dweller status feeling.  Looking ahead I only see one possible win with Fordham at home in the remaining regular season schedule: GW (home), URI (away), Bonnies (away), Richmond (home), Fordham (home), SJU (away).  Maybe they will surprise me and still get to 17 wins or better and have a winning season for the first time under Ferry, but after yesterday I have a feeling that the Dukes will fold like a cheap tent down the stretch.  There was a lot of talk about how the Dukes were a much  better defensive team,  well whatever improvement was show in the early games, the team's performance in the last three games has proven that the Dukes defense is a joke.  I do not know where the Dukes are ranked defensively but my guess is close to 300 again in three point defense.  Sorry for the rant, not feeling the love today.

 

This is not the case and you know it.  Mason, Colter, Gill, Lewis, James, Jeremiah et al are no quitters.  This one is on the jock, not the horse.  

No I don't know it.  This horse has been ridden to the point of exhaustion.  Not saying they will purposely quit, but they appear to have nothing more to give to prevent a collapse. In the last three games the tank was empty in the second half and they have folded.  Nobody could get back on defense as teams raced past them for easy transition buckets. Our second half defense consisted of either guys running out late on three point shooters, or our guys waiving capes watching opponents blow by them.  We have nobody who can be classifed as a good defender, let alone a lock down defender, and when you play with fatigue as we appear to do in the second half our games teams speed us up and take advantage of that. Yes it is on the coach, and it is the same stupid mistakes and lack of accountability on the court.  I have seen this movie before way too many times  Trust me, if they prove me wrong and win more than one game then I will gladly eat crow. At this point, regrettably, in my opinion that is the direction this team is heading.
 

Last edited by CLK (2/15/2016 1:55 pm)

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/rpi/_/sort/RPI

CLK, on this site are listed offensive and defensive quotients of every team and their RPI.  I don't have time to figure it out and probably couldn't if I did have time...but they are on here.

Dome & FAM thanks.  I found a site that gives all of the categories.  As I suspected, DU is ranked 340th in three point defense. Really hard to see how coach Ferry can claim that this team has improved defensively.

http://www.ncaa.com/stats/basketball-men/d1/current/team/518/p7


 

On the bright side, Josh Steel had a nice game, sweet looking stroke from 3, and he has the size to defend on the perimeter.  He needs to play more down the stretch to rest Micah and DC.  They were chasing all day and trying to fight through some big bodies to stay with Davis and Hinds.  I think it just took a toll.  It was paramount to end that game in regulation, there was little chance to win it in overtime. Two botched 2-on-1 fastbreaks resulting in "0" points cost the Dukes the game.  If you score on either of those, you win.  So many occasions where the Dukes had the ball and a sizeable lead, and failed to put them away.  I have a hard time understanding how the team doesn't look for Micah after he hits a shot or two.  Our guys don't seem to understand that he can not only create for himself, but for the whole team (ten assists yesterday).  He needs to touch the ball on those occasions rather than have someone else throw up a random shot.  DC had a tough day, and seemed like he was pressing a bit to score.  I would have given him some more bench time in the second half.  The team came from behind and built a nice lead before the half with DC on the bench with two fouls.  Perhaps it would not have worked as well in the second half, but when you see a guy really struggling to get it right, you need to make a move.

For Micah to get those looks, he can't also be the point guard at the same time. If he is going to be open in the corner for a wide open 3, someone else has to be the ball-handler.  Between Derrick and Micah, we have two shooting guards that either one or both are running point instead.  This is probably most of the problem with not running things smoothly at times. Norm Nixon and Ajax both had  great court vision, could set up the offense and make their own space if they needed to shoot. Next year, this team could really benefit from a point with those tools.  Derrick and Micah's  strong points, they can score, their weak points, they don't play point that well.  I like this team this year, but they are too careless with the ball.  If Ferry is back next year, he had better find a 6'4" point guard that can dribble out of double teams, see over the defenders, and be able to drive to the hoop to collapse the D on him then kick out to the open man instead of always thinking, "how do I score".  Maybe then the Dukes get to the next level.       

