This preview is part of the Atlantic 10's 2020-21 Men's Basketball Tipoff, which also includes A-10 media day, the preseason poll and awards and the 2020-21 schedule. The previews, written by Patrick Stevens, began on Nov. 10 and will continue through the week. Once released, each preview can be found here.
DUQUESNE ESSENTIALS
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As he looks around the Atlantic 10, Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot points to the interior play of Saint Louis -- owners of one of the most physical frontcourts in the country.
He also knows his Dukes can more than hold their own with teams like the Billikens (Duquesne won both matchups last season), for two very big reasons: Michael Hughes and Marcus Weathers.
“Those guys are big strong guys,” Dambrot said. “Marcus is just a beast and Mike’s 6-foot-8 and blocks more shots than any 6-foot-8 guy I’ve ever seen
and he steals the ball. You’re talking about two high-quality guys who have a little chip on their shoulder. They’re a lot like me. They came from the MAC. They weren’t recruited into the Atlantic 10 [out of high school].”
Better late than never for everyone involved. Hughes, who began his career under Dambrot at Akron and followed his coach to the Steel City, averaged 10.3 points and 6.8 rebounds last season, and his 2.7 blocks a game ranked second in the A-10. Weathers, a 6-5 power forward who started his career at Miami (Ohio), led the Dukes in scoring (14.3) and rebounds (8.1), and his .557 field goal percentage ranked seventh in the league.
There might not be a frontcourt tandem in the league that plays off each other as well as Hughes and Weathers, who are both products of the Kansas City area. And that bodes well for Duquesne as it looks to build off last year’s tie for fifth in the league.
“Me and him have a lot of history, just going back to being from the same area and going up against each other a lot of the times,” Weathers said.
“It’s also us allowing each other to be ourselves out there on the floor and not really worrying too much about a lot of the different things going on. I know Mike’s a really good defensive player, so whenever I’m guarding someone or trying to contest their shot, I know he’s comfortable wherever [he is] just to block a shot. I think it comes from a really good understanding of one another.”
A LOOK AT THE DUKES:
Coach: Keith Dambrot, fourth season at Duquesne, 56-38 with the Dukes and 469-247 overall in 22 seasons
Last year: The Dukes went 21-9 overall and tied for fifth in the Atlantic 10 with an 11-7 league record. Duquesne has posted winning records in conference play in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1979-80 and 1980-81.
They’ll miss: Duquesne’s roster returns largely intact, with seven of its top eight scorers back in the fold. The exception is Baylee Steele (8.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg), who was the Dukes’ top frontcourt reserve as a graduate transfer.
Impact returners: In addition to the aforementioned Marcus Weathers and Michael Hughes in the post, the Duquesne backcourt is tested as well. Junior point guard Sincere Carry averaged 12.2 points and finished fifth in the league in assists (5.3 per game)
“I think he’s capable of taking another jump,” Dambrot said. “He has to continue to work hard at building it at the defensive end. I think he can be special at the defensive end. I think there’s a lot of good offensive players, but there’s very few guys who can play both sides of the ball.”
Three other guards who started at least 12 games apiece are back: Tavian Dunn-Martin (10.2 ppg), Maceo Austin (7.0 ppg), Lamar Norman Jr. (6.1 ppg)
Newbies of note: In a year without the perils of 2020, there probably wouldn’t be many minutes for Duquesne’s freshmen, given the number of returnees. The pandemic only exacerbates the situation.
“We have seven guys who have played a lot of basketball and possibly an eighth, so we can kind of ride our horses early,” Dambrot said. “I feel badly for those young players because we have some talented young players who will be cheated with a minimal nonconference.”
One freshman to keep an eye on over the long haul is 6-4 point guard Tyson Acuff, who led Cass Tech to three consecutive titles in Detroit’s public league and was a finalist for Michigan’s Mr. Basketball honor.
Reasons to be optimistic: Much like the frontcourt duo of Hughes and Weathers, the core of Duquesne’s rotation knows everyone’s strengths. A good chunk of the offseason was wiped out and things still aren’t still normal, so familiarity is going to be an asset.
“We’ve got a center that’s played a lot of basketball, we have a power forward that’s played a lot of basketball, we have a small forward that’s played a lot of basketball, we have three guards who have played a lot, and also some backup bigs,” Dambrot said.
X factor: Back when Dambrot first recruited the now 5-8, 155-pound Dunn-Martin to Akron, he and the Zips staff gave him the nickname “Pup.”
Now? There’s another moniker for the player who led the Dukes last season in 3-pointers (71) and was second on the team in assists (2.5 per game) and steals (41 for the season).
“I call him The Freak, because he’s a freak and because nobody should be able to do what he does at this level at the quality he does it,” Dambrot said. “He’s a guy who can explode for 30 points on any given night. He’s a guy who can pass the ball and handle the ball. He can guard when he wants to guard. I think The Freak’s going to have a good year for us this year.
Circle the date(s): The Dukes will receive a pretty good early barometer at the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic in Louisville, Ky. Over a three-day period, they’ll face likely conference title contenders out of the Southern (UNC Greensboro, Nov. 29), Big South (Winthrop, Dec. 1) and Sun Belt (Little Rock, Dec. 3).
Bottom line: The Dukes have made a habit of exceeding expectations under Dambrot. Why should this year’s fifth-place projection be any different? The presence of a member of the league’s preseason second team (Weathers) and third team (Carry) should help Duquesne contend for a top-four finish.
Patrick Stevens is a veteran freelance college basketball writer. A former sports reporter for the Washington Times, he has been a contributor to Atlantic10.com for the past seven years. Follow him on Twitter at @D1scourse.