Behind Enemy Lines: Duquesne (again)

And now back to our regulary scheduled Behind Enemy Lines feature. Loblaw was clearly so jacked up about his answers that he decided to buck tradition and post his own reply. Hey, if you can't pat yourself on the back, who the hell will? You have to admire his aplomb.

I lobbed a few questions today to our friend Patrick, the caretaker of the excellent Dukes Court. You won't find better coverage of Dukes basketball anywhere on these here interwebs.

Enough pussyfootin' around. Let's dance.

FF: Coming into this game fourth in the nation in scoring average, it's clear that Ron Everhart's "ten men for 40 minutes" philosophy has paid dividends. Do you have to zone this type of offense or can you still dictate tempo playing in a man-to-man, which the Flyers prefer?

DC: Coach Everhart has used the 10/40 most of the season, however in the Dukes last two games, (wins over St. Joe's and La Salle) he used a more traditional 8 man rotation. Even with the 8 man rotation, (which is what I would expect to see on Wednesday night) the Dukes play a run and gun, pressing, up tempo style. The Dukes have had a lot of success playing against man to man defenses this season; zone defenses on the other hand have Duquesne fits. UMass is the only team to dominate the Dukes at the AJ Palumbo Center this season and the biggest reason for their success was their zone defense. UMass switched zone defenses throughout the game and the Dukes couldn't adjust.

FF: You always take the Scouts and Rivals recruiting rankings with a grain of salt, but the Dukes' classes haven't been necessarily top-notch. So is Ron Everhart some sort of shaman miracle worker in terms of developing talent or is it more the type of long, rangy player he's bringing in that has brought about suck quick results?

DC: The biggest additions to this year's Duquesne squad are transfers Shawn James and Kojo Mensah who won't show up on Duquesne's recruiting rankings. Shawn James is one of the best shot blockers in the NCAA and is being scouted by a number of NBA teams at the moment. Kojo Mensah is the type of play making guard that the Dukes haven't had in a long time. It is worth mentioning that James and Mensah are childhood friends from Brooklyn New York.

Reggie Jackson and Gary Tucker were both JC transfers last year who have really found their place on this year's Duquesne squad. Jackson had a lights out January, and more recently dropped 21 at La Salle this weekend. Gary Tucker has the biggest hops of anyone I have ever seen in a Duquesne uniform.

The star of last year's Duquesne recruiting class is freshman Damian Saunders. Saunders had committed to Marquette but lost his scholarship when Dominic James decided to return for his senior year at Marquette rather than go pro. Marquette's loss was Duquesne's gain. Saunders is a wonderful athlete who is a beast on the boards and has very quick hands on defense. Saunders had been in a funk for a few weeks but he had strong games against St. Joe's and La Salle, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him guarding Brian Roberts Wednesday night.

If there is one thing I can you about Ron Everhart it is that he demands 100% effort and that type of attitude allows him to get the most out of his players. One player who has thrived under Everhart's tutelage is Aaron Jackson. Jackson is 1 of 2 players left from the Danny Nee era, and he has turned into a heck of a ball player since Everhart took over the program.

Keep an eye out for Duquesne recruit Eric Evans next year. Evans is up for Michigan Mr. Basketball and he should see a ton of minutes as a true freshman next year with Reggie Jackson graduating. Duquesne fans are expecting big things from Eric Evans.

FF: I think I speak for most of the A-10 when I say we weren't exactly devastated to see Robert Mitchell transfer to Seton Hall. That said, it's not typical that you see a conference Rookie of the Year winner transfer immediately afterwards. Was there any indication this might happen prior to the official announcement?

DC: Robert Mitchell had been suspended by Ron Everhart several times last year during the season for having a bad attitude and poor work ethic. As I mentioned earlier Coach Everhart expects 100% effort from his players and frankly Mitchell wasn't giving the effort that Everhart expected of him. Everhart called Mitchell out for his lack of effort and Mitchell didn't respond. It didn't help that Mitchell never played much defense either. Everhart and Mitchell never saw eye to eye and finally both sides decided it would be best if he left the program. Mitchell is a great offensive player but he has the type of attitude and work ethic that would never work on a Ron Everhart team.

FF: Ron Everhart built up a reputation of being the guy that steps into a program and brings it back to prominence and respectability. That might put him on a short list of BCS schools. Has there been any talk of contract negotiations to extend Everhart past this current deal?

DC: Recently Duquesne Athletic Director Greg Amodio spoke about extending Coach Everhart. Everhart is in the second year of a five-year contract that runs through the 2010-11 season. Even with a big raise and contract extension from Duquesne any BCS school who really wanted Ron Everhart would easily be able to out pay Duquesne. Ron Everhart is from West Virginia, and he played at Virginia Tech, so I wouldn't be surprised if Everhart were to take over at either of those schools if Bob Huggins or Seth Greenberg were to leave.

That being said Ron Everhart seems very happy at Duquesne, and he will have a big test once Shawn James leaves the Duquesne program. James is one of the best players I have seen in a Duquesne uniform since 1990, and the Dukes currently have no one on the team or committed to coming to Duquesne who can replace what he brings to the program. James has a year of eligibility after this season but he is already 24 years old and there is serious talk that he may go pro after this season. James' official stance on this issue is that he will talk with his family and Coach Everhart after the season to come to a consensus on the best decision.

If the Duquesne program continues to improve as it has in the last two years it is inevitable that Ron Everhart will leave for a bigger basketball school in a better basketball conference.

FF: The Flyers have a tendency to lock up the star of a team but let one of the less heralded players run wild. (See: Rob Diggs this past Saturday.) Who is the player you could see having one of his biggest games of the year tomorrow that we might not necessarily expect?

DC: The Dukes have had a number of "less heralded players" come up with big games this season. I already mentioned Reggie Jackson and Gary Tucker, but I'd keep an eye out for Aaron Jackson and 6'10 Kieron Achara. Achara has played 2nd fiddle to Shawn James most of this year, but every once in awhile he finds his touch and has a big game. Achara dropped 21 against La Salle last Saturday. Achara seems to have a fragile confidencee, if he misses his first few shots he goes into a shell and he won't fight to get open in the post and he will stop shooting, but if he makes his first few shots, watch out for Kieron. Aaron Jackson's offense is fed by his defense. If Jackson is having a good night on defense creating turnovers and grabbing rebounds he tends to get more aggressive on offense. Aaron Jackson's calling card on offense is backdoor cuts to the basket.

FF: Predictions for tomorrow night?

DC: I'd love to say I like the Dukes but frankly Duquesne has played horribly on the road this season in the A-10. The Dukes will have to play a near perfect game to have a shot at an upset.


Cocktails to Patrick for the help. We wish your team nothing but the best so long as it no way impedes our happiness.