Freshman PG Sincere Carry pivotal part of Duquesne’s early success this season
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Duquesne has prevailed down the stretch of tight games this season, winning all three one-point decisions it has been involved in and going 5-1 in those decided by five or fewer points.
Ask coach Keith Dambrot why, the first player he mentions is a freshman.
“We have a good point guard, which helps you win close games,” Dambrot said, referring to Sincere Carry. “He’s strong, he’s tough and he’s young. But he’s a good player, so that helps you, I think, when you can handle the ball and you can make good decisions and you get the ball to the right places when it matters.”
A 6-1 native of Solon, Ohio, Carry leads the Atlantic 10 in assist rate, per KenPom.com. He ranks seventh nationally in assists per game (5.65) among freshmen and leads the nation’s freshmen in steals per game (2.94).
Even among all players, regardless of class, Carry is third in the A-10 in assists and second in steals.
“I feel like I am adjusting well (to the college game),” Carry said. “I am getting better every day, and I’m approaching each practice – each day – with a different mindset, trying to get better and improve. Not only trying to get myself better, but trying to get my teammates better too.”
Truth be told, it didn’t take any time at all for Carry to adjust to the college game. In his first game for the Dukes (a win against William & Mary on Nov 10), he had nine assists and no turnovers.
In his second game (a win against UIC), he had 32 points. In Carry’s seventh game (a win against Marshall), check out this stat line: 19 points, 7 assists, 5 steals, 5 rebounds and no turnovers.
Since A-10 play began, Carry leads the team in scoring (14.0 ppg), assists (4.8 apg) and steals (2.2 spg). He is the only Duquesne player to start every game this season.
The best part? Carry has 3 ½ more seasons of eligibility remaining – and at least 2 ½ more seasons with all but one of Duquesne’s significant contributors.
“It’s good because it would be tough if we were all seniors and I was still a freshman knowing they would leave,” Carry said. “So I have two more years with everybody, so that will be good. We will get more comfortable and better each year.”
The Dukes (12-5, 3-1) play at George Washington (6-11, 2-2) at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris at cadamski@tribweb.com or via Twitter @C_AdamskiTrib.