Duquesne Finds A Gem In The Jewel
Durham Lending His Experience To Young Team, Coach
By Tony DeFazio

If you're attending a Duquesne men's basketball game this season, you may notice a familiar face back on the sidelines. Jarrett Durham, a standout player for the Dukes from 1969-1971 who later went on to become the winningest head coach in Robert Morris College history, is back on the bench after a four-year absence.

His return is as an assistant to head coach Darelle Porter, a very different role for a guy who spent 14 of his 20 years in the game as a head coach. It is a reduced role with less responsibility, less decision-making, and a smaller say in the day-to-day aspects of the team. And Durham couldn't be happier.

"It's a different viewpoint of the team, that's for sure," said Durham, who won 157 games and took Robert Morris to three NCAA Tournament appearances in a four-year span between 1989 and 1992. "But the viewpoint of the game remains the same. It's more pure, really, as an assistant. I just deal with basketball, man. Not all the other distractions that a head coach has to deal with."

At the same time, Durham, with his 20 years of experience, can be a sounding board for Porter and a calming influence for the rest of the staff. Chances are, if Porter is facing a certain problem or situation, Durham has seen it and dealt with it, and he is more than happy to share his knowledge with anyone who cares to ask.

"After 20 years, you see pretty much everything, from situations with players on and off the court, personal situations, pressure to win, difficult people," Durham said. "I can try to help Darelle with whatever he's facing, or at least lend an ear that's been through it before."

Just last month, Porter faced a situation even Durham had never faced. Dukes' center Simon Ogunlesi was caught up in a legal situation, facing possible deportation. As of press time, Ogunlesi's situation had not been resolved.

"Yeah, that was a different one," Durham said, shaking his head. "When Darelle told me about it, I felt bad, but I couldn't help him on that one. I'd never faced a player being deported before - never knew or knew of anyone else who did, for that matter. But we can at least talk about it ad try to sort it out."

The Jewel

Known as "The Jewel" during his playing days at Duquesne, Durham starred for Red Manning's great Dukes' teams after graduating from Aliquippa High School in 1967. As a sophomore in 1968-69, Durham led the team in scoring with 17.4 ppg for a DU team that finished 21-5 and earned a No. 9 national ranking. He led the team in scoring again as a junior as the team advanced to the NIT. He averaged 18.0 ppg as senior captain, leading the Dukes to a 21-4 record and No. 15 ranking. His career average of 18.0 ppg is third-best in school history. He was inducted to the Duquesne University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979.

Despite his terrific success as a player on the Bluff, many Pittsburgh basketball fans know Durham best for his years as the head coach at Robert Morris. He arrived at Robert Morris in 1981 after three seasons as an assistant at Duquesne and two as the head coach at the Community College of Beaver County. He spent just three seasons as an assistant before taking over in 1984.

Durham's first two teams at RMC went 19-37 before things began to turn around. After two seasons of .500 basketball, the Colonials spent the next four seasons perched atop the Northeast Conference, winning three league crowns in four years. Overall, Durham won more games - 157 - as the head coach at RMC than anyone before or since. His teams were 43-17 between 1988-1990, and the Colonials made three trips to the NCAA Tournament under Durham's watch. They have not been there since.

Durham, who was fired at Robert Morris in 1996, has kept an eye on the Colonials and hopes they return to the success of the late '80s and early '90s. Likewise, while at Robert Morris, he monitored the Duquesne program as closely as he could, rooting for the Dukes as long as they weren't that evening's opponent.

"I've always been a fan from afar," he said. "I was sort of sad to see the program fall the way it did. So when Darelle offered me the opportunity, I jumped at it. I was excited to be able to help the program."

As much as the chance to help his alma mater return to prominence excited him, Durham's main reason for accepting the job was much more simple - the chance to get back into the gym.

"It wasn't my choice to leave coaching a few years back," he said. "I decided to wait for something good to come along, though, before I jumped back into it. But I just missed the surroundings - just to be in the gym is a joy for me. Being around the gym is what I'm all about - I missed the games themselves, the discussion with the other coaches before and after the games, the players hustling and talking and laughing at practice. Coaching basketball is still coaching basketball whether you're an assistant or a head coach. And I missed it."

Pittsburgh basketball missed Durham as well.