Duquesne Dukes men's basketball

The Duquesne Dukes represent Duquesne University in college basketball. The team, which started in 1914, has only ever played in NCAA Division I and has had five appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The Dukes play in the Atlantic 10 Conference, of which they have been members since 1976 (minus the 1992–93 season in which the Dukes were single-season members of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference).

Duquesne Dukes
2019–20 Duquesne Dukes men's basketball team
University	Duquesne University
Head coach	Keith Dambrot (3rd season)
Conference	Atlantic 10
Location	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Arena	A. J. Palumbo Center (Capacity: 4,406)
Nickname	Dukes
Colors	Red and Blue[1]
Uniforms
Home Away Alternate
NCAA Tournament Final Four
1940
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight
1940, 1952
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen
1952, 1969
NCAA Tournament Appearances
1940, 1952, 1969, 1971, 1977
Conference Tournament Champions
1977
Conference Regular Season Champions
1980, 1981

Overview

The Dukes men's basketball team has had great success over the years, playing twice in national championship games in the 1950s and winning the National Invitation Tournament championship in 1955. Duquesne also won the 1976–77 Eastern Collegiate Basketball League championship (the forerunner to the Eastern Athletic Association, now known as the Atlantic 10 Conference) and 1979–80 and 1980–81 Eastern Athletic Association regular season co-championships.

The Associated Press ranked Duquesne as the No. 1 college basketball team in the country for two consecutive weeks during the 1953-54 season.[2]

Duquesne is the only school to have back-to-back first overall picks in the National Basketball Association Draft (Dick Ricketts by the Saint Louis Hawks in 1955 and Sihugo Green by the Rochester Royals in 1956). The Dukes men's basketball program can also claim the first African-American player selected in an NBA draft (Chuck Cooper by the Boston Celtics in 1950). The 1939–40 Dukes basketball team finished with a 20–3 record and appeared in the Final Four of both the NIT and NCAA Tournaments.

Duquesne has had the most Atlantic 10 scoring champions in conference history.

As of January 7, 2020, the head basketball coach is Keith Dambrot.[3]

History

Early history

The history of basketball at Duquesne University can be dated back to 1914, when the university administration established basketball as a varsity sport. The first game, against Bethany College, was won in a gym under the college chapel on January 9, 1914 (Rishel 23). The team was first coached by Alexander Hogarty, whose tenure lasted only one season. The position was filled by Father Eugene McGuigan, who was called "Father Mac" on campus and "Coach Gene Martin" in newspaper reports in order to prevent the name of a Holy Ghost father from being associated with the rowdiness of "Basket-ball". Father McGuigan coached football, baseball, and basketball until he was transferred from Duquesne University in 1923 (Rishel 38).

When a proper gymnasium was constructed in 1923, Duquesne Basketball was finally allowed to come into its own, as the previous court was in reality a stage below the chapel and was not only slanted but demarcated by a steel cage on its perimeter. Teams had previously refused to play the "Bluffites" on their home court. Coach "Chick" Davies initiated a new era in the basketball program, filling the 1,200-seat gymnasium and bringing the team into national prominence. In its first season with Davies, Duquesne tied with Waynesburg University for the Tri-State Conference championship and dominated the same conference in 1926 and 1927 before moving to a higher level of competition. The season expanded from 20 to 28 games and became more competitive in 1930 when the team faced the University of Iowa, Loyola University Chicago, Adrian College, Elmhurst College, Alfred State College, John Carroll University, American University, Catholic University, Colgate University, St. Bonaventure University, Seton Hall University, Manhattan College, and the City College of New York. Davies, immensely popular, coached Duquesne basketball until 1948 (Rishel 40–41).

World War II era

The university tried to hold on to basketball during World War II, having reworked the gymnasium in 1942 to seat an extra 800 spectators, but was forced to drop the sport at the end of the 1943 season (Rishel 81–82). However, the sport was reinstated in the spring of 1946. During the 1946-1947 season Davies led the Dukes to 19 straight victories before a loss to Georgetown University. In that same season, Duquesne received its third invitation to the NIT, losing by one point to the University of Utah, the eventual champion, which it had defeated during the regular season (Rishel 101).

