Pittsburgh, Pa. – A pair of former Duquesne University men's basketball standouts were honored this past Sunday in their hometown, as guards B.B. Flenory (1976-80) and Tom Pipkins (1993-97), who each played their prep careers at Valley High School, had their high school jersey numbers permanently displayed in New Kensington, Pa., at JFK Park.

The unveiling was part of a celebration prior to the "Battle on Barnes," a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, sponsored by the Linda Louise Foundation, at the JFK Park on Barnes Street and was attended by local politicians and dignitaries.

Flenory appeared in 88 games on the Bluff, concluding his career with totals of 1,382 points and 309 assists while shooting 49 percent (511-for-1,042) from the floor. He ranks 18th all-time in program history for scoring and as a freshman was a member of Duquesne's 1977 squad that claimed the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League championship and bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The only player to lead the Dukes in scoring and assists in three consecutive seasons from 1978 to 1980, Flenory is also the only student-athlete in program history to eclipse the 40-point plateau in consecutive games.

In helping guide Duquesne to the title of the 1978 West Virginia Classic in Morgantown, W.Va., Flenory scored 41 points in an 88-83 victory over Marshall (Dec. 29) before dropping 48 in an 85-74 triumph over Ohio (Dec. 30). The 48 points against the Bobcats sits second all-time on the program's single-game scoring chart, trailing only the 50-point performance by Ron Guziak (1966-68) in a 109-103 victory over Saint Francis March 6, 1968, in a game played in Altoona, Pa.

Flenory, the only Parade All-American in Duquesne's 109-year history, became the first member of the Dukes to lead the Atlantic 10 in scoring. En route to being named to the 1980 Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team, Flenory averaged 20.4 points per game as a senior in 1979-80 and, along with teammate Bruce Atkins (1979-82), helped Duquesne claim a share of the 1980 A-10 regular-season championship.

During his prep career at Valley High School, Flenory wore No. 14 during home games and No. 15 on the road. He also wore No. 15 at Duquesne during his career, and that number is permanently adorned at JFK Park. The jersey No. 15 for the Dukes, which was first worn by Chuck Cooper during the 1949-50 season, was officially retired Jan. 27, 2001, in honor of Cooper becoming the first African American drafted by an NBA franchise. The NBA recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of Cooper being selected No. 14 by the Boston Celtics April 25, 1950.  

RELATED: Stars Come Out as New Kensington Dedicates JFK Park Courts to Flenory, Pipkins (6/1/25)

Pipkins concluded his career with the Dukes by scoring 1,828 points, which ranks third all-time on the Bluff and trails only Dick Ricketts (1,963 points from 1952 to 1955) and Derrick Alston (1,903 points from 1991-94). Pipkins teamed with Alston during the 1993-94 season to help lead Duquesne to an overall record of 17-13 (.567) and an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). In the first round of the 1994 NIT, Pipkins contributed 12 points, five rebounds and three assists in a 75-73 win over UNC Charlotte (March 16) at the A.J. Palumbo Center before providing 18 points and eight boards in the second round against Villanova (March 24).

In his debut for the Dukes, a 91-70 victory over Robert Morris at the Palumbo Center, Pipkins scored 26 points on a 10-for-15 performance from the floor, including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc. That total stands as the most points by a freshman on the Bluff in their first varsity game.

Arguably the best performance for Pipkins in his time in a Duquesne uniform came during his senior season, when he led the Dukes to a 78-70 victory at No. 16 Xavier Jan. 25, 1997. Pipkins scored a game-high 30 points, finishing 10-of-16 from the floor against the Musketeers, including 6-for-10 from beyond the arc. Pipkins first hit the 30-point plateau as a junior, which also came against a ranked team, scoring 30 points against No. 6 Georgetown (Jan. 28, 1995) in a game played in Lakeland, Fla. Thanks to his performances against the Hoyas and Musketeers, Pipkins joined Si Green (1954-56) as the only players in Duquesne history to have multiple efforts of 30 or more points against a ranked foe.

In addition to ranking third all-time for the Dukes in scoring, Pipkins owns the Duquesne career record for three-pointers with 311 while also ranking fifth in field goals (618) and tied for fifth in steals (177) with former guard T.J. McConnell (2010-12). Pipkins owned the program's single-season mark for three-pointers with 99, set during his senior campaign in 1996-97, before it was eclipsed in 2015-16 by Micah Mason with 118.

During his prep career at Valley High School, Pipkins scored 2,838 career points, which stood as the scoring record in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) until being broken in 2023 by Vinnie Cugini of Aquinas Academy, who wrapped up his prep career with 2,841 points. Pipkins wore No. 23 while at Valley, a number that is permanently adorned at JFK Park, and wore No. 5 during his career on the Bluff. 

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