Could a revamped roster be what the Dukes needed to turn the tables in 2022?
Last season showed some glimpses of promise in an otherwise deeply disappointing season. After winning the opener against Rider, the team dropped 7 of their next 9 games. After winning the next three games, including their in-conference opener against UMass, the team fell into another slump, and ended the season on a 17-game losing streak, tying the school record with the 1998-99 roster.
While finishing with a record of 6-24 (1-16) is far to write home about, the roster was relatively young in comparison to their competition, and showed potential for improvement throughout various points of the season.
With a large turnover from last season's roster, Keith Dambrot has added some important pieces and (at least on paper) has improved the team in multiple aspects.
By retaining a few key pieces and adding a strong recruiting class, could the Dukes bounce-back from what was an underwhelming season last year?
Following the conclusion of last season, the Dukes have lost five of their seven top scorers to the transfer portal, including guards Jackie Johnson III (UNLV), Amir 'Primo' Spears (Georgetown), and Leon Ayers III. Dambrot and his staff have been busy this summer, after naming a recruiting class of 10 newcomers, including five Division I transfers.
Guards:
- Tevin Brewer (Gr.)
- Tre Clark III (Jr.)
- Dae Dae Grant (Jr.)
- Devin Carney (Fr.)
- Jaylen Cole-Williams (So.)
- Jake Harper (Jr.)
- Kareem Rozier (Fr.)
- Quincy McGriff (So.)
Harper is the only returning guard, although last season he didn't see the court as he focused his time as wide receiver for the football team.
Brewer, an FIU transfer, played 66 games for the Panthers, leading the team in scoring (15.2 ppg.) and assists (5.6 apg.) while also registering team high minutes per game (32.1).
Clark spent his first two seasons at VCU before transferring to Northwest Florida helping guide them to 2021 NJCAA National Championship. Having played in the Atlantic 10 before, Dambrot likes the level of play that Clark brings to the roster.
"Tre has shown that he can play at a high level in the Atlantic 10," Dambrot said recently. "He's won a national championship in junior college, where he continued to improve. He's a defensive-minded guard with a diversified game. He should help our toughness level immensely."
Forwards:
- David Dixon (Fr.)
- Tre Williams (Jr.)
- Halil Barre (Fr.)
- Matus Hronsky (Fr.)
- Joe Reece (Sr.)
- Rodney "RJ" Gunn Jr. (Gr.)
- Andy Barba (So.)
- Austin Rotroff (Gr.)
- Kevin Easley Jr. (Jr.)
Easley, who previously declared for the NBA Draft, announced that he will return to Duquesne for one more season. Last year, he led the team in rebounds, a category that the team as a whole struggled with.
Barre, a member of the Benin National Team, is best known for his ability to grab rebounds, but Dambrot believes that he has the potential to be a legitimate scoring threat as well.
"He is very good defensively around the rim and has shown the ability to shoot the ball out to 15 feet. We feel he can be a good scorer around the basket as well."
Hronsky also has experience competing at the international level, representing Slovenia in 20 games across three levels of their developmental program.
THE SCHEDULE
Although the Dukes' 2022-23 schedule is yet to be released, we can look at their in-conference opponents, and how the revamped roster may stack up against Atlantic 10 competition.
Last year was the first time since the 2016 season that the Dukes finished with a losing record (6-24, 1-16) placing them last in the conference.
Losing 16 in-conference games is never a good sign, however what can be somewhat encouraging is that nine of those losses came by way of 11 points or less. This margin of victory is slightly less than the average in Division 1 Basketball. Factor in the Dukes' improved rebounding, mid-range shooting and defensive prowess, Dambrot and his revamped roster should find themselves in closer contests come the fall.
