Inside the Dukes: The Power of Belief

It was well over an hour before the Duquesne Men’s Basketball Team was set to tip off its season against Niagara but really there did not need to be any game at all, the outcome had already been decided.

The courtside seats around that time are always filled with players and coaches alike and there was a quiet confidence that just never was there last season.

At this point last season there was a quiet concern. Duquesne could not find success during its exhibition/scrimmage phase which included a loss to Mercyhurst.

Now a year later it ran away from Cleveland State in the second half and came back at Virginia Tech, bringing a lot more of a comforting feeling heading into Monday.

Really to them Monday was just an extension of all of the work over the summer, it was just that this game was against another opponent and had actual consequence to it.

If any nerves were present, it was difficult to tell before the game. Even with Niagara coach Greg Paulus just outside of earshot, there were multiple individuals already stating a desire not to get too far ahead but feeling that the result would go the right way.

This was not stated in a braggadocios manner, rather an assuredness in team and belief that all of the hard work would pay off.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in us as a team, just playing hard against each other every day,” Jimmie Williams explained. “I just think we make each other better.”

Indeed an 83-63 victory was just what the doctor ordered for a hungry Duquesne side which demonstrated improvements on both sides of the ball.

Every year there are season ticket holders who feel that given season will be “the year”. Two seasons ago it was. Last year was different. A challenging opening to the season put the team in a hole. David Dixon admitted the losing was depressing and he had a worry coming off surgery that he could not be the same player he was. The chemistry felt off at times and really there were lessons for everyone to learn.

That said, all of the mistakes have been correctible, not just because that is what has been said, but because it is what is being shown and there has been buy in across the board.

Take Maximus Edwards for example. Last year he started the season, but he ended up finishing the campaign on the bench. It would have been easy to transfer between losing playing time and given how last season went.

Duquesne coach Dru Joyce III practically re-recruited Edwards upon his team’s elimination at the Atlantic 10 Championship. Edwards did enter the portal but opted to return.

Edwards could start in many situations but is back in a reserve role and has put in the work to be in potentially his best shape, improved defensively and Monday matched his Duquesne best with five assists against zero turnovers.

“He understands, accepts his role and I think he’s going to star in it this year,” reflected Joyce. “He’s done a great job of maturing even on the defensive end too. It’s special to see and he’s going to help us win a lot of games because of his attitude, because he accepted that role and responsibility. I had to call him and tell him this was what I was going to do and he said, ‘I got you coach.’ Simple as that. Sometimes you don’t know how those conversations are going to go, but at that point, I wasn’t worried about anything, he’s got it, he’s going to go out and play well the majority of nights and when he doesn’t have it, I know he’s going to give everything he has and battle through. When you have that feeling you’re going to trust a guy no matter what.”

Part of improving started in the practice setting and competing hard against each other on a daily basis, now albeit one game in, there has been some carry over.

To be clear, by no means is One Shining Moment going to be playing after Monday’s effort, there is a good amount to clean up, but at the same time, there is and should be a clear optimism.

The defense was very stout in the first half and that belief and conviction was applied to the offensive end as well. All five players on the floor were running hard, with the offensive pace much improved as well.

Joyce does desire more movement and pressure within but believes it is a good start.

“This one does count but the mindset of how we progress stays the same,” he understood. “We want to accomplish things when we go out to the game of are we better than we were yesterday? That’s big for us every step of the way so I expect us to go into practice Wednesday with a better energy and effort to see what we can improve on. Overall excited about what we did as a group today. The stretch we made defensively in the first half, mistakes were made but we covered. It really jumpstarted us offensively. We got some easy ones in transition, got to the paint and set the tone.”