I am not underwhelmed.   I think they are 2 guys who can come in and fill needs, plus, they wanted to come here, which is nice, if they can blend into the team concept that was on display last season, we are in good shape.   We need(ed) guards.   We are still a small school in the A10.   Now, with our last 3 adds(assuming Hall and Aekins are still in), we can add any position/size IMO.   A true PG would be nice, and another big fella, rebounder.   If we can get those 2 filled, I wouldnt mind a good HS player to round out the process.

Of course the elephant in the room is what James will do.   He obviously will move the needle, big time.

I'll just wait for the next Dru tweet.....

townsonkid wrote:

I am not underwhelmed.   I think they are 2 guys who can come in and fill needs, plus, they wanted to come here, which is nice, if they can blend into the team concept that was on display last season, we are in good shape.   We need(ed) guards.   We are still a small school in the A10.   Now, with our last 3 adds(assuming Hall and Aekins are still in), we can add any position/size IMO.   A true PG would be nice, and another big fella, rebounder.   If we can get those 2 filled, I wouldnt mind a good HS player to round out the process.

Of course the elephant in the room is what James will do.   He obviously will move the needle, big time.

I'll just wait for the next Dru tweet.....

I agree. And I'm sure Dru made it clear that defensive capabilities were part of the expectations too.
 

There are still players entering the portal; I believe that the deadline to enter is May 1st. Also, don't assume that players who have had on-campus visits are all going to be pursued further by Duquesne.  It may become apparent on the visit that the player might not be a fit with the team or the coaching staff.  

PhoenixRising2 wrote:

There are still players entering the portal; I believe that the deadline to enter is May 1st. Also, don't assume that players who have had on-campus visits are all going to be pursued further by Duquesne.  It may become apparent on the visit that the player might not be a fit with the team or the coaching staff.  

Yes. May 1st.

And by the way,  3 of the 5 guys that visited have signed elsewhere. 2 of them at A-10 schools.

I'm satisfied to this point with our signings but need to see a couple more good ones soon. Another guard to play the point and hopefully a big to help out inside. Let's see what happens and hopefully it happens soon!
That would, I suppose, give us 12 ships in use if my math is correct and the 2 early signings are still committed.

El Presidente wrote:

I'm satisfied to this point with our signings but need to see a couple more good ones soon. Another guard to play the point and hopefully a big to help out inside. Let's see what happens and hopefully it happens soon!
That would, I suppose, give us 12 ships in use if my math is correct and the 2 early signings are still committed.

 
Scholarship math at Duquesne is fuzzy at best.  We have 6 returning players, 9 guys who we believe were on scholarship that graduated or left, and currently we have three signings.  Those who left are:
H Drame
 Savrasov
 F Drame
 Mahorcic
 Grant
 Clark
 Williams
 Nicholls
Barba 

Styles1229 wrote:

NapaDuke wrote:

Both are great additions to next years team. We needed to fill Clark and Dae Dae's spots and Coach Dru just did that. With these 2 additions, I think other players are more likely to commit now.

Do you really believe these 2 players fill those shoes? I understand they play the positions but will they provide what Dae Dae and Jimmy did? I’m not so sure. But I am optimistic. I think we need these two to be complementary pieces.

I'd like to see a couple more guards for sure, but at least these two are solid players and have a lot of experience. DU has a lot of scholarships left to give out so I would expect to see some more commits from the portal too.  

Last edited by NapaDuke (4/26/2024 1:45 am)

What about Brandon Hall?

MikeR wrote:

FAM wrote:

That’s not healthy Where did they sign?

Casey signed to SLU. I'm not sure who of the other official visits signed with an A10 team as Styles mentioned.

 

I was just told by a friend who follows recruiting closely that 3 committed elsewhere and 2 to A-10 schools. He is always very reliable in these matters so I believe it but I didn’t ask who.  Also, I did not state that as an indictment of DU recruiting, just as information in case someone was waiting to hear if the “visitors” would sign with us.  I believe, when it comes to the portal, that there is more than enough to go around for everybody (except maybe Centers who can score) and it is about finding the right fit for their game - not necessarily the school.  Even with the Corbett signing I feel like we still need the “straw to stir the drink”. I like all the pieces right now - but we still need that first team A-10 type guard to make it all work.  After the season we just had, I thought we would land him.

Rayrich wrote:

Styles1229 wrote:

MikeR wrote:

Casey signed to SLU. I'm not sure who of the other official visits signed with an A10 team as Styles mentioned.

 

I was just told by a friend who follows recruiting closely that 3 committed elsewhere and 2 to A-10 schools. He is always very reliable in these matters so I believe it but I didn’t ask who. Also, I did not state that as an indictment of DU recruiting, just as information in case someone was waiting to hear if the “visitors” would sign with us. I believe, when it comes to the portal, that there is more than enough to go around for everybody (except maybe Centers who can score) and it is about finding the right fit for their game - not necessarily the school. Even with the Corbett signing I feel like we still need the “straw to stir the drink”. I like all the pieces right now - but we still need that first team A-10 type guard to make it all work. After the season we just had, I thought we would land him.

Think that's Dinkins. Was recruited by quite a few P-6 schools including Indiana, Miami, and Xavier.
 

If not Bronny, then he may have to be.  And maybe he can/will be!  I will say this, things always change when the guys hit the floor together. Sometimes somebody emerges (like Sincere Carry.). Or Jake. Maybe the guy is already on the team, like Matus?  I’m certainly not down on this group of players. Landing a “can’t miss kid” would be ideal but I’m sure come next November the rotation will look very different than my expectation. It always does.

Rayrich wrote:

I've always been a bit of a weirdo of a College BBall fan most of my entire adult life. I've watched pretty much every Chicago State bball game possible that was on ESPN plus the past 3 years. Cardet and especially Corbett were a treat to watch. This was the best possible pick up for the Dukes. The guy is extremely tough, athletic, and has a huge bball IQ. Trust me. He was the one guy I wanted over any in the portal. He'll be in the NBA one day soon. If you get a chance watch the Bobcats game against Northwestern this past season where they went in there and won. You'll be impressed.

I am very excited after reading this. Sounds like a man who knows what he’s talking about.  Last year I thought Savrasov and Dusan would be our big gets and I was not excited at all about F Drame.  But it shook out all different so I won’t get too high or low until they hit the floor

NapaDuke wrote:

Styles1229 wrote:

Rayrich wrote:

I've always been a bit of a weirdo of a College BBall fan most of my entire adult life. I've watched pretty much every Chicago State bball game possible that was on ESPN plus the past 3 years. Cardet and especially Corbett were a treat to watch. This was the best possible pick up for the Dukes. The guy is extremely tough, athletic, and has a huge bball IQ. Trust me. He was the one guy I wanted over any in the portal. He'll be in the NBA one day soon. If you get a chance watch the Bobcats game against Northwestern this past season where they went in there and won. You'll be impressed.

I am very excited after reading this. Sounds like a man who knows what he’s talking about. Last year I thought Savrasov and Dusan would be our big gets and I was not excited at all about F Drame. But it shook out all different so I won’t get too high or low until they hit the floor

No one thought that Dae Dae and Clark would be that good to help us win the A-10 either. One from a MAC school and the other from a Junior college. It's more important that they blend into a winning team. I think both kids are great additions to a great team.

Agree. Love to pick up a big or two to close it out. We are in a upswing in terms of the program. Exciting times.