Duquesne

State of '08: Pennsylvania

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:08:07 -0400

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

PENNSYLVANIA

PITTSBURGH - The Panthers have made 7-straight NCAA Tournaments, thanks to the foundation built by Ben Howland. In that 7-year stretch are 4 Sweet Sixteens, including 2 each by Howland and Jamie Dixon. This year's team projects to be Top 20 once again.

VILLANOVA - Jay Wright's squad is looking to make its 5th Tournament in a row. Even though the team did sneak into the field last year, the previous three teams were legit Top 25 squads, including the 2006 team that earned a #1 seed.

SAINT JOSEPH'S - In the past eight years, St. Joe's has reached the postseason seven times (4 NCAAs and 3 NITs), a stretch in which Phil Martelli has been named the A10's top coach three times. This year the team should be solid once again, but Philly rivals Villanova and Temple are expected to be better.

TEMPLE - The Owls returned to the Big Dance for the first time since 2001, as the program is still trying to gain an identity following John Chaney's epic career. With the exception of 2007, Temple has been in the Top 102 RPI every year since the 80's.

PENN - The Quakers have obviously been one of the best teams (along with Princeton) in the Ivy League since the early 70's. While Princeton has collapsed, Penn is still hanging in there following the departure of Fran Dunphy. Last year's young team did struggle following 3-straight Tourney trips, but a 19-20 win season should be expected in 2009.

6. BUCKNELL - Long-time coach Pat Flannery stepped down after last season's disappointing 12-19 finish. But Flannery took the program to heights that no one could have expected. In '05 & '06, the Bison not only made the Big Dance, but knocked off Kansas & Arkansas. '07 wasn't bad either with a Top 80 RPI finish.

7. DREXEL - Drexel is coming off one if its worst seasons in years, and the worst in Bruiser Flint's 12-year career. Before last year's 12-20 debacle, the Dragons had made 4 NIT's in the previous 5 years.

8. PENN STATE - Last year's 7-11 Big Ten record was the best in Ed DeChellis' 5-year tenure. I guess that's progress of some sort, but the Penn State has accomplished virtually nothing since 2001's freak Sweet Sixteen run.

9. LEHIGH - When Billy Taylor took over in 2002, Lehigh had been in a prolonged slump. But he did a nice job getting the Mountain Hawks to the Tourney in '04 and to the Pat League title game in '06. 2nd year coach Brett Reed is trying to continue that success after an up and down first year.

10. ROBERT MORRIS - Last year was the culmination of steady growth achieved during Mark Schmidt's tenure. But it was 1st year coach Mike Rice who got to reap Schmidt's rewards, leading the team to an all-time high 27 wins and making the NIT after winning the NEC regular-season title.

11. DUQUESNE - Not one of Duquesne's last six coaches finished with a +.500 record. Last year's 17-13 record was the Dukes best since 93-94 when they reached the NIT. 17-13 is quite an accomplishment for Ron Everhart considering he took over a team that was 3-24 in '06.

12. LA SALLE - La Salle's utter lack of success is surprising because the school does have decent name recognition. The program has showed potential since John Giannini took over in 2004, but the postseason will still have to wait. La Salle has finished over .500 just once in the last 15 seasons (2006).

13. LAFAYETTE - In '99 & '00, the Leopards won back to back Patriot League titles. There hasn't been much to cheer about in the last 8 seasons though. 2004 was the last time Lafayette even finished above .500 in league play.

14. SAINT FRANCIS - The past three seasons have been simply brutal. The Red Flash have won 15 total games against D1 teams and finished below 300th in the RPI each year. Most preseason publications project another last-place NEC finish in 08-09.

Last: Oregon - Next: South Carolina

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

Duquesne Signs Johnny Higgins

Press Release — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 04:06:04 -0500

PITTSBURGH – Duquesne University head men’s basketball coach Ron Everhart has announced the signing of combo guard Johnny Higgins (Baltimore, Md./Randallstown/Notre Dame (Mass.) Prep) to a National Letter of Intent.

