Dukes transfers wait for turn
late.”
Next season, though, those limitations will be lifted, and they will join five freshmen (Brandon Wade, Austin Rotroff, Gavin Bizeau, Amari Kelly and Dylan Swingle) as 10 new faces on the roster.
Duquesne (15-12, 6-8 Atlantic 10 Conference) has trended downward since late January, going 1-6 in its past seven games with four games left in the regular season before the Atlantic 10 tournament begins March 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington.
“You’re missing a lot of shots, and it’s like, if one of these dudes could play, it’d be so much easier,” sophomore guard Mike Lewis II. “But, at the same time, it is what it is. My grandpa used to say all the time ‘You’ve got to play the hand you’re dealt.’”
Here’s some career highlights before transferring to Duquesne:
Dunn-Martin: Played in all 36 games at Akron as a freshman, averaging 4 points and 1.1 assists in 10.6 minutes per game, shooting .375 from 3. Averaged 21.6 points and 3.1 assists per game as a senior at Huntington High School in West Virginia. Has three years of eligibility remaining.
Frankie Hughes: Played in 30 games as a freshman at Missouri, averaging 7.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game. Originally signed with Louisville before getting his release and signing with Missouri. Averaged 19 points and 5 rebounds per game at Garfield Heights High School in Garfield Heights, Ohio. Has three years of eligibility remaining.
Mike Hughes: Played in 20 games at Akron, averaging 1.8 points and 1.2 rebounds and shooting .458 from the field in 7.3 minutes per game as a freshman. Averaged 22 points and 15 rebounds at Liberty North High School in Missouri, ending his high school career with a school records for rebounds (979) and blocked shots (349).
Randall: Played in 32 games as a sophomore at Memphis, averaging 5.2 points in 18.1 minutes and shooting .349 from the field. Played in 24 games, with five starts, as a freshman at Memphis, averaging 2.2 points in 7.9 minutes per game. Has two years of eligibility remaining.
Weathers: Played in all 32 games for Miami of Ohio, averaging 9.7 points and 6 rebounds per game as a freshman. Helped lead Shawnee Mission High School in Overland Park, Kan., to the 2016 Class 6A state championship, averaging 18.5 points, 7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game as a senior. Has three years of eligibility remaining.
The toughest part of sitting out a year has been working hard in practice without being able to help the team in games, Weathers said.
“That’s probably the hardest thing I’ve had to do because I’ve never really had to sit out and watch the game of basketball, unless it was in AAU and I was just waiting to play,” Weathers said. “So, this is probably the hardest thing. The most important thing is I’ve just been staying in the gym and tried to be consistent with that.”
For all five transfers, playing in games next year can’t come soon enough.
“We talk about it like every other hour,” Mike Hughes said. “Every time that we’re out at school or whatever, or at one of our apartments, it always gets brought up in the conversations. There’s a lot of excitement, because we know how good we can be.”
This year, the Dukes are guard-heavy, with most of their offense generated by Lewis (14.8 ppg), junior guard Tarin Smith (12.8 ppg) and graduate guard Rene Castro-Caneddy (13.7), along with freshman swingman Eric Williams Jr. (14.5 ppg). With the loss of Caneddy, as well as graduate centers Chas Brown and Jordan Robinson and senior forward Eric James, there’s opportunity for all five to contribute next season, whether it’s the three guards providing perimeter shooting or driving, a versatile Weathers contributing at the 4 position or Hughes differentiating the offense with low-post scoring.
“We’re trying to go to the NCAA tournament, so that’s the main focus,” Dunn-Martin said.