Duquesne category, Page 15
Tim Benz: Like him or not, Rick Pitino is right about the state of college sports’ conference meltdowns
Here’s a classic case of “listen to the message, even if you don’t like the messenger.” Rick Pitino has certainly done a lot to make many college basketball fans dislike him during his highly successful yet highly checkered coaching career. But on the topic of nonstop conference realignment chaos, Pitino...
In retirement, Duquesne’s Dave Saba will measure his sports information career by ‘Forrest Gump moments’
Dave Saba calls them “Forrest Gump moments,” those unforgettable interactions with sports celebrities and one future U.S. president that surfaced during his four decades in athletic administration at two institutions of higher learning, Texas and Duquesne. Landmarks of a lifetime, they come rushing back to him now, especially after he...
First Call: Pitt alum scores in Hall of Fame game; Steelers working out DBs; ex-WPIAL standout returns to action
Friday’s “First Call” showcases a Pitt alum opening eyes in the Hall of Fame game. The Steelers need a little help at defensive back. Austin Hedges still has some ties back to Pittsburgh. And a former WPIAL standout is getting back to practice in the NFL. Izzy to the Hizzy...
Duquesne football seeks better results behind retooled roster, picked to finish 3rd in NEC
If all goes to plan for Duquesne this fall, 2023 will prove to be more successful football campaign than 2022. The Dukes, looking to rebound from a 4-7 season, enter year No. 19 under coach Jerry Schmitt. Those four wins marked Duquesne’s lowest total since 2009, with the Dukes tying...
Tim Benz: Additions, key retentions have Keith Dambrot optimistic at Duquesne
After a few years of experience, Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot now has a feel for what roster-building is like with college basketball in the NIL/transfer portal era. “The roster situation is never going to be the same like it used to be 10 years ago. You just have to keep...
Duquesne adds highly touted Czech forward to men’s basketball recruiting class
The Duquesne men’s basketball team added a highly touted European forward to its class of incoming freshmen and transfers, announcing the commitment of 6-foot-8 forward Jakub Necas from the Czech Republic on Wednesday. Necas has extensive experience with the Czech national team in age-group competition. Last season, he played for...
After 11 seasons as WVU assistant, Ron Everhart named Mountaineers’ director of community relations
Ron Everhart, the former head men’s basketball coach at Duquesne who spent the past 11 seasons as an assistant under Bob Huggins at West Virginia, will assume a newly created position under first-year WVU coach Josh Eilert. Everhart will serve as the program’s director of community relations and player outreach....
Former Duquesne coach Ron Everhart hopes to remain a WVU assistant
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — No one needs to tell Ron Everhart what it’s like to endure — and conquer — stressful, uncertain situations. Right now, Everhart has a job as an assistant basketball coach at West Virginia, the same one he has held for the past 11 seasons under Hall...
Garry Nelson, one of Duquesne basketball’s legendary Nelson Twins, dies at age 73
Garry A. Nelson, a legendary athlete and unmistakable presence with his twin brother, Barry, on Duquesne basketball teams of the late 1960s and early 1970s and later a law school graduate at his alma mater, died Sunday in Florida after a fall. He was 73. “The entire Duquesne University community...
Hampton grad Matt DeMatteo thrives after narrowing focus to track at Duquesne
Former Hampton three-sport standout Matt DeMatteo already owns the third-fastest 400-meter hurdle time in Duquesne track and field history. Imagine what will happen when he figures out what he’s doing. “I’ve always been a three-sport athlete and never really focused all of my time on track,” DeMatteo said. “So I’m...
Duquesne lands 6-10 N.C. State transfer Dusan Mahorcic
Two months after the end of the season, Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot continues his quest to rebuild the Dukes’ roster, his efforts paying a big dividend Friday when 6-foot-10 Dusan Mahorcic, a transfer from N.C. State, announced on Instagram that he will enroll this year. Mahorcic started nine of the...
Former Steel Valley, Duquesne linebacker Todd Hill plans to transfer to Pitt
Linebacker Todd Hill, who helped lead Steel Valley to WPIAL championships in 2016 and 2018 and a PIAA title in 2016, announced on his Twitter account that he is transferring from Duquesne to Pitt. ✅ pic.twitter.com/Q8Eb1NdkPW— ☦odd ♓️ill (@Toddhill_9) May 18, 2023 Hill (5-foot-10, 240 pounds) was an elite pass...
