Duquesne Basketball: 5 key storylines heading into 2022 offseason

2. Roster additions/retention

Considering the roster exodus issues, Duke fans will wonder if anyone else will leave. Based on what I’ve heard, there may be 1-2 more players that opt to enter the portal but everyone else could easily return too. Players such as Tre Williams, Primo Spears, and Kevin Easley are key pieces to retain, along with RJ Gunn, a D-II transfer who missed all of last season with an injury.

The status of wing Leon Ayers is unknown after missing the final couple of games of the season due to unknown circumstances. If he’s back, that’s a 6’6 double-digit scorer but if not, look for Duquesne to look for another wing in the portal.

Centers Austin Rotroff and Mounir Hima are back and they both showed promise when healthy. The lack of frontcourt depth was a major problem but considering they also have 6’9 freshman David Dixon also joining, the Dukes should be fine in the frontcourt.

In the backcourt, Spears is set to be the go-to guy on offense for now but there are two freshman guards joining in L.A. Pratt and Kareem Rozier. Rozier is a 5’9 point guard that can score at a high clip, while Pratt has good size at 6’4 and is an impressive athlete. With defensive standout Mike Bekelja also on the roster, there are some options for Duquesne off the bench.

3. Current targets to watch on recruiting trail

There are a number of guards that the Dukes are after, too many for me to cover. But one player to watch is JUCO transfer (Salt Lake Community College) Quincy McGriff, a 6’6 playmaking guard who averaged 13.5 ppg this past season and is capable of playing all three backcourt positions. His size and all-around play would be a great addition to Duquesne, which needs improvements in several categories on the perimeter.

There is also a trio of players reportedly set to visit the program this weekend, including a pair of freshmen prospects and guard Jimmy “Tre” Clark, who spent a couple of seasons at VCU before ending up at Northwest Florida State College. He’s a combo guard who’s a good defender and should be able to help the three-point defense, which was an all-time worst in the Dambrot era.

As bad as Duquesne’s offense was last season, the early indications in the portal is an emphasis on defense. A healthy roster should be able to put up points but after giving up a ton of threes, improving the size and athleticism clearly is what the staff is looking at right now.