Tristan Huyett | staff writer

When asked about his team’s identity, Duquesne Women’s Basketball Head Coach Dan Burt responded with two words: relentless joy.

“What that means,” Burt said, “is that we’re relentless on the offensive end and the defensive end. And we’re playing with a lot of joy because we’re really playing for one another.”

The Dukes are coming off a season in which they went 21-13 with a 13-5 record in Atlantic 10 play. They reached the A-10 tournament semifinals before falling to eventual champion Richmond and made it to the second round of the WNIT before being defeated by Purdue.

However, Burt is not using last year’s season as a measuring stick for success for this season.

“It’s a completely different team,” Burt said. “We graduated five [1,000-point scorers].

“When we came back in June with the vision that we’ve had [of] how we’re playing on both ends of the floor, no one’s looked back.”

The only returning 1,000-point scorer on this year’s squad is senior guard Megan McConnell. McConnell, now in her fifth at Duquesne, is excited for her final season in red and blue.

“Everyone is so energetic,” McConnell said. “We love to be here. Out of my five years here, this [team] has been the most loving and competitive group. On the court we’re very competitive, but once we step off the floor it’s like we’re sisters.”

McConnell, who Burt dubbed a “future WNBA draft pick,” was not only the leading scorer for the Dukes a season ago, but also paced the team in rebounds, assists, steals and minutes. She was named a member of the preseason A-10 All-Conference First Team.

Despite McConnell’s gaudy numbers, the Dukes still need to make up for the nearly 6,500 career points they lost to the transfer portal and graduating seniors this offseason. Burt is confident that the freshman class will make significant contributions this season.

“They’re gonna make an impact,” Burt said. “Their level of compete is very high, and that’s across the board through all five of them.”

Burt named Nadia Moore and Mackenzie Blackford as two members of the freshman class that he has high praise for.

“Nadia and Mac,” Bert said, “have been really outstanding with going to the offensive glass and being really good on-ball defenders.”

Burt also mentioned freshmen Faith Walker and Kellie McConnell, as well as sophomore transfer Reina Green, as young players with promising off-seasons.

The fifth member of the freshman class is Fatou Sane from Guediawaye, Senegal. Sane played at J. Addison School in Canada and was awarded Defensive MVP of the NBA Basketball without Borders Girls Global Camp in 2023.

“[Sane] was just [medically] cleared,” Burt said. “We believe she’s a top-50 player coming out of high school. She gives us such a high level of athleticism, and we’re really excited about what she’s doing so far.”

The freshmen are not the only new faces expected to make their presence felt this year, as the Dukes added three players through the transfer portal to the roster as well.

The class consists of former five-star recruit and Pitt player Gabby Hutcherson, Green and junior Andjela Matic.

Matic, who Burt called “the top three-point shooter in the transfer portal,” is in line for a significant role as McConnell’s backcourt mate.

“[Matic] is allowing us to move Meg to the off-guard spot,” Burt said, “we’ve always had two point guards in the lineup at all times, and we think we’ve got two of the best in the A-10.”

Despite the expected impact of the first-year Dukes, the team is still leaning on its returning players to lead on and off the court.

“There have been a lot of veterans through my time here,” McConnell said, “but since I’m one of the only [returning players], I just want to set a good example for everyone so when I leave here, everyone knows what’s expected.”

Another returning senior, Kiandra Browne, is also expected to be a major factor this season. Burt had praise for her as well.

“Kiandra Browne is really a leader not just on but off the court, no one sacrifices their body more on charges and being physical in the post, she’s done a great job shooting the three and we’re expecting really big things from her.”

With the mix of fresh faces and returning veterans who all bring something to the table, Burt has high expectations for his squad.

“I think the expectation is to win 23 games and play in the postseason,” Burt said. “Our aspiration is to win 25 games and win the conference tournament.”

Despite lofty goals for the team he calls “the most competitive” that he has had in his time at Duquesne, Burt is still taking the time to appreciate what is in front of him.

“I’ve enjoyed coming into work more this year than I ever have,” Burt said. “It’s a really special group that’s in it for the right reasons.”

The Dukes season gets underway on Monday afternoon, when they take on non-conference foe Princeton at the Cooper Fieldhouse as a part of Duquesne Basketball Palooza.