I like to post this once a year or so & then leave it alone.

RE was the head coach of a D-1 program at 3 different schools over the course of 18 seasons. He never made an NCAA tournament; never even made it past the first round of the NIT. He has been gone nearly a decade & has not been a head coach again.

He got fired because he didn't win enough & the program was in crap shape at the end of his 6th season. 

I liked him & really wanted him to be the guy to get it done. He just didn't get it done.

PistolPete wrote:

TJ would have never left if Ronnie had this kind of commitment!!  At least none of us put any money on the Dukes tonight!!!

Oh Pistol my friend I bet the Dukes. Eating soup & crackers this weekend. Let me vent again. President far cry from Dr. Chuck. New medical school. AD built a first  class arena. The lack of defense is inexcusable. Last two minutes of the game a NE dunk fest. Coach next practice no balls tie the arms of the players behind their back move your feet no reach chin in opposing player chest. Coach them like they are grade schoolers. Go back to basics. Disgusted.

Almost all of us were happy when Dambrot was hired. But he hasn’t got the job done thus far. We have an AD n President who are pro- basketball and pro-sports. Hopefully the next coach will do better. Whenever that may be.

I am shocked by the lack of talent.

Unless things turn around rapidly after the Northeastern blowout, Duquesne is in a deep hole;

• No perimeter shooting – Ayers seems rattled out there.  Can’t shoot 3s.  Nor can anyone else for that matter.  For every 2 pts for Duq, Northeastern answered with a 3....
• Too many turnovers!  Spears 3, Ayers 3, Tre Williams 2 & many others....
• Couldn’t take advantage of opponent’s high turnover ratio
• Defensively they were helpless to stop good 3 point shooting team. 
• Rotroff was kinda a ‘non-factor’ out there – didn’t take a shot
• Jackie Johnson eventually will be a factor - but tonight he wasn't

Duq positives are few;

• Northeastern had high number of turnovers, some caused by Duq but mostly self inflicted
• Primo Spears is normally the real deal, offensively & defensively – trys to do it all.
• Okani worked hard – 4 rebounds in 17 minutes, but only 4 pts

Last edited by gjgsr (11/19/2021 11:02 pm)

PistolPete wrote:

Levon and Fam you guys are right.  This is pathetic; no D in the first half, horrible shooting and no offensive movement - the Godfather said it is like watching a Ferry offense - inexcusable.  "Best team" KD, yeah right.  I said 2 years ago shake up this coaching staff and get a recruiter.  We still throw out too many non-A--10 level players.  And hey Keith no on CARES ABOUT LABRON!!!!  Can't shoot, can't stop anyone, still miss layups...........just pathetic.  I'm done with this team.  Mark my words 1-5 by the end of the tournament.  Harper you are accountable as well.  You have given Dambrot everything and what have we gotten.  What happened to recruiting from a higher shelf from the commitment the school made to the program..........Our best team was Hughes, Weathers and SC and you couldn't manage any of them and they all left.....like the kid I saw last night for San Diego State - throwing it down by the way.  We stink, period.

Although I agree with the frustration, everyone needs to remember that Duquesne has been a stinker for a long time. You have to convince kids that when they come we will make a March Madness run (because thats all any good player cares about). Hard to do be convincing when you haven't made the tournament in however many years. Also, tired of hearing about the "best players" leaving because of KD. See below:

Michael Hughes - Got a degree and left to play pro 
Weathers - Wanted to play with his brother (unique opportunity, can't blame him)
Sincere Carry - Was getting in trouble off the court and left for Kent State to be with his girlfriend
Maceo Austin - Stepped away for personal reasons
Eric Williams - Wanted to go to the NBA, followed the TJ path to do so. We will see if it pays off. 

I do agree with KD that this is the most individually talented teams he has had. Obviously that means nothing if you can't connect the dots. Do not understand why a true "5" was not top priority to add - hard to connect the dots when you have players not being used the right way. I agree with all sentiments that Larsen should not be on the court. Put Hima out there and mix up the rest.

Defense needs work but every time we get a steal/defensive play we brick a shot right after and we can't build any momentum. We went 0-3 from 3pt in 1 possession. 

Lot of talented players on this team. Might be time to play to their strengths instead of trying to work on their weaknesses during games. 

When they start losing n you can see how poorly they execute offensively it's hard to stay interested. El Prez I hope your right because I think if there is any hope it's that the talent gels and they start playing better as a "team" by January

kcc173 wrote:

I consider myself one of the most optimistic people on this board. I also am definitely a Dambrot fan. And I firmly believe in a team’s ability to turn around a bad start. I also usually get angry at negative posts. But watching these last three games, and even a lot of the opener, I sympathize with any negativity expressed. This team is a total embarrassment. The coaching is as well. But I will continue to not favor singling out individuals. Bekelja and Larson are not the problem. All these “players” are. Yes, the better players should play more minutes but right now we have no better players. My opinion. I accept any mockery or criticism.

Great post! Yes, at some point, the players need to get it. This loss to Northeastern is on the players. Too much one on one. Too many egos. Guys coming from other programs wanting to be the man. And dont forget the wide-eyed freshmen (don't tell them they're wide-eyed, but they are). This needs to stop now. It's early. Play as a team, guys. Share the ball. Trust. Love. Mesh. That can happen. It hasn't so far, although there have been spurts. This time of year is crazy. Check the scores list from yesterday... a lot of strife with programs trying to mesh, just like Duquesne. The transfer portal can be thanked in part for all of this, but this time of year is pretty much the way it's playing out now. Crazy scores, crazy matchups, unbelievable results. Good post kcc173. I agree that the players are the main culprits here. Maybe this team isn't Dambrot's best after all.

How does Duquesne's start compare to Pitt's?  Pitt may be worse.

kcc173 wrote:

If you want to call me a hypocrite have at it.  I am a frustrated fan like you and many others.  But don’t be calling me the worst kind of fan.  I will be there supporting and rooting  as I did during the last 7 Or 8 coaches.  Like I said if I am a hypocrite, guilty as charged if that is what you perceive.  But I AM a fan.

But you aren’t ending your posts with Go Dukes!    You lectured me that is what real fans do.    I’m just a front runner remember?