by Patrick Stevens
Continuity doesn’t stem solely from returning players. What happens internally, day after day and season after season matters, too.
And that might be the greatest asset within Duquesne’s program.
“Being able to build is different in these times because there’s a lot of transition from players staying and leaving, so you have to build differently in ways,” coach Dru Joyce III said. “I think you do that through your standards. That’s one thing that won’t change for us, just how we approach our day, what we want to pour into our day.”
The Dukes showed tangible progress last season, improving from 13 victories to 18 while also advancing in the Atlantic 10 tournament. There wasn’t quite as dramatic a difference during the league schedule. Duquesne progressed from 8-10 to 9-9, rising from ninth to seventh place in the league.
A skid late in the season hurt, and so did a defense that yielded at least 80 points in nine of the Dukes’ 15 losses.
Bolstering that end of the court, predictably, is a priority as Duquesne seeks to get back to the form that helped it win the A10 tournament three seasons ago.
“We want to continue to be efficient offensively,” Joyce said. “I’d like to take some more strides defensively. I think we took a step backward, so defensively we have to build a different mindset and scheme and really have a true understand of what it takes to win games, not only in the nonconference but the conference, too.”
A LOOK AT THE DUKES:
Coach: Dru Joyce III, third season at Duquesne, 31-34 with the Dukes and overall.
Last year: Duquesne was streaky once February hit, winning five in a row to place itself in contention for a top-four finish in the Atlantic 10, then dropping the next four. Still, the Dukes earned a top-half finish, going 9-9 in the league while securing a solo seventh-place finish. After splitting a pair of conference tournament games, Duquesne finished 18-15.
They’ll miss: Jimmie Williams was a third team all-Atlantic 10 selection last season, averaging 15.1 points and 4.5 rebounds while collecting a team-high 52 steals. While the Dukes have plenty to replace, the 6-foot-4 guard leaves the biggest production void after transferring to Ohio State.
Impact returners: Duquesne knows for certain it will have two of last year’s rotation pieces back in the fold for the season. Brandon Hall (3.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg) started 14 games last season, while Jake DiMichele (3.8 ppg, 1.1 rpg) bounced back from an injury-plagued 2024-25 to get into 25 contests last season. Both should contribute to the Dukes’ backcourt this season.
Newcomers of note: The transfer class includes six players with Division I experience, including guards Izaiah Pasha (Virginia Tech) and Josh Smith (West Georgia), wing Yoav Berman (Queens), forwards Kerem Konan (Creighton) and Stephen Olowoniyi (Oregon State) and center Ege Demir (Oregon).
Berman started 30 times last season as Queens won the Atlantic Sun and earned an NCAA tournament berth in its first year of eligibility. The 6-foot-6 Israeli averaged 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists while earning second team all-conference honors.
Smith was the sixth man of the year in the Atlantic Sun, averaging 16.2 points to rank seventh in the league in scoring.
Pasha (2.0 ppg, 0.8 rpg) didn’t play a prominent role for the Hokies, but he’s two years removed from earning rookie of the year honors in the CAA. The Harrisburg, Pa., native averaged 11.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists for a Delaware team that advanced to the league title game.
Reasons to be optimistic: Even though it’s a transient era in college basketball, there’s still a little something to be said for program trajectory and stability.
Duquesne has posted a winning record in three of the last four seasons, the first time it has done so since a stretch from 2008-09 to 2011-12. Joyce has been part of all of the recent success, initially as an assistant to Keith Dambrot and then the last two years as head coach.
As ever, past performance doesn’t guarantee future results, but the Dukes’ consistent competitiveness within the Atlantic 10 has to provide some comfort.
X factor: Duquesne is still waiting to learn whether Tarence Guinyard will have another year of eligibility. The first team all-Atlantic 10 pick from a year ago quickly decided to return to the Dukes after a court ruling in his favor secured a fifth year of eligibility.
The appeals process in the case is ongoing, but Guinyard has been a presence in Duquesne’s locker room, practices and other team activities.
“I think it’s been welcome,” Joyce said. “Not only the staff tried to do the best to our ability to make sure he was implemented with the team, but these players, Izaiah Pasha in particular, have done a good job of building a connection and communication, and it started before he even touched the floor. It started with some opening phone calls.”
Guinyard ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in scoring (16.6 per game) and fourth in assists (4.7) last season, and if he does get to play, he’ll raise Duquesne’s ceiling well beyond the middle of the pack.
“Whether the situation is eligible, ineligible, it was an opportunity to No. 1, bring back a player who was a part of this program and who wanted to be a part of this program and this family once again,” Joyce said. “That speaks to what we’re doing as a staff and as teammates, just trying to build a connection that has players want to be back at Duquesne.”
Circle the date: The Dukes will play a pair of postseason teams from a year ago in Daytona Beach, Fla., just before Thanksgiving. Duquesne meets NIT participant Wyoming on Nov. 22, then faces High Point (which upset Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA tournament) two days later.
Bottom line: The uncertainty around Guinyard’s availability creates considerable variance in Duquesne’s potential outcomes. Regardless of whether Guinyard plays, the Dukes have enough backcourt talent to be able to score enough to stay in games. Their ability to contend for a league title will hinge on how much defensive improvement they can muster.
Patrick Stevens is a veteran college basketball writer who oversees Mid-Atlantic College Hoops. Previously, he worked for The Washington Post, Syracuse Media Group and The Washington Times. Stevens has written selected pieces for the Atlantic 10 Conference since 2013.