Duquesne Dukes men's basketball
Duquesne Dukes | ||||
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University | Duquesne University | |||
Head coach | Dru Joyce III(1st season) | |||
Conference | Atlantic 10 | |||
Location | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | |||
Arena | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (capacity: 3,500) | |||
Nickname | Dukes | |||
Colors | Red and blue[1] | |||
Uniforms | ||||
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NCAA tournament Final Four | ||||
1940 | ||||
NCAA tournament Elite Eight | ||||
1940, 1952 | ||||
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | ||||
1952, 1969 | ||||
NCAA tournament round of 32 | ||||
1977, 2024 | ||||
NCAA tournament appearances | ||||
1940, 1952, 1969, 1971, 1977, 2024 | ||||
Conference tournament champions | ||||
1977, 2024 | ||||
Conference regular season champions | ||||
1980, 1981 |
TheDuquesne DukesrepresentDuquesne Universityincollege basketball.The team, which started in 1914, has only ever played inNCAA Division Iand has had six appearances in theNCAA Tournament.The Dukes play in theAtlantic 10 Conference,of which they have been members since 1976 (minus the 1992–93 season in which the Dukes were single-season members of theMidwestern Collegiate Conference). Their head basketball coach isDru Joyce III.[2]
The Dukes men's basketball team has had great success over the years, playing twice in national championship games in the 1950s and winning theNational Invitation Tournamentchampionshipin 1955.Duquesne also emerged victorious in the1976–77 Eastern Collegiate Basketball League(the forerunner to the Eastern Athletic Association, now known as theAtlantic 10 Conference) tournament and2024 Atlantic 10 tournament.The Dukes were also 1979–80 and 1980–81 Eastern Athletic Association regular-season co-champions. The Associated Press ranked Duquesne as the No. 1 college basketball team in the country for two consecutive weeks during the 1953–54 season.[3]They also have gone through lean years, as Duquesne went47 years between appearances in the NCAA Division I Tournament(which was the eighth-longest active streak) after winning their first Atlantic 10 title in 1977. They reached (and lost) the A10 tournament final in1981and2009before finally winning the conference tournament in 2024 and snapping the 47-year appearance drought in the NCAA tournament.
Duquesne is the only school to have back-to-back first overall picks in theNational Basketball Association draft(Dick Rickettsby theSaint Louis Hawksin1955andSihugo Greenby theRochester Royalsin1956). The Dukes men's basketball program can also claim the first African-American player selected in anNBAdraft (Chuck Cooperby theBoston Celticsin1950). The1939–40 Dukes basketball teamfinished with a 20–3 record and appeared in the Final Four of both theNITandNCAA Tournaments.Duquesne has had the mostAtlantic 10scoring champions in conference history.[citation needed]
History[edit]
Early history[edit]
The history of basketball at Duquesne University can be dated back to 1914, when the university administration established basketball as a varsity sport. The first game, against Bethany College, was won in a gym under the college chapel on January 9, 1914 (Rishel 23). The team was first coached by Alexander Hogarty, whose tenure lasted only one season. The position was filled byFather Eugene McGuigan,who was called "Father Mac" on campus and "Coach Gene Martin" in newspaper reports in order to prevent the name of aHoly Ghost fatherfrom being associated with the rowdiness of "Basket-ball". Father McGuigan coached football, baseball, and basketball until he was transferred from Duquesne University in 1923 (Rishel 38).
When a proper gymnasium was constructed in 1923, Duquesne Basketball was finally allowed to come into its own, as the previous court was in reality a stage below the chapel and was not only slanted but demarcated by a steel cage on its perimeter. Teams had previously refused to play the "Bluffites" on their home court. Coach"Chick" Daviesinitiated a new era in the basketball program, filling the 1,200-seat gymnasium and bringing the team into national prominence. In its first season with Davies, Duquesne tied withWaynesburg Universityfor the Tri-State Conference championship and dominated the same conference in 1926 and 1927 before moving to a higher level of competition. The season expanded from 20 to 28 games and became more competitive in 1930 when the team faced theUniversity of Iowa,Loyola University Chicago,Adrian College, Elmhurst College, Alfred State College, John Carroll University,American University,Catholic University,Colgate University,St. Bonaventure University,Seton Hall University,Manhattan College,and the City College of New York. Davies, immensely popular, coached Duquesne basketball until 1948 (Rishel 40–41).
