Brooklyn, N.Y. – According to a poll of Atlantic 10 head coaches and media, the Duquesne University men's basketball team has been picked to finish fourth in the A-10 in 2023-24. The annual preseason poll was announced Tuesday at A-10 Men's Basketball Media Day, held at the Barclays Center.
In addition to being selected fourth in the A-10 preseason poll, senior guard
Dae Dae Grant was named to the 2023-24 Preseason All-Atlantic 10 First Team, while senior guard
Jimmy Clark III earned spots on both the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Second Team and the Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team.
The Dukes accumulated 302 points in the 2023-24 Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll. Dayton, which earned 20 first-place votes and 370 points, was selected as the preseason favorite, followed by VCU (321) and St. Bonaventure (319). The Rams earned a trio of first-place tallies, while the Bonnies earned one. Saint Joseph's (257) was tabbed to finish fifth, with Saint Louis (225), Fordham (215), Loyola Chicago (177), George Washington (173) and George Mason (146) rounding out the top 10. Fordham, like St. Bonaventure, also received a first-place vote.
Grant, a native of Lorain, Ohio, paced the Dukes in scoring last season, averaging 15.5 points per game, which ranked 11th in the Atlantic 10. In 33 games, Grant reached double figures in scoring 28 times, including 11 occasions eclipsing the 20-point plateau.
Ranking second in the A-10 in three-point field goals made per game (2.85) and third in free-throw percentage (.873), Grant matched a career high with 28 points against Rice (3/19/23) in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) in Dayton Beach, Fla., at the Ocean Center. The performance against the Owls help bookend a 2022-23 campaign in which Grant opened with a perfect game shooting in his Duquesne debut. In a 91-63 triumph over Montana (11/8/22) at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, Grant shot 8-for-8 from the field, including 6-for-6 from beyond the arc, and 3-for-3 at the charity stripe, in pacing the Dukes with 25 points.
In four seasons at the NCAA Division I level, Grant has scored 1,682 career points, including 511 at Duquesne. He also owns career totals of 469 rebounds, 329 assists and 104 steals and enters the 2023-24 season with the most career points (1,682) of any player in the A-10.
Clark III, a native of Covington, Ga., blossomed into a two-way threat for Duquesne during the 2022-23 season. He led the A-10 in steals (76) and steals per game (2.30) while also scoring at a 12.2 points per game clip. Clark III finished 13th in NCAA Division I in steals per contest last season, while his 76 thefts were tied for the 11th highest total in the country.
On 22 occasions last year Clark III scored in double figures, including three times scoring 20 or more points. His career high of 27 points came in the opening round of the 2023 A-10 Championship against La Salle, when he scored 22 points after halftime. In addition to his offensive exploits, Clark III registered at least four steals in a game eight times.
Duquesne is led by
Keith Dambrot, who is in his seventh season at the helm of the Dukes and 26th year overall. Last season he engineered the top turnaround in program history (+12.5), remaking a team that finished 6-24 (.200) in 2021-22 and helping the Dukes post an overall record of 20-13 (.606). Dambrot picked up career victory No. 500 thanks to a 75-52 win over George Mason (2/8/23) and is one of 28 active NCAA Division I coaches with 500 or more wins.
The Dukes return three starters in 2023-24, as joining Grant and Clark III is senior forward
Tre Williams, who averaged 6.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last season. He also rejected 31 shots, including an average 1.4 per contest against conference opposition.
Duquesne opens its 2023-24 season Monday, Nov. 6, with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Cleveland State at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Season tickets are on sale now and can by purchased by
using the following link.
2023-24 Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll
| Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Dayton (20) |
370 |
| 2. VCU (3) |
321 |
| 3. St. Bonaventure (1) |
319 |
| 4. Duquesne |
302 |
| 5. Saint Joseph's |
257 |
| 6. Saint Louis |
225 |
| 7. Fordham (1) |
215 |
| 8. Loyola Chicago |
177 |
| 9. George Washington |
173 |
| 10. George Mason |
146 |
| 11. Richmond |
137 |
| 12. Davidson |
118 |
| 13. Massachusetts |
93 |
| 14. Rhode Island |
76 |
| 15. La Salle |
71 |
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