Addie Smith | Sports Editor
It may be because the Dukes were playing a team new to Division I basketball, but there was something about the Duquesne men’s basketball team on Saturday when they overtook the Albeline Christian Wildcats 94-75 Saturday afternoon at the Palumbo Center.
Maybe it was the actual student section, something foreign to the Palumbo Center if the game is not going to be televised, who were involved and vocal and what you would hope a student section to be. Maybe it was the fact that pretty much every section but the section behind the Wildcat bench was filled with people. Who knows what it was, but the Dukes did not look like a team projected to finish last in the Atlantic 10 conference.
However, one game isn’t exactly a telling point. It’s like when you first meet a person, what are the chances that you’re going to know everything about them from one conversation? This game was our first conversation with the men’s basketball team, and the Dukes made a pretty good first impression.
Granted, they could be pretty good at hiding their true selves, but there is something about this team that makes this first impression actually seem like a season-long impression. Yes, that’s premature, but the Red & Blue showcased talents that we didn’t see from them last season. They shot balls other than the 3-pointer and nailed them. They played with an aggression not seen last season. Needless to say, this 19 point win was impressive.
Senior forward Ovie Soko said that aggressiveness and passion were emphasized during the offseason.
“That’s the type of mentality [aggressiveness] we try to take on,” Soko said. “That’s how Coach Ferry wants us to play, he wants us to be aggressive in everything we do. We definitely try and make that an emphasis in practice and try to make it translate onto the court.”
From this conversation, a Duquesne basketball fan is going to wonder if this was a good first impression, a good indicator of this team’s capability. Only time and more games will tell, especially when they take on the University of New Hampshire this Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Palumbo Center. Let’s sit back and watch if the Dukes’ aggression will stay strong.