Taking Strides
Duquesne's Resurgence In Full Swing Despite Lack Of Fans
By Anthony Jaskulski

It was a crisp February evening in Pittsburgh when the city's most dazzling show of the night was taking place at the A.J. Palumbo Center. But hardly anybody knew it was happening.

With less than three-minutes remaining and leading by 15 points, Shawn James slammed home a missed shot from teammate Aaron Jackson, which sealed the deal on James' fifth career triple-double, tying him for second place in NCAA history in the category. Two plays later, a Gary Tucker ally-oop pass was jammed home by Damian Saunders, who knifed through defenders to elevate for the ball - a sequence of athletic plays that would have made NBA scouts do a double-take.

It wasn't another Terrelle Pryor showcase, nor was it the Harlem Globetrotters making their annual visit to the city. This time the spotlight was shining squarely on the revived Duquesne basketball program, as they battered Atlantic-10 foe St. Joseph's, ultimately securing their first winning season in 13 years.

"When you get recruited you hope to be in the record book for something and we're doing that now," said Duquesne guard Aaron Jackson. "It's great to put this team back on the map and finally bring a winning season to Duquesne."

After firing out to a 6-0 start-their best start since the 1979-80 season-and finishing the out-of-conference schedule 10-3 (their only losses were to perennial power Pitt, at No. 20 Drake and at West Virginia), the Dukes were winning again.

Due in large part to a fantastic coaching staff and talented athletes, Duquesne is on pace to reach its first post-season tournament since the 1993-94, when former Philadelphia 76er star Derrick Alston led the Dukes to the second round of the NIT.

"We're in a competitive league with elite coaches and it's a little more satisfying to me to be able to say that we are turning the corner program-wise," said Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart. "I would hope that we can continue to play well and make a push at the end of the season, but there are just no games that are sure wins in a competitive league like this."

Everhart has been like a paramedic racing to crash sites and reviving the life back into programs during his career.

During his seventh and final season with McNeese State in 2001, Everhart took the team from a 6-21 season the previous year to a conference-winning and NIT tournament team with a 22-9 record. He then ran the same process at Northeastern, taking them from a 7-21 mark his first season to an above .500 team the next four, reaching the conference championship and NIT in 2004-05.

Now, after recruiting a crop of talented young stars headlined by James, Duquesne has blown past their 3-24 record two years ago. They have even moved past perhaps the darkest moment in program history in September of 2006, when James, Jackson, Kojo Mensah, Stuart Baldonado and forward Sam Ashaolu were shot in a freak on-campus incident that tested Everhart like nothing else has in his professional life.

"Knowing what Duquesne has been through the last few years it's great to be apart of something like this," said James, who arrived with Everhart last season after transferring from Northeastern. "This is something that's been a long time coming, and it's an honor to know that I can be apart of it."

Duquesne has averaged 84.3 points per game this year, for fifth in the nation, and their 19.1 team assists per game is first nationally. Despite that high-powered offense and a stingy defense, the Dukes have managed to fly below the radar, even locally.

"They've gotten some, but the wins they have, they would need to be a little better to even get into the bubble talk for the tournament," said Sporting News analyst-and former Duquesne beat writer-Mike Decourcy. "I think they gained much more last year for proving they can be competitive after the incident before the season. This year, they just need a few more wins to get a little more recognized."

Not only have the Dukes had trouble getting the attention of the basketball-challenged Pittsburgh media, but the team still finds itself playing in front of half-empty student sections.

In the 102-88 victory over St. Joseph's, only 2,628 people cared to attend. More stunning is that less than 100 of that consensus represented the Duquesne student-body.

Not only was Duquesne out-drawn that night by A-10 foes Dayton and Richmond, but also nearly beaten by the Pitt women's basketball team that attracted 2,527 just across town.

Even sub-.500 squads like James Madison (12-15) and Binghamton (13-14) both average over 3,000 fans per game, while the Dukes are stuck at 2,960.

"They certainly are getting more attention then they did a year ago, so it's a build," said Decourcy. "I mean we're talking about a fan-base that has been obliterated for nearly two decades and has no reason to recognize this program. You are expecting people to show up for one year, when people didn't even know they existed for the longest time. There was every reason not to pay attention to this team for a long period."

"I don't know if it's us not winning the big game, or people not convinced yet," Everhart said. "I remember when I coached at McNeese State and we went from hardly anybody to 10,000 people showing up by the time I left, which was great, but it took seven years. At Northeastern we had to move our games to the hockey arena just so we had more seats for everyone. Here you can sense the same thing happening, and it's something you have to keep working at, and just getting better and working harder to gain attention."

With so many seasons tarnished by dreadful records and appalling performances, perhaps this year will be simply known as the launch-pad that sent Pittsburgh's hottest new team into full-swing.