McNeese State picked up a big piece to its reloading puzzle Wednesday night when Garwey Dual signed to play for Bill Armstrong next fall.

Dual was one of the bigger names the Cowboys targeted in the portal.

The 6-foot-5, 205-pound guard from Houston can play multiple positions on the floor, according to Armstrong, and is his fifth transfer signed since he took over for Will Wade in March.

Dual played the last two seasons in the Big East, appearing in 63 games between Providence and Seton Hall, starting 28 of them. He spent his first year in college as a teammate of former Cowboy Alyn Breed. 

Breed played in just two games for McNeese before leaving with former head coach Will Wade to join North Carolina State at the end of last season. He suffered from a knee injury.

Dual is considered a replacement for Quadir Copeland, who also left for N.C. State. Copeland started at point guard for McNeese the second half of last season.

Much like Copeland, Dual is a big guard for the Southland Conference who can guard both smaller players on the outside and switch to play against forwards in the paint.

“Being able to guard multiple positions out on the floor makes Garwey perfect for the type of switching defense we want to play,” said Armstrong. “He can pass the ball off the drive to open up shooters, and he can get his own baskets at the rim.

“He is a big get for us.”

Over his first two seasons, Dual has averaged just over 21 minutes of playing time per game, scoring 4.3 points and grabbing 1.5 rebounds. With increased playing time last season with the Pirates, Dual responded with bigger numbers.

Dual averaged 5.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and three assists in 25 minutes of play. He also made 31.4 percent of his 3-point tries while collecting 1.7 steals per game.

“He can do a lot of things,” said Armstrong. “He has played in a lot of big games his first two years.”

Dual joins a growing list of transfers for Armstrong. Larry Johnson (Creighton), Carl Cherenfant (New Mexico State), Jacolb Cole (Oklahoma), and Jerrell Colbert (SMU) signed with McNeese earlier.

That leaves Armstrong with four more scholarship spots to fill.

“We would like to get another big or two who can play defense and run the floor,” said Armstrong.

According to social media, McNeese is in the mix for Indiana transfer Kanaan Carlyle, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard. The sophomore spent his first year in college at Stanford. 

Carlyle played in 25 games for the Hoosiers last season, averaging four points while playing just a tick over 16 minutes a game. Those numbers were down from his year at Stanford.

As a freshman, Carlyle scored at an 11.5 clip, grabbing 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 25 games. He did that while playing almost 26 minutes for the Cardinal.

Carlyle would join Dual as a former four-star recruit at McNeese. According to his social media site, the Cowboys are one of the final three teams Carlyle is considering as his next basketball home.

Also, McNeese women’s head coach Ayla Guzzardo said Wednesday that she is searching for one more player to fill out her roster. The new women’s head coach said she would like it to be a post player with experience from the transfer portal.