Duquesne MBB: Breaking Down the Cayman Islands Classic Field

Duquesne will have an early opportunity next season to win a championship.

From November 24-26, the Dukes will be competing in the Cayman Islands Classic against some tough competition from the mid and high-major levels. In addition to the Dukes, Rutgers, Mississippi State, Missouri State, Boise State, Old Dominion, Hampton, and High Point will be competing in the event.

Rutgers will be taking the floor behind two highly-touted freshmen — Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper — who are both five-star prospects. The Scarlet Knights also brought in former Duke Tyson Acuff through the transfer portal this spring, as well as Jordan Derkack (Merrimack) and Zach Martini (Princeton).

Mississippi State loaded up in the portal as well, adding Claudell Harris (Boston College), Kanye Clary (Penn State), and Michael Nwoko (Miami) so far.

Out of the mid-major competitors, Boise State and High Point are the top two teams to watch out for. The Broncos are coming off of a solid season in which they finished in the top 50 of Kenpom.com’s national rankings. This offseason, Boise State has added transfers Alvaro Cardenas (San Jose State), as well as Javan Buchanan (NAIA) and Dylan Anderson (Arizona).

High Point is heading into year two of the Alan Huss era, and is coming off the best season in school history. The Panthers finished 27-9 and won the Big South Regular Season title behind Duke Miles, Kimani Hamilton, and others. This year, although Miles hit the portal (now at Oklahoma), the Panthers will look to Hamilton, Justin Bodo Bodo, Kezza Giffa, and incoming transfers Bobby Pettiford, Chase Johnston, D’Maurian Williams, and others. High Point is expected to be one of the best mid-major teams in the nation next season.

Old Dominion and Missouri State enter 2024-25 with new head coaches. Former Robert Morris forward Stephaun Walker joined the Monarchs this offseason through the portal, while Missouri State has added several portal players as well such as Vincent Brady and Wesley Oba.

Hampton has added several transfers, including KJ Satterfield. The Pirates finished last season 9-24.

Duquesne, coming off of an NCAA Tournament victory and an Atlantic 10 Championship, will take the floor under new head coach Dru Joyce III. Joyce and his staff have built a strong roster behind four transfer additions so far: Alex Williams (Furman), Cam Crawford (Marshall), Jahsean Corbett (Chicago State), and Tre Dinkins (Canisius). The Dukes will look to returners David Dixon, Kareem Rozier, Jake DiMichele, Jakub Necas, and others to continue to build upon the momentum built last season.