I'm marching on with some 2014-15 men's basketball previews. Our fans are constantly reading the tealeaves looking for hope. It's only fitting one of my last posts here before Fansided and one of my first posts in return in six reasons to be optimistic.
Here's a bonus reason for optimism: this year's piece was a lot easier to write than last year.
Ferry's Optimistic
When Jim Ferry told us the team was going to be bad his first year, we didn't listen. When he said, they would struggle again last year, we didn't want to hear it. By year three, he's established a lot of credibility with me when it comes to assessing his own team. He doesn't sugar coat it when things are bad, so when he starts saying things that indicate the program's gathering steam, I'm listening.
Depth
We hear a lot of people talking about depth at guard this season and they speak the truth. Derrick Colter, Micah Mason, Jordan Stevens, and Desmond Ridenour are all very capable of bringing the ball up court. Jeremiah Jones and Eric James can both handle the duties of the wing with the possibility of LG Gill stepping in there, too. We don't hear about the depth in the post likely due to unfamiliarity with the post. However, with Gill's emergence, Jordan Robinson's eligibility, Darius Lewis' continued growth and Tysean Powell's upside, the Dukes will have options down low that they haven't had since Ron Everhart's second year, maybe longer.
The First Year Players
Transfers have grabbed much of the attention given to Duquesne's incoming 2014 class, but the foundation for the program will form around the first year players just as much as Rene Castro Marqywell Jackson. The coaching staff truly have all their bases covered with this class adding a true center in Robinson, an explosive 3/4 in Powell, and a perfect fit for the system James.
Size
I've already touched on this, but the Dukes have size to spare on the bench this season and if LG Gill proves to be the real deal capable of playing some three, it's not out of the question that the Dukes could have a lineup that goes. 6'2'', 6'3'', 6'7'', 6'8'' and a thick 6'8''.
I Can't Count the Returning Players On One Hand
Ferry returned three players who spent a year in his system last year. The year before that he clearly didn't have any. For the first time under the new administration, the Dukes have more than a handful of players who have been around the program for at least a year.
This is Still a Young Team
I never like to look too far ahead, but the current group of Dukes are just getting started. If you feel like they have talent and upside now, wait and see what that looks like when they have time to gain experience and develop physically.
