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Things could get emotional today at the Palumbo Center, where Duquesne and Xavier will get together for an Atlantic 10 Conference scrap ... er, college basketball game.
'Kids are kids. Our kids are very competitive and their kids are competitive. I expect it to be a very spirited game against Duquesne,' said Xavier coach and Carnegie native Skip Prosser.
The last time the two teams met, a brawl took place at Cincinnati Gardens in Xavier's 29-point victory over the Dukes on Feb. 15. It was an ugly incident in which former Duquesne center Simon Ogunlesi was ejected for fighting with Xavier forward Kevin Frey. It also was a carry-over from the rough play exhibited during the team's first game of the season - a seven-point Duquesne victory at the Palumbo Center - ignited by an Ogunlesi-Frey scrum for a loose ball near the end of the first half.
'I told the guys, 'You remember what happened last year,' Duquesne coach Darelle Porter said. 'With or without Simon, I'm sure they have had this game marked on their calendar, so we have to match their emotion.''
But there will be no Ogunlesi-Frey rumble today. Ogunlesi has left Duquesne after a run-in with immigration officials early in the season following his involvement in a credit-card scam. Frey, who is averaging 11.8 points and 5.3 rebounds, is coming off a 29-point performance in Xavier's most recent game, an 86-73 victory over St. Joseph's.
'They're one of the most talented team in the conference,' Porter said. 'They're playing solid basketball this year. They're getting contributions from five-to-six guys on a consistent basis.'
And despite Frey's offensive output in the Musketeers' victory last Saturday, the team's go-to guy is sophomore David West, who is averaging 17.4 points and an A-10-leading 10.7 rebounds.
'There's no question he has a chance to be the next in line among the great power forwards here,' Prosser said. 'He's a good kid who listens. He's unselfish.'
Joining those 'great power forwards' would put West in some pretty impressive company. Prosser was referring to present NBA players such as Tyrone Hill, Brian Grant, James Posey and Derek Strong.
West sat out much of Xavier's loss to Duquesne last season, picking up his fourth foul on a personal call and a subsequent technical on the same play in the first half.
Duquesne (7-12, 1-5), whose inside game has been exploited since the departure of Ogunlesi, will try to end a three-game losing streak while stopping a three-game winning streak by Xavier (14-3, 5-1).
While emotions are bound to be high, Porter said he intends to have his players ready for Xavier, in spite of the Dukes' tough 77-75 home loss to George Washington on Wednesday.
'There are a lot of young guys you're talking about here. It's easy for them to get riled up,' Porter said. 'But we just have to play ball at a high level for 40 minutes. Defensively, we want to bring Xavier out of the paint and make them guard us on the perimeter.'
Junior forward Aaron Lovelace is expected to start ahead of senior Charles Stanfield, who has battled the flu and pink eye the past week. Junior forward Wayne Smith, who has been playing with injuries to his toe and heel, is improving, Porter said. Smith leads Duquesne in scoring (18.3 ppg.) and rebounding (6.4).
It was Smith's 3-point shot with a half-minute remaining that pulled Duquesne into a tie with George Washington on Wednesday. However, after Duquesne inexplicably used its final timeout, a bucket by Colonials guard SirValiant Brown in the closing seconds forced Lovelace to fire up a wild shot, which missed the mark at the buzzer and set the Dukes to another loss.
'We want to win every game and we go into it with a game plan,' Porter said. 'We had four or five turnovers near the end the last game. Plus, we missed three free throws in a row and an easy layup. If we capitalize on those two possessions, then that's four points, and we win.'
| Duquesne halftime hightlight |
Duquesne will honor five of its former men's basketball players today by raising replica jerseys to the rafters during halftime of its game against Xavier at the Palumbo Center.
A look at each of the honorees' careers:
No. 15 - CHUCK COOPER (1947-50)
Pittsburgh (Westinghouse H.S.)
Led Dukes to 78-19 record and two NIT appearances during four-year career ... Captained 1949-50 team that finished with 23-6 record and No. 6 national ranking ... First black player and first player from Duquesne to be drafted by NBA team (by Boston Celtics in second round in 1950) ... Played six seasons in NBA ... Died Feb. 5, 1984.
No. 11 - SIHUGO GREEN (1954-56)
Brooklyn, N.Y. (Boy's H.S.)
Only two-time consensus All-American in Duquesne history (1955-56) ... Averaged 19.8 points and 11.5 rebounds with Dukes ... Led team to three-year record of 65-17 with three NIT appearances, including 1955 title ... Played nines years in NBA. ... Member of 1966 world champion Boston Celtics ... Died Oct. 4, 1980.
No. 10 - NORM NIXON (1974-77)
Macon, Ga. (Southwest H.S.)
First player of year in Atlantic 10 Conference history ... Registered school-record 577 assists while averaging 17.4 points per game during college career ... First-round NBA draft choice of Los Angeles Lakers in 1977 ... Played 10 years in NBA, longer than any other Dukes player ... Member of 1978 NBA All-Rookie Team ... Two-time NBA All-Star ... Starter for Los Angeles Lakers World championship teams of 1980 and '82 ... Finished NBA career with 12,065 points and 6,386 assists ... Lives in Santa Monica, Calif.
No. 12 - DICK RICKETTS (1952-55)
Pottstown, Pa. (Pottstown H.S.)
Averaged 17.7 points and 12.2 rebounds per game as Duquesne managed 92-19 record and four NIT appearances during his four-year career ... Helped Duquesne to Top 10 Associated Press final rank each season ... Joined teammate Sihugo Green as consensus first-team All-American in 1955 ... Captained 1955 NIT-champion Dukes ... Consensus second-team All-American in 1954 ... Dukes' all-time leading scorer (1,963) and rebounder (1,359) ... Played three seasons in NBA ... Played briefly for Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals ... Died March 6, 1988.
No. 24 - WILLIE SOMERSET (1962-65)
Farrell (Farrell H.S.)
Scored more points in three seasons (1,725, 22.7 ppg.) than any other Duquesne player ... Topped 30-point mark school-record 16 times during three-year career ... Missed 1962-63 season with leg injury ... Led Duquesne to NIT appearances in 1962 and '64 ... All-American in 1965 ... Played professionally for three seasons ... Lives in Wilmington, Del.
