Duquesne's Michael Hughes backs up his talk

Some basketball players let their play do the talking.

Some resort to chatter in getting their point across.

Duquesne’s Michael Hughes blends both into a unique style: He’s an aggressive performer and a seasoned trash-talker.

“It’s just a narrative that seems to work for me,” Hughes said Friday as Duquesne (17-5, 7-3 Atlantic 10) prepared for Saturday’s annual Chuck Cooper Classic against St. Bonaventure (15-8, 7-3) at Robert Morris’ UPMC Events Center.

In Wednesday’s 82-68 victory at Saint Louis, the 6-foot-8, 240-pound Hughes had 11 points, nine rebounds, five steals, four assists and three blocks. He averages 10.1 points and 6.8 rebounds.

“We finally went on the road against a good team in front of a good crowd and finished the job,” Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot said.

Fellow junior Marcus Weathers received most of the recognition after tying his career high with 26 points, grabbing eight rebounds and blocking two shots.

But Hughes’ contributions were just as important. He also stayed on the court. He leads the team in personal fouls (67) and disqualifications (four) and had been called for two technical fouls in the previous three games.

When reminded of that, Hughes sneered and quipped, “The way I see it is we’ve never been liked, and we’re never going to get what we want. When you get down to it, you’re never going to win the battle with the refs. They’re always going to have their opinion.”

Hughes at times has become so animated that Dambrot needed to rein him in after an outburst in a Jan. 25 road loss to Massachusetts earned Hughes a technical foul following his fifth personal foul.

Hughes didn’t start for the only time this season against No. 7 Dayton. But, when inserted into the lineup in the first half, he responded with 19 points, seven rebounds and four steals in a 73-69 loss.

“He’s been better in practice,” Dambrot said. “It’s an old adage, but it’s true: When he’s good in practice, he’ll play good in the game.”

In Sunday’s 70-68 victory against La Salle on Sunday, Hughes was seen antagonizing opposing players after they missed a shot or committed a foul. The officiating crew periodically pleaded with Hughes to contain his emotions. Hughes even pointed at an opposing player and laughed when he missed a shot.

“He’s a character,” Weathers said. “He had a pretty big block and got called for a foul. He just stood there and grinned at the guy. He plays super hard every time he’s on the floor. He’s a really good rebounder, and he’s such a good rim-protector. If you get beat on defense, he’s going to be there to make up for that mistake. That’s really big for our team.”

Hughes, whose 2.5 blocks per game in his career ranks second in Duquesne history, eventually received a technical against La Salle for his continued instigating.

“Mike sets the tone,” said Weathers, the Dukes’ leading scorer (15.0 ppg) and rebounder (7.9 rpg). “He just comes out with this attitude. He has a demeanor like nobody’s going to score on him. Nobody is going to come out and punk him.”

Dambrot was impressed with his team’s fight in the 14-point victory against Saint Louis, long considered one of the league’s toughest teams.

“We were super aggressive defensively,” he said. “It was a big moment for us. Now, can we capitalize on it and do it again and again and again? Saint Louis knew they couldn’t just bully us, like they do most people.”

It was Duquesne’s second 14-point victory this season over the Billikens, who came in tied with the Dukes and three other teams for third place.

St. Bonaventure, led by former Robert Morris coach Mark Schmidt, has won three games in a row. The Bonnies were tied with Duquesne for third place entering Friday night’s Davidson-VCU game.

“It’s a hard prep because St. Bonaventure does a lot of things,” Dambrot said. “We have to find a way to beat them. We’ve played them four times (since Dambrot took over as coach at Duquesne), and three have gone down to the wire.”

Dambrot’s Dukes never have beaten the Bonnies, who have defeated Duquesne seven consecutive times. Neutralizing 6-10 sophomore Osun Osunniyi, who grabbed 22 rebounds last season in a 51-49 victory over Duquesne at Palumbo Center, is a must. That’s where Hughes comes into play.

“Mike’s in it every game,” Weathers said. “You don’t know exactly what you’ll get, but you know you’re going to get somebody who’s fiery and competitive.”

Hughes plays with an edge, but he is uncharacteristically soft-spoken. When someone reminded him of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory, the Kansas City, Mo., native perked up.

“Kansas City is my hometown,” he said, his voice raising. “I cried like crazy when we won the Super Bowl. It’s sweet.”

If the Dukes can get that long-awaited victory against the Bonnies, it might just be a cherry on top.