Duquesne is set to begin a two-game home stand starting Wednesday against George Washington (10-10, 4-3) at the Palumbo Center and ending this Saturday against Xavier (12-9, 5-3) at Consol Energy Center. The best chance they have of breaking their nine-game losing streak comes against George Washington on Wednesday. There is no question that the Dukes (7-14, 0-7) will be desperate for a win, but some things will need to be done in order for them to maximize their chances of achieving the desired outcome.
Let’s start with rebounding. As of late, Duquesne hasn’t been nearly as dominant as they can be on the glass. Now that’s not Jim Ferry basketball. But in order to bolster his team’s rebounding performance, the first year coach must reconsider a certain move he has made—limited the playing time of Marhold and Winters. For Marhold, it has been four games since he has seen the amount of court time he is used to seeing as a starter on the team. Winters only received a cut in playing time last weekend against St. Bonaventure. Yes, Marhold hasn’t been doing everything he should be doing as a senior. But he is one of the best rebounders on the team, and ever since he has been in the doghouse his team hasn’t been the same on the glass. Ferry may want to send a message to his younger players, and that is all well and good. But winning games is pretty important too, and if Duquesne ends up not winning a conference game all year…O.K. let’s not even go there.
The point is that keeping one of the best rebounders on your team on the bench for the majority of the game is going to be a problem. Somewhere along the line, Ferry is going to have to give Marhold another chance. And by “chance” I don’t mean just a couple of minutes per game, I mean a legitimate shot consisting of at least twenty minutes per game so he can prove himself again. He’s a senior. He deserves it, if only due to the fact that he isn’t exactly used to Ferry’s system after spending three years under Everhart. That chance has to come Wednesday against George Washington, which is a very winnable game for Duquesne.
The Colonials actually have a younger starting lineup than Duquesne, with four freshmen and only one senior. Although they have been somewhat of a surprise as of late, going 4-3 in the conference after being picked to finish 13th, they still haven’t faced three of the top four teams in the conference (Butler, VCU, and Saint Louis) or the preseason favorite (St. Joe’s).
In order to win, Duquesne must return to the approach that garnered victories for them earlier in the season. Most of all, they must play like they are in desperate need of a win.
Photo Credit: Duquesne Athletics
