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Posted: Tuesday October 22, 2002 1:49 PM Updated: Monday October 28, 2002 2:03 PM Duquesne Dukes
The following preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the most thorough preview available of the upcoming season, order the 2002-03 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518. Team Preview | Blue Ribbon Analysis
It's no secret that size matters in college basketball. Teams that can’t hang on the glass also often struggle on the scoreboard, and that’s exactly what happened during Danny Nee’s first season at Duquesne. The Dukes were out-rebounded by an average of 3.4 rebounds per game and outscored by 8.1 points per game while suffering through their eighth consecutive losing season. Nee, who made his name by rebuilding the Ohio University and Nebraska programs, realized almost immediately that Duquesne needed to get bigger before it got much better on the Bluff and he and his staff focused their recruiting efforts on upgrading the inside game. "We were just a very, very small Division I team," Nee said. "We had no size." That isn’t the case any longer.
Duquesne’s five new scholarship players -- led by 6-foot-11, 260-pound center Derek Ahern and 6-9 240-pound Ron Dokes -- average 6-7 and 220 pounds. "I pray it will help us rebound and defend better," said Nee, who has averaged 17.1 wins and taken his team to the postseason 14 times in his 22 seasons as a head coach. "We had a lot of guys playing out of position." That shouldn’t be the case as often this year as Nee and staff will try to mix and match the skills of their eight returnees with the ability of six talented newcomers. "We are going back to core values and getting kids who fit what we want to do," Nee said. Junior combo guard Jimmy Tricco, a 6-8 transfer from Gonzaga who was a member of back-to-back Sweet 16 teams with the Zags, certainly fits that description. Tricco (1.5 ppg in 2001) played in 50 of 68 games at Gonzaga and was a standout for Duquesne’s scout team last season. "Jimmy brings experience, leadership and scoring ability," Nee said. "You can’t put a value on the experience factor. He’s been a winner in high school and at the collegiate level. He’s won championships and been to postseason play. He knows how hard a team has to practice to improve and he shows that every day with us. He leads by example, which makes him a quality role model." Tricco, who has grown four inches since graduating from Brophy Jesuit Prep in Phoenix, also has Pennsylvania roots. He was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Sewickley and lived in western Pennsylvania until moving to Phoenix at age 8. He still has several relatives in the area, including his brother. Ryan Tricco (16.1 ppg), a 6-4 guard from Mesa Community College in Mesa, Ariz., enrolled at Duquesne this fall and must sit out this season before becoming eligible to play basketball. He will have three seasons of eligibility remaining with the Dukes. Jimmy Tricco is expected to step into a lineup that returns just two starters and loses forward Wayne Smith, a four-year starter and the fourth-leading scorer (1,820 points) in school history. Even with Smith, senior Kevin Forney emerged as the Duke’s most consistent scorer last season as a junior. The 6-4 Forney (11.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.2 spg), who will play both point and shooting guard, scored in double figures in 22 of 27 games and averaged 15.3 points while shooting 57 percent in his final 10 outings. "He’s one of the few players we have who can create his own shot and score off the dribble," Nee said. Sophomores Tyler Bluemling (3.4 ppg) and Aly Samabaly (2.5 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.1 apg) add experience to the backcourt. The 6-2 Bluemling is one of only two Dukes who played in all 28 games last season and overcame a slow start (0-for-16) to become a respectable (.311) three-point shooter. The 6-2 Sambaly, who was born in Kinshasa, Zaire, came to the United States before his junior year in high school and has played just three seasons of organized basketball. He is an athletic player who is constantly learning and adjusting to the game. Bryant McAllister, a 6-2 freshman, should also be a factor in the backcourt. McAllister, who averaged 20.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.9 steals while leading Pittsburgh’s West Mifflin High School to the state Class AAA championship game, is a true point guard who was considered by many to be the top prospect in western Pennsylvania last season. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Player of the Year, McAllister scored 27 points in a state semifinal win at Duquesne’s Palumbo Center and finished his career with 1,514 points. "We think he’s a good player," Nee said. Walk-ons Jeremy Conley and Mike Spadafora round out the backcourt. Conley (2.5 ppg), a 6-2 senior, is an All-American receiver on the Dukes’ football team and a two-year member of Duquesne’s outdoor track team. Spadafora, a 6-3 freshman, averaged 17.5 points as a senior while playing for Archbishop Wood in the Philadelphia Catholic League. The success of the frontcourt hinges on the development of 6-10 sophomore Simplice Njoya (9.