The 6-1, 185-pound Higgins is the first fall signee for the 2008-09 recruiting class.

Higgins led Randallstown (Md.) High School to back-to-back state championships as a sophomore and junior before enrolling at Notre Dame Prep as an undergraduate and helping the Crusaders - coached by current Duquesne assistant Bill Barton - to the 2007 Prep School National Championship. Higgins, who scored 28 points in Notre Dame Prep’s 114-94 win over Bridgton (Maine) Academy in the title game, is completing his postgraduate year at Notre Dame Prep.

“I’m thrilled to have Johnny as part of our program,” said Everhart. “He’s a tough kid who can play a variety of positions. He’s getting better and better by proving himself against some of the top guards in the country day-in and day-out at Notre Dame Prep.

Johnny’s addition to our roster comes at a perfect time since we won’t have [senior guards] Reggie Jackson and Gary Tucker next season. ”

Higgins, who is ranked as the 14th-best prospect in New England and the No. 3 prospect in Massachusetts by the New England Recruiting Report, averaged 14.0 points and 7.0 assists per game last year. He teamed with Kansas State standout freshman forward Michael Beasley and Duquesne freshman forward Damian Saunders in helping Notre Dame Prep to a 32-3 record. Notre Dame Prep, which began this season ranked third in the national preseason prep school poll, is off to a 4-0 start this season.

Johnny is a proven winner,” said Barton of his former player. “When it comes to winning games he is on the level of other great guards I coached at Notre Dame Prep like Carl Krauser [formerly at Pittsburgh], Will Blalock [formerly at Iowa State] and Gary Ervin [Arkansas]. He’s a competitor who will do whatever it takes to win games.”

Higgins, a Baltimore native, averaged 27.8 points, 6.3 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 rebounds per game in leading Randallstown to a class 2A state title in 2005-06. As a sophomore, he averaged 15.5 points, 5.2 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in helping Randallstown to the class 3A state championship.

Higgins also considered Virginia Tech, Rhode Island and Old Dominion - among others - prior to signing with Duquesne.

2007-08 Duquesne Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 14:50:40 -0400

Duquesne Dukes

Overall Rank: #77

Conference Rank: #6 A-10

2006-07: 10-19, 6-10, 10^th (t)

2006-07 postseason: none

Last offseason Duquesne was dealing with a shooting tragedy. And while it will take more than just a year to get over the events, the Dukes are ready to play some basketball and quality basketball at that. Last year was a transition period while learning the running and pressing style of play employed by Coach Ron Everhart. The Dukes had 11 players average over ten minutes per game, but still Duquesne wore down late in the season. With nine of those players returning, a year of experience in the system and a group of talented newcomers headed to Pittsburgh, wearing down at the end of the year will not be a concern. However, integrating the style of play with the newcomers, it is unlikely Duquesne will run as much this year.

Who’s Out:

Scott Grote and Almamy Thiero were the only departures from the squad, until Robert Mitchell opted to transfer. Grote, who is transferring to Wright State, ranked fourth on the team with 9.9 points per game. The wing was a decent outside shooter, but was also the perimeter player who would get to the basket the most. Thierro only played in 15 games, but when he did play he was an effective rebounder. Mitchell earned A-10 Rookie of the Year accolades after averaging 16.4 points and 5.4 rebounds as a freshman. The 6-6 forward spent most of last season at the power forward spot, but would have likely moved to the starting three spot during the 2007-2008 campaign. Mitchell was the most prolific and consistent shooter from beyond the arc last season and his absence will be felt for a long time.

