McCANDLESS, Pa. -- When a team’s back is against the wall, it’s only fitting that the most experienced players are asked to step up. That was the case earlier this month, with Keith Dambrot on a zoom call with local reporters.
At the time the Dukes were in a rough spot. They just lost three members of the starting lineup, barely squeaked by Fordham to earn a conference win they desperately needed and had a tough pair of road match ups against Dayton and St. Bonaventure right around the corner.
Dambrot’s new-look team had to play a different style of basketball to remain competitive. That style would be focused on solid defense and physical play down low. The fourth year head coach was open about what needed to happen in order for this to work.
“Marcus [Weathers] and Mike [Hughes] have to be more dominant if we’re going to win,” Dambrot said. “The young guys are going to be alright.”
While Dambrot has high expectations for both of his senior big men, at the time one was clearly outplaying the other. Despite a difficult offseason, Weathers was still finding a way to produce. Hughes on the other hand was not.
A mixture of foul trouble and overall fatigue due to a hard recovery from COVID-19 led to Hughes having a sluggish start to the season. However, things quickly turned around after his head coach called him out.
After shooting just 41.3% from the floor in his first seven games this season, the big man found a way to get back to his efficient scoring abilities on the offensive end.
Hughes has shot a combined 70% in Duquesne’s last three games, averaging 14.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game during that stretch. Those numbers weren't against easy competition either, with two of the Dukes' last the three contests taking place against St. Bonaventure, the current leader in the Atlantic 10.
The senior big man delivered his best performance of the year in Saturday night’s 65-61 loss to the Bonnies, matching his season high of 15 points while also snagging a team best 12 rebounds, good for his third double-double of the season and 10th of his career.
“We probably should’ve got it to him more but they doubled him quite a bit,” Dambrot said after Saturday’s loss. “When he plays like that, he’s pretty good. We just gotta make sure he continues to stay at it and not get frustrated.”
A big reason Hughes has been able to contribute more is because he has found a way to remain in the game. Those who follow Dukes basketball know all too well about Hughes’ long history of getting into foul trouble.
His career-long struggles of keeping a clean stat sheet were apparent early on this season, as he fouled out in two of Duquesne’s first four games. However, after that something changed.
Hughes has not reached four fouls since his team lost to George Washington on Jan. 3.
Aside from having to sit for a few minutes in the first half against Rhode Island, Hughes has made significant progress. As a result, the Dukes are getting better scoring chances down low, better rebounding, better defense, and according to Dambrot, even better ball movement.
“The best thing about Mike is that he’s very unselfish,” Dambrot said. “He’s going to pass the ball, he’s going to make the right play, he can go right hand hook, he can go left hand hook, he can offensive rebound; he’s playing at a high level right now.”
Dambrot also mentioned that Hughes has shown improvement in areas that can't be found in the box score. He says the once quick tempered center is showing maturity when his team needs him the most.
“I’m proud of where he’s come from and what he’s become," Dambrot said. "I’m most proud of his stability emotionally, he’s gotten better. He’s in less fracases than he used to be in.”
Although his numbers are nice, if Hughes was available to speak to the media Saturday evening, my guess is that he’d say he cares more about winning basketball games than he does scoring points, grabbing rebounds or blocking shots.
He, himself cannot make that happen. But if exceptional play can continue, a lighter schedule in the upcoming week could allow the Dukes to creep back into the mix within the conference standings once again.