One and done? Shawn James talking about going pro

InsideHoops.com broke the story

James has said that he will test the NBA waters and see how much interest pro scouts have in drafting him before he hires an agent. James can still come back to Duquesne if he does not hire an agent. This shouldn't be much of a shock to Duquesne fans, James is 24 years old, and if pro scouts tell him he has a good shot at being a 1st round draft pick there is no reason for him to come back to Duquesne. 1st round NBA draft picks receive 3 year guaranteed contracts, so being slotted as a 1st round pick would be huge for James. If James isn't being considered as a 1st round pick he should come back to Duquesne to improve his draft stock. James battled shoulder and back injuries most of the 07-08 season and a healthy 08-09 season could help improve his NBA draft stock for the following year's NBA Draft.

What does this mean for Duquesne?

If James leaves the program Duquesne will have no legit post players on their team. Other than James the only other players on Duquesne's roster over 6'7 are little used sophomore David Theis, and walk-on redshirt freshman Brandon Harris. Theis is more of a jump shooter than a post player, and Harris hasn't shown he is a Division I caliber basketball player. Duquesne has not added a player over 6'5 to their roster so far in their 2008 recruiting class, but they still have scholarships to give and are actively looking at some big guys. Check OnTheBluff.com for all Duquesne recruiting news and info.

What to do about the A.J. Palumbo Center?

Now that the 07-08 season is over for the Dukes the focus is on recruiting and other issues for the program. As the Duquesne coaching staff recruits potential prospects they have to sell Duquesne University and the basketball program, and one of the biggest negatives about coming to Duquesne is the A.J. Palumbo Center. The Palumbo is old, (it was built in 1988), small (has a capacity of 5,358), and lacks the amenities of newer arenas in Pittsburgh and at other Atlantic 10 schools. When a recruit has been to Temple's beautiful 10,000 seat Liacouras Center or Pitt's 12,000 seat Petersen Events Center (pictured below) that features five courtside luxury suites, six club suites, six loge suites, 193 supersuite seats, and five building levels the A.J. Palumbo Center looks like a dump. More than half of the seating at the Palumbo Center is still bleacher seating after all.

The question remains, what can/should be done? In my mind there are several options: 1. renovate the existing Palumbo Center, 2. build a new arena, or 3. move some or all of Duquesne's games to the new Penguins arena. Duquesne recently made a large investment in renovating and improving Rooney Field, and Duquesne spent 2 million dollars renovated the Palumbo in 2006 so there is no way a new arena will be built, and it is doubtful Duquesne will put more money into the Palumbo in the near future. The most realistic option in the short term is to play some or all of Duquesne's games at the Penguins new arena.

An artists rendering of the planned Penguins Arena

There are some pros and cons to playing at the Pens new arena.

Pros:

• The Pens arena will be a brand new arena used primarily by a pro team with all of the accompanying amenities and luxuries.

• The Pens arena is extremely close to Duquesne's campus making it easy for students to travel from campus to the facility.


• The Pens arena will be sold out for every Pens game and tickets to Pens games are extremely expensive. By playing some or all of Duquesne's games at the new arena it will allow sports fans in Pittsburgh an opportunity to see the new facility while also exposing them to Duquesne's basketball program which is on the upswing.

Cons:

• The Pens arena has an 18,500 seat capacity. Duquesne can't fill their own 5,300 seat facility, more than 3/4 of the Pens arena would be empty if Duquesne played there.


• Two years ago Duquesne invested 2 million dollars into renovating the AJ Palumbo Center, why would the University want to move the arena's main attraction, (the basketball team), out of the facility?

This is a difficult spot for Duquesne. I'd love for the Dukes to play at least one home game a season at the Pens new arena, preferably a against a big time opponent. Duquesne needs to make a decision, either make a major commitment to renovating and updating the Palumbo Center or start fund raising and planning for a brand new state of the art facility.