During this first postwar season, the University of Tennessee refused to play a scheduled game against Duquesne at the McKeesport (PA) Vocational High School because the Dukes had a black player--Chuck Cooper. The December 23, 1946, game had been highly anticipated since Tennessee had two All-Americans and four other returning lettermen. As Davies refused to remove Cooper from the squad, Tennessee canceled at the last minute. In 1950, Cooper became the first African-American drafted to play professional basketball when he joined the Boston Celtics (Rishel 101).

Mid-century success

Dukes Basketball continued to impress with a new coach in the 1949 season--Donald "Dudey" Moore. Moore's team achieved a 17–5 record in the 1949 season, and in 1950, 23 wins and another bid to the NIT. By the 1950s, Duquesne's Locust Street gym had become inadequate to seat the team's spectators, so games were usually played in a high school gym in McKeesport or the Duquesne Gardens in Oakland. Even at this point, daily practice was held at North Catholic High School (Rishel 102).

The 1950s marked an age of immense success for Dukes Basketball, with Moore leading his team to six NIT bids, during which time Moore was named "United Press Coach of the Year" and achieved a school-record 21–1 season (1951–52). In 1953, Duquesne was rated as a preseason "best in the East" and possibly the nation. With a 23–2 record, they were top seed for the NIT that year. Although they lost to the College of the Holy Cross, they achieved a new record of 26 victories in a season. Top-seeded again in '54, Duquesne, following a 19–4 regular season, finally won the title of NIT Champions in 1955 (Rishel 137–138).

The 1956 season almost came to an early end, as the Duquesne Gardens, then Duquesne's home court, was to be demolished. However, in a gesture which athletic director Doc Skender called "one of the finest acts of sportsmanship I've ever known," long-standing rival the University of Pittsburgh allowed the Dukes use of the Fitzgerald Field House for home games (Rishel 138).

Coach Red Manning, initially unpopular, soon led the Dukes to another era of NIT invitations, ending up in the Final Four in the '61–62 season, the Elite Eight in '63–64, and four more bids between 1967 and the 1970–71 season.

Notable in this decade was Willie Somerset, nicknamed by the press as "Wonderful Willie." Though only 5'11", he could jump higher than any other player on the team (Rishel 177).

1970s to 1990s

Retired basketball jerseys[4]
Number	Player	Year
15	Chuck Cooper	1947–1950
11	Sihugo Green	1954–1956
10	Norm Nixon	1974–1977
12	Dick Ricketts	1952–1955
24	Willie Somerset	1962–1965
13	Mike James	1995–1998

The 1970s saw the end of Manning's tenure. Duquesne had seen only four different basketball coaches in fifty years, but this decade alone saw three coaches: Manning, John Cinicola, and Mike Rice. The decade was relatively lackluster, although it saw the likes of "the greatest guard in Duquesne basketball history"--Norm Nixon (Rishel 216). The 1980s were marked by problems with many players' academic eligibility—calling into question the university's recruiting and support procedures—and are best described as "trying times" for the Dukes (Rishel 246). There were only two winning seasons in the decade--'80–81 and '85–86. Even so, the 1988 construction of the A. J. Palumbo Center—Duquesne Basketball's current home—is a notable event of this time period.

