by Berkshire Eagle Staff , The Berkshire Eagle

"There may be some subtle changes," said Duquette, recently promoted to associate head coach. "Most of my day-to-day responsibilities have been set and will remain the same."

Duquette, a Dalton native, is going into his 13th season in Al Skinner's program. The Dalton native spent four years as the basketball program's administrative assistant and has been an assistant coach for the past eight seasons.

"I think it certainly is a sign of recognition that I've done a good job," said Duquette. "I appreciate the respect and responsibility Al has given me."

Duquette is a 1993 graduate of Williams College and played basketball for former head coach, and current athletic director, Harry Sheehy.

"Pat is smart," said Sheehy. "He had an intensity that was a little beyond his years. I think he has been a tremendous recruiter. He's great with kids. He holds that card where he's great with parents."

Duquette has been part of a very successful tenure for Skinner at BC. In 12 years, Skinner has a record of 232-149. Since he and Duquette have arrived at The Heights, the Eagles went from having losing seasons in each of Skinner's first three seasons to only one in the next nine. That nine-year run included seven NCAA Division I tournament berths.

The promotion doesn't necessarily mean that Duquette is out of the running for head coaching jobs. The BC assistant said he's still going to be interested in a head coaching job some day. He interviewed for the Boston University job that was given to former Villanova assistant Patrick Chambers.

"It was extremely valuable," Duquette said of the interview process. "It was so valuable, not having gone through that [process], to know what it's like. The more prepared you are for the next time, at some point everything falls into place."

Duquette said that he didn't know where he was on the list for the BU job. He said that the BU job may have been "a fit on some levels and not on some other levels.

"There are a handful of jobs that would be a great fit for me," he said. "I'm confident it will happen."

It has otherwise been a quiet spring and early summer for Duquette and the entire Boston College coaching staff.

"We have 10 guys coming back and all are going to play," said Duquette. "Nine of them are going to be with us for two years. We've already started looking at juniors and sophomores [in high school]."

The major loss is team most valuable player Tyrese Rice. The senior earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors by averaging 18.9 points per game and 5.3 assists per contest.

Tyler Roche is the only senior on the Boston College roster, and he'll be joined by six scholarship juniors and three sophomores. Juniors-to-be Biko Paris, Joe Trapani and Rakim Sanders are key cogs in the machine, which is powered by an abnormally large junior class.

"It's the first time since I've been here that it's happened," he said. "We've never had a class that big."

That's why Skinner, Duquette and assistants Mo Cassara and Bonzie Colson will be out later this summer looking to firm up future classes.

"Bypassing this fall, we're going to try to take four [players] in each of the next two years," Duquette said.

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