Atlantic 10 Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2022-23 season

12. Duquesne Dukes

The Dukes were abysmal last season in Coach Keith Dambrot’s fifth year at the helm, going 6-24 overall and picking up just one win in conference play, but they should have the pieces to make a baby step in the right direction in this upcoming campaign. The team certainly isn’t brimming with top-tier talent, but there are a couple of transfer-portal gets that have a chance to be real difference-makers (as far as potentially avoiding the play-in game, that is – not in the sense of any real contention).

The most important player to know about is Dae Dae Grant, a transfer from Miami Ohio who, with the opportunities that should be in store for him, could realistically end up leading the league in scoring. The 6’3” Senior did a little bit of everything for the RedHawks last year, putting up 17.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game, so it’s possible to envision him playing a Ryan Daly/”exciting-player-on-a-bad-team” type of role.

Outside of Grant, Kevin Easley Jr. and Tre Williams, the former a wing and the latter a big man, are both double-digit scorers returning from last year’s roster. Add in transfers like Tevin Brewer, a 5’8” scorer from FIU; and returning players like Austin Rotroff and RJ Gunn, and this team’s overall roster isn’t deplorable.

Of course, it wasn’t deplorable last offseason either and the Dukes were by far the worst team in the league, but that team didn’t have a bona fide takeover option like Grant to work with. His impact is ultimately my rationale for the Dukes clawing their way up a couple of spots in the standings.