21st century

The Dukes have struggled in the 21st century, reaching only one NIT tournament (eliminated in the first round) and two College Basketball Invitational tournaments (only once making it to the second round). Despite coming off a second straight winning season, coach Ron Everhart was fired after the 2011-2012 season; the university cited a lack of postseason success as the main reason for the firing.[5]

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Dukes have appeared in the NCAA Tournament five times. Their combined record is 4–5.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1940	Elite Eight Final Four	WKU Indiana	W 30–29 L 30–39
1952	Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	Princeton Illinois	W 60–49 L 68–74
1969	First Round Sweet Sixteen Regional 3rd Place Game	Saint Joseph's North Carolina St. John's	W 74–52 L 78–79 W 75–72
1971	First Round	Penn	L 65–70
1977	First Round	VMI	L 66–73

NIT results

The Dukes have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 17 times. Their combined record is 17–19. They were NIT champions in 1955.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1940	Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals	St. John's Oklahoma A&M Colorado	W 38–31 W 34–30 L 40–51
1941	Quarterfinals	Ohio	L 40–55
1947	Quarterfinals	Utah	L 44–45
1950	Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game	La Salle CCNY St. John's	W 49–47 L 52–62 L 67–69
1952	Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game	Holy Cross La Salle St. Bonaventure	W 78–68 L 46–59 L 34–48
1953	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game	Tulsa WKU St. John's Manhattan	W 88–69 W 69–61 L 55–64 W 81–67
1954	Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals	Saint Francis (PA) Niagara Holy Cross	W 69–63 W 66–51 L 62–71
1955	Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals	Louisville Cincinnati Dayton	W 74–66 W 65–61 W 70–58
1956	First Round Quarterfinals	Oklahoma A&M Louisville	W 69–61 L 72–84
1962	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game	Navy Bradley St. John's Loyola–Chicago	W 70–58 W 88–85 L 65–75 L 84–95
1964	Quarterfinals	Army	L 65–67
1968	First Round	Fordham	L 60–69
1970	First Round	Georgia Tech	L 68–78
1980	First Round Second Round	Pittsburgh Saint Peter's	W 65–63 L 33–34
1981	First Round	Michigan	L 58–74
1994	First Round Second Round	Charlotte Villanova	W 75–73 L 66–82
2009	First Round	Virginia Tech	L 108–116^2OT

CBI results

The Dukes have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) three times. Their combined record is 2–3.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2010	First Round	Princeton	L 51–55
2011	First Round Quarterfinals	Montana Oregon	W 87–74 L 75–77
2016	First Round Quarterfinals	Nebraska–Omaha Morehead State	W 120–112 L 72–82

National Campus Basketball Tournament results

The Dukes appeared in the only National Campus Basketball Tournament. Their record is 0–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1951	Quarterfinals	Wyoming	L 63–78

Retired jerseys

On January 27, 2001, during the halftime of a game against Xavier University (Cincinnati), the Duquesne University Department of Athletics retired the jerseys of five of its all-time greatest players: Chuck Cooper, Sihugo Green, Norm Nixon, Dick Ricketts and Willie Somerset.[4] Mike James‘ number 13 was retired in 2017.

All-time coaches

Updated through 2018–19

Coach	Years	Win-Loss	Win %	Conference Titles	NCAA Tourn. Appearances	NIT Titles	NCAA Titles	CBI Appearances
Alexander Hogarty	1913–1914	7–2	.778	-	-	-	-	-
Fr. E. N. McGuigan	1914–1920, 1921–1923	66–35	.653	-	-	-	-	-
Ben Lubic	1920–1921	11–6	.647	-	-	-	-	-
Bill Campbell	1923–1924	8–6	.571	-	-	-	-	-
Chick Davies	1924–1948	314–106	.748	-	1	-	-	-
Dudey Moore	1948–1958	191–70	.732	-	1	1	-	-
Red Manning	1958–1974	247–138	.642	-	2	-	-	-
John Cinicola	1974–1978	52–56	.481	1	1	-	-	-
Mike Rice	1978–1982	62–49	.559	-	-	-	-	-
Jim Satalin	1982–1989	85–120	.415	-	-	-	-	-
John Carroll	1989–1995	73–98	.427	-	-	-	-	-
Scott Edgar	1995–1998	29–55	.345	-	-	-	-	-
Darelle Porter	1998–2001	23–64	.264	-	-	-	-	-
Danny Nee	2001–2006	42–102	.292	-	-	-	-	-
Ron Everhart	2006–2012	99–89	.527	-	-	-	-	2
Jim Ferry	2012–2017	60–97	.382	-	-	-	-	1
Keith Dambrot	2017–present	35–30	.538	-	-	-	-	-

