Back in the end of January, Jahsean Corbett and his Chicago State men’s basketball team made a trip to take on the Duquesne Dukes.
It was a game in which the 6-7 forward played 37 minutes and recorded a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. While his play might be memorable to those who are Dukes fans, Corbett took a liking to the program he just competed against.
Mere minutes after entering the transfer portal on April 1, Corbett was contacted by Duquesne, which heightened the potential for him to land with the Dukes and continue his mission of developing as a player and playing in some meaningful games in March.
“They hit me in the first five, 10 minutes when I entered the portal. They were the first school to hit me up. Me previously playing them this year, I thought the facilities were nice and the program was well run. I felt like they had a really good system, so I was very excited when they contacted me.”
While Corbett was only in the portal for minutes, he figured his play against the Dukes just a few months ago was enough for them to come calling.
“They seen my game firsthand. They didn’t even have to watch any film. For them to believe in me and contact me right away meant a lot to me,” Corbett said.
When the Orlando, Fla. native made a return trip to visit Duquesne on April 15, that experience furthered his desire to join the program.
“It was amazing,” Corbett said. “The connection I felt with the coaches was unbelievable. They welcomed me with open arms. My dad was on the visit with me, so seeing my dad comfortable and the positive energy was really nice. The campus is beautiful, and the facility is amazing.”
Not only does Corbett feel he can develop his game at Duquesne, but like many, he wants the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament and he believes Dru Joyce III will continue that trend, making it an easy choice to join the Dukes.
“We have the same goals. I want to repeat of what happened this year and get farther. I come in here ready to work. We both have the same mission,” Corbett said.
With Duquesne’s run to the tournament last season, the Dukes are in prime position to compete for a bid yet again in an Atlantic 10 Conference that produced two tournament teams.
Last season, Corbett had the chance to see two A10 teams in the Dukes and Loyola Chicago thanks to a Chicago State schedule that was comprised of all non-conference games due to the program making the switch to the Northeast Conference next year.
Already familiar with some of the competition in the conference, Corbett is looking forward to the challenge.
“In those games, I liked how it was,” he said. “Big guards, a lot of physicality and that’s how I like to play. I’m ready for the A10.”
With Chicago State this season, Corbett was asked to fill various roles, which saw him slot in anywhere from the three to the five.
“I’m a kind of guy that’s versatile. We had some bigs getting hurt and me having to play small ball five sometimes. Me being able to guard the one through five, me being able to score at all three levels made me grateful with what I went through at Chicago State and it allowed me to expand my game,” Corbett said.
In his junior season with the Cougars, Corbett put together some impressive numbers, scoring 15.8 points per game on 49 percent shooting, while grabbing 7.8 rebounds per contest. He also recorded five double-doubles.
His scoring numbers increased a bit from his sophomore year where he scored 15.1 points per game, while recording 8.7 rebounds a night as he notched 10 double-doubles. That year also saw his best shooting from beyond the arc, hitting 26 of 79 shots (32.9 percent).
During his first season of collegiate basketball, Corbett made an immediate impact, scoring 12.4 points per game and snatching 6.9 rebounds per night as a freshman.
At Duquesne, Corbett expects to slot in at the three or four and become a reliable piece for Duquesne as someone who vows to put in the work to keep the new standard going.
“I’m somebody that’s going to work hard no matter what – late nights, I’m coming in at 3 a.m. in the gym. They just know that they have somebody coming in to help the program that can make it better as somebody they can count on.”
More must-reads: