Behind the scenes practice update and John Wall tidbits

November 5, 2008 Mark Watson

K-ments - During some recent practices, Coach K shared some thoughts about his team. He stated that Marty Pocius was one of the teams better three point shooters and that they would try to get him the ball in good position when he entered the game. Marty has been playing surprisingly well, especially on the offensive end of the court. He's still not the best defensive player, but he should provide some good depth in the back court. The biggest plus is that Pocius has learned the system and knows where to be on the court. [private] Now, if he can only drop Olek some hints.

He said that he hoped Elliot Williams could fill some of the roles that DeMarcus Nelson did this past season. He likes Williams versatility and his ability to play good on ball defense on the perimeter. He also mentioned that Williams was a good spot up shooter. Williams played very well against Virginia Union and we'll see how he does this evening against Lenoir Rhyne. However, in my views, he has a ways to go to get use to the size and speed of the college game. When I talk of speed, in Williams case he needs to slow down a bit and let the game come to him. This will come in time as will his strength, but expect K to bring him along at well, K's pace.

Coach also said that Duke would get out and run. With their depth, he plans on pushing the ball and he seems as if he will go to the bench early and often. He once again mentioned how important it was to keep Kyle Singler fresh and how having a deeper front line wold help.

He also said his team was healthy overall and that he hoped that would carry through the season. "We have 14 healthy guys ready to go," said Krzyzewski.

"Do it, hear it, see it!" K barked that out as he stopped practice on several occasions. He meant for his team to talk a play through, see it later on film or at a half speed walk through and to then "do it."

K worked his team very hard with ACC Officials last week. He then carried that over into more work, knowing and saying his team was tired. He had a no contact practice after that, wanting to see how his team responded the next day when they went through two full practices in one day. He was pleased with the results.

The Big Three- "Gerald, Kyle and Jon are the guys we will build around. They are our best players. That doesn't mean a Nolan Smith or Greg Paulus couldn't lead the team in scoring. It simply means that these are the guys we feel comfortable building around, much like what we did in the Olympic. We feel if the rest of the team can fit in around them, then we'll have a chance to be really good. Don't get me wrong, we have some good players, but these three are our best." - Coach K

Jon Scheyer has played wonderfully in practice and worked his butt off all summer. When prospects came to visit, they all mentioned Scheyer. When teams are picked by individuals, he goes first or to the next guy with the second and third picks. He has shown more leadership and his defense on the ball has vastly improved.

Kyle Singler is the smartest player on the court when he's out there and that is often. Expect a fresh Singler to really blossom as the season progresses. He has worked with Miles Plumlee to make him a better player and the two get along on and off the court.

Gerald Henderson is becoming a man among boys. He is physically better than he's ever been and he looks like a future NBA player with his ability to go inside and out. He is capable of making the jump to All American.

No secret anymore- Miles Plumlee has proved that he has a very well rounded game. He plays smart, runs the floor well, has good hands and nice ball handling to go with a mid range offense game. He also finishes nicley and has good hops. His Dad told me he was under appreciated and you know what? That won't last much longer. I do expect he will struggle at times with veteran big men, but this kid has earned the starting nod as a freshman and that's a heck of an accomplishment.

The latest on John Wall- Wall will get together sometime soon with Coach K and the Duke staff. At that time both will figure out how they will proceed. Wall canceled his weekend visit with Memphis and I expect we will know whether Duke has offered no later than Monday.

Sorry for the delays in reporting of late due to computer attack. It happens. I lost two informative articles, but some of the info is a bit old now. I will still go back over some practice notes and dig up the pertinent information in the coming week. It looks like the Josh Smith interview will come next week, due to and overload in covering Duke vs NCSU in football, tonight's game, preparing player profiles and Monday and Tuesday's opener. Thanks for your patience during this time.[/private]

Duke Basketball

Krzyzewski talks of “Duke Standards”

November 5, 2008 Mark Watson

[private]"When I talk to our team, I tell them these are our standards." Those are the words that came out of Coach K's mouth during a recent practice. He then referred to a very good team meeting where he asked the players to participate intalking of a practice tape from the previous day and adding their take. "We record all of our practices," stated Coach. And they do, there are six state of the art cameras along the walls in the new practice facility.

The "Duke Standards," mean communication, togetherness and all out effort among the many. Coach demands that his players look coaches and each other in the eye when talking. "I asked them to contribute in the meeting and no fooling around." This discipline afforded Duke another opportunity to grow as a team and when Coach K instructs or suggests, you can hear a pin drop and echo through Cameron.

The HOF coach will talk to the media about last seasons tournament ending game versus West Virginia, but it's clear that he's ready to put that game to bed and move on as is his team. During the off season his staff discussed the reasons for that loss and adjustments have been made in order for Duke to make a deeper run in March and quite likely April.

"It's obvious that we have a deep team. Anybody wh has had the opportunity to watch this team in the pre season knows that," stated Krzyzewski. He then went on to hintt of a plan which willkeep his team fresher down the stretch. Just one of those reasons is the pleasant play of incoming freshman Miles Plumlee, who

has enabled Kyle Singler to play a more natural position where he's able to showcase his immense skills set. But it doesn't stop there.

Players like Marty Pocius have picked up the system better and as of right now Nolan Smith has been running with the first team ahead of senior co captain Greg Paulus. Anytime, you can bring a hard nosed competitor like Paulus off the bench, well, it's the sign of a team with depth.

It remains to be seen if Krzyzewski will play more than the seven or eight players he usually does, but he certainly hinted he would and that having their legs late in the season is a priority. After several views of the 08-09 Blue Devils, I feel certain that they will go nine deep, even ten when necessary.

You can also look for some of the Gold Medal Team USA experience to rub off on their style of play. "Fans will see an exciting style of play this season," said Krzyzewski. He went on to say it would be similar to the Olympic team, especially concerning spacing in the motion offense and break.

All in all the table is being set for an outstanding season and fans are getting excited about what they are hearing. Duke plays it's last tune up game versus Lenoir Rhine this evening, before tipping off the season for real on Monday night against Presbyterian only to come back against the winner of the Georgia Southern-Houston game the following evening.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Nation for coverage of all things Duke Basketball and individual breakdowns.[/private]

Duke Basketball

Communication plays a key role for Duke Basketball

November 4, 2008 Mark Watson

[private]Communication plays a big role for Duke Basketball. During last weeks Coaches Clinic, Coach K told the audience that his team is instructed to talk to the ball, and see the ball. He expects his team to look him in the eyes, and that goes for their interactions with the other coaches and teammates as well. "There is no fooling around," said Coach K when telling of a recent team meeting where he asked his troops to contribute in a meeting after a film session.

During practice, all of the players are vocal and if they do not call for the ball or the switch, they will be told to do so. In my years of coaching, I can attest that the tight knit team which plays together via communication is almost always in the game even when less talented. Fortunately, Duke is supremely talented, so the learned skills could make the difference in making the Sweet 16 or the Final Four. Check back for a complete report on the Coach K Coaches Basketball Clinic tomorrow.[/private]

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball

Behind the scenes – Practices are providing a preview of what to expect

November 3, 2008 Mark Watson

We will get the ball rolling on our coverage from this past weekend, starting with some of Coach K's comments and my take on the pecking order. I have now seen, 5 practices, the Blue-White and Virginia Union game and some individual workouts. This has given me enough looks to form what I consider a valid opinion. I will be examining the team in a close manner, breaking players down individually in segments. At the bottom of the page is Brian Zoubek. The next installment will feature four more players. Of course, I will see the Lenoir Rhyne game on Wednesday night and incorporate those thoughts into the analogies as well. There will be plenty more of Coach K comments coming too. There will be a thread on the premium message board, where you can ask questions, and I will add them into the articles. If you are not signed up for the message board, please do so. If you are signed up and yet to be approved, send me the user name you chose and e-mail me that information at watzonebdp@gmail.com. Premium members will also get an updated state of recruiting report and the usual interviews with key prospects. For non members, step inside for the latest skinny for we'd love to have you aboard.

So, whats the pecking order looking like? [private]

The lineup- Make no mistake in that the starting lineup to this point is Nolan Smith, Gerald Henderson, Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer and Mason Plumlee. Coach has gone with this lineup since the second practice.

First off the bench- Greg Paulus, Lance Thomas, Dave McClure, Elliot Williams

Close behind- Brian Zoubek, Marty Pocius

When the game is in control- Olek Czyz, Steve Johnson

What is K saying about his team?

"We have three great players, those being Gerald Henderson, Kyle Singler and Jon Scheyer. That's not to say that a Nolan Smith or a Greg Paulus might not lead us in scoring, but that's the three stars we are built around."

"As you can see, we are a deep team and it gives us a lot to work with. This team should be a good rebounding team in that we can keep fresh guys on the court at all times."

"We're going to be good, we are good, we can be really good and make a run for it all."

"I want my team talking. Communication is one of the most important things in basketball. We want guys telling their teammates where to go - a shared vision. We want out guys to call for the ball."

"Miles is going to be a good player. He can do a lot of things. He walked on to the track team as a senior and jumped for a school record. He can be good for us."

Brian Zoubek - Brian is still recovering from the lack of cardio training he missed when injured. The injury has not impeded his movement, which is still more mechanical than reactionary. Duke has been using him thus far to simply plug the middle. The players do not hesitate to challenge him in practice, especially his former roomate Jon Scheyer. Both players now live alone, a perk for upper classmen. What he does right - when he positions himself, it's hard for defenders to shoot anything over him. He has developed a bit of a hook shot and is using the glass right underneath the basket in an efficient manner. He moves fairly well for a big guy and is not moved too easily from the lane when his feet are planted. What needs work - he is sometimes positioned wrong defensively with concerns to the baseline drives and cuts. Brian has little hops and does not explode to the basket. How he'll be used - Duke will look for him to log fifteen minutes a game and keep teams out of the lane. He will play more against teams with top notch frontcourts and less when Duke can go small. [/private]

Duke Football

Coach Cutcliffe Weekly Teleconference

November 3, 2008 Mark Watson

[private]Opening statement -

We had four quarters of unbelievably good effort and play. For the second week in a row, they've maintained that kind of intensity. That's growth in eight quarters since the Miami game. Unfortunately when you have four turnovers and they have one and you set them up for touchdown drives of 22, 33 and 46 yards after turnovers and that's 22 points. We gave up basically 5 points on a blocked punt for a safety and the ensuing kickoff was fumbled. Then there was the onside kick that set them up on our own 26 with the penalty and they got points out of that. We gave them a short field to play with. Wake Forest is a very opportunistic team. We played good enough in all areas to have won and will have to get back to practice in an effort to eliminate the errors.

After a tough loss where your team was resilient yet came up short, what do you tell your team as a coach to keep them up? (Mark Watson, BDN)

Well, I just talk to them straight forward about what happened and how it occurred. We are in between meetings and getting ready to go out on the field and we don't have time to feel sorry for ourselves. It's as simple as this, football games aren't won in the video room in Sunday. We're going to correct these mistake and move forward. When you play as hard as we played you just have to move on. We have a difficult opponent, a rival opponent in North Carolina State coming off and open week. They're well coached and have a good football team and we better not be spending any time not getting back up, so we're going to challenge them pretty good.

On the onside kick - (Lucie Chavez, News and Observer)

It's a judgment call. I felt like the guy was laid out and he would have never have gotten the ball. He hit Johnny Williams after he had gotten the ball, but the official has to go out and use his judgement and it's a tough call. Again, my philosophy on all those things is it could have gone another way. We could have done ten or fifteen things another way and we would have won the game. We evaluate it and move on. I will probably be getting an explanation, but you have to move on.

Was the reaction similar to that of the Northwestern game?

Yes, it was very similar. We thought we could win and we competed hard. We did everything we had to do to win against Northwestern - a return for a touchdown but it was called back. It was that kind of experience and we are just hoping all of those things help us grow. We're not just trying to have a good team, that's what everybody needs to understand. We're going to build a football program here. We're serious about that. Thes guys this year? They are laying the groundwork. People are missing out if they don't come see htis team play, they're competing. I certainly hope with a big rival game like N.C. State coming in that we feel this stadium up good.

Duke hasn't played N.C. State since 2003. Do you feel like you should be able to play a rival every year and what do you think of the divisions the way they are set up now. Would you rather see them more regional?

I'd love to see N.C. State in there but I'm brand new. I'm sure if you looked at the economics of the conference, if you let us all be in the same division right here, we'd be playing each other every year and that would be some pretty good road trips for everybody and probably wouldn't be fair to the rest of the conference from Miami to D.C. There was a lot of thought that went into it and I wasn't privy during those thoughts or meetings but you would love to play that game, not that I want to play N.C. State in particular. You just love those rival games. It is what it is and the league is getting better and it is working well as it is, I guess.[/private]

Duke Basketball

Deep roster will compete to support a solid core

November 2, 2008 Bob Green

[private]
Duke returns a solid core of players from last year's 28-6 squad. Kyle Singler, a 6-8 220 power forward, was the ACC Rookie of the Year and 3rd Team All-ACC. Versatile 6-4 wing Gerald Henderson had a breakout sophomore season. Jon Scheyer was invaluable as Duke's Sixth Man playing the third most minutes and was the team's fourth leading scorer. Greg Paulus recovered from the injuries that plagued him as a sophomore, displayed a deadly 3-point shooting ability, and earned 3rd Team All-ACC honors.