World War II era[edit]
The university tried to hold on to basketball duringWorld War II,having reworked the gymnasium in 1942 to seat an extra 800 spectators, but was forced to drop the sport at the end of the 1943 season (Rishel 81–82). However, the sport was reinstated in the spring of 1946. During the 1946–1947 seasonDaviesled the Dukes to 19 straight victories before a loss toGeorgetown University.In that same season, Duquesne received its third invitation to theNIT,losing by one point to theUniversity of Utah,the eventual champion, which it had defeated during the regular season (Rishel 101).
During this first postwar season, theUniversity of Tennesseerefused to play a scheduled game against Duquesne at the McKeesport (PA) Vocational High School because the Dukes had a black player--Chuck Cooper.The December 23, 1946, game had been highly anticipated since Tennessee had two All-Americans and four other returning lettermen. As Davies refused to remove Cooper from the squad, Tennessee canceled at the last minute. In 1950, Cooper became the first African-American drafted to play professional basketball when he joined theBoston Celtics(Rishel 101).
Mid-century success[edit]
Dukes Basketball continued to impress with a new coach in the 1948–49 season--Donald "Dudey" Moore,who had also played for Duquesne.[4]In the 1949–50 season, Moore's team achieved a 17–5 record in the 1948–49 season, and in 1950, 23 wins and another bid to theNIT.By the 1950s, Duquesne's Locust Street gym had become inadequate to seat the team's spectators, so games were usually played in a high school gym inMcKeesportor theDuquesne GardensinOakland.Even at this point, daily practice was held atNorth Catholic High School(Rishel 102).
The 1950s marked an age of immense success for Dukes Basketball, with Moore leading his team to sixNITbids (1950,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956). The team went 21–1 during the 1951–52 regular season and was the top seed in the tournament. Moore was named "Coach of the Year" by the New York Basketball Writers Association.[4]In 1953, Duquesne was rated as a preseason "best in the East" and possibly the nation.[citation needed]With a 23–2 record, they were top seed for the NIT that year. Although they lost to theCollege of the Holy Cross,they achieved a new record of 26 victories in a season. Top-seeded again in '54, Duquesne, following a 19–4 regular season, finally won the title of NIT Champions in 1955 (Rishel 137–138).
The 1956 season almost came to an early end, as theDuquesne Gardens,then Duquesne's home court, was to be demolished. However, in a gesture which athletic director Doc Skender called "one of the finest acts of sportsmanship I've ever known," long-standing rival theUniversity of Pittsburghallowed the Dukes use of theFitzgerald Field Housefor home games (Rishel 138).
CoachRed Manning,initially unpopular, soon led the Dukes to another era of postseason play, ending up in the Final Four in the1962 NIT tournament,with further appearances in the NIT in1964,1968,and1970,plus appearances in the NCAA Tournament in1969and1971.
Notable in this decade wasWillie Somerset,nicknamed by the press as "Wonderful Willie." Though only 5'11 ", he could jump higher than any other player on the team (Rishel 177).
