Men's Basketball: Dukes add depth with Milosevic's commitment
In securing a commitment from Lazar Milosevic last weekend, Duquesne took a step in a positive direction in terms of adding depth to its roster ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Milosevic, a 6-foot-9 wing from Serbia, announced his commitment to play for Dru Joyce III and the Dukes this season after averaging just over 12 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for OKK Spars Sarajevo, a professional basketball club based in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"I want to sincerely thank Coach Dru Joyce III and the entire Duquesne staff for believing in me and giving me this amazing opportunity," Milosevic wrote in an Instagram post. "I'm honored to join a program built on discipline, development and a winning mentality."
After finishing the 2024-25 season with a 13-19 overall record and an 8-10 mark in Atlantic 10 play during Joyce's first season at the helm, the Dukes had over 10 players enter the transfer portal. Among their more notable departures were Kareem Rozier, Tre Dinkins III, Chabi Barre and Eli Wilborn. Dinkins led the team in scoring (12.9 points per game) and Rozier averaged 6.7 points and 3.3 assists per game, ranking 10th in NCAA Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.09).
The cupboard isn't bare, though. Throughout the month of May, the program has highlighted a number of returning players on its Twitter page, including David Dixon, Cam Crawford, Jakub Necas, Jake DiMichele and Maximus Edwards. Four of those five players played in at least 29 games last season, while DiMichele was limited to just seven games due to injury. He averaged 10.9 points in that short sample.
In addition to the returning contributors the Dukes will undoubtedly rely on, they've also brought in two transfer guards in Tarence Guinyard (UT Martin) and Jimmie Williams (South Florida), a center in Stef van Bussel (Charleston) and a forward in John Hugley IV (Xavier), who previously starred at Pitt from 2020-23.
Dom Aekins and Arness Lawson, two guards from Columbus, Ohio, are among the first-year players Duquesne will welcome this season. Like the veterans before them, both were highlighted on Duquesne's Twitter page over the last few days.
"I chose Duquesne because it's part of a very beautiful city that is surrounding with great things to do," said Aekins, a 5-foot-9 guard from Walnut Ridge High School. "I really love the campus, it's great academically and the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse is a phenomenal basketball facility. I'm excited to meet my teammates, experience my first year of college and help our team challenge for a championship."
Lawson is a 6-foot-2 guard who scored over 1,300 career points as the all-time leading scorer at Pickerington North High School. He said he chose Duquesne because it "felt like a brotherhood."
"I instantly knew it was the place I wanted to be," he said. "The coaching staff welcomed me and made me feel like it was home. I'm excited for my first season as a member of the Dukes and I'm looking forward to helping the team achieve its goals of having a successful year and making a run for a championship."
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THE ASYLUM
José Negron
10:07 pm - 05.30.2025UptownMen's Basketball: Dukes add depth with Milosevic's commitment
In securing a commitment from Lazar Milosevic last weekend, Duquesne took a step in a positive direction in terms of adding depth to its roster ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Milosevic, a 6-foot-9 wing from Serbia, announced his commitment to play for Dru Joyce III and the Dukes this season after averaging just over 12 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for OKK Spars Sarajevo, a professional basketball club based in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"I want to sincerely thank Coach Dru Joyce III and the entire Duquesne staff for believing in me and giving me this amazing opportunity," Milosevic wrote in an Instagram post. "I'm honored to join a program built on discipline, development and a winning mentality."
After finishing the 2024-25 season with a 13-19 overall record and an 8-10 mark in Atlantic 10 play during Joyce's first season at the helm, the Dukes had over 10 players enter the transfer portal. Among their more notable departures were Kareem Rozier, Tre Dinkins III, Chabi Barre and Eli Wilborn. Dinkins led the team in scoring (12.9 points per game) and Rozier averaged 6.7 points and 3.3 assists per game, ranking 10th in NCAA Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.09).
The cupboard isn't bare, though. Throughout the month of May, the program has highlighted a number of returning players on its Twitter page, including David Dixon, Cam Crawford, Jakub Necas, Jake DiMichele and Maximus Edwards. Four of those five players played in at least 29 games last season, while DiMichele was limited to just seven games due to injury. He averaged 10.9 points in that short sample.
In addition to the returning contributors the Dukes will undoubtedly rely on, they've also brought in two transfer guards in Tarence Guinyard (UT Martin) and Jimmie Williams (South Florida), a center in Stef van Bussel (Charleston) and a forward in John Hugley IV (Xavier), who previously starred at Pitt from 2020-23.
Dom Aekins and Arness Lawson, two guards from Columbus, Ohio, are among the first-year players Duquesne will welcome this season. Like the veterans before them, both were highlighted on Duquesne's Twitter page over the last few days.
"I chose Duquesne because it's part of a very beautiful city that is surrounding with great things to do," said Aekins, a 5-foot-9 guard from Walnut Ridge High School. "I really love the campus, it's great academically and the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse is a phenomenal basketball facility. I'm excited to meet my teammates, experience my first year of college and help our team challenge for a championship."
Lawson is a 6-foot-2 guard who scored over 1,300 career points as the all-time leading scorer at Pickerington North High School. He said he chose Duquesne because it "felt like a brotherhood."
"I instantly knew it was the place I wanted to be," he said. "The coaching staff welcomed me and made me feel like it was home. I'm excited for my first season as a member of the Dukes and I'm looking forward to helping the team achieve its goals of having a successful year and making a run for a championship."
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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