Season averages:
Points – 12.4
Rebounds – 10.3
Assists – 2.0
Steals – 0.8
Blocks – 0.5
Field goal percentage – 65.8%
Free throw percentage – 61.3%
Season highs:
Points – 24 vs Pitt
Rebounds – 20 vs Queens
Assists – 6 at Xavier
Steals – 3 vs Penn and vs Georgetown
Blocks – 2 vs Penn
Overall thoughts:
I loved the Duke Brennan experience. Coming in, you knew that he averaged close to a double-double at Grand Canyon (from the WAC). You knew that he scored 2 points and 8 rebounds against Kevin Willard and Maryland in the NCAA
Tournament. You were pretty confident that he would upgrade the center position from recent years. But “Big Duke” went above and beyond those expectations, averaging a double-double and tying Michael Bradley’s program record with 14 of them.
Brennan was instrumental in the pick and roll with Acaden Lewis as a roll-man. His offensive rebounding kept countless possessions alive. His hustle and effort did plenty of other things that don’t show up in the stat sheet. Brennan is also underrated as a creator from the high post. He was indispensable, given the defections from the program, the injuries, and the youth behind him.
Brennan’s struggles from the free-throw line hurt the team, especially early on, but to his credit he worked on it and got that percentage back above 60% on the year. His lack of shooting ability limited what could be done on offense, especially once Matt Hodge got injured. There were times where he was inefficient around the rim, and his lack of shot-blocking ability wasn’t ideal on the defensive end.
There were undoubtedly limitations to Brennan’s game, but he was also undoubtedly the best transfer that Willard brought in. He was crucial to the success of the team. And like Devin Askew, he embodied what Villanova expects from its student athletes.
In the future, it would be nice to have a center who can do at least one of two things: make perimeter shots and/or protect the rim. But every team would love to have a Duke Brennan on their team.
Thank you Duke for your contributions and may your future bring you more success.
