You are not alone, but it’s not a popular position to take on this Board, or at Duquesne.  Dan is a very popular guy, very likeable, and his teams are mostly competitive and win more than they lose.  The players seem to like him and they get good kids who usually perform well in the classroom and represent the University well with no public issues.   Next year as you mentioned could be very challenging without the seniors.  With that said, I kind of reached many of the same conclusions as you did over the last several years and have therefore not invested a great deal of my time in the Women’s Program.

I understand your willingness to continue with the present system of full- court pressure combined with 3-point shooting on offense.  Perhaps they had no choice with the lack of legitimate D-1 size,  but to resort to this plan.  I just never put much stock in these low percentage strategies at the college level.  When you have no other options coaches at this level will break the press and take away the threes.  You’ll beat up on some of the weaker teams, but as the season progresses, you will struggle mightily against the better teams in the league.  Without a sound strategy as you stated, they have managed to drop games against some of the weaker teams.  I guess I need to be convinced that this strategy can ever win an A-10 Championship, and that should always be the goal; not just to win more than you lose, and never advance beyond that level.

HookShot, what were your expectations for this season?  I think the feeling coming out of the Women's program was that this team could have a championship run, especially since Meg herself seemed to be talking about wanting to win a championship.

I think you probably thought it was more likely to be a top-4 finish and be in position to challenge for the tournament championship.  

You also state there is an outside chance at 20 wins...how can you make that conclusion?  That would mean Duquesne would have to win at George Mason, who is currently #2 in the league.  There is NO chance of an upset, given the recent blow out losses to Richmond and UMass, which is much less talented than GM.  I expect another embarrassing showing against another top level team in the league.

As it stands now, Duquesne and Fordham are each 9-8 in the conference standngs, with one game left, and both teams playing on the road, Fordham travels to Davidson, it is very much likely that both teams will be tied, 9-9 and given that Fordham swept us, they get the tiebreaker...all the more reason for why the loss at Fordham was so TERRIBLE. 

We now know the standings are already set, that Fordham and Duquesne will be the 8 and 9 seeds, meaning that the winner plays number one Richmond, which guarantees another blowout loss for whoever wins.

This team has no shot at 20 wins and it will be highly likely they will not go to a post-season tournament.  

At this point in Dan Burt's tenure, it is painfully obvious that this is the best we can hope for.  We have only signed one recruit for next years class and will be seriously undersized next year unless we can get a couple of big out of the portal.  It should not be a surprise that we are undersized when you look at the team and the high number of guards on the roster.  

Getting back to this season, it should be viewed by all as a MAJOR disappointment.  I seem to recall sometime when Zack wrote a story about Duquesne women maybe the best basketball team in Pittsburgh.  That didn't age well at all.

I hope AD Harper is paying attention because the reality is the Duquesne women's team is in the same spot as the Pitt men's team which is struggling down the stretch and has the Pitt fanbase screaming for Capel's head, which was also given a large extension as well.

Last edited by DU90 (2/27/2025 6:01 pm)

I support my University. Dan Burt is a winner. He will bring size in and build on this style. Go Dukes!

Athletic Directors frequently want "their people" in the key positions (Men's Football, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball) and Softball/Baseball in warmer cities.

Dan signed an extension before last season..  His original hiring was not made by Harper.

I'm presuming Harper did his due dilligence (money,length,overall performance) before making the offer.

I'm with Dan going forward.

Another BLOWOUT loss to George Mason, losing 86-63.  

Keep in mind, we went 4-5 in February and lost 3 games by 20+ points to Richmond, UMass and George Mason.  We benefitted by having 2 of our wins coming against the worst team in the league, St. Bonaventure.

As to the statement about Dan Burt being a winner, I respectfully disagree since we got blown out by the top tier teams in the league.  At this point in his career as a head coach, it is completely unacceptale to be blown out like that, especially when two of them are on your home floor.  

I get that some like Burt personally, but I knew Dan Durkin very well when he was the coach and there was no better man than him, but when it was time for him to go, I fully supported that decision.  Burt may be a nice guy, but he is paid to win games and this end to the season is not what should be happening this late in his career.

Last edited by DU90 (3/04/2025 12:32 pm)

DU90 wrote:

HookShot, what were your expectations for this season?  I think the feeling coming out of the Women's program was that this team could have a championship run, especially since Meg herself seemed to be talking about wanting to win a championship.