Who’s In:

What the Dukes lacked last season was rebounding. Shawn James, a transfer from Northeastern will certainly try his best to fix that. The 6-10 James averaged 12.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.5 blocks two years ago with the Huskies. The competition level is up from the America East, but James will make a huge impact on this team on both sides of the floor. Stuard Baldonado and Ricky Jackson have the size and experience to help bolster the rebounding numbers. Baldonado, a transfer from Miami Dade College, missed last season, but is expected to play a big role up front this year. Ricky Jackson had a brief stop over at Cloud County Community College in Kansas where he averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. David Theis and walk-on Brandon Harris will add depth where the Dukes have not had depth in quite some time. The newcomers on the perimeter are led by Kojo Mensah. The transfer from Siena averaged 16.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the Saints during the 2005-2006 campaign. Besides the gaudy numbers, Mensah is a terrific defender and will thrive in the high pressure defensive schemes. Walk-on Lucas Newton will provide emergency depth at the point and Bill Clark is expected to develop into a solid scoring option on the wing. (Ed. Note: Duquesne also added Damian Saunders, a 6-7 forward out of Notre Dame Prep, after this preview went online).

Who to Watch:

Aaron Jackson did a fine job running the point last year, but the combo guard will likely spend most of his time on the wing this season with the addition of Mensah. Jackson is not the most consistent outside shooter around, but he can hit the long ball. After averaging 11.0 points per game last season, Jackson is expected to increase those numbers since he does not have to concentrate on the point guard position. Reggie Jackson, Gary Tucker, Phillip Fayne and Stephen Wood all started at least 11 games on the perimeter last year and bring a wealth of depth, experience and versatility to the perimeter.

Final Projection:

Kieron Achara will do a little position changing and will slide down to the power forward spot with the addition of center James. Achara averaged 15.8 points and 7.3 rebounds, but it his defensive presence that will have coaches in the A-10 reworking their game plans. Luckily for the Dukes, they had some depth and the absence of Robert Mitchell will not hurt as much as it could have, but it still hurts quite a bit.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Kojo Mensah, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Phillip Fayne, Junior, Guard, 5.4 points per game

Aaron Jackson, Junior, Guard, 11.0 points per game

Kieron Achara, Senior, Forward, 15.8 points per game

Shawn James, Junior, Center, DNP last season

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | Discuss the Preview

High Scoring Robert Mitchell to Leave Duquesne

Press Release — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:42:37 -0400

PITTSBURGH – Head men’s basketball coach Ron Everhart announced today that sophomore forward Robert Mitchell (Brooklyn, N.Y./Notre Dame Prep) has received his release from Duquesne University, clearing the way for his transfer to another school.

“Rob felt that it would be in his best interest to pursue a transfer and we accommodated him,” said Everhart. “Rob is a great kid and we wish him the best.”

The 6-6, 180-pound Mitchell averaged a team-high 16.4 points per game - a scoring average that ranked ninth among the nation’s Division I freshmen - on his way to earning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year honors last season. Mitchell, who was named A-10 Rookie of the Week a league-high five times, was just the second Duke to earn league Rookie of the Year honors, joining Bruce Atkins who was named ROW in 1978-79.

“We have had some very competitive practices in the past week,” said Everhart whose Dukes have been practicing since August 20 in preparation for the school’s first-ever foreign tour over Labor Day weekend. “I like our depth and team chemistry and I feel confident we are going to have a pretty good basketball team.”

Duquesne, which leaves Friday for a four-games-in-three-days trip to Toronto, will now return three starters, including eight of the top ten scorers from last season’s 10-19 team - Everhart’s first as head coach of the Dukes.

In additional news, Ricky Jackson (Canton, Ohio/McKinley/Cloud County Community College), a 6-7, 210-pound sophomore transfer from Cloud County (Kan.) Community College, has been denied admission to Duquesne and has been released from his National Letter of Intent.

Scott Grote to Leave Duquesne Program

Press Release — Fri, 25 May 2007 03:00:00 -0400

PITTSBURGH – Head men’s basketball coach Ron Everhart announced today that freshman guard/forward Scott Grote (Centerville, Ohio/Massanutten (Va.) Military Academy) has received his release from Duquesne University, clearing the way for his transfer to another school.

