Duquesne University
By Steve Flinn

Three years ago, head coach Danny Nee came to Duquesne to stem the tide and steer the Dukes back in the right direction.

Nee feels he has built a solid foundation, and this year's Dukes' team should be the best he has had during his tenure.

'Among our goals this year is to win more games and finish above the five-hundred mark,' Nee said.

The backcourt will lead the charge, with senior point guard Martin Osimani at the helm. The Uruguay native led the Atlantic 10 Conference in assists last year.

'Martin returns and should pick up where he left off, which is playing smart, getting others involved in the game, and running our team on the floor,' Nee said.

Other backcourt players include juniors Ryan Tricco, West Mifflin's Bryant McAllister, Schenley's Jack Higgins, and senior Tyler Bluemling from Mt. Lebanon.

Forward Jon Pawlak, a 6-9 senior from Natrona Heights, and 6-9, 225-pound sophomore center Kieron Achara will start in the frontcourt.

They are joined by redshirt freshman center Sean McKeon; freshman forwards Brian Kelly and DeVario Hudson, high school teammates from Decatur, Georgia; freshman forward Chauncey Duke, and juco transfer Keith Gayden, originally from Chicago.

'We lost some key frontcourt players,' Nee said. 'We will be young up front, but we should be able to get some contributions from some of the new players, especially underneath,' Nee said. 'We're getting some players now who have enough talent to play right away, including a JC guy, Keith Gayden.'

Nee stresses the Dukes will need to improve on consistency in all phases of the game.

'We need to be more consistent on and off the court if we want to be successful,' Nee said. 'It all starts in practice, where we need to develop the successful attitude and then carry that over to the game.'