Certainly Coach Ferry understands his team’s current precarious position all too well. After all, it was around this time last year that Duquesne’s fortunes took a turn for the worse. It was a loss on December 22nd of last year at Louisiana-Lafayette that started an eleven game, two-month skid for the Dukes.
This year’s three-game road trip, which began December 17th with a win at St. Francis, will also take Duquesne to Lowell, Massachusetts to play UMass-Lowell, and Edinburg, Texas to play Texas Pan-American. But this year, it is important that Ferry and his team turn the trip into a confidence booster, before the Dukes head into the meat of their schedule after the New Year.
A quick glance at their next two opponents’ records may lead one to believe that this can be easily done. UMass-Lowell is currently struggling, with a 1-10 record, while Texas Pan-American sits at 4-9, after a demoralizing loss last night to SMU.
Remember, however, that last year, after a December 19th home win over Western Michigan, Duquesne traveled to Louisiana to take on a struggling (4-8) Ragin’ Cajun squad, but came out on the wrong end of a 91-79 score. The UL-Lafayette team shot a dead-eye 71.4 percent in the second half, erasing a five-point Duquesne halftime lead.
Granted, Duquesne is a completely different team from a year ago. Last season, they lacked a skilled big man – an indispensable component to any team trying to pick up wins on the road. Last year, when Duquesne couldn’t live by the three, they died by it, without a good offensive forward to grab rebounds and convert short-range shots in traffic when the guards weren’t hitting.
UL-Lafayette manhandled the Dukes in the paint, outrebounding them 33-26 and outscoring them 40-30. This year, however, Duquesne has the help of the highly skilled senior forward Ovie Soko, who currently leads the team in points scored. Forward Dominique McKoy has also contributed in the rebounds and stats column, averaging 7.4 boards and 10.6 points per game.
With athletic forwards, and less reliance on outside shooting, Duquesne is much better equipped to win on the road this season. So far, they are 1-1 away from Pittsburgh – that’s already half as many road wins as they had all of last season. For what it’s worth, Duquesne has a great opportunity in front of them to string together back-to-back wins for the first time all season. Moreover, if they get the win against Texas Pan-American, they will be looking at a winning record (6-5).
This would do wonders for the team’s confidence heading into January. Players and staff need to realize the opportunity in front of them and avoid the pitfalls that hit almost every time the team travelled last season.
Photo Credit: Duquesne Athletics
