Dec. 23, 2009
They made the water boil again, as Robert Morris head coach Mike Rice had so eloquently observed after a hard-fought loss by the Colonials to Duquesne.
That's been much more the rule than the exception for the Dukes this season, and was again on Tuesday night against St. Francis, Pa.
The steam might have been a little more difficult to generate. The game was played just after the conclusion of exams and just before Christmas. The dance team wasn't there. Neither was the pep band, nor the student section (at least the cheerleaders dutifully showed).
And Duquesne was coming off a dispiriting 73-64 loss at IUPUI.
The Dukes worked through all of that and produced an anticipated 86-56 blowout of the Red Flash that, while still incomplete (18 turnovers), offered flashes of what Ron Everhart's team might yet become.
- We saw 86 points that resulted in large part from a renewed dedication to tempo and flow and a willingness to share the ball (20 assists), an indication that the Dukes remain interested in scoring as well as defending.
- We saw shot-fake penetration that attacked the rim before a three-point shot was launched produce the desired results (a Bill Clark drive and dish that found Damian Saunders for an open jumper early was one such example).
- We saw Eric Evans can his first three threes, further evidence that after a prolonged slump Evans may have rediscovered his shot.
- We saw Jason Duty drain all three of his first-half threes, part of a much-more-encouraging 7-for-16 performance by Duquesne from behind the arc in the opening 20 minutes that extended to 8-for-20 for the game.
- We saw the ball passed up the floor rather than dribbled in an effort to take full advantage of fast-break opportunities.
- We saw energy and production provided by the likes of Sean Johnson, Rodrigo Peggau, Andre Marhold and Chase Robinson, among others, off the bench.
If you haven't been paying close attention this season, these are a few of Everhart's favorite things.
They're up there on the coach's list either just behind or just ahead of white shirts and red ties.
They're also some of the keys to Duquesne realizing its still-untapped potential at the conclusion (almost) of a non-conference schedule that has produced results that are neither satisfying nor disappointing.
Missed opportunities against Pitt and Western Carolina had left the Dukes with an RPI of 71 prior to taking on St. Francis (it had been 308 when Everhart arrived for the 2006-07 season and 75 at the conclusion of last season).
A Dec. 30 game at Old Dominion stands as the final tune-up prior to the beginning of the A-10 schedule.
And as of Tuesday the A-10 was ranked fifth as a conference in RPI and third in strength of schedule, and its members had registered 15 victories against representatives of a BCS conference (including the Dukes' win at Iowa).
So there's a lot of work ahead.
Melquan Bolding's eventual return will help immensely.
But just as important might be the nuances of game rediscovered against St. Francis, nuances that should prove effective against A-10 teams if properly applied.
Bolding's abrupt departure had a lot to do with some of that stuff getting away. So did a condensed schedule that weakened legs and robbed Duquesne of critical practice time to work out the rough spots.
"We've had to do some things on the fly," Everhart said. "We've had to draw up plays on the fly, which we've never had to do before."
At 9-4 we know they're better than the NEC but not as good as WVU.
It's the degree of in-between that's yet to be determined, but the early-season optimism remains alive and kicking at the Palumbo Center.
"We're probably where we want to be," Everhart said. "I don't know that we like how we got there, but we're there."
Merry Christmas.