Working for Rivals.com

Rivals.com has hired me to cover basketball recruiting for our beloved Duquesne Dukes. I will be running Duquesne's Rivals page, OnTheBluff.com. Someone else had been running the site until 2004, but it has not been updated since then. I have written several posts this week for the OnTheBluff.com and as I add more coverage the older stuff will slowly filter off of the page. OnTheBluff.com will soon be featuring a message board as well. I will no longer post recruiting info on Dukes Court, so be sure to check OnTheBluff.com for all of your Duquesne basketball recruiting information.

Will Michael Davenport sign with Duquesne?

I got a scoop this morning on the Dukes' most recent scholarship offer. Ron Everhart has offered 6'3 Michael Davenport a shooting guard from Cincinnati OH a scholarship. Check out OnTheBluff.com for the details.

Pryor going to Ohio State

It's about time Terrelle

It's official, (we hope), Terrelle Pryor announced this morning that he will attend "The University of Ohio State," no I am not kidding that is what he said at his press conference. Come on TP if you are going to have two press conferences about your college choice at least get the name right! The Post Gazette's Mike White gives us all the details.

I am not much of a college football fan so I didn't really get that excited about the whole Terrell Pryor thing, but I will officially say that I am glad he isn't going to Michigan. I am not a fan of Rich Rodriguez and I am glad he didn't get his hands on Pryor. Prior to the press conference this morning I had a day dream where Pryor was playing hoops for Duquesne, now that put a smile on my face.

2005 super recruit Ryan Perrilloux is proof that being a big name recruit doesn't guarantee success.

Pryor mania reminds me of one time heralded recruit Ryan Perrilloux. Perrilloux was an African American can't miss QB prospect out of Louisiana. Some recruiting experts called him the most dangerous offensive weapon in the nation, noting his strong arm, quick release and pinpoint accuracy. He won the 2004 Hall Trophy as the nation's most outstanding high school football player and was named “Offensive Player of the Year” by USA Today. He was also named National Offensive Player of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus, Ohio, Louisiana's Mr. Football and Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year as well as a Parade All-American. Perrilloux got invited to the Elite 11 Quarterback Camp as well as to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. All of the SEC schools were selling their soul for a shot at this kid. Perrilloux gave a verbal to Texas but eventually backed out of his verbal and committed to LSU.

2005 season: redshirted

2006 season: played sparingly behind JaMarcus Russell and Matt Flynn

2007 season: Perrilloux was suspended by head coach Les Miles to start the season, started 2 games and then was suspended again for violating team rules.

In short, stud recruits don't always pan out and Terrelle Pryor has a lot of work to do before he earns playing time on a very talented OSU squad. If things don't work out at OSU I am sure Duquesne can find room for Pryor on their hoops squad...

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Providence coach fired, could Ron Everhart replace him?

All year long there has been speculation that Ron Everhart would leave Duquesne for a bigger program, and Providence was the school most often mentioned, now the door to that job at Providence is open. Will Everhart leave Duquesne? The Dukes lost 5 games in the stretch run of the season, failed to win close games, and lost to a very beatable La Salle team in the 1st round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, for all of those reasons I think Everhart will be back at Duquesne next year. Only time will tell.

The Turning Point? The 07-08 Season in Review

Two years ago Duquesne was one of the worst basketball programs in the country with a 3-24 record. Danny Nee was fired, and Ron Everhart was brought in from Northeastern to turn around the struggling Duquesne program. Coach Everhart cleaned up the Dukes program, and even though he was playing with a young inexperienced team that was depleted by off court injuries due to an on campus shooting the Dukes improved dramatically and won 10 games finishing 10-19 and 6-10 in the A10 last year.

The 07-08 season started with bad news for the Duquesne basketball program. Duquesne's star player and 06-07 A10 Rookie of the Year Robert Mitchell (pictured right) had a falling out with Coach Everhart and he decided to leave the program and transfer to Seton Hall. Mitchell wouldn't be the last player to leave the Dukes program in the off season, junior college All-American Stuard Baldonado, (who had sat out the 06-07 season while he recovered from a bullet wound in his back that occurred as a result of an on campus incident) decided he was going to leave the program after he sued the school and subsequently was suspended for several scrapes with the law. When Baldonado was being recruited by Duquesne he was considered one of the best JC players in the country. Baldonado never played a game in Duquesne uniform.

