Duquesne looks to two-sport athlete Kellon Taylor for guidance
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The list of items Duquesne needs to start winning consistently includes improved shooting, better decision-making at the end of games and, perhaps, a little more of what Kellon Taylor can deliver.
That might sound odd when you consider Taylor, a junior forward, has played only five games after joining the team Dec. 9 at the end of football season. But coach Keith Dambrot said Taylor, the only player on the team who’s not a freshman or sophomore, is someone he can count on to be accountable and try to make his younger teammates act the same way.
The Dukes (9-5, 0-1) might need that more than anything as they prepare for their second Atlantic 10 game Wednesday against Fordham at Palumbo Center. Duquesne has lost three of its past four games, including a 65-61 decision at Davidson on Saturday.
“Kellon’s the guy,” Dambrot said, “because Kellon has the respect of the group. He’s smart, and he’s objective. He’s a guy who can echo (the coach’s message).”
At the very least, Taylor can show what can be accomplished when you’re not afraid of a little hard work.
Taylor, 6-foot-5, 220-pound wide receiver, was a big reason Duquesne’s football team (9-4) won the Northeast Conference and became the first team at the school since 2002 to be nationally ranked at the end of the season. The Dukes were 21st in the STATS Top 25 poll and 24th in the AFCA coaches poll.
Taylor caught 44 passes for 576 yards and two touchdowns this season, but he’s averaging only 10.2 minutes per game on the basketball team. Nonetheless, his experience in two varsity sports makes him someone whose voice should be heard.
“Guys look to me for guidance sometimes, and I’m willing to give it,” he said. “(Dambrot) tells me every day that I have to be the vocal leader. I’m the guy that has to make sure practice keeps going along.”
So far, Taylor hasn’t been in games long enough to make a significant impact, and he’s a role player at best while providing a physical presence in the paint.
Dambrot said freshman point guard Sincere Carry also has the mindset to give the team a lift. While leading the team in minutes (30.5) and assists (5.8) and ranking third in scoring (11.5 points), Carry has “earned his stripes,” according to Dambrot.
“In order to do it, you have to come to practice every day and practice hard every day and be emotionally engaged every day,” he said.
The players are thinking that might be just as important as their play on the court as they prepare for Fordham (9-5, 0-1), a team that lost its A-10 opener to Virginia Commonwealth, 76-51, at home.
“That’s what worries me about our group as a whole,” Dambrot said. “We showed we can play and be emotionally engaged against the Penn States, the Pitts, the Notre Dames, the Davidsons. Then, we’ve shown other times where we’ve been a little bit lackadaisical until our backs were against the wall.”
The Dukes have struggled against zone defenses, shooting only 42.7 from the field (266th of 351 Division-I teams) and 31.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (290th).
“Until we shoot the ball at a higher level, we’re not going to get away from anybody,” Dambrot said. “Go from four points (in the lead) to 10 or 12 points, or from eight points to 15 points. We haven’t shot the ball well enough to do that. We just have to make some plays when it matters. A lot of that is insecurity and confidence and having belief in yourself.”
Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jerry at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.