Jim Ferry’s team entered the 2013-2014 season as major underdogs for the second year in a row. In the preseason polls, Duquesne was voted to finish last in the Atlantic 10 conference yet again – nobody believed they would do much better than last year.
When looking at the Dukes on paper, it is easy to see what the coaches and pollsters saw. They saw a team with only three returning scholarship players: Derrick Colter, Jerry Jones and Jeremiah Jones. Quevyn Winters, one of the top freshmen in the conference had left Duquesne following after last year to be closer to family back home and Sean Johnson had graduated. Only one starter, Jeremiah Jones, from 2012-2013 would be returning, and Jones is only a sophomore. Aside from Soko, a transfer student, the only true-blooded Duquesne senior on the team this year was Jerry Jones.
Whoever made the preseason conference polls forgot to take some important factors into account. The influence of Ovie Soko both on the glass and in the scoring column was tremendous this season. It was truly a breakout year for the senior transfer student from London, England. Also, Micah Mason was cleared by the NCAA to play the week of Duquesne’s first regular season game. The sharpshooter from Drake was one of the top five 3-point shooters in the country last season. He finished #1 in the nation this season by a long shot, shooting a stunning 56 percent. His mark is over eight percentage points higher than the second-most accurate shooter, Melvin Johnson III of Arkansas St.
Duquesne’s frontcourt was weak last season, and no one expected the appearance of Ovie Soko on the floor to make as big a difference as it did. But Duquesne also got some key help from Dominique McKoy, an experienced junior college transfer who spent the previous season at Cowley Community College and began his career at Rhode Island. McKoy was a leader on the floor, adding more experience to a young frontcourt. He finished second on the team in rebounding, averaging 7.2 rebounds per game. With the addition of McKoy, Duquesne became a very strong rebounding team and won most of the rebounding battles in games this year.
The Dukes didn’t have to rely heavily on youth in the paint in 2013-2014, but got key contributions from freshman L.G. Gill. Gill, a Richmond-area native, gave coach Ferry decent minutes coming off the bench. He was at his best in a road win at Rhode Island, where he attained career highs in minutes played and points (19). In that game, Gill also shot 5 of 6 from 3-point range, giving people a taste of his abilities, which we will surely see in the years to come. He has shown he is a versatile player who plays with a lot of emotion. In the last two games of the season, Gill scored 16 points in a road win at George Mason, and 10 in the Atlantic 10 tournament loss to Richmond.
“We’re going to have a completely different team next year,” Ferry said after Duquesne’s last home game last season, and right he was. The players and team dynamics were completely different. Ferry didn’t have to rely as much on his team’s outside shooting to get the job done, and Derrick Colter didn’t have to do nearly as much as he did last year. After an historical freshman year where he led his team in points, Colter was able to spread the ball around a lot more in 2013-2014. His prowess as a scorer took the back seat to Soko’s power and Mason’s dead-eye jump shot, as the sophomore Colter averaged just 9.1 points per game – about four points less than he scored per game last year.
Colter played a part in two highlight-reel plays this year, the first coming in Duquesne’s first conference home game against Fordham on a long alleyoop pass to a soaring Ovie Soko, who stuffed it home for a jam. The second came weeks later against Saint Bonaventure, on a buzzer-beater, running 3-poiner that gave Duquesne a two point win over the Bonnies.
The Dukes started their season with a home win over Abilene Christian, followed by two straight losses to New Hampshire and West Virginia. Ferry’s team struggled to find their game at times in November and December, part of the reason being an injury suffered by Micah Mason on November 20th against Albany. But after losing five of its first eight, Duquesne went on a five-game win streak over the holidays, picking up their first conference win early on against Fordham. After nearly stunning Saint Louis at home on Jan. 22, they won two straight against St. Bonaventure and non-conference opponent NJIT.
Duquesne hit the roughest patch of the season in the beginning of February, with a four-game losing streak, including a rough one to George Mason, giving the Patriots their first win as a member of the Atlantic 10 conference. The mounting frustration came to a head on February 22nd in a loss to Dayton, when the Dukes shot under 20 percent in the second half after going into halftime with a handy lead. Ferry’s disappointment was visible in the press conference, as he dejectedly uttered “I don’t have any answers.”
But Ferry certainly found the answers he needed the following week, as he picked up the proudest win of his tenure – a 71-64 road victory over Saint Louis. Although they went just 1-2 in their remaining three games, Duquesne’s game saw marked improvement as they almost upset UMASS at home.
Duquesne has a good bit of momentum going into next season, and they will return Mason, Jeremiah Jones, McKoy and Colter from the starting lineup. Look for the Dukes to step up their consistency and garner more wins in the conference next season.
Photo Credit: Duquesne Athletics
