Dave Mackall stories, Page 3

Remember last season? Who could forget when Duquesne won the Atlantic 10 Tournament in men’s basketball and surged to its first NCAA Tournament in something like a million years? Remember that? It had been 47 seasons — the year was 1977, to be exact — since the Dukes made The...

Amarion Dickerson appeared in disbelief. “A school record?” the Robert Morris junior forward said, repeating what someone just told him. “Really, a school record?” But for Dickerson, honestly, it was business as usual. He entered the night fourth in Division I in blocks with 59. The total swelled to 67...

He’d counted on his teams’ ability to hold down opponents in the Big 12 at Kansas State and in the SEC at South Carolina, but even here in the Atlantic 10, Massachusetts coach Frank Martin tends to get defensive. Just ask Duquesne, which was held to a season-low in scoring...

When Southmoreland, the unbeaten Section 4-3A leader in boys basketball, stepped onto its home floor Friday night for the opening tip against runner-up Waynesburg Central, Scotties coach Frank Muccino wasn’t expecting a chilly start. Southmoreland was ice-cold. But despite trailing for much of the game, the Scotties, behind Noah Felentzer’s...

As the seasons progress in men’s basketball, Robert Morris’ desire to make noise in the Horizon League grows stronger. The surging Colonials were deafening Thursday night at UPMC Events Center, doubling up IU Indianapolis, 106-53, for their sixth consecutive victory and 10th in the past 12 games. “We’re getting hot...

The high school boys basketball playoffs might have started a bit early this season for Jeannette. Not really. But the Jayhawks certainly were in a playoff state of mind Sunday at Seton Hill. Xavier Odorisio-Farrow scored 21 points to top four players in double figures, and Jeannette defeated Derry, 74-51,...

Robert Morris is on a roll in men’s basketball, and the Colonials are doing it by winning the close ones. They claimed another one Saturday, their fifth consecutive victory and fourth by three points or fewer during that time to keep pace with the Horizon League leaders. “(Again) a pretty...

The question seemed simple enough for David Dixon, one-third of Duquesne’s primary rim patrollers: “Does a result like that last game make you realize that maybe there was some complacency setting in?” His answer, too, referring to the Dukes’ state of mind following their shocking 82-62 loss to Dayton on...

As if Deer Lakes needed another 3-point shot Friday night in its 71-49 Section 1-4A boys basketball victory at Burrell. The Lancers sank a season-high 11 from long range. Sophomore guard Evan Moore made six of them, including four of the team’s total of eight before halftime. But he’d have...

Jake DiMichele’s unwavering faith in God has carried him through the challenges of a tough childhood while growing up in the gritty Pittsburgh suburb of McKees Rocks. It’s helped him during a championship-caliber high school experience in the classroom and on the basketball court at nearby Our Lady of the...

What was building as a showdown against Dayton wound up a dud for Duquesne. The Dukes’ hot streak was put on ice by the Flyers on Tuesday night at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. “Everything went wrong,” Dukes coach Dru Joyce III said. Enoch Cheeks scored 23 points and hot-shooting Dayton raced...

Josh Omojafo and Kam Woods scored 15 points apiece to pace five double-figure scorers for Robert Morris, and the Colonials defeated Milwaukee, 81-79, on Sunday at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena for their third consecutive road win in men’s basketball. It also was the Colonials’ third straight victory overall and fourth in...

Remember those early-season losses — many at home — to the likes of Hampton, Lipscomb, Maine, Saint Peter’s and others? Duquesne’s horrid start to the men’s basketball season under first-year coach Dru Joyce III was atrocious. So, what’s changed? “I hold myself accountable,” Joyce said Saturday after the surging Dukes...

Coach Doug Kelly has been waiting for his team to go on a run. Maybe this is the start of something big for the Penn-Trafford boys basketball team. Brayden Stone scored 20 points, including the first 10 of the game, and Penn-Trafford completed a season sweep of its series with...

When he patrols the sideline during game days, Kiski Area boys basketball coach Corey Smith hears voices. They are familiar sounds, a comforting tone. Smith’s dad, above everyone else, has his son’s ear. “My father to this day has been on my staff. He keeps me in line,” Smith said....

Maximus Edwards broke out of a season-long shooting slump for Duquesne in a big way Wednesday night. Edwards came off the bench to convert his first six shots and finished with a season-high 22 points against his former school as Duquesne defeated George Washington, 73-65, in Washington, D.C.. It was...

No matter where North Catholic plays basketball, stress is the name of the game. The Trojans certainly made it stressful for No. 2 Deer Lakes on Tuesday night, turning a tight game early into a commanding 61-46 victory in a Section 1-4A game in Cranberry. “We mixed some things up...

Soon after Dru Joyce III began his first season as men’s basketball coach at Duquesne, the losses began to pile up. Everywhere the Dukes played. But gradually, they’ve begun to master their home-court surroundings, winning four consecutive times and five of their past six outings at cozy UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse....

Five years into its Horizon League journey, Robert Morris has shown signs of stabilizing its men’s basketball program following a rocky transition from the lesser-renowned Northeast Conference, where the Colonials traditionally were among the top teams. On Sunday against Wright State at UPMC Events Center, where four days earlier a...

The 6-foot-9 David Dixon, known more as a shot-blocker than a 3-point shooter, wants everyone to know he can hit that shot when it matters. The Duquesne junior forward connected from long range in overtime Wednesday night against Saint Joseph’s when it mattered most. He wasn’t bad on defense, either....

After a rough start to the season, Duquesne’s basketball fortunes are turning. Jahsean Corbett totaled 13 points and 10 rebounds and three other Dukes scored in double figures as Duquesne opened Atlantic 10 Conference play Tuesday with a 67-55 New Year’s Eve victory over Rhode Island at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse,...

A year ago at this time, Duquesne was feeling pretty good about its men’s basketball season after having just beaten Cleary, a first-year NAIA program, by nearly 50 points to improve to 9-3 heading into Atlantic 10 Conference play. The Dukes stunningly then lost five straight to A-10 opponents. “Last...

While Duquesne was enjoying a double-digit lead Saturday at halftime against UC Irvine, Dru Joyce III insisted he wasn’t nervous about the impending outcome, even though the Dukes’ first-year men’s basketball coach knew all along the Anteaters were renowned for their strong second-half play. Two days earlier, they rallied from...