“Scott informed me that he decided it would be best for him to continue his college career at a different school and we honored his request,” said Everhart. “I informed Scott that we were only interested in players who wanted to be with us here at Duquesne. I wish him the best.”

The 6-6 Grote averaged 9.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 25.6 minutes per game this past season. He started 22 times and was one of four players to see action in all 29 games. Grote finished the season third on the team in assists (63) and steals (34). His 34 3-pointers were the seventh-most ever by a DU freshman.

Duquesne will now return four starters, including nine of the top ten scorers from last season’s 10-19 team, Everhart’s first as head coach of the Dukes.

Duquesne Signs Brandon Harris

Press Release — Wed, 23 May 2007 03:00:00 -0400

PITTSBURGH – Duquesne University head men’s basketball coach Ron Everhart has announced that forward Brandon Harris (Akron, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary) has signed a written offer of admission and plans to enroll this fall as a member men’s basketball team. Harris is the fourth player to commit to the Dukes this spring.

Harris, who was ranked among the top 25 players in Ohio by Rick Bolus' High Potential® Basketball Recruiting Service, came into his own this summer as a member of Pittsburgh’s Team Adidas where he is currently averaging 12.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.

“I’m very pleased Brandon is going to be part of our program,” said Everhart. “He is a young man of great character and an outstanding student. He’ll be a great asset to the basketball program and Duquesne University. Brandon’s upside is unlimited. He has a great future at Duquesne.”

“Brandon is a very good shot blocker with great timing,” said Team Adidas head coach Ernie Kusnyer. “He can shoot the ball comfortably from 15 feet and is an excellent free throw shooter for a big man. He is very coachable and has the potential to be a very good college basketball player, especially with the coaching he’ll receive at Duquesne.”

Harris played limited minutes in helping Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (15-8), which finished No. 7 in the Cleveland Plain Dealer Top 25, to the second round of the OHSAA Division II Boys Championship. He was also on the SVSM Merit Roll this past semester.

“Brandon was a role player for us who made great strides during the season,” said St. Vincent-St. Mary coach Dru Joyce. “He’s just a baby in basketball terms. He moved from Virginia prior to his junior year and went from being a couch potato to an athlete. I think in the right situation - two or so years down the road - he will be a quality player and contribute. I commend the Duquesne coaches for seeing his potential and for their willingness to take a chance.

“Brandon is 6-8 almost 6-9 now and I can easily see him getting up to a solid 250 or 260 pounds as he matures. I wish I had him another year. He could have been more of a go-to guy for us. His upside is as great as anyone in our program.”

Duquesne Signs Bill Clark

Press Release — Wed, 02 May 2007 03:00:00 -0400

PITTSBURGH – Duquesne University head men’s basketball coach Ron Everhart has announced the signing of guard Bill Clark (Redondo Beach, Calif./Worcester (Mass.) Academy) to a National Letter of Intent.

The 6-5, 200-pound Clark is the second spring signee for the 2007-08 recruiting class. He joins David Theis (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian Academy/Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy) (pronounced TICE) who signed with the Dukes in mid-April.

Clark, who attended the same prep school as Dukes’ guard - and two-year starter - Aaron Jackson, will have four seasons of eligibility with Duquesne.

“I’m excited to have Billy Clark in a Duquesne uniform,” said Everhart. “He comes from a great family and is a person of high character. As nice as he is off the floor, that’s reversed once he’s between the lines. He’s a tough player who competes with fire and enthusiasm. He’s a very good shot-maker, especially from the 3-point arc. He passes well for his size and defends with his life. I couldn’t be happier to have him as part of our program.”

Clark averaged 20.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game for head coach Edward Reilly at Worcester Academy. He scored a season-high 29 against Brewster Academy and added 27 points and 10 rebounds against Hotchkiss School. He had a season-high 16 rebounds versus New Hampton School. He was also named Most Outstanding Player of the Blackburn Tournament after helping Worcester to wins over Tilton and Navy Prep Academy.