Notable players

All-Americans

• 1935 – Paul Birch
• 1936 – Herb Bonn, Walter Miller
• 1940 – Ed Milkovich, Paul Widowitz
• 1941 – Moe Becker, Paul Widowitz
• 1950 – Chuck Cooper
• 1952 – Jim Tucker
• 1953 – Dick Ricketts
• 1954 – Sihugo Green, Dick Ricketts
• 1955 – Sihugo Green, Dick Ricketts
• 1956 – Sihugo Green
• 1965 – Willie Somerset
• 1973 – Norm Nixon
• 1990 – Derrick Alston

Yearly results

Updated Through The End of The 2018–19 Season

Statistics overview

Season	Coach	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Duquesne (Independent) (1913–1976)
1913–14	Alexander Hogarty	7–2
1914–15	Fr. Eugene McGuigan	12–2
1915–16	Fr. Eugene McGuigan	7–2
1916–17	Fr. Eugene McGuigan	7–3
1917–18	Fr. Eugene McGuigan	4–4
1918–19	Fr. Eugene McGuigan	4–6
1919–20	Fr. Eugene McGuigan	6–10
1920–21	Ben Lubic	11–6
1921–22	Fr. Eugene McGuigan	10–6
1922–23	Fr. Eugene McGuigan	16–2
1923–24	Bill Campbell	8–6
1924–25	Chick Davies	11–7
1925–26	Chick Davies	15–3
1926–27	Chick Davies	16–4
1927–28	Chick Davies	15–7
1928–29	Chick Davies	12–8
1929–30	Chick Davies	18–10
1930–31	Chick Davies	12–6
1931–32	Chick Davies	14–6
1932–33	Chick Davies	15–1
1933–34	Chick Davies	19–2
1934–35	Chick Davies	18–1
1935–36	Chick Davies	14–3
1936–37	Chick Davies	13–6
1937–38	Chick Davies	6–11
1938–39	Chick Davies	14–4
1939–40	Chick Davies	20–3			NCAA Final Four NIT Runner-up
1940–41	Chick Davies	17–3			declined NCAA NIT Elite Eight
1941–42	Chick Davies	15–6
1942–43	Chick Davies	12–7
1946–47	Chick Davies	21–2			declined NCAA NIT Elite Eight
1947–48	Chick Davies	17–6
1948–49	Dudey Moore	17–5
1949–50	Dudey Moore	23–6			NIT Fourth Place
1950–51	Dudey Moore	16–11			National Campus Tournament First Round
1951–52	Dudey Moore	23–4			NCAA Final Eight NIT Fourth Place
1952–53	Dudey Moore	21–8			NIT Third Place
1953–54	Dudey Moore	26–3			NIT Runner-up
1954–55	Dudey Moore	22–4			NIT Champion
1955–56	Dudey Moore	17–10			NIT Elite Eight
1956–57	Dudey Moore	16–7
1957–58	Dudey Moore	10–12
1958–59	Red Manning	13–11
1959–60	Red Manning	8–15
1960–61	Red Manning	15–7
1961–62	Red Manning	22–7			NIT Fourth Place
1962–63	Red Manning	13–9
1963–64	Red Manning	16–7			NIT Elite Eight
1964–65	Red Manning	14–10
1965–66	Red Manning	14–9
1966–67	Red Manning	7–15
1967–68	Red Manning	18–7			NIT Sweet Sixteen
1968–69	Red Manning	21–5			NCAA Sweet Sixteen
1969–70	Red Manning	17–7			NIT Sweet Sixteen
1970–71	Red Manning	21–4			NCAA First Round
1971–72	Red Manning	20–5
1972–73	Red Manning	16–8
1973–74	Red Manning	12–12
1974–75	John Cinicola	14–11
1975–76	John Cinicola	12–13
Duquesne (Atlantic 10 Conference) (1976–present (Midwestern Collegiate Conference members in 1992–93))
