Busting Brackets
Fansided

Atlantic 10 Basketball: 3 sleeper teams that could contend in 2018-19

By Stu Luddecke

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 21: De'Riante Jenkins #0 of the VCU Rams leads the fast break during the first half of the game against the California Golden Bears during the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 21, 2017 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 21: De'Riante Jenkins #0 of the VCU Rams leads the fast break during the first half of the game against the California Golden Bears during the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 21, 2017 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 08: Mike Lewis II #1 of the Duquesne Dukes shoots in front of Julius Johnson #32 of the Richmond Spiders during the first half in the Second Round of the Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 8, 2018 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 08: Mike Lewis II #1 of the Duquesne Dukes shoots in front of Julius Johnson #32 of the Richmond Spiders during the first half in the Second Round of the Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 8, 2018 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Duquesne Dukes

The Dukes are one of the lowest floor, highest ceiling teams in the conference this season. They have a ridiculous11 new players set to join returning stars Eric Williams Jr. and Mike Lewis II. So on one hand, they will be unquestionably deep – maybe the deepest team in the conference – but on the other, getting 11 new players to learn a system and to learn each other over the course of one season is a tall task. There could easily be disappointment and chemistry issues over playing time and assigned roles. After all, not all of them will get to play what they consider fair minutes – there just simply aren’t enough of those to go around.

With all that said, if things do go well – and I think Keith Dambrot is a good enough coach to have that happen – then this team could be very good. Out of the team’s newcomers, five of them have wingspans over 7’0.” There are highly-touted freshman like Dylan Swingle and Lamar Norman Jr. who chose Duquesne over the likes of West Virginia and Butler. Transfers Frankie Hughes (Missouri) and Marcus Weathers (Miami OH) averaged 8 and 10 points per game at their former schools, respectively.

Eric Williams Jr., the Dukes’ freshman phenom last season, is being talked about as a potential first team all-conference type of player. You get the point: the Dukes are as talented as basically anybody in the A10, so there’s no reason for them to not be aiming at the top.

Just like VCU, Duquesne disappointed last season under a first-year coach. As I said in the previous slide, however, we shouldn’t let first-year growing pains cloud our vision. Yes, this season has the potential to be another disappointing one, and the Dukes could definitely still be a year away, but Keith Dambrot has a proven track record as a good coach. If there’s anyone who’s up to the task of getting the most out of all these new guys, it’s him. The Dukes absolutely have a shot at the top 4.

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