Monthly Archives: August 2008

USA Basketball

Gold Medal Winning Coach Mike Krzyzewski Returns Home

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Just minutes after placing his feet on American soil, Mike Krzyzewski addressed a throng of media members and adoring fans at RDU International Airport. Coach K is still immersing himself in the Olympic experience and will continue to do so as the media requests are sure to come in from well, everywhere.

That's the life of the legendary college coach who melded together NBA stars into a cohesive unit which of course made all things golden. While the Chinese media gravitated towards players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant making them darlings, Coach K is sure to get lots of love in the coming days.

Coach K was flanked by family, in both blood and Duke Blue brotherhood. As he took to the podium, assistant coaches Steve Wojciechowski, Chris Collins and head of basketball operations Chris Spatola stood at attention behind their captain with the American flag as the backdrop. His wife Mickie, daughters and their children were just to his right.

In typical Krzyzewski style, he first commented about the players. "The players were amazing, both on the court and off. They represented us so very well." He then gave props to Spain for a competitive game. At that point chants of USA, USA, USA, USA could be heard ringing in the corridors of the airport.

He didn't stop with his praise and commended China on being a good host before joking, "If they had elections there which they don't, and Kobe was a write in, Kobe might win." This brought laughter from the crowd and allowed his staff to crack a smile in the background. He continued on Kobe, "Thank goodness he took over at the end of the game."

He then showed graciousness towards his staff, including new Stanford coach Johhny Dawkins saying they worked tirelessly with no recognition. You can bet that the work proved worthy for each and will look fabulous on their resumes. "It's definitely the best basketball experience I've been involved with," said Duke assistant Chris Collins.

Knowing Coach K, he was probably already mapping out recruiting plans on the flight. He was quick to quip with a smile, " It's so good now to just be the Duke Coach," which brought about applause from Iron Duke Members and fans alike. He then said, "It's really good being the Duke coach having won the Olympics."

"You don't realize how proud you are to be an American until you are in those settings and you're representing your country, said Kryzyzewski. He then reflected on the awesome accomplishment of winning the Gold Medal, " During the National Anthem before the Gold Medal game, we are all standing there just mouthing the words and all of a sudden you get emotional. You start crying and say "Boy," I wish my Mom and Dad were here ... and how the heck are you this lucky to be representing the greatest country in the world in this fantastic sport."

Well Coach! Duke fans get a bit emotional too. We wonder how the heck we are so lucky for you to represent the greatest program in the world and be our coach 24/7. Congratulations Coach! You've made us all proud.

Note - The Blue Devil Nation will have the Q & A session with Coach K up tomorrow, so please check back that and Coach Cutcliffe addressing the media for the home opener.[/private]

Duke Football

Game Week – Thaddeus Lewis Interview

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copyright BDN Photography

Who is your biggest fan or the one who encourages you the most during your career?

My Momma! She's my biggest fan. So I have to give a shout out to my Mother. My big brother too. He's kind of like my idol. My brother is nine years older than me and everything he's done in sports, I'd like to follow.

What was it that you liked about Duke when making your collegiate choice?

Duke is somewhere you can be comfortable at. You want to be somewhere where somebody wants you. I wanted to contribute right away and there is a family atmosphere here amongst the coaches.

Some in the media are saying Zack Asack is pushing you in practice. How do you feel about that? Does it make you a better player or do you just try to be the best Thad can be?

I don't like to read the media, but I'm glad he is. That's the type of thing you want. God forbid anything happen, but you would want someone behind you that can lead this team if something was to happen to me. So, it's a good thing, it makes me a better player making me compete everyday. I wouldn't have it no other way.

What do you think of Coach Cutcliffe so far?

Coach Cutcliffe is a great man! A guy that's going to push you to your limit. He wants the best out of you everyday and will not let you settle for less. That's the type of man you want around.

How about Coach Roper the OC?

Coach Roper is a fun guy. He stays on you! He's a good teacher.

I noticed during the opening day with the media that your body looked a little different than last season ...

They brought in Coach Durfey as the strength and conditioning coach. He has a good weight program and works us hard. If you come into our locker room you are there to be in pursuit of excellence, so if you are not ready to work, well ... It took a lot of hard work, plus the challenge that Coach told us he wanted us to drop weight and get to a certain level of body fat.

Do you have a different gel going into this season than last year? What's your general feel?

More mature. Confident in what you can do. This is my third offense in three years, but being a leader you have to adjust. It feels kind of good in that you have a lot of players around you who have that game experience.