I think you probably thought it was more likely to be a top-4 finish and be in position to challenge for the tournament championship.  

You also state there is an outside chance at 20 wins...how can you make that conclusion?  That would mean Duquesne would have to win at George Mason, who is currently #2 in the league.  There is NO chance of an upset, given the recent blow out losses to Richmond and UMass, which is much less talented than GM.  I expect another embarrassing showing against another top level team in the league.

As it stands now, Duquesne and Fordham are each 9-8 in the conference standngs, with one game left, and both teams playing on the road, Fordham travels to Davidson, it is very much likely that both teams will be tied, 9-9 and given that Fordham swept us, they get the tiebreaker...all the more reason for why the loss at Fordham was so TERRIBLE. 

We now know the standings are already set, that Fordham and Duquesne will be the 8 and 9 seeds, meaning that the winner plays number one Richmond, which guarantees another blowout loss for whoever wins.

This team has no shot at 20 wins and it will be highly likely they will not go to a post-season tournament.  

At this point in Dan Burt's tenure, it is painfully obvious that this is the best we can hope for.  We have only signed one recruit for next years class and will be seriously undersized next year unless we can get a couple of big out of the portal.  It should not be a surprise that we are undersized when you look at the team and the high number of guards on the roster.  

Getting back to this season, it should be viewed by all as a MAJOR disappointment.  I seem to recall sometime when Zack wrote a story about Duquesne women maybe the best basketball team in Pittsburgh.  That didn't age well at all.

I hope AD Harper is paying attention because the reality is the Duquesne women's team is in the same spot as the Pitt men's team which is struggling down the stretch and has the Pitt fanbase screaming for Capel's head, which was also given a large extension as well.

DU --  What were YOUR expectations for THIS  season??

Sure Meg talked about winning a championship --  ALL players hopefully talk that way.

The team lost 65-67% of their minutes played, scoring and rebounding from last years team..   The numbers approach 82-84% when you remove Megan from the equation..  One player can only do so much.  The numbers might get elevated a little bit more (not that much) when we consider that Gabby Grantham did not play at all and Kaitlyn Ammons was injured early and never got back in uniform.

Skeptic Al, to answer your question...

My expectations were not high because I knew outside of Meg, the team was going to be short-handed.  Then I had lunch with somene (back in the fall) in the Athletic Department and we got to talking about the upcoming basketball season.  The feedback was the men's team was likely to be bumpy at the start, but by the end of the season, everyone was confident the men would be hitting their stride.  That has proven to be accurate.

As for the women, I made it very clear I was not a fan of Burt's coaching style and felt last year's team underperformed - and they did.  I laid out to my lunch partner exactly the issues I had with his coaching and substitution patterns and l was told, not to worry, this year was going to be different and there was a quiet confidence that the women's team could very well have a season similar to last year's men's team run and that we were in a great spot to compete for an A10 title this year.

I smiled and said, we'll see.   

You are correct, I did not post much last year because despite what I saw was bad coaching decisions, we still had a decent season, but I really felt the team underperformed and should have had a better season then they did.  

This year, since I was told from the inside the expectation was a run at the A10 champtionship being a reaslistic possibility, I will say that if that is the case, then the team has DRAMATICALLY (yes, that is for emphasis) underperformed.  

I am sorry, even without Grantham-Medley, this team had 4 very good starting players: Kiandre Brown, Gabby Hutcherson, Jerni Kiaku and Meg -- all four of these women are the 4 best players on the team and should not be on the bench as much as they have been all season, the exception being Meg.

Let me be clear, Gabby Hutcherson was probably the best post and all-around player we've had come into this progeram.  Her athleticsim and shooting ability require that she be getting 30+ minutes per game.  Kiandre Brown has shown in the last 2 seasons that she is very nimble around the hoop and should have been locked on the block and fed the ball repeatedly and easilty getting 10+ points per game.

Jerni Kiaku is one of the BEST guards, not named Meg McConnell in the A10.  We saw her strong ability when she dropped 19 against Purdue last year in the sesaon ending loss.  She is a beast as an on-ball defender and has a tremendous ability to attack the basket and finish despite contact.

