Duquesne Basketball adds JUCO guard Tre Clark in rebuilding backcourt

Duquesne Basketball lands its first transfer this offseason in Tre Clark, a 6’3 point guard that will be will be with his second team in the Atlantic 10.

The Atlantic 10 had landed several transfers this weekend, including Bryce Golden to Loyola-Chicago, Neal Quinn to Richmond, and Connor Kochera to Davidson. Duquesne Basketball also got on board with Jimmy “Tre” Clark, a JUCO standout player from Northwest Florida State College.

Clark spent his first two seasons at VCU, playing in 33 games as a backup off the bench. The 6’3 point guard averaged 16 mpg as a sophomore, averaging 5.9 ppg and 1.8 apg, along with 1.8 steals, good for 4.5 steals per 40 minutes. He ended up being dismissed from the program midway through the 2020-21 season.

Clark was at Northwest Florida State this past season, averaging 12.3 ppg and 3.4 apg on 44% shooting from the field and 37% from three-point range, an improvement from his 23% at VCU. He was always known as a quality defender but the point guard now looks like the offense has also come into form.

Clark has the chance to start next season in the Dukes’ backcourt, considering the guards that have already left the roster. Guards Tyson Acuff and Jackie Johnson have entered the transfer portal, with Johnson picking the UNLV Rebels. That leaves starting point guard Primo Spears and defensive backup guard Mike Bekelja as the remaining guards with experience on the roster, as well as incoming freshmen, LA Pratt and Kareem Rozier.

There are multiple positives that comes with the addition of Clark, primarily on defense. Duquesne ranked 3rd-to-last in the country in 3-point defense, giving up 40% shooting from opponents. Clark’s presence should be an automatic boost in that department, while also creating turnovers. And on offense, the 6’3 guard can score and create his own offense and not rely on jumpshots.

The question now will be how he and Spears work together in the backcourt, as both tend to need the ball in their hands. But Spears tended to have “tunnel vision” on offense and all ball movement would stop at times, hence the very low assist rate for the team. Clark would allow him to play more off the ball at the two-spot. Spears will become more efficient overall and he’s an underrated shooter off the ball but never had a chance to show it last season. There are plenty of examples of 2 PG backcourts so these two should be able to co-exist.

Tre Clark may not be as good a shooter as Acuff or a pure scorer as Johnson but he’s a big defensive upgrade and gives Duquesne another passer on the roster. Look for this team to add another shooter and defender in the backcourt to compliment Spears and now Clark but for a first signing, this was a quality pickup that helps with some key issues the team had this past season.