Sometimes, it's easy to forget that Ron Everhart is only midway through his second season in what was considered to be a monumental rebuilding job at Duquesne. He inherited a basketball program that hit rock bottom with a 3-24 record in Danny Nee's final year as head coach.

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Scouting Report

• Matchup: Duquesne (16-6, 3-3 A-10) vs. St. Bonaventure (6-14, 0-6), 4 p.m., today, Reilly Center, Olean, N.Y.
• Radio, Internet: KQV-AM (1410), redzonemedia.com, GoDuquesne.com.
• Duquesne: Coming off a 94-80 loss against Massachusetts in which Shawn James didn't block a shot for first time in 73 college games. ... Leading scorers are James (14.6 ppg), Kojo Mensah (13.8 ppg) and Kieron Achara (10.8 ppg). ... Achara has scored 25, 26 and 18 points in past three games against Bonnies.
• St. Bonaventure: Have lost six games in a row and nine of past 10. ... Leading scorers are 6-foot-9 Michael Lee (17.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and 6-1 Zarryon Fereti (14.5 ppg).... Averages 64.7 points, allows 70.5.
• Hidden stat: Duquesne is 11-1 when Mensah attempts six or more free throws in a game.

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Everhart's specialty is taking downtrodden programs and transforming them into success stories. He did it at McNeese State and Northeastern before coming to Duquesne, which staggered through 13 consecutive losing seasons, and only a 17-13 record in 1993-94 disrupting the losing in the past two decades.

"I like challenges, but it takes time," Everhart said.

The process suffered a major setback when five players were wounded in a shootout on campus in September 2006, about a month before Everhart conducted his first practice. Two of the victims -- Stuard Baldonado and Sam Ashaolu -- have never played basketball for the Dukes. They were recruited to fill the role of power forward as Everhart began the process of piecing together a team.

Baldonado, shot in the arm and back and close to being paralyzed, left school after he was suspended by the university for his involvement in two drug incidents in Pittsburgh and a domestic-violence charge in Miami, Fla. Ashaolu has returned to school and still is recovering from two bullet wounds in the head that were life-threatening.

Shawn James (foot), Kojo Mensah (shoulder) and Aaron Jackson (hand), the other three wounded players, have integral roles this season for the Dukes (13-6, 3-3), who play at 4 p.m. today at St. Bonaventure (6-14, 0-6) in an Atlantic 10 Conference game.

The loss of Baldonado and Ashaolu, along with junior-college transfer Ricky Jackson who wasn't admitted to school this past fall, has left a hole in Duquesne's roster. The Dukes don't have a big guy who bangs the boards and can step out and defend the opposing team's forward.

"Obviously, we do have a problem at that position," Everhart said. "In time, Damian [Saunders] could grow into that role."

Saunders, a 6-foot-7 freshman, and 6-5 freshman Bill Clark, have been given the defensive assignments of guarding much stronger and more experienced players.

Duquesne teased their fans a year ago at this time with a five-game win streak after Everhart re-invented the Dukes with his "1040" style that produced startling upset victories against Xavier, Dayton and Temple. They were a high-scoring freak show that caught teams by surprise.

The Dukes couldn't sustain their momentum and finished with an eight-game losing streak and a 10-19 record.

"It's harder to pull off that style this year because we aren't all-out gambling like we did last season," Everhart said. "Last year, we probably made up offensively for our defensive deficiencies. Teams obviously are taking us more seriously this year and spending more time preparing for us and dissecting what we're doing."

The Dukes don't have the perimeter shooting they did last season because two of their most accurate shooters, 6-6 Robert Mitchell (Seton Hall) and 6-6 Scott Grote (Wright State) transferred.

. The Dukes haven't registered the type of upset victory that defined last season.

"It's almost like feast and famine with [the 1040], that's how it's played out so far," Everhart said. "I'm hoping we're going to hit our stride because we still have a lot of opportunities left. We can't afford a letdown against St. Bonaventure."