Kale Abrahamson Bio | Emile Blackman Bio

PITTSBURGH -- Duquesne University head men's basketball coach Jim Ferry announced today that graduate transfers Kale Abrahamson (West Des Moines, Iowa/Drake) and Emile Blackman (Dix Hills, N.Y./Niagara) have signed financial aid agreements and will be part of the men's basketball program this fall.

Abrahamson and Blackman, who are the first incoming graduate transfers in Duquesne basketball history, will each have one season of eligibility remaining. Both will be eligible to compete for the Dukes immediately.

Abrahamson, a 6-8 forward, averaged 11.1 points per game last season at Drake, while Blackman, a 6-3 guard, led Niagara with a 15.8 ppg. scoring average in 2015-16.

"Kale and Emile not only add proven ability, but an element of maturity to our program as well," said Ferry. "Both are high-character guys who have played meaningful minutes at the Division I level. Both will make an immediate impact."

Abrahamson, who played two seasons at Northwestern prior to transferring to Drake, brings 95 games of experience to the Dukes. He has scored in double-digits 22 times, with 15 coming last season at Drake. The Iowa native, who started 26 times last season, was second on the Bulldogs in both scoring average and 3-pointers made with 54. His season was highlighted by a 41-point outburst in an overtime win over Western Kentucky at the Gulf Coast Showcase in late November.

A third team Academic All-America in 2016, Abrahamson completed his undergraduate degree in psychology at Drake in the spring of 2015. He took MBA classes this past season.

"Kale's maturity, experience and offensive versatility are going to help us immediately," said Ferry. "He is a very skilled perimeter player who will cause mismatch problems all over the floor."

Blackman, Niagara's leading scorer in both 2015 (13.5 ppg.) and 2016 (15.8 ppg.), scored 913 points in his two seasons as a Purple Eagle. The New York native, who has never missed a game in his college career, started 60 of 62 games at Niagara. Blackman, who began his career at Division II LIU Post in 2012-13, has scored in double digits 48 times - including 13 20-point games - at the Division I level.

Blackman will complete his undergraduate degree in communications this spring.

"Emile is an explosive athlete that we can play at multiple guard positions," said Ferry. "He has the ability to score in a lot of different ways and will also help us on the defensive end. When you combine him with our returnees, we become significantly longer as well as more athletic."

Abrahamson and Blackman join eligible Nebraska transfer Tarin Smith as well as incoming freshmen Mike Lewis, Spencer Littleson and Isiaha Mike as two of six first-year scholarship players on the 2016-17 roster.