NC Pro Am Report – Zoubek and Czyz make their debut

August 7, 2009 Mark Watson

Zoubek and Plumlee went head to head - Rick Crank Photography

Two Duke players made their NC Pro Am debut on the last night of regularly scheduled games. Brian Zoubek and Olek Czyz took to the court for Dreamworks to face Mason Plumlee and Team Duhon, a team atop the standings with just one loss.

Olek Czyz has returned back to Durham from his native country Poland, where he played for their national team while still mending from off season surgery. Czyz, referred to as O.C. last year brought the house down with his dunking ability, but his first night back wasn't as fruitful as years past.

Czyz played about ten minutes scoring 2 points grabbing a single rebound and making one steal. Not the stat line he'd hope for, especially when you add the five fouls. It seemed like the PA announcer was calling Olek's number every minute or so.

Czyz played in the game which followed as well, but we do not have a full report on that game, nor the late evening nightcap where Miles Plumlee competed.

Brian Zoubek put up some solid numbers despite have three walks called on him. Zoubs didn't play in the second half, making his numbers stand out even more. The seven footer didn't miss a shot from the field on his way to 10 points, but he did miss from the charity stripe going 0-2 including an air ball. Zoubs added 5 rebounds.

Team Duhon was without a coach and ten players deep, so they seemingly decided on equal playing time. This meant that Mason Plumlee played sparingly compared to games before. Plumlee scored 6 points on 2 of 4 shooting and was 2 of 4 from the line. He had just 2 rebounds and a steal in about 19 minutes of play.

It is worth noting that Plumlee was accompanied by former Christ School teammate Lakeem Jackson [South Carolina] who wound up with 8 points. Reggie Bullock [UNC 2010] was a non factor not scratching from the field for the losing team. UNC's Justin Watts led his team in scoring with 14 points.

The Dukies went at each other hard early in the game but played sparingly as opposed to other evenings.

The play offs start this evening and teams must win to continue into Saturday.

Today's schedule -

6:00pm – PJTucker vs Hendricks

7:00pm – Team Navy vs Starkey

8:00pm – Lucky 7 2 vs E-net

9:00pm – Duhon vs Dreamworks

Duke Football

Duke Football Practice Report #1 – Cutcliffe Audio

August 7, 2009 Mark Watson

Coach David Cutcliffe spoke to the media after the Blue Devils first practice last evening. BDN brings you the audio from that chat -

Duke Football

BDN Interview – Duke tight end Brandon King is ready to go

August 6, 2009 Mark Watson

Brandon King signs a poster for a fan at the Durham Rescue Mission.

Duke is looking for play makers to step up on offense in in 2009 and Brandon King hopes to be one of those guys. King, a tight end, sat out the 2008 season while mending his collar bone but he hopes to be a factor early on for Duke. BDN talked with King about the upcoming season, his role and more in a recent interview.

Brandon, you're coming off an injury which kept you out all of last season, are you looking forward to getting back on the field?

Oh [said with a sigh of relief and emphasis] I've been looking forward to it so much. I've been waiting two years now, last year with a new coach here. I've been ready to go for awhile now and it's just all bottled up.

This is probably a system where they will go to you a lot this year. Having more depth at the tight end spot helps. Have they talked to you about your role this year?

I'm real excited about it. They're already talking about getting the ball to the tight ends a lot. Me and Huff, we're ready to make a lot of plays. In spring ball we started doing some things. As we get more confident, they start adding a lot more stuff in and it will only grow going into camp.

You started your career as a fullback. Do you still consider yourself a part time full back in a sense?

Yeah [smiling]

Do you feel you may be floating into the backfield as sort of a hybrid?

I definitely still consider myself a fullback part time. I like to get in the backfield, do the dirty work and hit people hard.

So, you like to have the ball n your hands to try and create?

Yeah, yeah. I like to do that. I like to lead block. I like to go through the holes on linebackers and block. So I will be in the backfield on the I [formation], I'll be out wide, so ...

You had a nice catch for a TD in the UConn game? Do you want to be that guy, the one in the end zone?

Oh, [emphasis on desire] definitely. I mean I remember that year where I always seemed to be in the right place in the end zone to catch the ball. That's my thing, I love to have the ball in my hands. I'd much rather it be in my hands than someone else.

What kind of chemistry do you have with Thaddeus Lewis?

We're good, we're on the same page. We do pass skills on Tuesday's and Thursdays. We'll run a play and he will say I saw you there, so the next time I'm open, we see each other.

Describe your game in your own words.

I would say I am physical. I like to hit, think quick on my feet. I understand the game a whole lot more now and when I'm out there I see and react very quickly. Um, I like to hit. [smiling]

Are you looking forward to August 5th?

Yeah, I'm ready to get the pads back on. Spring ball was great to get out there and test my collar bone out and everything went fine. I'm ready to get back out there and focus more on the team and football than my injury.

Have you guys circled the calendar with Richmond?

Yeah, we've been looking forward to Richmond since the last game of 08. We are looking at schemes, calendar circled and we are talking about how we want to start the season off with a bang.

