Monthly Archives: September 2008

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Hot off the press – Josh Hairston tells BDN he’s anxious to visit Duke and talks his recruitment

[private] What are your plans for the weekend?

I will not do anything on campus when I arrive Friday night, but will get up with Coach Wojciechowski in the morning.  I am going to meet up with the rest of the guys and go around campus, then go to the football game.  After that we will play in open gym where I will run a couple of games, and of course talk to Coach K.

Are you looking forward to the visit?

I am ... I can't ... I've been looking forward to the visit for a long time! 

Have you discussed the visit with your friends?

Yes sir.  I actually talked to Andre a couple of days ago and we've been trying to talk to Coach Wojo and get a date we can both get down there.  When I went down before for the first time, Andre had been there the previous day.  This will be the first time all three of us (Tyler) being down on the campus together, so it should be fun.

Have you talked to any of them of late?

We've talked about it over the phone.  I played with Andre my freshman year before Boo Williams.  We had talked about playing together before Duke was looking at any of us.  I actually talked to Tyler about it yesterday.  It's a great thing to think about that you can possibly be playing with two guys you have played AAU with.  You know their every move and they know your moves - you are comfortable with them.

What Duke coaches have played a big role in your recruitment, the lead if you will?

Wojo came to one of my open gyms my sophomore year.  Since then he's been to the majority of my tournaments.  Him and Coach K come together a lot.

If you are blown away during the visit, is there a chance you could go home a Blue Devil?

There actually is a chance.  If I go down there and feel comfortable and they've answered all my questions, yeah it could happen.  As of right now when I head down there my mind will still be open.  I'm still keeping offers on the table, but if I feel comfortable and I feel that's the place I want to be and they want me there then that can definitely happen.

Are your parents excited about the visit?

They are.  They're probably more excited than even I am.  They have met Coach K before and when I was at the practice facility, I met Coach Nate James and I was talking to him and they got a good chance to talk to him.  They're really tight.  My sister is probably the most excited out of all of us.  She hasn't been there and she grew up a Duke fan.  She's always been in love with Duke girls basketball and everything about Duke, so she is looking forward to it the most - she can't wait to get down there.

So, you like Nate?

The first time I got to talk to him was on my visit to Duke.  I really like him and have had a chance to talk to him and learned he was from the DC area.  He checked me out on his first recruiting trip.  You know, you could see him over there watching in the corner.  He'd wink at me.  We noticed him and he noticed us.  I really do like Coach Nate.

Have a safe journey and a good time on your visit.

Oh, yes sir!  I will.[/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

2010 prospect Tyler Thornton prepares to visit Duke

[private]This weekend could eventually prove to be fruitful for Duke Basketball as two top notch uncommitted prospects are ready to head a few hours south for unofficial visits.  One of those prospects is PG Tyler Thornton who plays his high school ball for Gonzaga in D.C. and his AAU ball for DC Assault.

BDNP caught up with Tyler as he prepared for school the next day and of course his pending visit to Durham.  He will be down with his parents from Saturday until Monday, which will give them the opportunity to get a feel for the campus, program and classroom atmosphere.

When asked of his Duke recruitment, Thornton stated, "Coach Wojo has been in touch the most, but I've been in contact with all the assistants."  He stated that he was excited to get to see the campus again and be there with friends.

"I look forward to hanging out with the guys, Andre, Josh and Mason - just to hang out with them will be good."  Thornton is very good friends with Hairston, the two talking frequently on the phone.  "Josh is one of my best friends, I've spent the whole spring and summer with him - every weekend, every week.  We have a tight bond with each other, especially on the court.  I know where to get him the ball - where he likes to get the ball - how he likes to get the ball."

He stated that he would like to play with Josh if possible.  Well, it is possible and just Duke and Georgetown are on both youngsters list.  "It would be nice to play with each other in college. 

When asked of what he looked for in a school, he stated, "A great coaching staff  - somewhere I could be myself and spend four years.  Somewhere where I won't feel like I have to transfer to another schools if I'm not doing well with the team.  I just want to be happy for four years during my college career."

Like Hairston, Thornton maintains that he will make a decision before his high school season, but he did say it was possible he might make an early choice, but that he felt he would wait and sit down and talk it over with his parents before making a decision public.  "We can't be too quick to jump, we have to come back home and talk about it and analyze the situation.  We will just wait until that time comes to let the world know."

I asked Thornton to describe his game in his on words for people that haven't seen him play.  He responds, "A leader, a person who loves to hustle, unselfish on the offensive end.  I never get mad when I don't get the ball or get a certain amount of shots during a game.  I just love to win - a person who plays with a passion and does anything he can to help his team win."

Thornton stated that his high school team had one of their greatest teams in their history, winning every tournament they faced going 34-1 and taking the title.  Despite losing the leading scorer and half of the team, Thornton still plans on doing it again.  One thing that is obvious when talking to Thorton, he is a competitor. 

His list going into the weekend is Duke, Stanford, Villanova and Georgetown.

We will have Thornton's thoughts after the visit on Blue Devil Nation Premium.  This article is but a small sample of the current information overload that awaits you as a member.  Currently up is a talk with Josh Hairston on the eve of his visit and an extrememly informative recruiting and team update.[/private]

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

BDN’s jam packed behind the scenes update – the real deal!

[private]Let's start off with  Kenny Boynton.   Duke feels pretty good about their recent visit.  Now, the waiting game begins.  At this time I still feel it is Duke and Florida.  This one is too close to call and I have elected to contact him after his visit to USC this weekend in order to get the big picture after two more in home visits.  Kenny has maintained all along, he will almost assuredly take his visits and decide in late October or early November.

