It has been a while since there has been excitement around Duquesne Basketball but, in 2019 the Dukes could reach heights they haven’t seen in decades.
In their second season under head coach Keith Dambrot, Duquesne Basketball finished 6th in the Atlantic 10. While that may not seem like something to get excited about, for the Dukes it is, last season was just the third time since 2004-05 that the team finished 6th or higher in the conference. So, while the sixth place isn’t the best finish, it has fans excited to see just how far Dambrot can get the Dukes to rise.
Last season Duquesne finished with a 19-13 record and finished 10-8 in the Atlantic 10. This summer the team took a trip to the Bahamas, it was the third such international trip for the program. Prior to these international trips, teams are allowed 10 pre-tour practices to prepare. While in the Bahamas the team stayed at Paradise Island, where the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament will take place in November. During the week away the team was able to practice and they played and won two games against Abaco Elite and Raw Talent Elite respectively.
In the two-game, the Dukes were led offensively by sophomore guard Sincere Carry and a newcomer Baylee Steele who is a 6’11 240lb. graduate transfer from Utah Valley. Carry had a team-high 27 in the win over Raw Talent Elite and Steele added 19 points and 15 rebounds, and in the win, over Abaco Elite the duo netted 18 apiece.
The excitement around the program is as high as it has been in a long time and in Dambrot’s third season the Dukes are looking to soar to new heights.