Clark, who played for perennial national power Oak Hill Academy in 2006, is rated 123rd on Hoop Scoop’s list of top fifth-year players. He was named Sixth Man Award winner at the same late-August 2005 Five-Star Camp that current Duke Robert Mitchell, the 2006-07 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, was named Playoff MVP.

Clark also considered Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, Providence, Saint Joseph’s, Utah and Vanderbilt - among others - prior to signing with Duquesne.

David Theis Signs With Duquesne

Press Release — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 03:41:18 -0400

PITTSBURGH – Duquesne University head men’s basketball coach Ron Everhart has announced the signing of forward David Theis (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian Academy/Mercersburg (Pa.) Academy) (pronounced TICE) to a National Letter of Intent.

The 6-7, 220-pound Theis is the first spring signee for the 2007-08 recruiting class. He joins Jovon Moses (Brooklyn, N.Y./Genesis One (Miss.) Christian School) who signed an NLI with Duquesne in the fall.

Theis, who will have four years of eligibility, is also rejoining former grade school and Vincentian Academy teammate Jason Duty who was a walk-on guard for the Dukes this season.

“I’m really excited to have David Theis as part of our basketball program at Duquesne University,” said Everhart. “He’s a great person and great student who has a terrific work ethic. David overcame some obstacles relating to an injury to go on and have a great year at Mercersburg Academy. He has proven to be a very tough-minded young man. On the court he is a good rebounder who runs the floor very well and can really shoot the 3-pointer. He is a versatile player who will fit exceptionally well into our style of play.

“David truly represents what Duquesne University is all about.”

Theis was being recruited by a number of Division I schools before suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in December of his senior year at Pittsburgh’s Vincentian Academy. He then enrolled at Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pa. where he averaged 19.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game this past season under head coach Mark Cubit. Theis, who topped the 30-point mark twice, was named the team’s Most Outstanding Player and Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) All-Conference. He hit seven 3-pointers in scoring a season-high 35 points in a game against the University of Pennsylvania JV and added 31 against Martinsburg (W.Va.).

At Vincentian, Theis was a four-year starter who earned spots on both the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette WPIAL Class A Fab 5 and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Class A First Team as both a sophomore and junior. He averaged 22.0 points per game as a junior - including a school record 49 in an overtime win over Riverview - and 21.3 ppg. as a senior prior to the knee injury. Theis, who finished his career with 1,473 career points, received interest from Winthrop, Akron and Davidson prior to the injury. He played for current North Hills High School coach Buzz Gabos at Vincentian.

Temple, Richmond and Lehigh showed interest in Theis following his season at Mercersburg.

SLU Falls to Duquesne

Press Release — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 00:19:04 -0500

ST. LOUIS – Despite a career-high 28 points from SLU sophomore guard Tommie Liddell (East St. Louis, Ill.), Duquesne topped host Saint Louis 73-63 in Atlantic 10 Conference men’s basketball action at Scottrade Center tonight. The Dukes, who shot 51 percent from the field, clawed back from a 14-point first half deficit to improve to 5-8 overall and 1-1 in the A-10. SLU dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season and falls to 10-5 overall, 0-2 in conference play.

The Billikens led throughout the game until Gary Tucker sank two free throws at the 5:16 mark to give the Dukes a 55-53 advantage, a lead it would not relinquish the rest of the way. The free throws came in the middle of a 12-0 run, which put the Dukes up for good after trailing by 14 points at one point in the first half and eight points at halftime. Duquesne connected on enough of its attempts at the line down the stretch to protect the lead.

SLU got it started with an outside jumper from Liddell and a traditional 3-point play from junior forward Luke Meyer (Washington, Mo./Boriga). Liddell, who was hot from 3-point range in SLU’s previous game against St. Bonaventure, hit is his first attempted trey to put the Billikens up 8-3 in the early going. A couple of 3-pointers from Duquesne’s Reggie Jackson and Phillip Fayne knotted the score 8-8 at the 16:19 mark, but running layup from Meyer sparked an 8-0 rally, which gave the Billikens a lead it would protect until Duquesne’s second half rally.

