Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University men's basketball roster for the 2026-27 season under third-year head coach
Dru Joyce III is set, which includes six returners and 10 newcomers. Of the 10 new players that will debut on the Bluff this year, six are transfers and four are true freshmen.
WELCOME BACK
For the second consecutive year, the Dukes return a pair of starters, including a key late summer addition, as redshirt senior guards
Brandon Hall and
Tarence Guinyard each return to the Bluff in 2026-27. Guinyard played 32 games for Duquesne last season, each as a member of the starting lineup, and led the Dukes in scoring (16.6 ppg) and assists (4.7 per game) while ranking second on the team in steals with 41. He ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, fourth in assists per contest and sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.11) en route to being named to the 2026 A-10 All-Conference First Team. Guinyard became the first member of the Dukes to garner first team accolades from the A-10 since Damian Saunders (2007-11) in 2010. Hall played 27 games a year ago for Duquesne, including each of the final 14 as a member of the starting lineup. He averaged 3.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per game overall, averages that improved to 5.6 points and 2.0 rebounds as a starter.
TEN
A total of 10 new players join the Duquesne roster for the 2026-27 season, including three guards, three forwards, three wings and a center. Six of the 10 are NCAA Division I transfers, while four more will play their first season of NCAA Division I basketball beginning this fall. Welcome to the Bluff …
| # |
Name |
Year |
Pos. |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Hometown / High School (Previous School) |
| 42 |
Yoav Berman |
Jr. |
G/F |
6'6" |
215 |
Ganei Tikva, Israel (Queens) |
| 16 |
Ege Demir |
Sr. |
C |
6'11" |
275 |
Kaduna, Nigeria / Darüssafaka Lassa (Oregon) |
| 18 |
Chaim Galbut |
Fr. |
G/F |
6'7" |
195 |
Miami, Fla. / Miami Country Day |
| 20 |
Kerem Konan |
Jr. |
F |
6'9" |
285 |
Denizli, Türkiye / Doga College (Creighton) |
| 21 |
Dimitrios Ntapsis |
Fr. |
F |
6'11" |
280 |
Athens, Greece / Veritas Academy |
| 3 |
Stephen Olowoniyi |
Sr. |
F |
6'8" |
210 |
Melbourne, Australia / The Webb School (Oregon State) |
| 5 |
Zoje Owinje |
Fr. |
G/F |
6'7" |
195 |
Bowie, Md. / Clinton Grace |
| 4 |
Izaiah Pasha |
Jr. |
G |
6'5" |
205 |
Harrisburg, Pa. / Cardinal O'Hara (Virginia Tech) |
| 19 |
Josh Smith |
Sr. |
G |
6'3" |
195 |
Chicago, Ill. / The Skill Factory (West Georgia) |
| 14 |
Jackson Williams |
Fr. |
G |
6'5" |
170 |
Atlanta, Ga. / Spire Academy |
WINNER
Among the transfers to join the roster for Duquesne this season is Berman, who spent the last two years at Queens and played in 69 games, including 33 starts. He was one of five Royals to play in all 35 games last year as Queens finished 21-14 (.600) and earned its first automatic bid to the NCAA Championship with a 98-93 overtime victory over Central Arkansas in the final of the 2026 ASUN Conference Championship. Berman finished second for the Royals in scoring (12.3 ppg) and third in rebounding (3.9 rpg) last year en route to being named 2026 Second Team All-ASUN in a vote of conference head coaches. He also stepped in as point guard throughout the year, ranking sixth in the ASUN in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.15). Duquesne earned
an 87-81 overtime victory over Queens (11/11/25) last season at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, with Berman leading the Royals with 22 points.
HARDWARE
While Berman earned all-conference honors last year at Queens, a pair of guards to join the roster also own postseason awards on their respective resume. Smith, a transfer from West Georgia, was named the 2026 ASUN Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 16.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 28 games last year for the Wolves. Smith reached double figures in 24 games, including each of the final nine contests of the year. Pasha, meanwhile, spent the 2025-26 at Virginia Tech playing behind Neoklis Avdalas, who transferred to North Carolina. During his freshman campaign in 2024-25, Pasha was named the 2025 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Rookie of the Year after averaging 11.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists at Delaware. In his lone season with the Blue Hens, Pasha converted 51.7 percent (152-for-294) of his attempts from the field and 76.9 percent (80-for-104) at the free-throw line.
THE ROOKIE
A total of four recruits for Duquesne will compete in their first year in NCAA Division I basketball in 2026-27, including Williams, Owinje, Ntapsis and Galbut. Williams received over 20 offers during his recruiting process, while Owinje averaging 14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game at Clinton Grace. Ntapsis continues the international pipeline for the Dukes, while Galbut was recently featured in
a story by the New York Post.
THE ROOKIE (PART DEUX)
While 10 new players join the roster for 2026-27, a pair of Dukes who sat out the 2025-26 campaign to hone their craft will make their debut for Duquesne this season. Guard
Arness Lawson, the all-time leading scorer at Pickerington North High School, and forward
Frederik Jellum, who played for Denmark in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers, while look to become key rotation pieces for Duquesne.
THE LAST PIECE
Only one player on the roster in 2026-27 was a member of the Dukes during the 2023-24 season, when Duquesne made its magical run to the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship and subsequent automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. That season, the Dukes finished 15-6 (.714) with guard
Jake DiMichele as a member of the starting lineup. Having missed an entire calendar year due to injury, DiMichele will enter the 2026-27 after a healthy offseason looking to continue to help Duquesne in various ways. He has played 62 career games on the Bluff and has averaged 5.8 points per game while shooting 45.5 percent (138-for-303) from the field.
THE FRONT COURT
Duquesne should be bolstered in the paint with the addition of three transfers, including Demir (Oregon), Konan (Creighton) and Olowoniyi (Oregon State). Demir, a true center, played in 19 games last year for the Ducks before suffering a season-ending injury, averaging 2.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in just under nine minutes per game. Konan saw the majority of his action for the Blue Jays during the non-conference portion of the schedule, averaging 2.6 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 60 percent (30-for-50) from the field in 30 games. Finally, Olowoniyi spent seasons at VMI (2023-24) and Southern Indiana (2024-25) prior to his stint with the Beavers. In 30 games for the Screaming Eagles two years ago, Olowoniyi shot 59.1 percent (172-for-291) from the floor in earning 29 starts, producing 13.9 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds.
UP NEXT
Preparation for the 2026-27 season has begun after summer workouts ended earlier this month. As part of its non-conference schedule, Duquesne will play a pair of games in Daytona Beach, Fla., in the
seventh annual Sunshine Slam. The Atlantic 10 also released its conference pairings earlier this summer, with a full schedule to be released in the next month. Deposits for
season tickets for the 2026-27 campaign are now being accepted. Fans wishing to renew, upgrade or purchase season tickets for the first time can use the following
link to lock in seats.
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