By Steve DiMiceli
We've reached the 1/3 mark of 2012-2013 season and the Dukes are where I expected them to be, 6-4, with the wins rearranged. I didn't think they would beat the Mountaineers and I thought Albany was one they'd take. Half the wins have come by 6 or fewer points and one came in overtime. It's been a rocky road for Duquesne, but in general the trajectory has been a positive one. Here is how I would rate all of the players so far. Grades a relative for my preseason expectations:
Sean Johnson - C - - Consistency has been an issue for Sean throughout his Duquesne career. I expected him to come out and compete for a spot on the all conference team by the end of the year. He's looking like he'll fall well short of that. The Dukes need more from him in the second half.
Andre Marhold - C - Defensively he's been doing well and he's showing some signs of progress offensively. Finishing has not been strong and his rebounding is about what one should expect from a 6'6'' center. He is holding his ground better than he was at the beginning of the year, but the Dukes need him to dig in more on the defensive glass.
Jerry Jones - B- - Defense has been outstanding and he's come up with a couple of excellent overall outings here and there. I was expecting him to emerge as an average starter, but he's lost his spot to Jeremiah Jones. That hasn't been terrible because he's been very good off the bench.
Martins Abele - A - - Man has he come a long way in a short time. He's getting much better on the glass and is showing some good post moves. He's also been the anchor in the zone, but has matched up well in man defense.
Kadeem Pantophlet - B - - Very inconsistent, but he's had his share of moments. He's been strong from 3, his rebounding has been solid and he's played good interior defense. Overall, he's not scoring as much as I'd like, but hopefully it will come.
PJ Torres - B + - He's gone cold the last few outings, but he started the season very strong. For the first 5 or so games, he seemed like a stabilizing force when things were getting out of control.
Marvin Binney - D - Coming on of late but I'm surprised by how little
he's contributed. The Dukes need more from him or he will find himself
relegated to the bench if Ferry drops to a 9 man rotation.
Derrick Martin - INC - Not enough info, but he has looked a lot better in a small sample. I think he should be able to step up next year.
Derick Colter - A - - 3rd in the league in assists and setting the pace for the solid freshmen class this year. I don't miss TJ too much at the moment. Turnovers are high but acceptable for a freshman. Improving noticeably defensively.
Quevyn Winters - A - - Very inconsistent but he's provided a spark at times. He's the best 3 point threat on the team and he's rebounded well. He recorded the only Duquesne double - double of the season so far.
Jeremiah Jones - A - From a guy I didn't expect to play much to earn a starting spot, Jones has provided excellent on ball defense and has been responsible offensively. He's a gritty player that serious basketball fans will grow to love.