These 4 plus Grantham-Medley would have been our best starting 5 in a long time.  I love Grantham-Medley's game as she is the perfect 3 for this team, especially with her mid-range game.  I believe she will be all conference before she leaves Duquesne and for the life of me, can't understand why Burt sat her for long periods of tine in games last year, where she could have easily come in provided size and athteticism that was needed.  All you had to do is watch the game she played at GW last year, to get a preview of her ability to score.

That being said, Grantham-Medley was not available this year, but we still had a good chance to add in a 4th player to round out the starting five.  I have been impressed at times with Green seeing her play and like what she brings to the table, and was completely surprised at how good Blackford's all-around game is.  

What I can't understand for the life of me, is why our starting lineup isn't Brown-Hutcherson-Green/Blackford-Kiatu and McConnell.  That would have been a very competitive starting 5.  But, we don't use this lineup and instead play small  by playing 4 guards around Brown/Hutcherson.  And it has been a disaster.  Yes, the full-court press started out as a big challenge for our opponents, but by the time came around for conference play to begin, and teams had properly scouted us, they were prepared for the press and knew how to beat it and got layups or wide open 3's.  

For a team that was hoping to challenge for a conference championship, to be rolled by the better teams in the A10 by 20+ points, including twice on your home floor, and one CBS Sports national broadcast, this season is a DISAPPOINTMENT.  

DuqBlue, I don't have an axe to grind, I am just an alum who wants to see the women's program return to when we went to the NCAA Tournament and beat Seton Hall in the first ever NCAAT game!  I have been around the women's program A LONG TIME.  Terry Mitchell was a year a head of me and I knew her well.  I was there when Dan Durkin came on the scene and got to watch Korie Hlede play all 4 years.  I knew Dan very well and he was one of the most decent men that ever represented Duquesne University.

So Blue, I ask you, why is it considered to be grinding an axe when I point out the flaws of Dan's coaching?  Here is something that really needs to be pointed out. Burt took us to the NCAAT and got us a first win with an at-large bid and that is a tremendous accomplishment, but that was back in 2015-2016.  This should have jumpstarted the program to being a regular top 4 team in the A-10 it didn't.  He didnt capitatlize on his own success.  

So why is he immune from criticism?  Why am accused of having an axe to grind because I point out the obvious?  You know like passing the ball around the perimeter all game and chucking the 3, while completely ignoring the paint and not using two very good post options, Brown and Hutcherson?  You know, kind of like when we went small and had to have our smaller guards get muscled on the block by the opposition for easy success?You know, kind of like not having Hutcherson at the foul-line where she could attack the basket, hit the foul-line jumper or feed Brown on the block?  The way Hutcherson was used this season is one of the reasons why I am so frustrated.  A damn good coach would have set her up for success by taking advantage of her skill set and her athleticism and probably turned her into at worst, a 2nd team All A10 player.  

Finally Blue, please point out where I am wrong.  I am bringing to you facts and you throw shade.

Last edited by DU90 (3/04/2025 5:55 pm)

DuqBlue, I don't have an axe to grind...so please point out where I am wrong in my criticism of Burt's coaching, so you can at least add something to the discussion other than to make dismissive comments with nothing to add/share.

Love to hear your thoughts about how the expectations from within the Athletic Department about a potential championship run vs. reality of playing the 8/9 game. 

Last edited by DU90 (3/05/2025 9:40 am)

I get your point too, you have nothing to add to the conversation, as you have yet to comment on any of the points I have laid out where Burt's coaching has been questionable. 

Why is that?  Do you find it acceptable for this team to get blown out by Richmond, UMass and George Mason late in the season?  I don't enjoy watching this team lose but the talent on this team has been wasted.   

You don't like what I have posted, then please counter with facts, otherwise you are nothing more than a drive-by poster who clearly accepts mediocrity.  

BTW, did you READ where I stated about my history with the women's team?  Do you even know who Dan Durkin, Terry Mitchell and Korie Hlede are?  I have been around for a LONG time so I am committed.  But, clearly you don't like any criticism directed at Burt's coaching.

PLEASE provide some commentary that addresses my in-game analysis.  Do you agree with our starting lineup?  Do you agree that playing 4 guards and one forward is a successful game plan?  Do you agree with the way Gabby Huterchson was used this season? 

I would love to have a dialog and have someone come and point out if I am wrong, but let's face it, Burt has failed to come close to the standard HE set by getting us the first ever NCAAWT bid.  Why is it wrong to point out that FACT??