Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot gets signed letters of intent from 3 transfers
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The letters of intent and financial aid agreements are signed and delivered, and Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot is finally free to talk about his three-man raid on the NCAA transfer portal.
Guard Leon Ayers III (Mercer) and forwards Rodney Gunn Jr. (Lenoir-Rhyne) and Tre Williams (Indiana State) will be part of the Dukes’ 2021-2022 roster.
Ayers (6-foot-6) averaged 12.2 points and 3.8 rebounds last season at Mercer. He was a National Junior College Athletic Association Division II second-team All-American as a sophomore when he averaged 21.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists at Henry Ford (Mich.) College.
“I think Leon can be a real good scorer for us,” Dambrot said in a statement. “He’s terrific with the ball and can shoot it at a high level. He adjusted well to his first year of Division I basketball — shooting 39% from 3-point — and really finished strong. He’s another good-sized wing who can play at the one, two or three for us. He has a great upside.”
Gunn (6-foot-7) started 78 of is 93 games for Division II Lenoir-Rhyne. He scored 1,183 points in four seasons at Lenoir-Rhyne, averaging 19.6 as a junior and 16.6 as a senior. First-team all-conference in consecutive seasons, he is a career 38% 3-point shooter.
“R.J. to me is a real sleeper,” Dambrot said. “He’s a big, strong, athletic inside-out guy with terrific range on his jump shot who can play multiple positions for us. Some may judge a Division II player a little differently, but as someone who has coached at that level, I know how many quality players there are in D-II.
“R.J. is a talented guy who has been a winner everywhere he’s been.”
Williams (6-7, 250) started every game and averaged 8.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in two seasons at Indiana State. He also had 74 blocked shots in 55 games.
“Tre is a very, very experienced player who will be a great addition to our frontcourt,” Dambrot said. “His numbers at Indiana State — in a very good conference — were very similar to (former Duquesne forward) Marcus Weathers’ at Miami (Ohio) before he transferred in.
“Tre can score on the low block and has the ability to play both the power forward and center positions. He is also an outstanding defensive player, which should help ease the loss of Mike Hughes. With our philosophy of getting the ball to the post, I look for his offensive numbers to make a real jump.”