Necas works his way into a key role
Freshman providing offensive firepower when it’s needed
OMAHA, Neb. — Jakub Necas jumped onto the media row courtside and started riling up Duquesne fans in celebration.
The freshman forward had just had the best game of his career in the Dukes’ upset win Thursday against No. 6 seed BYU in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
It was the biggest of basketball stages for Necas and all but two of his 17 other teammates on the roster. One of those two players, Fousseyni Drame, played on the St. Peter’s team that made the Elite Eight in 2022.
Even though their experience levels in the NCAA tournament couldn’t have been any different coming into Thursday’s game, both Necas and Drame were equally instrumental in the Dukes’ historic 71-67 win against the Cougars at the CHI Health Center Arena in Omaha, Neb.
This is Necas’ first NCAA tournament — he’s only a freshman.
This is Drame’s second — and he’s already a graduate student.
“Just high appreciation to [Jakub] and Fousseyni, because if you don’t have that on your team, you don’t see that type of tenacity and fight,” Duquesne’s leading scorer Dae Dae Grant said. “It’s hard to gain that just out of yourself. You see that, you see your brother doing that on the floor, that makes you want to even go harder the next play and the rest of the game.”
Since senior forward Tre Williams went out with an injury against Dayton in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals, both Necas and Drame have seen an increased role.
Now, Necas is hitting his stride at just the right time. He was playing only 9.6 minutes per game heading into the Atlantic 10 tournament, often coming in to provide a short break for some of the other Dukes bigs and add some defensive pressure.
And while coach Keith Dambrot was always big on Necas’ defense, it took awhile for Necas’ offense to settle in.
His breakout game didn’t come until Duquesne played Saint Joseph’s on Feb. 17, when he scored a then-career-high 10 points in 20 minutes. Necas continued to serve as a role player for Dambrot but really hadn’t had another big game until the A-10 semifinals —
when he scored eight against St. Bonaventure — and then repeated his performance against VCU in the final, which included a key 3pointer down the stretch.
“He comes in every day, puts that time in,” Jimmy Clark III said. “Always told them that even when they weren’t getting what they wanted at the beginning of the season, or we all as a group wasn’t getting what we wanted, these guys stuck through it and did it every single day. Every single day.”
Despite averaging just 2.3 points per game this season, Necas’ 12-point, six-rebound performance in the Big Dance didn’t surprise the Dukes.
“Jakub’s a pro,” Dambrot said. “Everybody asks why Jakub played so well. The reason is he puts time in every single day. These guys will tell you, him and Matús are the first ones in the gym every single day, an hour ahead of time. He didn’t shoot well most of the season. When you put time in and have that kind of ability, good things are going to happen.
Necas’ energy from the defensive side? That came via his three blocks.
The first was against BYU’s Richie Saunders. Necas then tipped the rebound to teammate Matus Hronsky, who scored on the fast break. The next came when he rejected 6- foot- 11 Aly Khalifa, leading to a Grant 3pointer. The last came against Fousseyni Traore’s layup attempt, which would’ve tied the game.
Necas broke career-highs in minutes (30), points (12) and rebounds (six) in the Dukes’ biggest game.
“It’s kind of emotional for me because I was struggling all this season,” Necas said. “I wasn’t comfortable on the court. But right now, I’m so confident, I’m so comfortable, and I’m just enjoying every moment.”
Necas credits much of his recent success to Fousseyni and Hassan Drame, who helped teach and prepare him on what it takes to win in March.
“They’re good, experienced guys,” Necas said. “They helped us a lot, especially Fousseyni’s toughness is incredible. This guy’s just a monster out there, and he’s going for every rebound. Nobody will out-hustle him. Nobody is more confident than him.”
Although Drame was limited by foul trouble, he made the most of his 17 minutes. He got into a bit of a kerfuffle at the beginning of the second half when going for a rebound against Waterman, as both were trying to get possession of the ball and things got a bit too aggressive.
They were both awarded technical fouls, which gave Drame his third foul of the game. Instead of hanging his head, he came running over to his bench with a smile on his face.
“There is a different type of foul,” Drame said. “There is an aggressive foul that sets a tone. I don’t really see it as a foul, my third foul. It was like boom, boom, boom, but they decided to give me a technical ... I understand moments like this because I’ve been in a situation like that.
“That’s why when we’re on the floor, I make sure I get out with the ball because it sends a message that no matter what points you guys do it, we’re here to receive it and punch hard.”
Drame felt that his technical was a critical rallying moment for the Dukes and their fans, and it was Necas, a freshman off the bench, who helped ignite that rally.
“[Necas is] prepared for this,” Dambrot said. “He’s a professional. He’s been around professional teams. He knows what it takes to be a winner. And you add that to Fousseyni, who is an absolute beast. Man, he’s the most competitive — I mean, that guy alone, just competing, and then he’s been to the Elite Eight. He helped the rest of our guys get ready for this thing. Nobody is going to out-compete Fousseyni. I’m just proud of how all our guys have adapted.”