Sunday, February 23, 2025, 8:03PM |  40°
MENU
Advertisement
RIGHT; Norm Nixon was among the notable players who returned Wednesday to help Duquesne celebrate 100 years of basketball at the school.
2
MORE

Two icons trying to help restore luster to Duquesne

John Heller/Post-Gazette

Two icons trying to help restore luster to Duquesne

Norm Nixon arrived at Duquesne in the mid-1970s as a Georgia-bred teenager so ill-prepared for the cold Pittsburgh winters that all he had to keep himself warm was a single-layered coat without a liner (his “Superfly” coat as he called it, in reference to the popular 1972 movie).

By the time he left, he had accomplished more than perhaps any player in the school’s history. That would be just the first chapter in a storied career that saw him win NBA championships, make All-Star teams and even appear in a major motion picture.

One of his most enduring marks, though, may be what he and his team were able to accomplish his senior season in 1977 — making the NCAA tournament, a destination the Dukes haven’t reached since.

Advertisement

The drought is a persistent reminder of where the program is and the fall it endured, with Nixon standing as an artifact of a brighter, more accomplished past. But as Duquesne boosters, former players and others — including the current team and coaching staff — convened Wednesday night at Consol Energy Center to celebrate the program’s upcoming 100th season, Nixon and others who helped build the Dukes believe there’s a way back.

“They’ve got to get the support from the school and the student body needs to be excited,” Nixon said. “There’s no reason that arena shouldn’t be full for every game. They have to create an exciting brand of basketball. Once you develop that type of reputation, it’s easier to recruit better players and the better the players, the more exciting it’s going to be. You know how most people are — if you win, they’re going to come. You have to create a winning team.”

In his brief time in Pittsburgh this week, Nixon and others such as former Dukes standout Mike James spent time on campus and around the current team, taking in practices and speaking to the players. Nixon believes there is potential.

“I watched these guys,” he said. “They’re great athletes and they work hard. Now they have to translate that into some wins out on the court.”

Advertisement

As current coach Jim Ferry enters his fourth season with the program, some believe this current team could represent a step forward, likely not to the NCAA tournament, but to somewhere greater than it was the past three years when it compiled a 33-58 record.

With two seniors, Micah Mason and Derrick Colter, anchoring the backcourt, and with a handful of talented newcomers, Duquesne was picked 11th in the Atlantic 10 Conference preseason poll, released this week.

The conference itself presents a difficult obstacle, but even for new athletic director Dave Harper, who officially has been on the job for three weeks, there is a belief in the building process.

“What you have to do is stair-step it the right way, get the right players and build continuity,” Harper said. “If you look at his backcourt this year, he’s got kids that have a lot of games and he’s got young kids that can play roles and learn. He’s getting kids interested in Duquesne earlier than they’ve ever been.”

James, 40, still is mulling whether to play another season of pro basketball, but whatever he decides to do,  he plans on strengthening his bond with Duquesne. In the meantime, program icons such as himself and Nixon will wait for when their school can achieve the goal it has been denied for so long.

“I want to talk some smack in California,” Nixon said. 

Craig Meyer: cmeyer@post-gazette.com and Twitter @CraigMeyerPG.

First Published: October 22, 2015, 4:00 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning
1
business
Amid funding uncertainty, Pitt pauses doctoral admissions
Pickers at Bonnie Brae Fruit Farms in Huntington Township, Adams County, harvest golden delicious apples on Sept. 10, 2024. President Donald Trump’s administration has frozen funding on several federal programs, including many that are under USDA and help farmers make their facilities more climate-friendly, protect against damage from wildlife, and help them employ more workers.
2
news
Pa. farmers feel funding pinch as federal freezes trigger labor and infrastructure instability
A new report advises retirees in 2025 to aim for just 3.7% when withdrawing from savings -- down from 4%. Over a 30-year retirement, that could mean the difference between financial security or outliving your cash in your 80s or 90s, financial experts say.
3
business
How much can retirees safely withdraw from their nest eggs? Financial experts weigh in.
Prospect Rutger McGroarty is right on track according to Penguins assistant general manager Jason Spezza.
4
sports
From The Point: When are the kids getting called up? Jason Spezza details the Penguins’ ‘thought-out’ plan
Carole Lee Fritsche Timblin
5
news
Carole Lee Fritsche Timblin, passionate educator and gift shop owner, dies at 89
RIGHT; Norm Nixon was among the notable players who returned Wednesday to help Duquesne celebrate 100 years of basketball at the school.  (John Heller/Post-Gazette)
Duquesne basketball greats Jarrett Durham, left, and Willie Somerset, right, talk with new Duquesne athletic director Dave Harper at a reception celebrating Duquesne basketball’s centennial anniversary Wednesday at Consol Energy Center.  (John Heller/Post-Gazette)
John Heller/Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story