Despite losing their most talented returning player, and one of their best new players the Dukes started off the 07-08 season on a 6 game winning streak. The Dukes would struggle through a tough December dropping close decisions to now nationally ranked Drake, and a then full strength Pitt squad. By the end of the non-conference schedule the Dukes had earned a 10-3 record with their only loses coming to ranked teams, Drake, Pitt, and WVU.

The Dukes A10 season was a frustrating one. The Dukes were able to upset A10 powers Saint Josephs and Dayton, but they also lost to A10 bottom feeders St. Bonaventure, Fordham, and La Salle. Had the Dukes been able to take care of business against the bottom feeders the Dukes would have secured their first 20 win season since 1980-81. But 20 wins was not meant to be. Oddly enough even with some heart breaking loses during A10 play the Dukes were able to secure a spot in the A10 Tournament, and earn a favorable tournament match up facing a beatable La Salle team in round 1. The Dukes' loss to La Salle in the first round of the A10 Tournament was a microcosm of the Dukes' biggest problem all season, their failure to win close games. The Dukes ended the season 1-9 in games that were decided by single digits. The Dukes only single digit win was their 2 point upset victory over Dayton when Shawn James surprisingly hit back to back 3 pointers in the final minute.

The Dukes added 4 key players to their program this year: transfers Shawn James and Kojo Mensah in addition to freshmen Damian Saunders and Bill Clark. James and Mensah ended the season as the Dukes top 2 scorers with 12.6 and 12.1 ppg respectively. Shawn James also broke the career blocked shots record mid way through the season, he ended the year with 111 blocked shots. Mensah had an up and down season for the Dukes. Kojo was a big part of the Dukes strong non conference run, but he played inconsistently during the A10 schedule. Kojo seemed to be in and out of Ron Everhart's doghouse throughout the season for his poor ball control and team leading 89 turnovers.

Damian Saunders played a huge role on this team as a freshman. Saunders seems to have picked up one of the toughest aspects of the game of basketball, defense, early on in his career. Saunders led the team in steals with 45, and was 3rd on the team with 39 blocked shots. Saunders also displayed wonderful ball control only turning the ball over 32 times this season, the lowest amongst any of the regulars in Duquesne's rotation. Saunders will play an even bigger role as he continues his career at Duquesne and I expect him to be considered one of the best players at his position in the A10 by the time he is a junior.

Bill Clark rounds out the list of Duquesne's newcomers who made a significant contribution this year. Clark led the team with 40 made 3 point shots, but he only shot 31% from beyond the arch, and he shot poorly from the field in general shooting 38%. Clark struggled with his shot but hopefully will find consistency as he continues to mature and develop as a basketball player. The one aspect of Clark's game that I love is his tenactiy. Clark seems to play better in clutch situations, and he turns up his game when it matters most. I don't think Clark's ceiling is quite as high as Damian Saunders, but I do expect him to become a star later in his Duquesne career.

Gary Tucker and Reggie Jackson were vastly improved this year after playing smaller roles last season. Tucker and Jackson were JC teammates and both came to the Dukes with 2 years of eligilbilty when they started their careers here last season. Tucker and Jackson both learned to play tougher more consistent defense, and become contributors on offense. Reggie Jackson had several big games for the Dukes throughout the season, and Jackson played well for the Dukes down the stretch. Both Tucker and Jackson will be missed next year.

I have to tip my hat to Kieron Achara. Kieron was finishing out his long successful career this season at Duquesne, and sadly he knew coming into the season he would be playing second fiddle to Shawn James. Achara had already earned his diploma and could have chosen to forego his last year of eligibility rather than spend the year in James' shadow. Achara chose to come back to Duquesne and the Dukes were a much better team because of it. Kieron earned a 4.0 GPA and was named Scholar Athlete of the year for the 2nd time by the Atlantic 10 this year. In addition to his continued success in the class room Kieron averaged 11.3ppg, 4 rpg, and 45 blocked shots. You will be missed next year Kieron good luck in your professional basketball career.

If someone told me the Dukes would finish the season 17-13 with wins over Dayton and Saint Josephs I would have chuckled but that is how the season ended for Duquesne. The 07-08 season should be considered a success and we should all congradulate Ron Everhart and his team for their efforts this season. Thanks for an exciting season guys.