Tell me a little bit about being a leader for this season's team ...

I'm not a real vocal leader, but I try to show it through my actions. You do everything to the best of your abilities and let the guys see your working hard and they will follow.

I assume you have a good relationship with Eron Riley. Have you two developed ...

Definitely! Since me and Eron have been connecting with each other ... sometimes the two of us will come out here and throw some balls together trying to get our timing down. Just going to his house and playing games and hanging ... it's a relationship we are all in on here.

What are your goals for the coming season? Any personal goals?

No personal goals, just a team goal. Every time you hear us shout it will be "We are Duke." We're going to take it one game at a time and do whatever it takes to fill up that stadium out there. (interview on practice field)

Tough question here ... In the recent past Duke hasn't fared well at home. You have four consecutive to open the season starting with James Madison. What will you do to turn it around?

People want to see you win. If we go out there and get that first "W," we know they'll want to come back to see you. But they will want to see if we can repeat the success as well. If you give the fans what they want, you definitely are going to get that support. You've got to earn it.

What is Thad's message to Duke fans going into Saturday evening's opener with a tough JMU team?

We hope to see you there. We're going to go out there and give it our all and try to give them a show. Our guys will always come out and give it our best and no matter the results we'll come back hard in our pursuit of excellence. People say that winning isn't everything, but actually it is and we want to get a win.[/private]

Duke Football

Duke Football: Freshman of Influence

[private]I asked Coach Cutcliffe which freshman looked as if they were ready to contribute right away this season. The following is the list he gave BDN.

DB Matt Daniels #40 (6-1, 195)- "Matt Daniels looks like he will be able to contribute on defense," sad Coach Cutcliffe after a recent practice. Daniels will compete for time in the secondary. Set a single game rushing record of 348 yards while at Fayette County HS in Georgia. Tallied 268 tackles in his career and pulled in 7 interceptions.

DB Lee Butler #36 (5-10, 180)- Coach Cutcliffe also mentioned Butler as a player who could step in right away. Butler most recently had 4 tackles and cause a late fumble to seal a South Carolina victory over North Carolina in the annual Shrine Bowl which is an all star game. Had 1263 all purpose yards and 11 touchdowns last season for Westside High in Anderson, S.C.

ST, LB Trent Mackey #20 (5-10, 220)- "I expect to see Trent Mackey get some time on special teams and eventually make it at the linebacker," said Coach Cutcliffe. There has been a buzz around Mackey during early practices. Had 103 tackles, 13 for losses as a senior at Carnecro HS in Louisiana.

WR Johnny Williams #37 (5-10, 190)- "Johnny Williams has certainly set a strong pace at receiver. He's been one of our leading receivers in every scrimmage we've had," said Coach Cutcliffe. Williams is a very talented youngster capable of making big plays. He ran first team more often than not in many drills. Was a do all athlete at St. Stephens HS in Alabama. One of the true gems in the class of 2008.

RB Jay Hollingsworth #27 (5-10, 185)- With injuries to tailbacks, Hollingsworth will be depended upon to carry an early load. Looks like a pure running back in practices. Was rated the number three running back in the state by RIvals. Played his ball locally at Lee County H.S. in Sanford, North Carolina. "Hollingsworth is getting a lot of snaps at running back. We have major concerns in that area. I think that Jay continues to get himself ready to play," said Cutcliffe.

There are a handful of others who could make this list. It'll be interesting to watch the 08 guys develop as the season moves along.[/private]

Duke Basketball, USA Basketball

Coach K helped America, Duke recruiting and World Basketball

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They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Well, this is but one of many pictures of Coach K that will live on in time.  Coach K further cemented his name into the history books in leading Team USA to the Gold Medal, an accomplishment few can claim.  If you think Coach is satisfied with three national championships and his latest accomplishment, think again.  His staff will be hard at work on the recruiting front trying to help secure the combination of players which will be a part of the fourth or maybe even fifth title by the time they time they arrive.

No matter, how you spin the effect of the Gold Medal on Duke Basketball, there is no denying that it helps in many ways.  During the upcoming season, announcers will all allude to Coach K and his Olympic success.  Current players like Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler will benefit from his experiences and the nations spotlight will be cast no matter where the Blue Devils play.

