They are the three biggest reasons for the buzz on the Bluff surrounding a Duquesne men's basketball team preparing for one of the most-anticipated seasons in the past three decades.

They are Shawn James, KoJo Mensah and Stuard Baldonado, who will make their debut in a Duquesne uniform over the Labor Day weekend in Toronto when the Dukes play four games in three days against college competition.

James (Northeastern) and Mensah (Siena) sat out last season under NCAA transfer rules. Baldonado did not play because of academics and a long rehabilitation for bullet wounds in the left elbow and lower back that occurred when five Duquesne players were shot after a party on campus 11 months ago.

James, who still feels a twinge of pain in his foot that required surgery because of the shooting, and Mensah, who was wounded in the arm and shoulder, practiced with the team last season.

Aaron Jackson, whose hand was grazed by a bullet in the incident, did not miss any practice and played the entire season.

The most seriously wounded player was Sam Ashaolu, who still has bullet fragments lodged in his skull but made a remarkable recovery to play in pickup games over the summer and take classes. He will not play this season.

James, Mensah and Baldonado own impressive credentials and distinctly different skills. They are expected to mesh with the nine returning players and help the Dukes turn around a 10-19 record, move into the upper division of the Atlantic 10 Conference and have a winning season for the first time since 1994.

James, a 6-foot-10 junior, is a shot-blocker who led Division I as a sophomore and was second as a freshman in that category. He was the defensive player of the year in the Colonial Athletic Conference in 2006 and America East Conference in 2005.

Kieron Achara led the Dukes last season with 59 blocks, one shy of Derrick Alston's school records in 1991-92 and 1992-93.

Before transferring, James had four triple-doubles in blocks, points and rebounds in a game, and Mensah had one in points, rebounds and assists. A Duquesne player never has had a triple-double.

Sitting out a season gave James an opportunity to hit the weights and study the game from the sideline.

"I learned the game better and became a fan of the game, not just a player of the game," said James, who added 25 pounds to his frame and is a rock-solid 225. "It's definitely good weight. It's weight I needed. I couldn't have done and maintained it while playing during a season."

Mensah, a 6-1 junior, likes to drive inside and averaged 16.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 2005-06 as a sophomore.

"I spent last year sharpening my skills and becoming more consistent on my jump-shooting," said Mensah, who has dropped 10 pounds to 175. "I wanted to be quicker. I worked on my 3-point shot because I don't want to be known as just a mid-range shooter. I think I'm a lot better player [than I was]. I'm more sharp, more wise."

Baldonado, who averaged 18.8 points and 9.9 rebounds two years ago at Miami Dade Community College, was the player of the year in the Southern Conference.

"There never was a moment last year when I thought I might never play again," said Baldonado, who has regained the 20 pounds he lost following the shooting and is back to his playing weight of 225. "I was thinking it will take me a lot of recovering to come back. I was thinking I'm a tough guy ... I knew the hard work it would take for me to recover. I have regular motion of my shoulder now, and it doesn't bother me.

"I'm still out there hitting, banging around, so I feel like I'm still the player I was. I still got that toughness in me."

And Duquesne can be a better basketball team than it has been in quite a while thanks to Baldonado, James and Mensah.

NOTES -- Classes started yesterday, and 6-5 freshman Bill Clark and 6-7 junior-college transfer Ricky Jackson are waiting to gain eligibility through the NCAA clearinghouse. They hope to find out later this week if they can make the trip to Toronto.