Too early for me to get very excited about any positive or negative rankings.  Of course, there is nothing else to discuss that is new right now so this is as good as anything.

I was lost last year trying to predict DU's record because I didn't have a clue about what we would put on the floor. This year, I have two clues: Mason and McKoy. An "as advertised" Robinson, an improved Gill, something from one of our freshmen, and better play from the point guard position, and I maybe can see 13 wins again. All that plus a bustout from someone and maybe 14-15.

duq81 wrote:

We didn't finish last last year, and it was hardly just because of Soko. The last 6-7 years, we have usually done better when picked low, and disappointed when picked high. Barring injuries, I expect 16-18 wins this year.

Take away Soko's team leading 18 ppg and 8 rpg and there is no question we finished at the bottom last season.  It would be silly to argue otherwise.  Of course there were others who were key players like Micah and McKoy but they are back next season.  The question is who will make up for Soko's loss. He was a perfect fit for Ferry's style.  Despite some of his flaws, he was a mobile big who could lead the fast break, beat his man off the dribble, and chase down rebounds.  I do not know what we have in Robinson.  He is a guy who has yet to even practice with the team.  Unless Robinson and a couple of the other new guys are major surpprises I think 16 - 18 wins next season is a wishful prediction. 

What you all might be forgetting is that win total was boosted by maybe the weakest non-conference schedule in the program's history. It hides how bad this program really is. Even a mediocre non-conference schedule would have mean 7, 8 wins tops. 

at least someone believes in Ferry and the dukes..

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24578954/conference-catchup-a-10-brings-in-longtime-small-league-ruler

bubble team in 2016...he must think very highly of the freshman, castro, and robinson!

DukesFan79 wrote:

I think we are all in agreement on this board that the key to the program's success is recruiting. Those who complain about Duquesne consistently being in the bottom 3-4 teams in the conference need to take a hard look at the other program's in the A10. I have personally been to about half of the venue's in the conference, and I can say adamently that Palumbo does not even compare to any of them. How many high level basketall schools still have wood bleachers in their arena? And to think people call for us to compete against the Big East. We have worse facilities than half of the team's in the CAA. In order to get the results we all yearn for, we must get up to speed resource wise. And then we can judge the coaching staff's ability to recruit.

I don't agree with this at all.  Our facilities are better than St. Joes, yet they made the tournament.  St. Bonny plays in a farm town with a terrible arena without a videoboard.  La Salle's arena is far worse than ours.  Even VCU doesn't have an arena that is incredible.  We play some games in Consol and have a locker room in the facility.  The Consol puts all the arenas in the A10 to absolute shame (besides St. Louis).  We are alledgedly putting in permanent seating in the rest of Palumbo as well to give it a more intimate feel.  I actually really like the Palumbo Center.  The coach has the resources to succeed.  Ron didn't have Ferry's budget and he did okay.  

heelsdukesfan wrote:

at least someone believes in Ferry and the dukes..

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24578954/conference-catchup-a-10-brings-in-longtime-small-league-ruler

bubble team in 2016...he must think very highly of the freshman, castro, and robinson!

This is exactly my feeling!
 

Winning will put bodies in the seats, and I don't mean going to the CBI either. There were lots of empty seats at Fitzgerald Field House before Ben Howland came to town. The Civic Arena had become a ghost town before Sid and Geno arrived, and if the Steelers 40 year run of mostly solid football ever came to an end, you'd be seeing a lot of yellow seats at Heinz Field.
Win, and they will come.
That said, I agree 100% with the idea that DU has never heavily invested in hoops. Ferry has the most to work with of any coach ever, and Ron had more to work with than Nee, or DAP could have dreamed of. Duquesne's tradition was built by their greatest coach ever, Chick Davies, and carried on by his protoges, Dudey Moore, and Red Manning, who were able to rely on a solid local talent base to keep the program winning for 60 years. Once the big football schools started paying attention to hoops, the gig was up.

ElDuque wrote:

Duquesne basketball is just one big "chicken or egg - which comes first?" story.

More money + better resources = attract more players.
Better players = winning = more fans, donors.
But, no more money with current interest level in program.
Current interest level = lack of confidence in winning + weak schedule.

So, something has to give.


 

Well, Ferry seems to have confidence in what he's doing, so I'm willing to ride it out with him and see what happens. There are mixed opinions. In the last two days, I've seen an article that pegs us for last in the league this year, while a second writer sees us as a bubble team a year from now, and I can actually see how either might happen. In other words, there are enough question marks, that i can easily see this team failing. Other than Mason and McCoy, we will be depending on unproven players, and guys who have a spotty track record. If none of the young guys step up, we won't be very good. Conversely, we have some young guys who were solid recruits for our level. If just a couple of them pan out, we should return to what we were during RE's last few years. If more than a couple work out, we could truly become good. Gill is a key. Ferry truly thinks he has major potential. He showed some flashes, especially late in the year, and may be the main reason why Watkins became expendable. He's really a guy to watch this summer.
 

Some good points, but let’s not forget that when Everhart was here we played Boston College, Drake, Iowa, Duke, Old Dominion, Arizona, and Valparaiso, in addition to the normal assortment of early season cupcakes. Not only did the past season’s schedule not include anyone that good, it really lacked good mid-major names such as Ohio U., Bowling Green, Siena, etc.

Because we played in those early season round-robin tournaments in the Everhart years, Ferry’s first season included a game with Georgetown, BTW.

Personally, I would like to see a strong OOC schedule every year, regardless of our perceived strength or weakness before the season starts. The years you have a good team, 20 wins means a good postseason tournament. The years you don’t have a good team, at least you give the fan base a reason to drive to Palumbo on a snowy Wednesday night.

Either way, I think you get better by playing better.

I also think it’s important to be able to beat Pitt and WVU once in a while, and RMU 8 times out of 10. No one who reads this feels as passionately about rivalries as I do, so I won’t waste anyone’s time elaborating on this, but I think everyone should at least be bothered that we never beat Pitt, rarely beat WVU, and have been bullied by RMU for too long.

One thing to be happy about, conference wise, is that the A-10 had a great season last year. We lost three schools (Xavier, Temple, Butler) that were regulars in the NCAA T, and all three had sub-par or worse seasons. The Big East divorce didn’t result in the mitosis of one power conference into two, but actually created two weaker conferences (at least for a year) which incidentally surrendered some great rivalries.

On the other hand, a stronger A-10 means we have our work cut out for us. We have to continue to upgrade the level of talent, Ferry has to continue to improve as a game coach, and the players have to show incremental development. None of this is news, I know, but if you look at Ferry’s first two years, you see a little “one step forward, one step back” kind of progress. To get to 16 wins and a bubble sniff (NIT), or 20 wins and an NCAA bubble sniff, the progress has to happen at an accelerated rate. This is not a knock on anyone or anything, it’s not nattering negativity, it’s something that I personally think every DU fan should want and be looking for … and measuring in terms of Ws and Ls, both OOC and in-conference.

Meantime, no, I’m not drinking anyone’s Kool-Aid just yet. Based on what I saw last year, I think we presently are looking at a lineup that at best includes two players who I think could start for any A-10 school (McKoy & Mason), two returning starters who I currently rate as mediocre, and an opening with no proven starter. I too have my hopes about players stepping up (Ridenour & Gill), players stepping in and establishing themselves (Robinson), and recruits sweeping us off our feet, but I need to see it become reality.

A pretty fair, objective and, I think, accurate prediction of the A10 ladder. The only thing I might change is to switch Duquesne ahead of George Mason.

Didn't they beat us on our court ... they came into the game without an A-10 win, if I remember correctly?