What made this season so difficult was that the Dukes showed so much promise, but they just couldn't find a way to win close games. Again the Dukes were 1-9 in single digit games, and if they could have won just 3 more of those they could have won 20 games and given themselves a great shot at the NIT Tournament.

Questions for next year:

How will the Dukes respond to the departure of Kieron Achara, Reggie Jackson, and Gary Tucker?

Will Ron Everhart be able to recruit a talented post player to replace Kieron Achara?

How will the new recruits fit into the Duquesne program?

Will the Dukes continue to play the 10/40 two platoon system next year?

Will the Dukes continue to improve their record next year by winning more than 17 games?

Dukes lose another close one 82-79

Can the Dukes win a close game, that was the question that every Dukes fan had to be asking themselves coming into tonight's game. The Dukes have only won 1 game this season by single digits. The Explorers kept the game close and the game was tied at 79 with less than a minute to go, Duquesne had the ball. The Dukes presumably in control of the game promptly turned the ball over. Aaron Jackson fouled Green with 23 seconds left. Green made 1 of his 2 free throws. The Dukes were then down by 1 with 23 seconds left, the shot clock turned off. Will the Dukes get the monkey off their back?

The answer?

The Dukes promptly turned the ball over...

La Salle made their free throws and the Dukes season is over. The broken record continues, the Dukes cannot win close games.

--

Darnell Harris 21 points for La Salle
Rodney Green scored 18 for La Salle

"The General" Reggie Jackson scored a career high 29 points, and 4 three pointers in a losing effort for Duquesne.

Dukes half time update

Dukes trail 39-36 at the half.

I felt the Dukes played well in the first half, and they got some breaks. La Salle is only 3-5 from beyond the arch and the Explorers are shooting horribly from the free throw line, 6-12. Both teams have been equally bad with the basketball the Dukes turned the ball over 10 times, the Explorers turned it over 12 times.

One of the problems Duquesne has had in their recent 5 game losing streak was that they relied too much on the player with the hot hand and the rest of the players stood around watching. Fortunately the Dukes all seem to be working to contribute on the floor so far tonight.

The fact that the Dukes played so well and are actually trailing scares me. Duquesne cannot lose to La Salle. The Dukes have had such a great season, it would be a shame to lose to a team like La Salle in the first round of the A10 Tournament.

Kojo's former team earns NCAA bid

Siena Claims MAAC Title and Trip to NCAA Tournament

Kojo Mensah (pictured right) left the Siena program after the 2005-06 season to come to Duquesne. I remember when all this went down, Siena didn't want to let Kojo leave, they threatened not to release him from his scholarship, and it was a big mess. As a sophomore at Siena Kojo averaged 16.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 35.1 minutes per game. Siena eventually let Kojo leave the program and he transferred to Duquesne.

Kojo came to Duquesne and sat out the 06-07 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Kojo was one of the Dukes who was injured in the on campus shooting that rocked the Duquesne program during the 2006-07 season. This year Kojo has struggled to find consistency in his role with the Dukes and honestly he has not reached his full potential while in a Duquesne uniform. Kojo is averaging 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 23.8 minutes per game this year for the Dukes. Kojo is shooting 39% from the field and only 24% from beyond the arch this year for Duquesne.

One has to wonder if Kojo's career would have been better had he stayed at Siena rather than transferring to Duquesne where he has been shot, and seen his stats and minutes decrease.

I think that Kojo's numbers have decreased because of the 10/40 two platoon system. One of the biggest drawbacks from the 10/40 is that the Dukes' star players see reduced minutes while players from the end of the bench are in the game as a part of one of the two platoons. In addition to providing less minutes to the Dukes' most talented players the two platoon system does not allow players to develop any kind of rhythm because every 3-5 minutes all 5 players on the floor are forced to sit on the bench. This begs the question, will Ron Everhart stick with the two platoon system next year, or go with the 8 man rotation he has been using the last few weeks of the season? All I know is that I want to see players like Kojo Mensah, Shawn James, and Aaron Jackson see significant playing time every game next year.