What about recruiting?  Duke is in a hotly contested battle for Kenny Boynton in the class of 2009.  Do you think seeing Coach K handle super talented guards like Dwayne Wade and Chris Paul made an impression?  Do you think any of the five kids offered in 2010 want to be a part of something special?  Would they like to attend a school where they will play for a living legend and have all their games televised?

While nobody can answer these questions for sure, one has to think that with Coach K now turning his sole focus on Duke that there will be a lot of kids wanting to play for the man who has handled the best players in America and has produced either the first or second most NBA players, depending on where you look, than any other coach in America.

Yep!  Coach K had this talented bunch of NBA stars buy into teamwork for the greater good.  And we all know that selfless play produces winners.  Believe me, all these players are winners, having endorsements waiting in multiple countries and more importantly, representing what's best about America!

As Duke fans or Americans, we should be proud of what Coach K had done for the United States, Duke and world basketball.  Thanks to this years edition of Team USA, millions of fans were born making basketball a household name.  Quite simply, Coach K was as selfless as his players, serving as an ambassador of basketball instead of shirking the duties to concentrate on Duke alone.

In the end, we learned a lot about teamwork and as Duke fans we are fortunate to have a legend strolling the sidelines of Cameron for years to come.[/private]

Duke Basketball, USA Basketball

Gold! Coach K led Team USA trips Spain to sweep Beijing

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Four years after having their mantle of invincibility trashed with a bronze bust in Athens, the USA Redeem Team won back the gold medal with a 118-107 over Spain on Sunday. But not without having to work for it in the final game of the Olympic tournament.

Dwayne Wade score 27 points, Kobe Bryant 20 and LeBron James 14, yet the Americans were still in the fight of the Games when Rudy Fernandez hit his fifth 3-pointer to pull Spain to within 91-89 with 8:13 left in the game.

But Bryant hit a runner, Deron Williams dropped in a 3-pointer from the left corner and Dwight Howard took a feed from Bryant and slammed it home and the U.S. was able to keep enough of a cushion the rest of the way.

Spain, the reigning world champion, was led by Fernandez with 22 points and Pau Gasol with 21. Team USA finished with a perfect 8-0 record and wrapped up the final gold medal away in the 2008 Olympics.

Box Score


Coach K - This was easy. All these guys committed to Jerry Colangelo three years ago and they said they want to be part of a team. And Jerry said we’re going to have one collective ego but we wanted you to bring all your egos because that’s how you get better. We have not had one second of problem as a coaching staff with our team. It’s been the greatest experience of my life and the lives of the other coaches."

"It’s exhilaration. If we didn’t have the three years together, we wouldn’t have won this game because the three years gave us character to beat a great team that had great character in Spain. It was one of the great games in international basketball history. To win a game like that is the best."

LeBron James -"On behalf of the players, first of all, we want to give respect where respect is due to the Spain team. They were unbelievable. Just like Coach said, we had a game plan and they countered our game plan by making some incredible plays. Every possession counted tonight for all 40 minutes … every possession counted. You couldn’t take one possession off, one second off. If it wasn’t for the determination and the will power we have in each other, we wouldn’t have pulled through and got this win."

K is for knowledge

K builds golden legacy

Same old USA-just better_

Chavez on the long journey

Resume Building

Super celeb Kobe Bryant

Wade and Bryant talk win and K

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Duke Football

Quick Hitter – Vincent Rey talks leadership and JMU

[private]I caught up with LB Vinnie Rey, having a bit of one on one time with him after an intense practice.

Looks like you guys are going at it hard and preparing for James Madison ...

"We're working hard. It's like two jobs. It's a job in the film room and it's a job out here. The film room is a job to understand and learn the schemes. Out here you just have to run to the ball and finish."

You are going up against a multi-faceted quarterback. How do you prepare for that?

He's a very good quarterback ... good on his feet and throwing the ball also. We have a big job to do, but we can't forget that there is ten other guys out there on his team who can play as well.

You stepped up big time last year. Have we seen the best of Vincent Rey yet?

No sir! I feel like I've gotten a lot better physically. I'm learning the game a lot better under the new coaching staff. I feel that I just have to keep doing my job on defense. The better I do my job, the better I help my team.

You've been named team captain! What does that feel like in that the other three are seniors?

It's one of the biggest honors I've had in my life. And it's definitely a responsibility on and off the field.

What do you bring to the table as a leader?

I bring hard work. Every time I come out here I want to be the hardest working guy on the field.

Do you have a message for Duke fans?

Come to the game and you will be entertained. It's going to be a good game and we want your support.[/private]