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Mid-Major Recruiting: Duquesne finalist for Trey Robinson, offer 3-star G Jaden Akins

By Daniel Benjamin

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 13: The Duquesne Dukes mascot walks on the court during a stoppage against the Richmond Spiders in the Second Round of the 2014 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 13, 2014 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 13: The Duquesne Dukes mascot walks on the court during a stoppage against the Richmond Spiders in the Second Round of the 2014 Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 13, 2014 in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /
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Duquesne Dukes coach Keith Dambrot has been pretty busy on the recruiting trail lately, targeting Jaden Akins and Trey Robinson.

Keith Dambrot and the rest of Duquesne Dukes coaching staff has had a strong start to August on the recruiting trail. Dambrot got his first commitment from the class of 2020 when local two-star shooting guard Jett Roesing (Sewickley, Pa.) verbally pledged to the program on July 31. The Dukes then offered 2021 combo guard Jaden Akins (Farmington, Michigan) on Aug. 13.

Akins is versatile as he has the ability to play both the 1 and 2. He can score on all three levels, is a good shooter, as well as a strong playmaker.  The 6-3 guard also holds offers from Michigan State, Xavier, Northwestern, Iowa, Missouri, and Mississippi State.

It hasn’t been all great news for the Dukes this month as they struck out with three-star Evan Nelson’s final three list that he released on Aug. 14. However, Duquesne has made 2020 wing Trey Robinson’s top three on Aug. 16.  The 6-6 Hamilton (Ohio) product is versatile, possessing the ability to play the 2 through the 4, and can do a little bit of everything.

Robinson, who was on campus for a visit on Aug. 2, averaged 11.5 points and 6.7 caroms last year as a junior.  He is also considering Toledo and Northern Kentucky.

I believe that the Dukes have a good shot at obtaining the services of Robinson, although Toledo likely has the edge in his recruitment. Duquesne does not currently have another scholarship available for 2020 at this point, yet they still have 14 open offers. The Dukes’ top two choices according to 247Sports are three-star point guard Dominq Penn (Dublin, OH) and three-star forward Zed Key (Glen Head, NY).

Duquesne went 19-13 and 10-8 in the A-10 last year, which was good enough to tie for sixth place in the conference. The Dukes are 35-30 overall and 17-19 in conference play in two seasons under Dambrot.

Dambrot has done a decent job on the recruiting trail the past two years. His 2018 class ranked 105th in the nation and seventh in the A-10 with a pair of three-star centers Gavin Bizeau and Dylan Swingle being the star recruits. Both Bizeau, who averaged 1.3 points in 20 appearances, has left the program and Swingle, who took a redshirt last season, have since transferred. This year’s recruiting class ranks 138th in the nation with three-star wing Maceo Austin (Hermitage, Pa.) being the top prospect.  Joining Austin in the Dukes’ 2019 recruiting class is two-star point guard Evan Buckley (Ashburn, Va.), two-star shooting guard Ashton Miller (West Orange, NJ) and walk-on Jake Harper (Dayton, OH). 6-11 Redshirt freshman and former walk-on James Ellis will also make his debut this season.

Other Mid-major recruiting tidbits

  • Former UNLV Runnin Rebel Tervell Beck has de-committed from Cleveland State and committed to Kent State. The 6-7 Cleveland native had a solid freshman campaign but he only averaged 4.1 points along with 2.1 rebounds while shooting 50% from the floor in 18 games last season. Beck will have two years of eligibility remaining.
  • 2020 power forward Eric Grier (Jonesboro, Ga.) received his first scholarship offer from Winthrop on Aug. 18. The Eagles have now offered eight players in the class of 2020 and 2021 a scholarship over the past three or four days including 2020 small forward Chase McKey (Johns Creek, Ga.), 2021 point guard A.J. White (Alpharetta, Ga.), 2021 power forward Ian Schieffelin (Loganville, Ga.), 2020 power forward Cam Bryant (Jonesboro, Ga.), 2021 small forward Tyler Shirley (Mableton, Ga.), 2021 shooting guard Matt Davis (Johns Creek, Ga.), and 2020 small forward Toneari Lane (Lawrenceville, Ga.).
  • 2020 shooting guard Aiden Carpenter (Hamden, Conn.) is down to five schools: Akron, UAB, Hofstra, Siena, and South Dakota.
  • 2020 small forward Caleb Dorsey (Pottstown, Pa.), who holds nine offers, will go on an unofficial visit to Yale on Aug. 20. Dorsey has offers from Penn State, William &Mary, Georgetown, and Hofstra among others.
  • Thatcher Stone (Medford, Mass.) has verbally committed to William & Mary and joined the Tribe’s 2019 recruiting class. The addition of Stone gives W&M six members of this year’s recruiting class joining shooting guards Miguel Ayesa (Madrid, Spain) and  Rainers Hermanovskis (Lativa) along with 6-9 center Ben Wight (Worthington, Ohio) as well as grad transfers Bryce Barnes and Tyler Hamilton.
  • Former Chicago State forward Patrick Szpir has transferred to Wagner. The 6-9 power forward tallied 2.9 points and 2.6 rebounds in 32 appearances last season. Szpir will have one year of eligibility remaining.
  • 2021 wing Jack Molloy (Greenwich, Conn.) is on an unofficial visit on Aug. 19. Molloy holds offers from Penn State, Brown, UMass, Dartmouth and Columbia.

Next. Freshmen to watch from A-10 2019 class. dark

  • 2021 shooting guard Mikah Johnson Jr. (Newark, NJ) verbally committed to Monmouth on Aug. 17. Johnson also held an offer from St. Peter’s.
  • Former Tulsa guard Chris Barnes transferred to Eastern Michigan on Aug. 16. The 6-4 shooting guard almost doubled his game appearance from his freshman season but still saw less than 10 minutes a game. Barnes will have two years of eligibility left. He began his career at UTEP in 2016.
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