By Steve DiMiceli
About a month ago, I looked at when Duquesne could except their first commitment and I suggested it would come somewhere in the end of September or beginning of October based on history. Right on cue, Isaiah Watkins of Toronto by way of St. Benedict's in New Jersey committed on 9/27. Now the question is when will Duquesne get their second commitment?
At the moment, the Dukes have one remaining scholarship to offer and a couple of prospects with Duquesne at or near the top of their list who look likely to make decisions this week. Connecticut combo guard Rene Castro, whom I believe to be the top priority of the coaching staff at the moment, took a visit to Butler this weekend and is down to his final three. Since no word has broke of a commitment, it can be assumed that Castro did not commit during the visit. He visited GW in September prior to coming to the Bluff. Pitt was in the mix for him prior to receiving a commitment from Josh Newkirk.
JUCO SG Desmond Lee, another top target, has Duquesne among his final schools along with Colorado St and Creighton. Apparently, his planned trip to Creighton was cancelled and more teams may have joined the mix Out of high school, he was a 3 star recruit set to attend UTEP but ended up going the JUCO route instead. Lee currently attends New Mexico Junior College, the same school Jim Ferry found sophomore PG Marvin Binney. He averaged 13.3 PPG leading the team as a freshman. While his recruiting picture appears more muddled, Lee seems very likely to decide in the near future.
With a solid chance that both players make their decision by the end of the week, the complexion of Duquesne recruiting could be completely different by next weekend. They could have one or both of these players committed which would likely shift the focus towards sleepers/potential spring risers in case someone of does not qualify. If neither commits, the Dukes have to move on, but they still have options. SF Kamall Richards is said to have Duquesne and Xavier at the top of his list with Temple, St Joe's and Seton Hall still being considered while swingman Richard Williams is waiting to schedule a visit to Pittsburgh. Neither has a time line for their decision. Of course, I'm sure there are also players we're not even hearing about if you can imagine that in a world with twitter.
Should Duquesne secure commitments from any player over the next couple of weeks, they would need to wait until November 14th to sign a binding national letter of intent.