As you already know, Duke will entertain commitments Mason Plumlee and Andre Dawkins this weekend.  Mason will be the first to arrive tomorrow evening.  He’ll make his way to Durham with his brother Marshall.   Mason is looking forward to playing with the team.  In fact all four visitors will play with the team.  His brother Miles is playing well in his workouts and really likes Kyle Singler.  He is adapting to the campus life and is happy.

One of the players which will not play is Gerald Henderson.  It has been confirmed that he has returned home and has a case of mono.  The severity of the illness is unknown.  While I am on injuries, no current Devils have major ailments and Brian Zoubek is coming along fine.  In short, the team is healthy.

Speaking of the team, they are currently allowed to participate in drills and are working very, very hard.  They lift weights in the morning, run in the afternoon and play in the evenings.  All of the aforementioned is laced with one coach on three player drills.

Coach K and Wojo went to see Harrison Barnes at an open gym in Iowa today or last night.  Speaking of Barnes, Duke will attempt to get him to visit the same weekend as Boynton on an unofficial.  Barnes has shown Duke interest.  Trust me, that feeling is mutual.  They cannot make contact during todays practice. 

Tomorrow, they check out Ryan Kelly for an in home visit.  Kelly was recently offered and on campus.  Notre Dame and others are very much involved with the Raleigh Ravenscroft star.

Okay, on to Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton.  I told you awhile back I thought Hairston was in the bag.  I feel the two will commit over the weekend or shortly thereafter.   There have been positive vibes coming from both camps.  Stay tuned.

Duke will visit Andre Dawkins, Josh Hairston, Tyler Thornton, Brandon Knight and Josh Smith in the near future for open gym. All of these prospects have been offered and of course, Dawkins committed.  Duke has interest in other 2010 kids and will get out to see many of them as well.  Among those are Nate Lubick and Jason Morris.  There are a couple of new names I will discuss in the near future.

Dawkins has done a great job recruiting for the Blue Devils and if all works as I expect it will, he will have help;)  For those of you who subscribe to Blue Devil Weekly, check out my latest recruitng article featuring Andre.

I hope you enjoyed the update.  Welcome to the new and improved Blue Devil Nation.[/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Kenny Boynton sets up his official visit to Duke

[private]Olympic Gold Medal winning basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski, Chis Collins and Nate James visited the Boynton household last evening and came away having set up an official visit.

Kenny will visit Duke officially the weekend of October 24-25 weekend, which he'll be able to take in the Virginia Union exhibition game.

For more details, you must be a member of BDN Premium where you can discuss it more on our premium only message board.

Boynton is one of the nations top rated prospects and is down to six schools.[/private]

Duke Football

The word is out! Duke freshman Johnny Williams can play!

[private]True Duke freshman Johnny Williams had a coming out party on Saturday where he pulled in eleven catches for 135 yards in a loss to Northwestern.  The performance earned him Rookie of the Week in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

No Blue Devil freshman has posted those kind of numbers since Walter Jones in 1988 who tallied 139 yards versus the Citadel.  "Johnny Williams is a great player.  The kid came in and worked hard in the weight room.  He was actually the only freshman here and we put him in the fire early in seven on sevens and he came along nicely," said Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis during this weeks press conference.

Williams was the first freshman on campus and learned his way around during the hot summer months.  He was a three year letter winner at St. Stephens HS in Alabama where he helped his team to a 39-4 record during his career.  He missed five games due to injury in his senior season, yet still managed 25 catches in limited action.  As a junior, Williams had 893 yards on receptions and 312 rushing.

Anyone who watched the Northwestern game would agree that Duke has landed a special player which will help build the program during his career in Durham.  Williams played with a confidence ahead of his years. 

"He's a competitor and he was telling me during the game, they can't check me, they can't stop me and if you throw it I'm going to make a play.  And he was out there making plays.  The thing is when he catches the ball he's making moves and making people miss and that's a good addition to this offense," said Lewis

Coach Cutcliffe was just as impressed with Williams play stating, "Johnny had a tremendous game.  He's a really fierce competitor.  What we are looking for more from him is consistency.  If Williams pulls in anywhere close to as many passes as he did this past weekend, it will benefit players like Eron Riley who might not draw as many double teams.

Cutcliffe went on to say that he challenged Williams and all the freshman to be all they could be during a morning practice.  "In my opinion, Johnny could have had 14 or 15 catches in that game.  He could have been a little sharper down the stretch and maybe have been national player of the week," said Cutcliffe.

Only time will tell if Williams can achieve lofty goals such as national player of the week, but if he shows the consistency the staff is looking for, there is no reason to think it can't happen.[/private]

Duke Football

Quick Hitter #7 WR Austin Kelly talks moving ahead to Navy

[private]You had some key catches on Saturday ...

Eron went down and Coach stressed to us he needed somebody to step up.  I was able to get open, got the ball in my hands and I made the play. 

After a tough loss, how do you rebound?  What is your overall feeling going into the Navy game?

Going into the Navy game, it's really just getting back to the basics.  We felt like we dominated the last game, but we just couldn't finish.  Our defense did a great job of keeping there offense off the field and letting us stay on the field.  We just have to get back to the basics and work hard this week.

Is it easy to move on after a tough loss or do you think about twenty or so plays where if two had been different you would have won the game?

It still lingers, but we've got another game - an important game coming up this week with Navy.  They got us last year in a close win, we're still think about that ... I mean it's just going out hard in practice this week and if we finish those practices off right we'll feel good about our chances against Navy.

Is it safe to say that you guys are itching to get back out on the field?

Oh definitely!  I think I can speak for the whole team saying we are ready, but we have to dedicate ourselves this week.  Saturday will come, but we have to take care of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday first.[/private]