Ben Deihl | sports editor

The transfer portal has become the largest trend in college sports since its introduction in 2018. It helps student athletes transfer from school to school in search of better opportunities and a better fit, but recent rule changes have seen the portal boom in popularity.

Now at a crossroads after seeing multiple seniors depart after an A10 Championship quarterfinal loss to VCU, Duquesne is staring down a complete overhaul in part due to the transfer portal.

Transfer guard Jimmie Williams was the first Duke to hit the transfer portal as it opened for the offseason, triggering a domino effect that saw four additional Dukes follow Williams into the transfer portal.

After transferring from USF last year, Williams helped lead Duquesne to a completely revamped offense, prioritizing shot selection and the long ball while pairing up with fellow transfer Tarence Guinyard to offer elite shooting from the perimeter.

As a Duke, Williams averaged 15.1 points per game, shooting 46.3% from the field. He made 33% of his 3-point attempts and led the charge of a revamped Duquesne offense, where he had eight games shooting 60% or better from long range.

Duquesne also lost multiple big men to the portal this cycle, as Jakub Nečas, Stef van Bussel and Lazar Milošević all declared as transfers in the past few days. Nečas is the biggest name to depart, as he started all but eight games for the Dukes over the past two seasons.

“Especially for someone like Jakub, I’ve been with him for three years, he’s like a brother to me,” junior guard Ethan Anish said. “It’s hard to see him leave.”

Losing Nečas is a huge blow on both sides of the ball for the Dukes, as he averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while also collecting 15 blocks, 33 steals and 35 assists.

“I’m forever grateful for the opportunity they gave me,” Nečas said. “I love Duquesne. It was three years of my life, and I absolutely love it here. I just wanted to meet a new challenge, explore something new.”

Nečas has seen the ins and outs of the A10 conference for his third year, leading him to believe he’s ready to take the next step in his career.

“I felt like I needed a new challenge. [I needed] to grow as a player, grow as a person,” he said.

The transfer portal can become difficult to navigate, as over 2,000 college hoopers are already in the portal just over a week after the spring window opened, according to ESPN. Coaches and their programs are on the phone most of the day calling around to see who has interest and who they’re interested in.

“There’s a lot of information to process,” Nečas said. “They’re telling you your role, how they would use you, your ceiling. It’s great to hear, but it can feel a little crowded. They might tell that to three other guys you’re competing with for a spot.”

In addition to losing a tenured starter, seeing key rotational pieces like van Bussel and Milošević leave creates a void in Duquesne’s bench. The Dukes now only have one forward on their current roster as David Dixon, John Hugely IV and Alex Williams all played their final seasons this year.

Duquesne’s depth concerns have been its biggest problem heading into the offseason, as standout freshman Dom Aekins also decided to test the portal. Aekins, one of two freshmen to see playing time for the Dukes this year, was poised to take on a leading role as one of Duquesne’s best-shooting guards heading into the 2026 season.

The transfer portal only opened on April 7, meaning Duquesne has plenty of time to evaluate transfers from other programs to fill gaps in the roster, with the addition of a new high school recruiting class coming in over the summer.

“Our staff does a phenomenal job at recruiting,” Anish said. “It’s early in the recruiting cycle, but I have no doubt our staff is going to do a great job recruiting.”

Duquesne has had successful portal cycles in the past, especially heading into the 2025 season. Head Coach Dru Joyce III was able to grab Guinyard, Williams and Hugley, rounding out Duquesne’s offense and providing Duquesne with an extra big man that can play both forward and center.

Cam Crawford, Alex Williams and Maximus Edwards were all transfers who decided to ride out the rest of their collegiate careers with Joyce and Duquesne. All three players spent their final two years with the Dukes, although Williams only played in one because of an injury.

Williams was an exceptional acquisition for Duquesne down the line, using his true-shooting abilities to help spark Duquesne’s offense, including starting the 8-0 run that helped Duquesne overcome a 30-point deficit against Richmond in the season finale.

Finding replacements at forward will be essential for Duquesne moving into next season to field a competitive team. Still, Anish still holds his relationships with his teammates and brothers over any transfer portal decision.

“I want them to have as much success as they can,” Anish said. “Wherever they decide to go, I’ll be rooting for them.”

Ben Deihl can be reached at deihlb1@duq.edu