What does the new staff bring to the table?

A lot of it is confidence and a lot of it is bringing the right people in. Our coaching staff is unreal and it's coming together. Everyone is stronger or faster, they've got us in unbelievable shape.

Do you see a difference with a different type of recruit on campus than in your two years under Roof?

Yeah, it is. We just brought in a great class. Even the guys Roof brought in were great players, but yeah, you can tell because we've got some some big time guys checking out our school with offers from other top schools.

Good luck this season!

Thanks.

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

N.C. Pro Am Report – Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee

August 5, 2009 Mark Watson

Ryan Kelly dunks - Special to BDN - C/R Rick Crank Photo

Two Duke freshman took to the court at NC Central University to participate in the N.C. Pro Am on Tuesday evening. Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee were very efficient on the offensive end going for a combined 10 of 13 from the floor.

Mason Plumlee's Team Duhon came into the game undefeated, but were without the service of Jon Scheyer, a key contributor. After getting out to a 12 point lead, they wilted down the stretch losing their first game 68-64 to Team Navy. In the end it was guard play which brought about their first loss.

A timely Plumlee steal and assist brought his team within one point, but a free throw and an uncontested lay in on the other end sealed their fate. But the skill set which stood out tonight for Plumlee was his passing ability.

Plumlee had 3 assists in the first quarter alone on his way to 5 total for the game. He continued to show off his versatility and made some strong finishes down low. When the dust cleared, Plumlee shot an effective 5 of 7 from the field for 13 points. He was 0-2 from the free throw line but had a game high 8 rebounds to go with 4 blocked shots and 4 turnovers.

His teammate, Ryan Kelly helped his team to a blowout win. Kelly, who came into the game off a 26 point performance last Thursday missed a single shot going 5 of 6 from the field. Kelly also drained all three of his free throws to end the evening with 14 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

Plumee finishes - special to BDN - Rick Crank Photo

Kelly deferred to C.J. Leslie (20 points) on the scoring end, but probably had his best performances while Roy Williams came to see Leslie the preceding week. He showed good spacing and unlike many others in the event, set picks for his teammates. Kellys team will now go into Friday's playoffs which begin on Friday and end on Sunday of this week. Team Duhon has a Thursday evening game before the end of their regular play.

Duke walk on Casey Peters played in the following game and had 4 points, all from the line in the first quarter of his game. A conflicting schedule did not allow us to see any more action beyond that time.

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Duke Basketball Recruiting and Team Update – BDN members are in the know

August 4, 2009 Mark Watson

Here is anther team and recruiting update from BDN Premium where we touch on some sensitive issues, what happened in Orlando and so much more. Duke expects Kyrie Irving to visit [private] campus in early September, but there are no firm plans for him to visit with Harrison Barnes as some public message boards have claimed. The two have talked but that is normal among the current batch of Duke prospects. In fact, it was interesting to see Austin Rivers just after his game in uniform to talk with Andre Dawkins as he was preparing to play. But there was a third wheel in the conversation, namely Kyrie Irving. While it would be unwise to see this as just a positive spin, it would be just as unwise to play it off as if it meant nothing. In short, we should probably land somewhere in the middle in our thoughts on the gathering.

Duke is down to Kyrie Irving, Harrison Barnes, Brandon Knight and Roscoe Smith in 2010. Duke is concentrating completely on Kyrie as their point guard of the future at this time and they feel there is an excellent chance he will become a Blue Devil. Roscoe Smith still has an offer should he want to come, but there are no major efforts with his recruitment at this time. Duke would be more than happy closing 2010 with Barnes and Irving alone. While Duke still has some backup plans, they are putting an all out effort to finish with Barnes and Irving. Once they get those two, they would turn their attention to Brandon Knight.

Duke has of course offered Quincy Miller and they are looking at a bushel of players in the class of 2011. The staff took a look at Marshall Plumlee in Las Vegas and I feel that he will get an offer in short time. The staff took a look at some new kids as well and I hesitate to mention them for as soon as I do, the other sites will magically have them. Let's test the waters since no other site is aware of who they were watching. On second thought, we'll make that a separate article in the coming days and cut it short to get this update out.

Austin Rivers performed in Orlando as Coach K watched

There will be an official announcement concerning Andre Dawkins in the near future. He has one course to be credited with and he has a passing grade, so he will soon be on campus getting acclimated to his environment. We'll have more on this shortly. The staff is very pleased with the recent play of Josh Hairston who was given a few things to work on during a recent campus visit.

Whats up with Austin Rivers? Let me put it like this, Coach K made no bones about it in that he has interest in Rivers. Billy Donovan and the UF staff were likely surprised when Coach K made it a point to be front and center for Rivers games. In fact, when Douglas Dad [see below] approached K, he had gone up the side of another gym to watch Rivers leaving his assistants behind. As it turned out Rivers played in the first half, but they rested him in the second, so he left. I sat near the staff during one of Rivers games and it wasn't hard to see that he glanced over towards Krzyzewski on several occasions. While Rivers maintains he is firm with Florida, he will almost assuredly visit Duke. In fact, I am trying to figure out how to present a brief interview I did with him. Make no mistake, his father wants him to make sure of his choice so some visits will be in place. It doesn't hurt that Doc and K are close from the Olympics and other functions. This is a very sensitive issue, so anything you read at BDN should stay here. Rivers camp has contacted Duke, but this one is far from over. While smart money would be on UF, there is more than a little something going on with Rivers and once he visits others schools, he just may find that the perfect fit is elsewhere. K has had super success with players who have NBA lineage and with their facilities, a basketball first school and his connections, Duke may just make an impression. Stay tuned.