1976–77	John Cinicola	15–15	3–7	3rd (West)	NCAA First Round
1977–78	John Cinicola	11–17	5–5	1st (West)
1978–79	Mike Rice	13–13	2–8	7th
1979–80	Mike Rice	18–10	7–3	T–1st	NIT Sweet Sixteen
1980–81	Mike Rice	20–10	10–3	T–1st	NIT First Round
1981–82	Mike Rice	11–16	5–9	6th
1982–83	Jim Satalin	12–16	6–8	4th (West)
1983–84	Jim Satalin	10–18	8–10	T–6th
1984–85	Jim Satalin	12–18	6–12	8th
1985–86	Jim Satalin	15–14	9–9	5th
1986–87	Jim Satalin	12–17	7–11	T–6th
1987–88	Jim Satalin	11–21	6–12	8th
1988–89	Jim Satalin	13–16	7–11	T–6th
1989–90	John Carroll	7–22	5–13	T–8th
1990–91	John Carroll	13–15	10–8	T–3rd
1991–92	John Carroll	13–15	6–10	T–6th
1992–93	John Carroll	13–15	5–9 (MCC)	T–5th
1993–94	John Carroll	17–13	8–8	T–3rd	NIT Sweet Sixteen
1994–95	John Carroll	10–18	5–11	8th
1995–96	Scott Edgar	9–18	3–13	T–5th (West)
1996–97	Scott Edgar	9–18	5–11	T–5th (West)
1997–98	Scott Edgar	11–19	5–11	T–4th (West)
1998–99	Darelle Porter	5–23	1–15	6th (West)
1999–00	Darelle Porter	9–20	4–12	6th (West)
2000–01	Darelle Porter	9–21	3–13	10th
2001–02	Danny Nee	9–19	4–12	6th (West)
2002–03	Danny Nee	10–20	4–12	6th (West)
2003–04	Danny Nee	12–17	6–10	5th (West)
2004–05	Danny Nee	8–22	5–11	5th (West)
2005–06	Danny Nee	3–24	1–15	14th
2006–07	Ron Everhart	10–19	6–10	T–10th
2007–08	Ron Everhart	17–13	7–9	10th
2008–09	Ron Everhart	21–14	9–7	T–5th	NIT Round of 32
2009–10	Ron Everhart	16–16	7–9	8th	CBI First Round
2010–11	Ron Everhart	19–13	10–6	4th	CBI Second Round
2011–12	Ron Everhart	16–15	7–9	T–9th
2012–13	Jim Ferry	8–22	1–15	16th
2013–14	Jim Ferry	13–17	5–11	10th
2014–15	Jim Ferry	12–19	6–12	11th
2015–16	Jim Ferry	17–17	6–12	T–10th	CBI Second Round
2016–17	Jim Ferry	10–22	3–15	14th
2017–18	Keith Dambrot	16–16	7–11	T–10th
2018–19	Keith Dambrot	19–13	10–8	T–6th
Total:		1402–1105 (.559)
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

References

• Rishel, Joseph F. (1997). The Spirit that Gives Life. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Duquesne University Press. ISBN 0-8207-0268-4.

1. "Duquesne Athletics Visual Identity Guidelines" (PDF). May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
2. "Duquesne (PA) 1954 AP Men's Basketball Rankings - College Poll Archive - Historical College Football and Basketball Polls and Rankings". collegepollarchive.com.
3. "Keith Dambrot Named Head Men's Basketball Coach". goduquesne.com.
4. "Retired Jerseys". Duquesne University Men's Basketball History. Duquesne University Athletics. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
5. "Ron Everhart fired as coach at Duquesne". usatoday.com.

External links

• Official website