Hall, Chandler producing for Dukes
DUQUESNE – Duquesne University’s women’s basketball team has a distinct Fayette County flavor, as sophomore and former Albert Gallatin star Loui Hall is now a starter after playing in all 29 games last year. Hall is joined by freshman and former Uniontown star Jocelyn Chandler, who is one of the first players off the bench.
“We’ve always done well recruiting players from the WPIAL and both Loui and Jocelyn were excellent players in high school,” Duquesne coach Dan Durkin said. “Loui and Jocelyn really fit in here because we have so much diversity with players from different countries, religions, races, cultures, and both of them are good at relating and interacting with people.”
As a freshman, Hall earned 2004 Atlantic 10 all-rookie honors last season, starting two games, and averaging over 7 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest.
This season as a starter, Hall is playing over 30 minutes a game and is second in scoring, averaging over 13 points and six rebounds per game.
“I bring determination to the court and I never want to stop or give up, whether I’m trying to score or doing whatever I can to help my team get better,” Hall said. “Off the court, I try to stay loose and break up any stress.”
Hall was considered one of the best players in the WPIAL and earned Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous Five, Class AAA all-section, Street & Smith honorable mention and Associated Press all-state first-team honors.
While at Albert Gallatin, Hall scored 2,440 points, surpassing her sister Shauntai as the highest-scorer in school history. Durkin recruited her sister to Penn State, but took the job at Duquesne in 1993 before the season started. Loui considered her sister to be an excellent role model on and off the court.
“Shauntai taught me to play my game because she was more athletically blessed than me,” Hall said. “She also taught me to always have a backup plan because you never know how life is going to turn out.”
Hall’s backup plan is to be an early childhood-psychologist because she likes dealing with children.
“It’s the best thing in the world after a game to come out of the locker room and see the kids waiting to greet us,” Hall said. “I just love kids and dealing with them and I think I can offer a lot to help them advance in life.”
Hall’s first name is actually Ellen. She didn’t like Ellen when she was a kid, but liked “Loui,” short for her middle name, “Louise,” and it stuck. Her uncle, Ellwood Martin, remembers her determination, even at a young age.
“She always gave to the best of her ability, then gave a little more,” Martin said. “I saw that in her growing up and I still see it in her now.”
Hall grew up playing basketball in youth leagues at the Uniontown Area YMCA with kids around the Uniontown area including Chandler, who is now her teammate at Duquesne.
Chandler has become an immediate contributor, playing in all 20 games this year, averaging four points and over two rebounds a game. She played one of her best games Friday night at home against Xavier by scoring 11 points.
“I always believed the more time I put in to something, either on the court or off the court, the more I would get out of it,” Chandler said. “I think I bring high energy when I come into the game and I hope that rubs off on my teammates.”
Durkin recruited Chandler to replace Candace Futrell, who is now playing for the WNBA’s Connecticut Suns.
“Some of the things Jocelyn does as a freshman, like penetrating the lane and scoring, reminds me of Candace as a freshman, so hopefully Jocelyn will continue on the same learning curve,” Durkin said. “J.C. [Chandler] has a real effervescent personality because she is always so happy-go-lucky, but still a real competitor.”
Chandler’s wouldn’t mind emulating Futrell’s path herself.
“I want to finish school and hope to play in the WNBA, but if that does not work out, I want to succeed in whatever I choose to do in life,” Chandler said. “I want to be a positive role model for younger people to show them that hard work pays off.”
While at Uniontown, Chandler was a Tribune-Review Terrific 10, Post-Gazette Fabulous Five and first-team Associated Press Quad-A all-state selection. She helped Uniontown advance to the playoffs for the first time in 20 years.
As a junior, she was one of the top scorers in the WPIAL, averaged over 27 points per game, and named team most valuable player. As a senior, she had the highest average in Quad-A at almost 30 points per game. She also lettered in track and soccer.
Hall and Chandler enjoy being teammates because they have common bonds.
“It’s cool to have someone from my area to relate to because we can share stories with each other and know what each other is talking about,” Hall said. “We both appreciate the support we get from family and friends, so it’s most definitely nice to play college basketball close to home.”
Durkin is happy the two are playing their college basketball close to home as well by being members of his Duquesne squad.
“Both ladies are very coachable, fun-loving kids who not only succeed on the court, but excel off the court and in the classroom,” Durkin said. “They are just the type of players we want to recruit and are great ambassadors for our university.”