Championships, pro career drive Merrimack's Duncan to greatness

NORTH ANDOVER — If Bert Hammel is right, Merrimack College might need to make a little room on its wall of first-team All-Americans.

"For the first time in a long time here, we have that kind of player in Darren Duncan," said Hammel of his senior point guard.

As flattered as Duncan is, with the 2009-2010 season just 10 days away, he's hoping the Volpe Center redecoration project will be just a bit more extensive.

"I could see my picture up there, walking in just seeing myself, maybe two, three years down the road," said the native of Briarwood Queens in New York City. "It would mean I was remembered, I did something. But I'd rather hang a banner instead for an NCAA championship or something. That would be a lot better."

Hammel beams about Duncan with good reason.

A sleeper recruit, who never started at famous Christ the King High School in New York City, Duncan belonged here from the very start.

"Freshman year, sophomore year, yeah, I had a chip on my shoulder," said Duncan. "I had to prove I deserved to play. Last year I proved myself, and this year it's just about winning. That's all I have to do."

Duncan's growth as a basketball player has surged well past the Northeast-10 Conference and even all of Division 2 nationally.

With the season not even underway, Hammel has already entertained calls from NBA types, inquiring about Duncan.

"I know that he's going to play at the next level," said Hammel. "Whether that means internationally, I don't know yet, but he's got the ability and the drive to step up. We've heard from NBA people, and he's definitely on their radar."

Jeff Nelson, a professional scout from Haverhill for the Utah Jazz, has watched Duncan a couple of times and has liked what he's seen so far, understanding that the distance between the NE-10 and NBA is gigantic.

"He can score, and he's not just a set shooter, he creates and scores off the dribble," said Nelson. "He's a north-south player, not an east-west player. Whether that translates in the NBA, we'll have to see."

Nelson says that if he's got questions about Duncan, it would be on the defensive end.

"He's only about 6-foot-1, so he'd be playing the point," said Nelson. "Defensively, is he quick enough to stay in front of guys like Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo or Steve Nash?

"I'm pretty certain he'll have his chance to prove himself. I'd think if he has a big season, he'll get the chance to show it at one of the pre-draft camps like the one in Portsmouth (Virginia)."

First things first

The pro talk will have to wait, though, for Duncan.

He and the Warriors walk around the Merrimack campus with a purpose these days.

A year ago, the Warriors stormed through the regular season with huge postseason aspirations.

Twice they were turned away, first in the NE-10 tourney upset by Assumption and then in the second round of the NCAAs by Bentley in double overtime.

"Last year, when (Bentley's) Jason Westrol hit that three it sealed our hopes for moving on," said Duncan. "That ended our dreams. It's a glaring moment in your life.

"We had the same goal as we do this year, win championships, and we did leave something on the table by losing. That drove me, but we're a different team with different players. The goal stays the same."

The presence of Duncan and junior scoring sensation Darin Mency has again set the bar high.

Talk on campus has this team poised to reach further than any other Merrimack men's team has gone.

Historians even mention the great group in the 1970s with Eddie Murphy and Dana Skinner.

"I don't know too much about the history of it before I came here, but my first year here, we had a bad year. We weren't going to allow ourselves to have another one like that," said Duncan. "Coach talks about the 2000 team with Shawn Brown and those guys, and the winning environment. That's what we have to get to.

"We feel like we should win a championship. If we don't win a championship, we didn't have a good season. Every championship we can compete for, that's what we want."

Family matters

Tracy Beauford, Darren's mom, knows every inch of road between Queens and the Volpe Center by now.

"Three straight years now, she has rarely missed a game," said Darren. "She's been to every arena in the Northeast-10."

More than just a proud parent or a fan, Tracy understands her role in this game.

The Queens to North Andover transition for her son presented some severe culture shock.

"I'm a momma's boy, everyone who knows me knows that," said Darren. "My mom and I are inseparable. We look alike, and that was the biggest adjustment. I missed my mom. I think she misses me a little more than I miss her.

"It took a month or two-month adjustment period but, after that, it became home. But she still calls me every day, sometimes twice."

Tracy wasn't the only family member taking a keen interest.

Darren's older brother, Mitchell, blazed the trail by earning a hoop scholarship four years before Darren to Stony Brook.

"He played and he had good success in basketball," said Darren. "When you see success, you try to follow in it. He committed to it, so I committed to it. I basically followed all his footsteps up until the college decision."

When Darren arrived at Merrimack in the fall of 2006, he was armed with more than just a dynamic on-floor game. He had a wealth of experience.

"My older brother prepared me for what was going to happen at college, he told me what to expect," said Darren. "That was the best thing anyone could ask for from a big brother — he's prepared me for anything that could happen in life. All day, every day, he's challenged me."

In search of greatness

Challenges have cropped up in Duncan's face at every turn. So far at Merrimack, he's taken every one head on.

"Everyone one dreams of going high Division 1, Big East, ACC, like that," said Duncan, noting he really wasn't disappointed. "This was a great opportunity for me. My goal was to make the best out of it at this level."

Hammel, despite his praise publicly, continues to keep Duncan humble.

"As high as he might speak of me to the media, when we're together he doesn't compliment me," said Duncan. "It's more of him telling me what I have to do to get better all the time."

The formula continues to be pretty successful and could grow even more special over the next few months.

"I feel like I can play at a higher level, but for now, it's still all about this team and winning," said Duncan. "The sky is the limit for this team, we have great potential. Whether we reach that potential is up to us."

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Championships, pro career drive Merrimack's Duncan

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