1970s to 1990s[edit]
Retired basketball jerseys[5] | ||
---|---|---|
Number | Player | Year |
15 | Chuck Cooper | 1947–1950 |
11 | Sihugo Green | 1954–1956 |
10 | Norm Nixon | 1974–1977 |
12 | Dick Ricketts | 1952–1955 |
24 | Willie Somerset | 1962–1965 |
13 | Mike James | 1995–1998 |
The 1970s saw the end of Manning's tenure. Duquesne had seen only four different basketball coaches in fifty years, but this decade alone saw three coaches: Red Manning,John Cinicola,andMike Rice.The decade was relatively lackluster, although it saw the likes of "the greatest guard in Duquesne basketball history" --Norm Nixon(Rishel 216). The 1980s were marked by problems with many players' academic eligibility—calling into question the university's recruiting and support procedures—and are best described as "trying times" for the Dukes (Rishel 246). There were only two winning seasons in the decade--'80–81 and '85–86. Even so, the 1988 construction of theA. J. Palumbo Center—Duquesne Basketball's current home—is a notable event of this time period.
21st century[edit]
The Dukes have had mixed success in the 21st century, reaching one NCAA Tournament (reaching the second round in2024), one NIT Tournament (eliminated in the first round in2009) and fourCollege Basketball Invitationaltournaments (twice making the second round). Despite coming off a second straight winning season and losing to Temple in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship Game in2009,coachRon Everhartwas fired after the 2011–2012 season; the university cited a lack of postseason success as the main reason for the firing.[6]Jim Ferrywas hired but failed to improve the team's performance and was fired in 2017 with an overall record of 60-97.[7]Keith Dambrotwas hired away fromAkronand coached the team to a bid in the2024 NCAA Tournamentas an 11 seed after winning theAtlantic 10 Conference Tournamentfor the second time. They defeated the 6th-seededBYU Cougarsin the first round 71-67, their first NCAA tournament win in 55 years.[8]
Postseason[edit]
NCAA tournament results[edit]
The Dukes have appeared in theNCAA Tournamentsix times. Their combined record is 5–6.
Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1940 | Elite Eight Final Four |
WKU Indiana |
W30–29 L 30–39 | |
1952 | Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight |
Princeton Illinois |
W60–49 L 68–74 | |
1969 | First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game |
Saint Joseph's North Carolina St. John's |
W74–52 L 78–79 W75–72 | |
1971 | First Round | Penn | L 65–70 | |
1977 | First Round | VMI | L 66–73 | |
2024 | #11 | First Round Second Round |
#6 BYU #3 Illinois |
W71–67 L 63–89 |
NIT results[edit]
The Dukes have appeared in theNational Invitation Tournament(NIT) 17 times. Their combined record is 17–19. They were NIT champions in 1955.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1940 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Final |
St. John's Oklahoma A&M Colorado |
W38–31 W34–30 L 40–51 |
1941 | Quarterfinals | Ohio | L 40–55 |
1947 | Quarterfinals | Utah | L 44–45 |
1950 | Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game |
La Salle CCNY St. John's |
W49–47 L 52–62 L 67–69 |
1952 | Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game |
Holy Cross La Salle St. Bonaventure |
W78–68 L 46–59 L 34–48 |
1953 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game |
Tulsa WKU St. John's Manhattan |
W88–69 W69–61 L 55–64 W81–67 |
1954 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Final |
Saint Francis (PA) Niagara Holy Cross |
W69–63 W66–51 L 62–71 |
1955 | Quarterfinals Semifinals Final |
Louisville Cincinnati Dayton |
W74–66 W65–61 W70–58 |
1956 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Oklahoma A&M Louisville |
W69–61 L 72–84 |
1962 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game |
Navy Bradley St. John's Loyola–Chicago |
W70–58 W88–85 L 65–75 L 84–95 |
1964 | Quarterfinals | Army | L 65–67 |
1968 | First Round | Fordham | L 60–69 |
1970 | First Round | Georgia Tech | L 68–78 |
1980 | First Round Second Round |
Pittsburgh Saint Peter's |
W65–63 L 33–34 |
1981 | First Round | Michigan | L 58–74 |
1994 | First Round Second Round |
Charlotte Villanova |
W75–73 L 66–82 |
2009 | First Round | Virginia Tech | L 108–1162OT |
CBI results[edit]
The Dukes have appeared in theCollege Basketball Invitational(CBI) four times. Their combined record is 2–4.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | First Round | Princeton | L 51–55 |
2011 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Montana Oregon |
W87–74 L 75–77 |
2016 | First Round Quarterfinals |
Nebraska–Omaha Morehead State |
W120–112 L 72–82 |
2023 | First Round | Rice | L 78–84 |
National Campus Basketball Tournament results[edit]
The Dukes appeared in the only National Campus Basketball Tournament. Their record is 0–1.
Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1951 | Quarterfinals | Wyoming | L 63–78 |
Retired numbers[edit]
On January 27, 2001, during the halftime of a game againstXavier University,the Duquesne University Department of Athletics retired the jersey numbers of five of its all-time greatest players:Chuck Cooper,Sihugo Green,Norm Nixon,Dick RickettsandWillie Somerset.[5]Mike James' number 13 was retired in 2017.
Duquesne Dukes retired numbers | |||||
No. | Player | Pos. | Career | No. ret. | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 | Norm Nixon | PG | 1973–1977 | 2001 | [9] |
11 | Sihugo Green | PG /SG | 1953–1956 | 2001 | [10] |
12 | Dick Ricketts | PF/C | 1951–1955 | 2001 | [5] |
13 | Mike James | PG | 1994–1998 | 2017 | [11] |
15 | Chuck Cooper | SF/ SG | 1946–1950 | 2001 | [12] |
24 | Willie Somerset | PG | 1961–1965 | 2001 | [5] |
All-time coaches[edit]
Notable players[edit]
All-Americans
- 1935 –Paul Birch
- 1936 –Herb Bonn,Walter Miller
- 1940 –Ed Milkovich,Paul Widowitz
- 1941 –Moe Becker,Paul Widowitz
- 1950 –Chuck Cooper
- 1952 –Jim Tucker
- 1953 –Dick Ricketts
- 1954 –Sihugo Green,Dick Ricketts
- 1955 –Sihugo Green,Dick Ricketts
- 1956 –Sihugo Green
- 1965 –Willie Somerset
- 1973 –Norm Nixon
Professional
- Shawn James(born 1983), Guyanese-American basketball player
- T.J. McConnell(born 1992), American basketball player
References[edit]
- Rishel, Joseph F. (1997).The Spirit that Gives Life.Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:Duquesne University Press.ISBN0-8207-0268-4.
- ^"Duquesne Athletics Visual Identity Guidelines"(PDF).October 18, 2022.RetrievedDecember 5,2022.
- ^Salerno, Cameron (March 28, 2024)."Dru Joyce III, high school teammate of LeBron James, to coach Duquesne, replacing retired Keith Dambrot".cbssports.com.RetrievedMarch 28,2024.
- ^"Duquesne (PA) 1954 AP Men's Basketball Rankings - College Poll Archive - Historical College Football and Basketball Polls and Rankings".collegepollarchive.com.
- ^ab"Dudey Moore, Duquesne, Is Coach of Year".Rome News-Tribune.March 10, 1952. p. 4 – via Google Books.
- ^abcd"Retired Jerseys".Duquesne University Men's Basketball History.Duquesne University Athletics.Retrieved2007-09-17.
- ^"Ron Everhart fired as coach at Duquesne".usatoday.com.
- ^"Jim Ferry out as Duquesne men's basketball coach".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Retrieved2024-03-21.
- ^"Duquesne 71-67 BYU (Mar 21, 2024) Final Score".ESPN.Retrieved2024-03-21.
- ^Duquesne's Sincere Carry to Wear Norm Nixon's No. 10 Jersey,9 Oct 2019 at Post Gazette
- ^Who Was Si Green, the Player Selected Before Boston Celtics Legend Bill Russell in the 1956 NBA Draft?by Mike Thomas, 20 Aug 2022
- ^Duquesne to Retire Mike James’ #13 TonightBy Mike Vukovcanm - February 22, 2017
- ^'Burgh's Best to Wear It, No. 15: Chuck Cooper helped break NBA's racial barrierby Joe Rutter - Aug. 16, 2020