Former OLSH basketball star Jake DiMichele commits to Duquesne
Former Our Lady of the Sacred Heart basketball star Jake DiMichele, who graduated a year ago as one of WPIAL’s all-time leading scorers, committed Friday to Duquesne. He announced his decision on Twitter. OLSH was a record-setting program when the 6-foot-3 guard was on the court. DiMichele averaged 31.9 points...
Former 5-star QB Hunter Johnson among reported tryouts at Steelers rookie minicamp
The Duck’s first Pittsburgh flight came at one. A Super Bowl hero’s NFL career began at one, too, as did one for a two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver. The seven draft picks will draw the headlines when the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie minicamp opens Friday, and for good reason. After all,...
Norwin grad Emily Brozeski becomes master of ‘multi’ tasking for Duquesne track and field
The Brozeski house in North Huntingdon was always lively. With four girls following the lead of parents who were college athletes, there was always some “sporting event” going on in the back yard, even football and wrestling. “Not your average ‘girl’ things, I guess,” said Emily Brozeski, 22, noting she...
First Call: Ex-Pitt, Duquesne players earn shot with Steelers; any truth to Patriots-Jets subplot before Broderick Jones pick?
Tuesday’s “First Call” gives us players from Pitt and Duquesne who will have rookie minicamp tryouts with the Pittsburgh Steelers. We get a little intel on that Steelers-Patriots trade in Round 1 of last week’s draft. A former Steeler decides to revisit the coaching path. And a high grade for...
Duquesne continues to rebuild roster for 2023-2024 season
In what appears to be another busy offseason, Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot recently turned his roster retooling efforts toward point guard Kailon Nicholls, a rising freshman, and 6-foot-7 forward Andrei Savrasov, a transfer from Georgia Southern. Both have made verbal, non-binding commitments to the Dukes, according to reports. Nicholls, a...
Butler grad Devin Carney decides to transfer from Duquesne
Devin Carney, one of the most prolific scorers in WPIAL history, will transfer from Duquesne, he announced Tuesday on his Twitter account. Next chapter???????? pic.twitter.com/HxrH1qseVc— Devin Carney (@devin24carney_) April 11, 2023 Carney was a four-year starter at Butler, averaging 13, 21, 29.6 and 26 points per game. He scored 2,082...
Report: Duquesne gets commitments from La Salle twin forwards Hassan, Fousseyni Drame
Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot has returned to the NCAA transfer portal to restock his team for the 2023-2024 season. The Dukes have received verbal commitments from twin 6-foot-7 forwards Hassan and Fousseyni Drame, The Athletic reported. The twins helped lead Saint Peter’s to the 2022 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight before...
Former Duquesne guard Maceo Austin says he will transfer to Slippery Rock
Maceo Austin had a specific goal in mind when he stepped away from the Duquesne basketball team after the 2020-21 season. “I really wanted to finish and graduate from Duquesne,” he said. That will occur in May when he leaves Duquesne with a degree in integrated marketing communications. At Slippery...
Early games against West Virginia, Coastal Carolina highlight Duquesne’s 2023 football schedule
Duquesne announced its 11-game 2023 football slate this week and, as has been the case in the immediate past, early-season matchups with Football Bowl Subdivision opponents loom. The Dukes will travel to Morgantown for a showdown with West Virginia on Sept. 9, followed by another away game at Coastal Carolina...
Duquesne’s season ends with loss in 1st round of CBI
A men’s basketball season of promise for Duquesne came to a screeching halt Sunday in an 84-78 first-round loss to Rice at the College Basketball Invitational in Daytona Beach, Fla. Still, Duquesne finishes the year with a 20-13 record, a remarkable turnaround from last season’s 6-24 debacle that represented the...
Duquesne settles in for opening CBI game in Florida
As he was relaxing following a team meal along Florida’s East Coast, Keith Dambrot’s phone began to ring. The Duquesne men’s basketball coach answered and a reporter greeted him on the other end. “How are things going down there, coach?” the caller inquired while noticing the background noise from a...
Pitt, Duquesne involved in talks to play football game at Acrisure Stadium
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Pitt and Duquesne officials are in the midst of talks that could bring their football teams together for the first time since 1939, possibly in one of the next few seasons at Acrisure Stadium, Pitt Athletic Director Heather Lyke said Thursday. Duquesne has played Power 5 schools...
Tim Benz: Tournament expansion is a bad idea — but if the NCAA can’t resist, here’s how to do it
Thursday and Friday mark what many feel to be two of the best days of the sports year: the first two days of the NCAA College Basketball Tournament. Perfectly timed on the sports calendar. Perfectly formatted with its fan-friendly three-week-long bracket system. Perfectly packaged with its survive-and-advance drama, and David...