Unacceptable loss, glad I was out of town to not see it on T.V. - although I did get phone calls while on the road!  Anyway, the reality is FERRY hasn't recruited a PG successfully in the 4 years he's been here.  Frankly to not recruit OVER DC and JJ is kind of an indictment in and of itself.  He has had those two starting and they were recruited in a short/rush recruiting period when he was hired.  He only got Colter in the first place as he was on him heavy at LIU.  In year 4 they should both be coming off the bench.  DC would be a nice instant "O" off the bench even at his height as a 2 guard, which is what he is.  As a PG he has killed us at critical times with forced shots, turnovers and total lack of bball IQ - pointed out by Dome and others when we were up 2 late in the UMASS game and he trys a friggin alley oop instead of pulling the ball out!!  RUFKM!!!  If this team had a good PG who could run the show and score a little we'd have 3 more wins easy.  Mason would flourish and we'd have better production from the wing and the bigs.  I can only speculate that Ferry puts up with Colter's decision making as he has no one else he feels confident in at the point.  Did I forget to mention JF hasn't recruited a true PG in 4 years!!  I would also venture to say that if Archie Miller was coaching us he wouldn't let these late game collapse happen.  Of course the lack of length and depth at the two guard positions kills us on defense as well.  Think about it, where are the Sophomore and Junior guards coming off the bench???  Answer........there are none.  Another reason why DC and Mason have to play 38 minutes a game too!!  Castro, major disappointment.  Could you imagine if Castro was as advertised and could run the point at 6'2" - we'd be a lot better, and fresher.  I like Steele and Jackson, but they are Freshman and Jackson is probably a 3 anyway.  So as the saying goes, you reap what you sow.

Sorry there Grammy, I am entitled to my opinion and if you just want to be so optimistic then that is your opinion, but no need to attack mine.  I simply consider myself more of a realist based on results.  Comments like yours is one of the reasons I stayed away so long in the first place, the other being I just couldn't continue with the frustration.  If CLK or another monitor thinks I am out of line I am happy to consider reasonable criticism, but I'm just calling it like it is.  I don't see you making a factual argument about how JF is handling late game management and I've seen Archie win several of those over the last 3 or 4 games.  I don't see you rebutting how DC's decision making hasn't been an issue.  That isn't a personal attack on him, great kid, been through a lot, but this is a basketball message Board and these kids get a free ride so this goes with that and I am confident they know that.  I've also made the point that he is really playing out of position.  Others here have said they are tired of these moral victories etc. and I wholeheartedly agree with them.  If you think otherwise so be it, but I too have seen this movie over and over way too much.  As to your comment about my NCAA W-L record......really, are you serious?????

Craig Meyer raising some of the same points raised on this Board.  DU 7th worst D1 three point defensive team in the nation, our guards running out of gas late leading to open scoring by opponents guards.  He will have a full article tomorrow.

http://blogs.post-gazette.com/sports/college/dukes-dispatches/46111-dissecting-duquesne-s-late-game-struggles


 

NapaDuke wrote:

PistolPete wrote:

Unacceptable loss, glad I was out of town to not see it on T.V. - although I did get phone calls while on the road!  Anyway, the reality is FERRY hasn't recruited a PG successfully in the 4 years he's been here.  Frankly to not recruit OVER DC and JJ is kind of an indictment in and of itself.  He has had those two starting and they were recruited in a short/rush recruiting period when he was hired.  He only got Colter in the first place as he was on him heavy at LIU.  In year 4 they should both be coming off the bench.  DC would be a nice instant "O" off the bench even at his height as a 2 guard, which is what he is.  As a PG he has killed us at critical times with forced shots, turnovers and total lack of bball IQ - pointed out by Dome and others when we were up 2 late in the UMASS game and he trys a friggin alley oop instead of pulling the ball out!!  RUFKM!!!  If this team had a good PG who could run the show and score a little we'd have 3 more wins easy.  Mason would flourish and we'd have better production from the wing and the bigs.  I can only speculate that Ferry puts up with Colter's decision making as he has no one else he feels confident in at the point.  Did I forget to mention JF hasn't recruited a true PG in 4 years!!  I would also venture to say that if Archie Miller was coaching us he wouldn't let these late game collapse happen.  Of course the lack of length and depth at the two guard positions kills us on defense as well.  Think about it, where are the Sophomore and Junior guards coming off the bench???  Answer........there are none.  Another reason why DC and Mason have to play 38 minutes a game too!!  Castro, major disappointment.  Could you imagine if Castro was as advertised and could run the point at 6'2" - we'd be a lot better, and fresher.  I like Steele and Jackson, but they are Freshman and Jackson is probably a 3 anyway.  So as the saying goes, you reap what you sow.

Very Good analysis.  It is simply no real point. If Jamie Dixon were running this team from the start of this season , the scoring would have been from inside out, and a wining record.  Ferry just had better find a point for next year, cause there isn't one at the moment. Worse, teams have now scouted us pretty much and have a late game surprise going on, double team-trap Micah for a quick turnover.  Two games in a row he was trapped and coughed up the ball.  Can't win this way. 

29 points and 10 assists can play on my team.  Let's all curb the player directed cheap shots, please!