Worn on their sleeves

They're hard to see as Mike Talley blazes coast-to-coast to haul in an Eric Evans pass. They're even harder to glimpse as B.J. Monteiro drives hard along the baseline to deliver an acrobatic reverse layup.

Game after game, these athletes expose to fans and the press part of their life stories, which have been inked into their bodies for all to see. 

Each tattoo has a story, and according to Evans, each one easier to get.

"It really is an addiction," Evans said. "You know how to stop yourself, but it's an addiction like everyone says. You can get one, but you're going to want to get more."

Evans wanted to get a tattoo in high school, but respected his coach's wishes and waited until he graduated and came to Duquesne. On his right arm he got inked the biblical passage Deuteronomy 30:6, which reads: "The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live."

Evans said the passage keeps him grounded in his faith.

Neither Monteiro nor Talley waited as long to get their first ink.

"I got my first one when I was 16," Monteiro said. "It's a basketball with an IV, and it says it's in my blood."

Monteiro's decision required a co-signer.

"My mom had to come with me and stuff and sign off for it," Monteiro said, laughing.

Talley got his first at 16, too. On his left arm is a play on Tracy McGrady's "TM" logo with the Roman numeral three underneath because Talley is the third Michael in his family.

After their first, each player quickly got more tattoos — Evans is up to seven just three years later. 

But each said they have a favorite that means something special to them because of the story behind it.

Talley's right arm features a cross with "R.I.P. Quis" inked on it.

"That was my little cousin who always looked up to me. He drowned," said Talley, who got the tattoo last year.

Montiero's favorite is his biggest, a testament to his mother.

"There's a word for each letter in her name," Monteiro said pointing to an acrostic poem of his mother's name, Jennifer, on his left arm. "That's my favorite because my mother means a lot to me. So just to show the dedication I've got to her, putting it on my arm, I think it was special for me and her."

Evans' favorite was also the most agonizing to get. Inked onto the left side of his chest is "Different mother, same dreams," for which he endured pain as the needle went "right on [his] bone."

"Me and my best friends I grew up with, we all played basketball together, and they're like my best friends, and we got the same dream for basketball," Evans said. His five closest friends have the same tattoo.

As for regrets about their permanent ink, the Dukes' stars say they have none. And two years younger than his teammates, Talley said he's not done getting inked yet.

"I'll probably get a couple more, but there are certain places I'm not going to get them, you know, for the future," Talley said.

Monteiro said he's probably finished getting inked, and hasn't really considered getting more since he came Duquesne.

"I got my first one when I was real young, and it was kind of like a trend for a while. I was getting them, and now that I look back, I might not do it. But you know, you live and you learn," Monteiro said. "I'm happy with it. I don't think I've got any bad ones or anything that's stupid or anything like that. All of them mean something to me."

If the fast-paced action ever slows down on Duquesne's hardwood, which isn't often, try to catch a glimpse of what Duquesne's best wears on their sleeves.