I hope Dukes bring their A game because St.Joes is a much better team than last time we played them.

Nice article on Duquesne in today’s Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

Great leaders have no trouble admitting they are/were wrong. KD just won't do that. When I write that KD is a fine & frequent rhetorician in defense of his own shortcomings, his quotes in press conferences & this article is what I mean.

For 3+ years his crap scheme for blitzing high pick & roll with post players that don't fit that system has had the defense in turmoil screwing up both post coverages & perimeter rotations. A-10 coaches have feasted on KD's stubborn adherence to his hugely flawed defensive system.

Rather than saying he abandoned the outdated principles that made it hard for any group to thrive, he says that they have made subtle tweaks to the system. He also points out the powerful effect of having the slow-of-foot but good-at-rim-protection/physical-post-defense Tre Williams stop chasing guards on the perimeter. The coach finesses this commentary in such a way that avoids his having been responsible for these schematic errors in the first place. (Seeing Rotroff try to thrive in this system was even more painful than watching Tre Williams do the same.)

He also said that the biggest factor in the defensive improvement has been the players "buying-in". Notice that that explanation once again leaves all the blame on someone other than KD. Constant failure in a  broken system tends to deter competitors from buying-in but, according to KD that wasn't any part the problem; it was all on those darn players for not having a high enough commitment level. This is not said but most certainly implied.

Wouldn't it be more honest, admirable, & effective to just say that he made some overdue schematic adjustments & provided specific players with better chances to thrive due to their specific talents/abilities & it led to the players seizing the opportunity to truly buy-in? Admitting that you were wrong & had the character to reevaluate the situation & change would show greater strength than blaming the problems on the players for not buying-in.

I am thrilled with the recent winning streak & am a believer in this group of players. I'll take the wins. I just want to believe that DU has a coach that can actually inspire these & future players to greatness!

Last edited by phil95 (2/15/2023 12:28 pm)

I really enjoy Benz as both a journalist & broadcaster. I am doubtful that DU could do better than him on the ESPN+ games. He offers some serious bang for the buck.

Cannon is just awful in nearly every way on the broadcasts. He doesn’t have the chops as a basketball analyst, his voice is grating, his humor is moronic, he frequently flubs the stats prepared for him, & sometimes seems to be openly advocating against the Dukes.

phil95 wrote:

Great leaders have no trouble admitting they are/were wrong. KD just won't do that. When I write that KD is a fine & frequent rhetorician in defense of his own shortcomings, his quotes in press conferences & this article is what I mean.

For 3+ years his crap scheme for blitzing high pick & roll with post players that don't fit that system has had the defense in turmoil screwing up both post coverages & perimeter rotations. A-10 coaches have feasted on KD's stubborn adherence to his hugely flawed defensive system.

Rather than saying he abandoned the outdated principles that made it hard for any group to thrive, he says that they have made subtle tweaks to the system. He also points out the powerful effect of having the slow-of-foot but good-at-rim-protection/physical-post-defense Tre Williams stop chasing guards on the perimeter. The coach finesses this commentary in such a way that avoids his having been responsible for these schematic errors in the first place. (Seeing Rotroff try to thrive in this system was even more painful than watching Tre Williams do the same.)

He also said that the biggest factor in the defensive improvement has been the players "buying-in". Notice that that explanation once again leaves all the blame on someone other than KD. Constant failure in a  broken system tends to deter competitors from buying-in but, according to KD that wasn't any part the problem; it was all on those darn players for not having a high enough commitment level. This is not said but most certainly implied.

Wouldn't it be more honest, admirable, & effective to just say that he made some overdue schematic adjustments & provided specific players with better chances to thrive due to their specific talents/abilities & it led to the players seizing the opportunity to truly buy-in? Admitting that you were wrong & had the character to reevaluate the situation & change would show greater strength than blaming the problems on the players for not buying-in.

I am thrilled with the recent winning streak & am a believer in this group of players. I'll take the wins. I just want to believe that DU has a coach that can actually inspire these & future players to greatness!

Phil, we are playing great defense. Smile. Dambrot is not the devil. The sun is shining, and it is a Dukes gameday! Let’s beat these Hawks.

El Presidente wrote:

I would not negate the impact that Coach Joyce has had on this program. Truly hoping that he is a part of the Duquesne family for many years to come!

I'm beginning to hope he is the next Head Coach down the line. LOL.

I think Joyce will be the next head coach and he may bring
Bronny and Bry.
I saw he shared the post game with KD after the SBU.
I think it is a sign he is being groomed as the next head coach.

Did I miss an announcement about Hronsky. I don't see him on the bench?

phil95 wrote:

I really enjoy Benz as both a journalist & broadcaster. I am doubtful that DU could do better than him on the ESPN+ games. He offers some serious bang for the buck.

Cannon is just awful in nearly every way on the broadcasts. He doesn’t have the chops as a basketball analyst, his voice is grating, his humor is moronic, he frequently flubs the stats prepared for him, & sometimes seems to be openly advocating against the Dukes.

The last part of your comment about Cannon was really pronounced tonight. He sounded like a St. Joe's home announcer - repeatedly.
 

Nice win. Looked like Dae Dae ran some point tonight and Brewer shot more. Also Brewer and Rozier both in at times together. Nice moves, seems to confuse their defense just a bit. Late game double up to trap the Dukes never works and leaves us with an easy basket at times in the second half. Very solid win. Let's hope we take down St.l. on Sat. then this team is really in good position for a bye.

1111 Vickroy wrote:

If I missed it my comment was about the tremendous steal that Dixon made to get a layup before he was hurt. Reminded me of Michael Hughes

Yea, I thought he must be hurting that he limped out of the game to the trainers, but was on the bench in the second half. I hope it's nothing big. Dixon has great potential the rest of this year and next here.

Dru Joyce will be the next head basketball coach at Duquesne when KD retires,no doubt about that.