The Dukes’ Micah Mason brings the ball up the floor as NJIT sets the defense. — DAVE DeNOMA/DUQUESNE ATHLETICS
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
News: Duquesne lost for the first time in the 2014-15 season, 84-81, to NJIT on Saturday at the Palumbo Center, prompting Jim Ferry to remark afterward, “I thought that was one of the worst defensive performances I’ve ever seen.” He later clarified that it was the worst by the Dukes in the past two seasons. But still …
Views: He probably had it right the first time. My goodness, the Dukes were awful defensively.
Oh, wait, Ferry wound up using that word, too.
Well, if adjectives don’t sum it up, this will: The Dukes got 18 points from Micah Mason, 16 from Jordan Stevens, 14 each from Derrick Colter and TySean Powell … and defense from absolutely no one. NJIT shot 56.9 percent from the field and, stunningly, were 12 of 24 from 3-point range. Some of that was legit, as Damon Lynn, one of the nation’s most productive outside shooters, put down 27. But he and the rest of his 2-4 team had clean looks all game, inside and out.
Cue Ferry: “If you think you’re going to outscore people, then you’re not going to win.”
No one could argue the point. Not now and, really, not for the past few years. Fact is, Duquesne has been an uptempo program for years, including under Ron Everhart, and that’s generally come at the expense of defense. It’s understandable to an extent, especially when the primary goal is to run up shot totals and wear down the opponent with depth. But once a team is set in the half-court, the excuses expire.
“We just need to be better defensively,” Mason said. “We practiced for Lynn all week. We knew he could shoot. And he just knocked them down. It all starts on defense.”
In a raging hurry, too. Howard visits Tuesday. After that, of course, it’s the City Game on Friday.
The Dukes also lacked an inside game, the result of being far too young up front. Powell had a spurt, but he had three offensive rebounds and three turnovers. Dominique McKoy went 1 for 4 from the field with two offensive rebounds and two turnovers. Jordan Robinson and Darius Lewis fared no better. Ferry tried what he called a ‘kitchen sink’ approach. None worked.
Ferry is doing things right. All those inside players are young with bona fide upside, and they’ll grow up at Duquesne. Gone are the days of the perpetual juco transfer.
But I’ll pick at least one bone with the coach for this one: The Dukes pulled within two and had possession with 19 seconds on the clock. After a 30-second timeout for Ferry to script a play, Mason brought the ball up the floor and dished to L.G. Gill for a 3-point attempt that was blocked.
Mason is one of the best shooters in the Atlantic 10. The shot had to be his. Or Colter’s. Or Stevens’.
I asked Ferry about that:
We’ll disagree on that. Every team has a play that invariably finds the ball in its best shooter’s hands, not the third option.
Regardless, there are more pressing problems, almost entirely tilted toward the other end.
Coach Years Win-Loss Win %
John Carroll 1990–1995 73–98 .427
Scott Edgar 1995–1998 29–55 .345
Darelle Porter 1998–2001 23–64 .264
Danny Nee 2001–2006 42–102 .292
Ron Everhart 2006–2012 99–89 .527
Jim Ferry 2012-
I saw Darelle at a Pitt game a few weeks ago. He's not missing any meals… Had to explain to my 4-year-old son that he was one of the greatest athletes in City League history, which was an interesting conversation.
In any event, I really appreciate the thorough coverage of the Bluff. This site is just amazingly splendid!
So we traded in a coach with a .520 winning percentage to a coach with a .365? Waiting on a Duquesne turnaround is taking longer than waiting on the Pirates to get above .500. I don't think I will ever see Duquesne in the tournament, and I'm a young kid.
November 29, 2014
News/views: Dukes lose first, Ferry fumes
by Dejan Kovacevic • News/views • Duquesne
The Dukes’ Micah Mason brings the ball up the floor as NJIT sets the defense. — DAVE DeNOMA/DUQUESNE ATHLETICS
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
News: Duquesne lost for the first time in the 2014-15 season, 84-81, to NJIT on Saturday at the Palumbo Center, prompting Jim Ferry to remark afterward, “I thought that was one of the worst defensive performances I’ve ever seen.” He later clarified that it was the worst by the Dukes in the past two seasons. But still …
Views: He probably had it right the first time. My goodness, the Dukes were awful defensively.
Oh, wait, Ferry wound up using that word, too.
Well, if adjectives don’t sum it up, this will: The Dukes got 18 points from Micah Mason, 16 from Jordan Stevens, 14 each from Derrick Colter and TySean Powell … and defense from absolutely no one. NJIT shot 56.9 percent from the field and, stunningly, were 12 of 24 from 3-point range. Some of that was legit, as Damon Lynn, one of the nation’s most productive outside shooters, put down 27. But he and the rest of his 2-4 team had clean looks all game, inside and out.
Cue Ferry: “If you think you’re going to outscore people, then you’re not going to win.”
No one could argue the point. Not now and, really, not for the past few years. Fact is, Duquesne has been an uptempo program for years, including under Ron Everhart, and that’s generally come at the expense of defense. It’s understandable to an extent, especially when the primary goal is to run up shot totals and wear down the opponent with depth. But once a team is set in the half-court, the excuses expire.
“We just need to be better defensively,” Mason said. “We practiced for Lynn all week. We knew he could shoot. And he just knocked them down. It all starts on defense.”
In a raging hurry, too. Howard visits Tuesday. After that, of course, it’s the City Game on Friday.
The Dukes also lacked an inside game, the result of being far too young up front. Powell had a spurt, but he had three offensive rebounds and three turnovers. Dominique McKoy went 1 for 4 from the field with two offensive rebounds and two turnovers. Jordan Robinson and Darius Lewis fared no better. Ferry tried what he called a ‘kitchen sink’ approach. None worked.
Ferry is doing things right. All those inside players are young with bona fide upside, and they’ll grow up at Duquesne. Gone are the days of the perpetual juco transfer.
But I’ll pick at least one bone with the coach for this one: The Dukes pulled within two and had possession with 19 seconds on the clock. After a 30-second timeout for Ferry to script a play, Mason brought the ball up the floor and dished to L.G. Gill for a 3-point attempt that was blocked.
Mason is one of the best shooters in the Atlantic 10. The shot had to be his. Or Colter’s. Or Stevens’.
I asked Ferry about that:
We’ll disagree on that. Every team has a play that invariably finds the ball in its best shooter’s hands, not the third option.
Regardless, there are more pressing problems, almost entirely tilted toward the other end.
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