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.0 bpg), a native of the Cameroon who came to Duquesne with just two years of basketball experience. "Simplice is the project," Nee said. "He is the key to this whole puzzle because he gives us a legitimate, mobile big man that can score, block shots, rebound and defend. "But he’s still totally inexperienced. He has to play every game and get better every game. As he gets better, you’ll see our program get better." Njoya, who originally committed to UNLV while playing at The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., saw his progressed slowed by an NCAA suspension that sidelined him for 19 games last season. The suspension, which was for receiving improper benefits before Duquesne began to recruit him, was announced on Dec. 28 and kept Njoya out of the lineup until Feb. 19. "It was almost like they canceled his freshman year," Nee said. Njoya still managed to show flashes, starting all nine games he played and scoring in double figures five times. He closed the season with his first career double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) in a loss to St. Bonaventure in the conference tournament. Ahern, Dokes and Elijah Palmer, a 6-7 transfer from Kennedy-King College in Chicago, should help make life easier for Njoya inside. "All three guys are real good players who will help us immediately," Nee said. Ahern, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle in May, has been slowed by knee injuries throughout his career but is a strong back-to-the-basket player who could provide much-needed help in the pivot if he stays healthy. Ahern played for legendary coach Morgan Wootten at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., and was considered one of the top 10 players in Washington, D.C., his senior year. Dokes (12.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.2 bpg) is expected to compete for the starting power forward position after a solid career at Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, Ill. Palmer (16.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg) is a slashing forward who should help offset the losses of Smith and Jamal Hunter on the wing. Seniors Chris Clark and Brad Midgley and junior Jon Pawlak provide additional experience in the frontcourt. Clark (2.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg), a 6-10 native of Toronto, was academically ineligible until mid-December last season but made 16 starts and played in all 21 games after returning. Clark has played in 71 games over the course of his career and can provide depth as a steady defender in the post. The 6-5 Midgley (5.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 apg) has developed into a valuable utility man during his career with the Dukes. A fundamentally sound player, he has averaged 19.3 minutes per game and is Duquesne’s most experienced player with 86 games to his credit. The 6-9 Pawlak (4.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg) is a solid shooter (.390 from three-point range) who saw his playing time increase throughout the season. A smart player who was recruited by a number of Ivy League schools, Pawlak played in all 28 games and led the Dukes with 13 blocked shots. Last season was good for his confidence and he should fill a similar role this year. Duquesne is still in the early stages of the rebuilding process under Nee and the veteran coach knows he won’t be able to quickly turn around a program that has lost 83 games in the last four seasons. "Our goal is -- and always has been -- to continue to improve," Nee said. That seems reasonable considering the Dukes have addressed their biggest weakness, a lack of size, by adding several taller and more talented newcomers. Jimmy Tricco should be able to step in and make a difference with his versatility and strong outside shooting on the wing. Forney is a proven performer who should close his career with a strong senior season and Njoya is a raw talent who could blossom into a special player. Junior college transfers Ahern, Dokes and Palmer provide immediate help to the size problem and McAllister has a very bright future. The Atlantic 10 West is a difficult division, especially with the likes of Xavier, Dayton and Richmond at the top, but Nee has a proven track record and a plan to restore some of Duquesne’s glory from days gone by. "Last year we were trying to teach them how to do things winning teams do," Nee said. "Now we really need to start competing. We’ve got a lot of good young kids with good attitudes, now we’ve just got to pull it all together." The Dukes are closer than they were when Nee inherited Darelle Porter’s mess, but they are still quite a ways away.
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