The challenge for the coaching staff this season will be managing the five or six players required to support the solid core of Singler, Henderson, Scheyer, and Paulus. Which players emerge and secure spots in the rotation is a question which will be answered during intense practice sessions throughout the season. With 12 scholarship players healthy and available to compete, Duke is deeper and more experienced than they have been in recent seasons.

The first question is how improved will Nolan Smith be as a sophomore? He tallied 5.9 points in 14.7 minutes per game as a freshman and displayed flashes of greatness at times. In a key victory, on the road at Maryland, on January 27th, he scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds in twenty minutes of action. His highest scoring game of the year was on February 17th when he dropped 21 points on Wake Forest. Unfortunately that was in a losing effort. Smith was slowed, down the stretch, by a hyper extended knee so his season statistics under represent his actual contribution on the court.

Duke is going to need Smith to be a consistent performer this season especially on defense. With defensive stopper DeMarcus Nelson lost to graduation, Smith is the likely candidate to draw the assignment of guarding the opponent's best perimeter player. With solid freshman to sophomore season improvement a la Gerald Henderson, Smith could emerge as a star for the Blue Devils. Smith is currently slated to be Duke’s starting point guard. In recent comments, Coach Mike Krzyzewski stated, “Right now, Nolan would be a starter.” With Smith in the starting line-up, it appears Greg Paulus will take over the Sixth Man role occupied by Jon Scheyer last season.

Next, is Miles Plumlee a viable option to fill the starting post player position? He has been especially impressive in early practice and the exhibition game against Virginia Union, a game in which he started, played 16 minutes, scored 14 points, and grabbed seven rebounds. With Plumlee slated to break into the starting line-up, it appears Duke is set to address their post presence short-comings of a year ago. Coach Krzyzewski on Plumlee, after the Virginia Union game: “Good hands, good feet, a shot blocker, runs and it’s just a matter of him getting experience. He’s got a great feel for the game. He’s a very good athlete.”

A center-by-committee of Miles Plumlee, Brian Zoubek, and Lance Thomas is a definite possibility. After the Blue-White game, Coach Krzyzewski praised Lance Thomas for his defensive pressure. “When he’s in the game we need to pick up our pressure in the full court, because defensively he’s outstanding. You have to give him the opportunity to use those talents when he is in there.” Brian Zoubek has put up impressive numbers in limited minutes: five points and six rebounds in just 12 minutes against Virginia Union; 10 points and three rebounds in the Blue-White game. It appears all three players will get minutes and the opportunity to shine. Over the long haul of the season, their combined efforts should develop into a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of the individual pieces.

Before proceeding any further, it must be stated that Duke, like every other team, must avoid the injury bug. The past two seasons have been negatively impacted by injuries. Paulus broke his foot on the first day of practice in 2006, Zoubek broke his foot twice last season, Thomas suffered from a respiratory infection, Henderson hurt his wrist, the flu bug struck hard with inconvenient timing, and who knows what other minor injuries never leaked to the press. A healthy 2008-2009 season would be a nice change.

Finally, who will emerge to take over and secure spots as the ninth and tenth men in the rotation? Dave McClure, Elliot Williams, Marty Pocius, and Olek Czyz will be fighting for playing time as role players off the bench. All four of these players should have an opportunity to contribute early in the season, but when the ACC season starts competition for playing time will stiffen and it is not unrealistic to expect Coach Krzyzewski to shrink the rotation to ten players. Fifth year senior Dave McClure has the advantage of understanding the system, red shirt junior Marty Pocius is healthy and coming off a summer spent playing with the Lithuania National Team, and freshman Elliot Williams is extremely athletic. “I think he could be one of our better on-ball defenders,” Coach Krzyzewski said. Freshman Olek Czyz is a natural athlete and a guy who will be looking to make an impact when given the opportunity.

Duke is in good shape to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. The team has a solid core and a talented supporting cast. By avoiding the injury bug, having a ball or two bounce the right way, and improving as the season unfolds, a trip to Detroit and the Final Four is a realistic expectation for this edition of the Duke Blue Devils.[/private]