Duquesne's roster is going to look a whole lot different than it did after its 77-79 loss to Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament this past March.
Keith Dambrot's most recent recruiting class includes 10 incoming members, most of whom seem to improve many of the statistical categories that the Dukes struggled in last season.
Five of the team's top seven scorers from last season including Jackie Johnson III, Amir 'Primo' Spears, and Leon Ayers III have all left via the transfer portal, and have left a lot of available minutes on the table for this incoming recruiting class.
The addition of Dae Dae Grant could help alleviate some of the pressure trying to make up for those lost points.
"Dae Dae Grant averaged 17 and a half points a game at Miami of Ohio, and over four assists," Dambrot told DK Pittsburgh Sports this week. "He's a proven scorer at the Division I level, albeit a little bit lower level than the Atlantic 10, but a pretty high level nonetheless."
Tevin Brewer who just joined the Dukes from Florida International University, led the Panthers in minutes per game (32.1), points per game (15.2), and assists per game (5.6), and may just be a key piece for the Dukes to bounce back from last season.
"I think he was like the fifth or sixth best pick and roll offensive guy in the country," Dambrot had to say on Brewer, "so you know, obviously, he's played at a high level, and has put up good numbers at a high level. So with him, Dae Dae Grant. Tre Clarke, and our young guys, we're pretty settled at our one, two, and three positions".
The "young guys" that Dambrot refers to are Halil Barre, Kareem Rozier III, and Devin Carney.
Barre, a 6-9, 220-pound freshman coming out of Scotland Campus, Pa. also competed for the Benin National Team. In high school, he averaged 18 points per game and nine rebounds, while also collecting 3 blocks per game.
Rozier, a guard out of Orchard Lake St. Mary's, Mich. started all four years in high school, averaging 17 points per game, 8.2 assists, and 6.5 rebounds, helping lead his team to the Catholic League Championship, and a state quarterfinal appearance.
Carney is the guy keep an eye on this upcoming season for the Dukes. He played high school ball locally at Butler Area High School where he averaged 26.0 points per game. A terrific ball handler, Carney may find himself cracking the starting lineup before too long.
The forward position will be the most predictable. Not only will big contributors from last season, Tre Williams and Kevin Easley be returning, Dambrot has added depth to the position by bringing in David Dixon, and Matus Hronsky.
Dixon played his last season before committing to Duquesne at Speights Academy, a post-grad bridge program designed to help high school athletes develop their skills during a gap year between high school and college.
"David is a skilled big man who had numerous high-major offers out of high school before an ACL injury caused a lot of schools to back off. He's pretty advanced in his development and we expect him to be a versatile big guy for us."
Hronsky, a 6-8 forward played his last season at Wasatch Academy, Utah. Not only does he have a versatile set of post-moves, Hronsky is also regarded as one of the better shooting forwards in this recruiting class, and can also handle the ball on the perimeter.
"He's a skilled overall player. He can handle the ball and pass it. He can play multiple spots and should really help us become a better shooting team."
While many of the recent additions have significant individual statistics, this upcoming season isn't going to be a success on the back of one player.
"I think it'd be a group effort, you know, we're gonna win with more than five guys. We feel like we've we've rebooted it pretty good, and feel like we're going to win with eight or nine or 10 guys versus five guys."
While we're still a couple of months away from this upcoming season's first matchup, there is a lot to be excited about on this newly constructed roster. Retaining key forwards and improving depth, while also adding proven guards through high school recruits and the transfer portal, the Duke's may find themselves as a team that could fly under-the-radar in the Atlantic 10.
A message from Dambrot to Duquesne fans for this upcoming season?
"Look forward to it. It's going to be fun."