Duquesne Dukes Fan Forum / Blue Ribbon Forecast For A10

**Posted by CLK** 9/08/2023 12:13 pm

Blue Ribbon predicts the Dukes to finish 3rd, with Dae Dae on the All League Team.

https://twitter.com/gmuhoops/status/1700114609904992342?t=f63IS4yKj9MUxcoV1YIqBg&s=19

**Posted by stew** 9/08/2023 4:39 pm

Jimmy Clark is better than Grant.Clark plays better defense,is stronger,quicker,can dribble drive and rebounds.Clark is more consistent and if Grant isnt hitting shots,he seems to dissappear especially against
quality team like Kentucky,Dayton..I think Grant is a very good player,needs to get stronger driving.

**Posted by phil95** 9/08/2023 9:50 pm

5 guards & 1 forward on the all-conference team says much about the state of the conference. I feel like both Clark & Savrasov have a good chance of having all-conference seasons.

It's a lock that DU will have the deepest front court in the conference. Will that also be the leagues best batch of bigs?

I also think that 3rd place sounds about right. I see this as team capable of finishing 3rd or 4th but rolling into the A-10 tournament playing their best basketball after having had 30 games to get past a slow starts from Mahorcic//Hronsky/Barre & finding their team chemistry groove.

**Posted by levon1975** 9/10/2023 1:16 pm

Both Grant and Clark played too many minutes last year, and it showed late in the season. They are still too thin at guard this season, unless the freshman Nichols can come in and contribute quickly. If he can, perhaps they can have a decent guard rotation. If not, they will end up with the same result; too many minutes for Grant and Clark.

**Posted by CLK** 9/10/2023 3:17 pm

levon1975 wrote:
Both Grant and Clark played too many minutes last year, and it showed late in the season. They are still too thin at guard this season, unless the freshman Nichols can come in and contribute quickly. If he can, perhaps they can have a decent guard rotation. If not, they will end up with the same result; too many minutes for Grant and Clark.

Good post Levon.There are some unanswred questions regarding the starting point guard and who will substitute at the SG slot. I was hoping this spring that KD would bring in another big guard who could drive the ball. From what I am hearing, Necas may fill that wish. Other candidates are Nichols, Hronsky, Barba, or DiMichele.

**Posted by Wildwood13** 9/10/2023 3:21 pm

levon1975 wrote:
Both Grant and Clark played too many minutes last year, and it showed late in the season. They are still too thin at guard this season, unless the freshman Nichols can come in and contribute quickly. If he can, perhaps they can have a decent guard rotation. If not, they will end up with the same result; too many minutes for Grant and Clark.

Not buying what you are selling about too many minutes. St Bona and Richmond played their guards the entire game and both made the NCAA tournament the past few years. So do a lot of teams throughout college basketball. It’s called proper conditioning. These kids play three AAU games on Saturday and then another 3 on Sunday.

**Posted by CLK** 9/11/2023 8:32 am

Wildwood, I think I remember Dambrot saying that Grant and Clark were playing too many minutes. I guess much depends on the style of play.

**Posted by FAM** 9/11/2023 9:54 am

Both thoughts here...Yes, CLK I do think he said that those 2 played too many minutes. With that said, I disagree with Dabrot's focus. These are 18-22 year old athletes. They can run ALL summer...there are many time outs during a game and of course half-time.

I agree with Wildwood...if there is an issue, my opinion is because of not proper conditioning...not too many minutes. Go Dukes!

**Posted by CLK** 9/11/2023 10:56 am

I am not a coach, but I have learned a couple things after managing people for over 35 years:

1. Everyone is different and performs differently under different circumstances.
2. Everyone is subject to diminishing marginal productivity the more and harder they work.

As we all know, KD plays an exclusive pressing man defense, and likes to run an up-tempo offense. His style requires much more energy to be consistently effective. While some players might be able to play for 40 minutes, I would dare say that there are very few who can do so consistently without a drop off in efficiency and productivity. Again, everyone is different. Last yar Dae Dae averaged 33 minutes/game, and Jimmy averaged 29 minutes/game. Is that too much? I don’t know. The Dukes seem to have enough depth and interchangeable parts this season to make sure that nobody plays excessive minutes without a significant drop off in defensive efficiency and offensive productivity. The only question is the SG slot. However, as mentioned previously, there will be a lot of competition for those minutes from guys who have a lot of potential to be really good.

**Posted by phil95** 9/11/2023 7:40 pm

Yes, there is probably one too few experienced combo guard with size. If he stays, I think getting the late commit from Necas was a coup for the program in the long term but not the best thing for this season. I thought for sure his spot would go to a combo guard portal guy.

This team could really benefit from employing some modern, positionless basketball strategies with the likes of Hronsky, Necas, & Savrasov taking over some of the playmaking responsibilities while deemphasizing the shortage of guards.

**Posted by CLK** 9/13/2023 10:03 am

Phil I think that is exactly what we will see from the Dukes this year. Hronsky struggled last year with illness and injury, but we really got a glimpse of his potential in our opener last season against Montana. The last I heard in July he had not yet been cleared for full practice. Maybe someone has an update on his status? He and Necas both have the ability, size, and quickness to play multiple positions, as does Savrasov and the Drame twins.