NapaDuke wrote:

levon1975 wrote:

I like your optimism but Pasha didn’t have much of a year at VTech. Why do you think he had such poor numbers and was relegated to the bench? Comparing him to Jimmy Clarke is saying a lot, but remember Clarke and Dae Dae were a nice guard pairing. Will we have another impact player at guard next season to pair with Pasha?
No matter how good, or not so good Ege turns out to be at the five next year, he can’t play 40-minutes a game and will be a target for foul calls, remember Dave Dixon and Mike Hughes? A-10 refs always find our bigs to be easy targets, so one big won’t cut it! I recall that Hungar the GW backup center was in the portal. I was impressed with his game. If he’s still undeclared def, I would offer. He had a very strong game in a starting role against Duquesne at the Coop last year. He’s a smart player and has a feisty edge to his game.

I looked at Pasha at Delaware, when he didn't have his butt on the bench, vs, TTech, where the coach had his starting favorites and Pasha wasn't one. You can't score from the bench. Just imagine Clark coming from a JC just a bit underappreciated by KD, and only came off the bench?  Very possible, and if that happened, do you think we would have won the A-10 that year with Clark coming off the bench? Same thing at VTech. Their loss, our gain. If DJ does not start this kid, then the best player since Clark will be another waste of a career by a coach that doesn't see it. I really think this kid is a 5 tool player. He beats his opponent at the top of the key, picks up the ball, and with very long strides takes his three steps and takes the contact by up to three players under the hoop, then in the air, scores. Only a handful of players travel that well in the pant and finish.  Delaware played on our level and played us. When he is in the game, he scores. I really hope and expect to see him start.  

At 6’5” maybe Pasha can play the Alex Williams role next season.  Once he got into playing shape, Alex punished people both inside and out.

https://share.google/aimode/iQeiI3Klxaet09dY8

I think we have a gem in Josh Smith also

I believe we need an experienced PG and.PF
Still from portal to make this team a big winner!
Go Dukes

El Presidente wrote:

Hoping for a splash signing beyond anything I've seen so far this off season.
Truly hoping some of these recruits are as good as some on this board believe them to be.
Definitely need to see another big who can come in here and produce right out of the gate.
A solid PG would be just what the doctor ordered too.
GO DUKES!

I agree. Just get one good point guard with good court vision and a good sense of defense . Someone that handles the ball and decent at FT's would make this team hard to beat. Get a second big or a decent PF to come in would make this next season. JD has a good team so far that he can attract those kind of players at this point.  

Excellent points Levon.

CLK wrote:

Speculation is that Pasha will be our point guard, or in the language of positionless basketball, our primary ball handler. We still have four scholarships left and I suspect that Dru will focus on getting an additional center and a true power forward who can step in and get major minutes. It's not clear what they will do with the other two remaining scholarships. I suspect will go to role players. This is my guess, but who knows.

As so many people have said, it is really hard being a Duquesne basketball fan. There is no attempt by the University to keep the fans engaged and excited about the team. Other schools announce players as soon as they sign to to keep the fan base engaged and also to make the player feel special. I see this by many schools as well as interviews and comments by the coach. Not sure why Duquesne operates the way it does, but it seems that they do one big lump sum official announcement after everyone signs. The only recruiting news we get is what you can pull from social media from kids announcing visits or signings.

To add on to that, the men's basketball team doesn't even have it's own dedicated official Facebook page. That's simply unacceptable from a fan engagement point of view in 2026 (even 2016 for that matter). I can't speak for any other social media platforms, but these are exceedingly simple things for the University and athletic department to do but they refuse to for whatever reason. 
 

Yeah, instagram is good, a lot of bball and all DU sports. I got blocked on the mens X(twitter) page, not even sure why, no idea how to get unblocked, but there isnt much there anyway.   Dont have FB anymore, that place was awful.  IDK how people continue to use that app.

I just can't get too excited about Demir. This is not because I see his provenance & recruiting history as dubious. It is because I feel about him the same way I felt about Hugley going into last season, but for different reasons. 

I thought taking a chance on Hugley was a good idea because of his association with the city & 1 strong year at Pitt. I assumed that choosing Duquesne as his 4th school had more to do with his off-court life than with his not having previously found the right fit for his skill set & playing style. Still, he was well worth a shot for a team with Duquesne's recruiting prowess & NIL budget. As did many others, I had a hunch that his time as a Duke would go something like it did. (I did not expect him to be the defensive disaster that he was.)

Aside from an injury that seems likely to be resolved by late summer, I haven't learned anything about Demir that makes me think he is a career reclamation project like Hugley. With that in mind, I have a hard time believing that he is a strong A-10 starting center in the making, who just happened to get stuck behind 3 good bigs on a disappointing Oregon team. I certainly don't claim to know what DU is paying him, but given the NIL budget history, I doubt it compares with the $750,000 to $1,000,000 that a top A-10  center would command. The lack of serious interest this time around from sexier programs & the below market price tag make me feel like Ege is just as likely to be no more than a competent eater of minutes than he is to be the team's anchor.

I'm hoping he is the steal of the A-10 portal season while tempering my expectations.