Size and depth are there for men’s basketball

The man who coach Ron Everhart said can't be replaced may have been replaced Sunday afternoon.

Andre Marhold made the missing presence of Damian Saunders a little easier to take with a 17-point, four-rebound, two-block performance against Green Bay.

Saunders, the only player in NCAA history with 250 points, assists, rebounds, blocks, and steals, played all four seasons at Duquesne, and Everhart hoped his committee of frontcourt talent could at least partially replace his presence at best.

Turns out the main question facing Everhart's squad this season is being answered earlier than expected. The new depth at the post positions allow Everhart to use a number of rotations depending on the offensive set the Dukes are facing or the foul situation his own team is in.

Marhold's performance Sunday was eerily reminiscent of some of the things Saunders did.

"People outside of the program that aren't here every day don't really appreciate the fact that Andre is one of our hardest working kids and has been for years," Everhart said.

Everhart said it was unfortunate that Marhold had to play his first two seasons behind a talent like Saunders, who averaged 34 minutes per game last season.

Marhold's Sunday afternoon was even more impressive considering the job he was asked to do. Green Bay's 7-foot-1 pro prospect Alec Brown was Marhold's responsibility most of the game, and despite Brown's final line of 14 points, 10 rebounds, Everhart thought Marhold got the better of him.

"I thought that defensively, as the game went on, [Alec] Brown got really active. So obviously, especially early in the game, [Marhold] really did a good job on Brown and kept him off the glass and was physical enough with him to give us the advantage," Everhart said.

The bigger blessing for Duquesne is that, in two games, Everhart will have another option to defend players of Brown's size, many of which the Dukes will face in conference play including St. Joseph's 6-foot-9 C.J. Aiken and St. Bonaventure's pro prospect Andrew Nicholson. That option is 7-foot-1 Martins Abele, who Everhart said will likely come off the bench if Marhold continues to play this well, giving the Dukes a number of defensive set options.

"I do think that [Abele] gives us the ability to play Andre at the four and get bigger," Everhart said. "Whether it's to play B.J. at the three or to play three small guards and get bigger on the front line, he gives us the ability size-wise to have a few more options."

Marhold said his 6-for-7 shooting performance came from a mixture of understanding the offense and the team's execution of screens that allow him to be in the right place for open looks.

"Diving opposite the ball instead of diving into the defense," Marhold said of his positioning when the guards drive to the rim. "Getting the spacing helps out a lot."

Point guard T.J. McConnell, who left Sunday's contest with seven assists and no turnovers, is excited to have another offensive option, but stressed Marhold's always been an aggressive scorer.

"I've always had confidence in ‘Dre.If you get it to him down there, he's just jumping over you," McConnell said, mostly referring to the forward's affinity for the slam dunk.

Whatever way he gets the buckets is OK with McConnell and the Dukes, and the more points he gets, the easier dealing with the loss of Saunders will become.