Jack Morgan | staff writer

Megan McConnell: Guard, Senior, 5 foot 7 inches

McConnell will be finishing off her college career in the same place her journey began, at a university and in a city where the name McConnell is basketball royalty. In her four years with Duquesne, she has averaged 10.6 points, 7.6 boards and 4.4 assists per game. She made a 2-point jump in points-per-game last year and was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team. McConnell enters this year with a lot of weight on her shoulders, but given her experience and knowledge of head coach Dan Burt’s system, she should continue to be a big reason for Duquesne’s success this season both on and off the court.

Jerni Kiaku: Guard, Junior, 5 foot 7 inches

Kiaku transferred in from North Carolina Central last offseason after a terrific freshman year where she was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year. Despite a somewhat slow start on the Bluff, once conference play hit, she switched into a new gear. She scored 18 points in a home win over Richmond and put in double-digit point efforts in six conference games. Once Duquesne made the WNIT, she scored 13 in a win over Monmouth and a Duquesne-high 19 in a loss to Purdue.

Kiandra Browne: Forward, Senior, 6 foot 2 inches

Browne may have only started in four contests for the Dukes in 2023-24, but she had moments where she was the best player on the court. Most of them came in non-conference games, when she scored 6 points and ripped down 6 rebounds in a win over crosstown rival Pitt, and scored 9 points in a loss to Delaware a couple of weeks later. In a double-overtime win over Kent State, she scored 10 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and tallied two blocks. Duquesne will be looking for Browne to take a jump this year with the probability that she’ll start more games.

Gabby Grantham-Medley: Guard, Sophomore, 5 foot 9 inches

Grantham-Medley is entering her sophomore year after receiving considerable freshman minutes last year from Burt. Her minutes per game were right around Browne’s, and she had her standout games as well. Her career-high in points came against Little Rock with 15. She also was a pest defensively in her lone start of the season against Dayton, as she collected four steals and four blocks. This season she will continue to fight for minutes, but her experience under Burt is significant in comparison to the eight newcomers to the Duquesne squad.

Andjela Matic: Guard, Junior, 5 foot 8 inches

Burt was admittedly excited to land a recruit like Matic, saying that when they saw her name in the portal, they “quickly zeroed in on her.” Matic hails from Serbia, where she competed for a spot on the Serbian national team for this year’s Olympics. After two years with Vermont, she has built an already-impressive resume for herself. In 10 games, she scored double figures, with her signature performance coming against Niagara in the second round of the WNIT where she netted a career-high 19 points. There are big shoes to fill with the departure of three-point threat Tess Myers, and Matic looks to be one of those that are poised to fill them.

Gabby Hutcherson: Guard, Grad Student, 6 foot 2 inches

It almost seems sacrilegious these days to transfer from Pitt to Duquesne, but the Dukes are very happy that Hutcherson decided to make the move down Forbes. The No. 12 prospect in the 2020 class started her career at Ohio State, where she came off the bench and played 10-plus minutes in 18 games with the Buckeyes. She then made her way to Pitt where she started in 18 games in the next two years and scored double-digit points in seven of them. Hutcherson adds to a talented core of guards for the Dukes, and with her height, she could spend some time at the small forward position.

Mackenzie Blackford: Guard, Freshman, 5 foot 8 inches

Blackford is an incoming freshman for the Dukes who excelled for the Solon High School Comets last season. She averaged over 25 points per game with 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.7 steals in her senior year. In the prior two seasons, she helped head her team to the District Championship. She set a school record for the most threes made in a career with 150. She’ll bring shooting to the squad, which is a hole that needs to be filled with Myers, Amaya Hamilton and Precious Johnson all having moved on.

Kaitlyn Ammons: Forward, Redshirt Junior, 6 foot 3 inches

Duquesne’s lack of forwards means that Ammons will see more playing time this season after appearing in just 14 games last year. Listed as the tallest player on the team, her size will be crucial for facilitating offense in the paint and denying opponents the same opportunity when she plays as the five.