July 13, 2011
2012_Newcomers
Danny Herrera videoP.J. Torres videoPITTSBURGH - Duquesne University head men's basketball coach Ron Everhart announced the first four members of the 2012 recruiting class this afternoon.
Those who have signed National Letters of Intent include forward Danny Herrera (Miami, Fla./Doral Academy Prep) and guard/forward P.J. Torres (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle).
A pair of international players - Mamadou Datt (Dakar, Senegal/Stoneridge (Calif.) Prep) and Kadeem Pantophlet (Tiel, Netherlands/Canarias Basketball Academy) - have agreed to financial aid agreements. Datt enrolled in July and Pantophlet will enroll in August.
"This class possesses a lot of versatility," said Everhart, who will be entering his sixth season at DU. "They all have the ability to play the way we've been playing - uptempo, but they can also play at a more traditional pace. All four players add new dimensions to the roster.
"I'm very pleased with the class we've assembled so far," continued Everhart. "Recruiting is a continual, fluid process for us. We're finding that there is a lot of interest in what Duquesne has to offer."
The 6-4, 215-pound Herrera, who grew up playing baseball in his native Venezuela, averaged 19.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game last season for Doral Academy. One of nine McDonald's All-American nominees from Miami, Herrera was named to the 2010 and 2011 All-Dade Class 4A-1A first team by the Miami Herald. He averaged 22.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game as a junior in earning third team Class 3A all-state honors. Herrera, who played center as a freshman and sophomore, was also recruited by Dartmouth and Princeton. An outstanding student, Herrera had a 4.1 weighted GPA as a senior.
Torres averaged 22.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 7.9 assists in leading New Rochelle to a berth in the Section I/Class AA Final Four. The 6-4, 200-pound swingman scored a season-high 37 points against Mount Vernon and added 35 versus Bronx St. Raymond's.
Torres was a tournament all-star and won the sportsmanship award at the 65th CYP Tournament in late March. He scored a game-high 42 points - including multiple dunks - and added eight rebounds and five assists for the victorious Gold team at the Section 1 Senior All-Star game in early April. Torres chose Duquesne over offers from College of Charleston, Rhode Island and Hofstra.
Herrera and Torres enrolled in June and are currently taking summer classes.
Datt spent last season at Stoneridge Prep in Simi Valley, California where he averaged 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. The 6-8, 210-pounder, who is from Dakar, Senegal, came to the United States last August. He began playing basketball at age 10 and did not play competitively until he joined the Jaraaf basketball club in Medina, Dakar two years prior to coming to the U.S.
Pantophlet, a native of Utrecht, Netherlands, spent last season in the post graduate program at the Canarias Basketball Academy in the Canary Islands where he averaged over 20 points and around nine rebounds per game. The 6-6, 205-pound forward has international experience as a member of the Netherlands 2009 U20 European Championship team which went undefeated in Division B, Group C. He also played for the 2010 Dutch U20 National Champions.
PEGGAU TO GRADUATE EARLYIn additional news, Everhart announced that forward/center Rodrigo Peggau (Sao Paulo, Brazil/The Patterson (NC) School) will be completing his undergraduate degree in corporate communication in August and will not return to the team in 2011-12.
Peggau, a rising redshirt junior who will add minors in Spanish and sociology, is the second Duquesne player to complete his undergraduate coursework in under four years under Everhart, joining Bill Clark who played this past season as a graduate student.
Peggau, who battled knee problems throughout his stay at Duquesne, averaged 2.0 points and 2.1 rebounds in 44 career games. He underwent arthroscopic right knee surgery in September of 2008, prior to playing in the first four games of his freshman season. That season ended prematurely when he opted for right knee surgery in December.
He came back to see action in 28 of 32 games in 2009-10 - his first full season of basketball since 2006-07. Last year, as a redshirt sophomore, he saw action in 12 games.
"I enjoyed my time at Duquesne," said Peggau. "I'm grateful for the experiences I've had and very thankful for all of the support I received over the past three years. I had the opportunity to develop relationships I'm sure will last a lifetime. I'm proud to be a graduate of Duquesne University."
Peggau plans to enroll at Seton Hill University this fall where he will continue his college playing career while working toward a master's in business administration.
2012 DUQUESNE MEN'S BASKETBALL RECRUITING CLASS
| NAME | POS | HT | WT | CL | PPG | RPG | HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL |
| Mamadou Datt | F | 6-8 | 210 | FR | 14.0 | 8.0 | Dakar, Senegal/Stoneridge (Calif.) Prep |
| Danny Herrera | F | 6-4 | 215 | FR | 19.0 | 5.0 | Miami, Fla./Doral Academy Prep |
| Kadeem Pantophlet | F | 6-6 | 205 | FR | --- | --- | Tiel, Netherlands/Canarias Basketball Academy |
| P.J. Torres | G/F | 6-4 | 200 | FR | 21.2 | 9.3 | New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle |
PRONUNCIATION NOTE: Kadeem Pantophlet - pon-toe-FLET; Mamadou Datt - DOT; Tiel, Netherlands - TEEL