The resilient Duquesne squad hung around early thanks to a 10-0 run, which included an Almamy Thiero slam, to cut their once 14-point deficit to just four at 32-28 with 2:18 left in the first half. But SLU would take a 38-33 advantage into the break thanks to 11 straight points from Liddell, including a running layup off a steal with 30 seconds remaining in the half. Liddell brought a game-high 18 points into the locker room at the break, and Meyer, who hit his first five attempts from the field, had 11 points at intermission.

Reggie Jackson threw in eight straight points for the Dukes to start the second half, and a Theiro layup tied the game at 46-46 at the 15:57 mark. Liddell, who along with Polk helped the Billikens keep pace early in the half with 3s, converted a traditional 3-point play to spark a 7-0 Billiken run. Senior center Ian Vouyoukas (Athens, Greece) had a bucket in the rally, and Meyer put his first second half points on the board with a running layup to give the Billikens a 53-47 lead with 11:31 remaining in the game.

But Duquesne responded with its game-altering 12-0 run, which included a 3-ball from Aaron Jackson and the go-ahead free throws from Tucker, to take a 58-53 lead with 4:21 left. It would build on that lead down the stretch as the Dukes pulled away to the 10-point victory.

Liddell’s 26 points came on 10-of-14 from the floor and a 3-of-7 performance from the perimeter. Meyer pumped in 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting and matched Liddell’s 5-of-5 mark from the charity stripe. SLU turned the ball over 17 times, which resulted in 28 points for Duquesne on the other end.

Saint Louis continues A-10 play when it hosts Rhode Island on Jan. 10, 2007. Tip-off at Scottrade Center is slated for 7 p.m.

Duquesne Sweeps A10 Awards

Press Release — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 21:01:23 -0500

PITTSBURGH – Guard Aaron Jackson (Hartford, Conn./Worcester (Mass.) Academy) and forward Scott Grote (Centerville, Ohio/Massanutten (Va.) Military Academy) have been named Atlantic 10 Player and Rookie of the Week respectively for their performances in Duquesne’s 98-93 overtime win at Boston College on Dec. 28.

It is the first time since December of 1995 that Duquesne has swept both weekly Atlantic 10 honors and also marks the school-record seventh time Duquesne has been honored by the A-10 this season.

Jackson, who was the league’s co-Player of the Week last weekend, had 19 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in a team-high 41 minutes at BC. The 6-2 sophomore hit 7-of-12 shots from the field in becoming just the seventh player in school history to earn Player of the Week honors twice in the same season.

Jackson leads the Atlantic 10 in minutes (36.6 mpg.) and ranks fourth in the league in assists (4.09 apg.). His 2.05-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is also fourth-best in the conference.

The 6-6 Grote scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half to help the Dukes rally from a 10-point deficit with 4:43 left. His 3-pointer from the right wing with 8.2 seconds remaining in regulation forced the overtime and his five free throws in six overtime attempts helped seal DU’s first-ever win on an Atlantic Coast Conference team’s home court.

Grote’s award gives the Dukes four A-10 Rookies of the Week so far this season (teammate Robert Mitchell won the award on Nov. 26, Dec. 4 and Dec. 10), one short of the school record of five set in 1986-87. It is also just the second time in school history DU has produced two different Rookies of the Week in the same season. The other was in 1986-87 when Tony Petrarca was named four times and Kevin McCarthy once.

The only other time Duquesne swept the weekly Atlantic 10 awards was on Dec. 24, 1995 when Tom Pipkins was named Player of the Week and Kevin Price earned his first of four Rookie of the Week honors that season.

Duquesne (4-7), coming of its first back-to-back road wins since 1994, returns to action on Jan. 3 for the Atlantic 10 season opener at Saint Joseph’s (7-5).