Duquesne men’s basketball is headed overseas in preparation for the 2015-16 season. The Dukes will travel to Ireland for a nine-day, three-game trip.
According to www.goduquesne.com, the team will depart on August 4 for games in Galway, Cork and Dublin and return on August 12. Head coach Jim Ferry attributes the trip, prior to which the Dukes are allowed 10 days of practice, as an opportunity for the coaching staff and team to learn about each other.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) permits basketball programs to travel internationally once every four years. The Ireland trip marks the second time Duquesne has utilized this rule. In 2007, the Dukes traveled to Toronto to play four games in three days over Labor Day weekend.
In addition to Duquesne’s eight returning scholarship players, including starters Derrick Colter, Micah Mason, Jeremiah Jones and Darius Lewis, the Dukes also welcome freshmen Nakye Sanders and Josh Steel and sophomore transfer Tarin Smith as scholarship players. Smith will sit out during the 2015-16 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Transfers Rene Castro and Mar’Qywell Jackson will see game action.
In Ireland, the Dukes have plans both on and off the court. The trip will also include visits to Ashford Castle in Galway, the Cliffs of Moher in Cork and the Blarney Castle.
The university’s “Duquesne in Dublin” study abroad program began in the fall of 2013 and allows up to 20 students to spend fall and spring semesters in St. Michael’s House while enrolling in University College Dublin, according to www.goduquesne.com.
The Dukes’ 2015-16 schedule has yet to be released.
Photo by Rachel Konieczny
