Duquesne's Tess Myers displaying similar skills to a former Dukes basketball player, her father

Another Myers is at it again at Duquesne.

Did someone say “Sonar?”

Reminiscent of another era when Burrell’s own Joey “Sonar” Myers would heat up from long range for the Dukes men’s basketball team, daughter Tess flashed a little “Sonar” of her own some 40 years later in a recent Duquesne women’s game at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

An athletic department news release on the 70-61 victory over St. Francis (Pa.) proclaimed:

“Tess Myers (shot) 6 of 13, including 4 of 7 from long range entirely in the second half.

“She scored 12 of the team’s 17 points in the third quarter and half of Duquesne’s 22 fourth-quarter points.”

Rewind to a 1981 wire service report, where United Press International wrote:

“Duquesne rallied behind Joey Myers’ 12 second-half points to force George Washington into overtime and then defeat the Colonials, 84-78, in the first round of the Eastern Eight Tournament.

“Myers came off the bench in the second half to score his 12 points on four baskets — three of them from 20 feet or more — and 4-of-4 free throws to bring Duquesne from a deficit as high as 47-39.”

Don’t forget, college basketball didn’t add the 3-point shot until 1986, yet Joey Myers was drafted by the former NBA New Jersey Nets almost exclusively for his sonar-like shooting instincts.

“I was taken in the eighth round,” he said. “Remember, when you were taken that low, you had no chance. I suppose that’s why they finally decided enough of that and cut it down to two rounds (in 1989).”

Joey hasn’t looked back, though. He’s looking forward … to seeing more Duquesne women’s games.

And Tess, of course, is soaking it all in. She said her father is big into the concept of, as she describes it: “All you can control is how hard you go. That’s what I take onto the court, and that’s when it all seems to come together.

“My dad definitely never forced me to do anything when it came to playing basketball. It was all willing. I just remember when my oldest sister (Taylor) was in high school and I was like 3 or 4, I was always dribbling the ball.”

Tess is still doing it today, and she loves every minute of it.

“I love my teammates. They’re my sisters,” said Tess, a former North Catholic star from Lower Burrell. Her real sisters, Taylor and Natalie, a former IUP star, were 1,000-point scorers at Burrell, as was Tess at North Catholic, where her teams won four WPIAL championships.

Duquesne coach Dan Burt, a Trinity graduate, knows the WPIAL scene and welcomes a chance to be involved with its best girls basketball players.

“It’s vitally important for us to keep the best players home,” he said “A lot of coaches talk about building a fence around the area. We’re fortunate to get some players from here to help us compete at a high level.”

The bulk of Burt’s staff, like him, is made up of former players and coaches from the WPIAL.

“We take a lot of pride in being Pittsburgh’s team,” Burt said, listing a number of the program’s recent accomplishments, including having beaten crosstown Pitt in seven of the past 10 meetings.

As he delightfully shared, Joey Myers was at that recent Duquesne women’s victory to watch his youngest daughter’s second-half surge, a sight reminiscent of that Eastern Eight Duquesne men’s game decades ago when Joey was flinging in would-be 3-pointers and rallying the Dukes to a victory.

Was that an added incentive for Tess?

“He doesn’t really tell much,” she said. “He’s always focused on all the girls. You know, my dad just instilled so much confidence in me and just my work ethic is the biggest thing that I take pride in, and that’s all him. He’s always said, ‘Always control all the things you can control.’ ”

As a second-year freshman at Duquesne — the covid-19 shortened 2020-21 season gave players an extra year of eligibility — Tess Myers was Duquesne’s second-leading scorer (11.6 ppg) this season before a scheduled Saturday home game against Penn State, and she was shooting 38.3% (31 for 81) from 3-point range.

“When Duquesne was recruiting her,” Joey Myers said of his youngest daughter, “I said to her, ‘Don’t go there because of me. Don’t go there because I went there years ago. You have to pick the school that you’re comfortable with.”

Colorado, St. Joseph’s and Temple were among Tess’ other offers.

Ultimately, Duquesne won the prize, to which Joey replied:

“Personally, my wife and I were happy for that. It worked out great for us and for Tess. She works hard. She’s learning the mental aspect of the game. She’s learning what it takes to be a college player.”