Duquesne Basketball Ready to Continue Success After Historic Seasons

“What we’ve accomplished in the past, I hate to tell everyone this, but the party is over on Nov. 4,” declared Harper. “What I’m really excited about is we have… some continuity. We had some key individuals return on both teams that have proven success, and now it’s for others to learn from past teams everything we’re going to need to win games in [this] conference.”

After thanking the fans for their continued support, Harper passed the microphone to women’s head coach, Dan Burt. It became clear that Burt shared Harper’s sentiments about the conference, but Burt is confident in his team’s capabilities.

“The rest of our team has really met [Megan McConnell’s] competitiveness, and in 28 years of Division I coaching I [haven’t] been a part of a team that has [had] this level of competitiveness 1-14.” Burt went on to note that while the Dukes might lack size, their unique fast style of play will allow them to remain competitive. “We are going to play very, very fast. That means that we are going to press you for 40 minutes a game [on offense and defense],” said Burt. “The term I’ve coined is relentless joy. We are relentless… This team is relentless on the offensive end and the defensive end, and they are doing it with great joy, for great love for one another.”

After coach Burt gave his closing thanks to those in the stands, Harper introduced the 18th head coach in Duquesne Men’s Basketball history, Dru Joyce III. After thanking the fans and donors and complimenting his team’s work ethic, Joyce echoed Burt’s drive to be competitive on both ends of the floor. “People ask me all the time what our style of play will be and it’s just going to be competitive. You’re going to see the most competitive team on the floor each and every night. We’re going to be disciplined. We’re going to be relentless, and we’re going to stay on the attack [on both offense and defense].” One final applause for both coaches and Harper ended the tip-off event and opened the floor for media questions.

Beginning with coach Burt, the emphasis on a faster style of play was done by design, specifically when it comes to combining athleticism with three-point shooting. “We really emphasized competitiveness and athleticism in the roster building during the offseason, along with being able to shoot the three.” Last season, the Dukes ranked 27th in three-point attempts (822) and 28th in makes (276), per College Basketball Reference. “Our mantra has been ‘get ready to sprint’ and ‘relentless joy’,” commented Burt, which could mean a jump in the pace of play for the Dukes, who ranked in the 52nd percentile among all Division I schools in pace.

For the men, coach Joyce was more hesitant to comment on the specifics of how his team would flow offensively, but he highlighted his desire to be versatile and selfless on both ends. “The main thing is that we will be versatile and we will be able to adjust, but we’re going to stick to some core principles. We have to be tough on the defensive end and unselfish on the offensive end…” Last season, the men held opponents to 98 points per 100, which ranked 31st in the nation, but the Dukes were only slightly above average offensively.

As a new season approaches coming off one of the most successful years in school history, both Duquesne’s men’s and women’s teams are ready to let the past be the past and push forward for more success.