During the AAU Nationals, fans could be seen taking pictures of Krzyzewski from the balcony. There were several instances where Coach K was approached by a throng of admirers, but he had to turn them away due to NCAA rules of contact in that some of them were student athletes. In short, everybody noticed K and wanted a piece of him.

I would like to share this with you for it is a testament to the respect and admiration Coach K has even among his opposition. I happened to be nearby when a gentleman walked up to Coach and had a very appreciative look on his face. He talked with Coach for a few minutes, shaking his hand and thanking him. When he left, I realized it was the father of Florida State guard Toney Douglass. As it turns out, Coach made a call to NBA reps mentioning his character and play. His Dad obviously the unsolicited kind act and you can bet that word of this kind of thing will get around.

All of the men's basketball staff is on vacation or taking a break one way or another. So, it will be relatively quiet for the next couple of weeks. Duke will not announce their Elite Camp roster publicly so please do not ask me questions pertaining to this in any forum. I will tell you what I can as the camp nears and passes. [/private]<

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Beal confirms that Duke has now entered the race to stay

August 3, 2009 Mark Watson

Due to his duties with Team USA in Las Vegas, Coach Mike Krzyzewski was unable to see Brad Beal play in Orlando. Beal, a 2011 target played in the Orlando Showcase event which preceded the AAU Nationals which prevented the Devils head man being there. Despite his absence, Coach Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski [Wojo] caught his every move.

In short, Brad Beal knows that Duke is very interested in him as evidenced by Coach K watching him play during the Peach Jam, calling him the following week. Beal and the Devils are in a getting to know one another process that will carry over. The St. Louis guard prospect grew up following JJ Redick and Duke, but many felt he was a huge Florida lean of late.

That may have been the case, but Beal has now conceded that he will no longer make a quick decision as you will hear in the following article. BDN was the first Duke site to interview and cover Beal long before others caught wind of his solid game and we will continue to stay on top of his recruitment.

During the festivities in Orlando, Jason Williams talked to several AAU teams. The former Duke [private] point guard Jason Williams glanced over at Beal who sat with the St. Louis Hawks as he spoke of the tragic accident which set him back. Williams was open in the fact that you had better invest your money wisely, even stating that every single city taxes NBA players. We'll have more on Williams later, but make no mistake that young Brad Beal was attentive.

Beal has the potential to be a first round draft pick with continued development. His long arms, basketball smarts and court savvy has him at the top of the rankings int he class of 2011. BDN told you of Beal early this spring where he caught my eye at the Boo Williams Invitational where I watched him compete in four games.

Not long thereafter, the Duke staff caught wind of his game and they set in motion there design to allow Coach K to see him play. Krzyzewski was pleased with what he saw n Beal and offered the guard just a few days after seeing him play in person. if I haven't beat you over the head with this yet, let me make you aware that Duke never offers kids that Coach K hasn't seen play.

Beal was Team USA's leading scorer earlier this season and that alone opened the door for the Olympic coach to get involved with the young man Donovan was claiming would commit within a week to those close to him.

"I was watching Coach K to see how he would react," said Beal's mom during the Peach Jam. She was thrilled that Coach K had turned out to watch her son. Of course he was telling the media that he would make an early pick and many felt that would happen, but his moms next statement said it all to me.

"Brad grew up liking Duke. I hope he allows them to come in and holds off on his decision," she said, then continued, "I think he will." Despite that statement, it wasn't until Coach K's call that it became evident that Beal would in fact open his recruitment back up.

At this time, Duke is working on a visit date for Beal and the staff will stay in touch as they are allowed with him from this point on.

During the Showcase in Orlando, I caught up to Beal after his team lost their only game in the title match. Beal had a horrible shooting experience, but he didn't let that bother him.

"It's just one game, you have to put it behind you and keep going," stated Beal.

In the prior game, Beal erupted for 31 points, but he was covered by two players in an effort to slow him down during his final game.

When asked of Duke he stated, "It's an honor to be recruited by them and see them following me."

One burning is what did he talk about with Coach K - "He called me right after the Peach Jam and he told me that he was really interested in me and my family better and things like that.

"Yeah, they most definitely are. It's a great school and one of the top schools in the nation so I am definitely interested in them."

When asked what he thought of Coach K, Beal responded, "I was just real surprised that it was him ..." [At that point we had to move the interview in that some coaches [not Duke's] had gotten too close for the NCAA's taste]

I will bring you the rest of the interview later today, but in short Beal had very good things to say about Duke and it is clear that they are very much in the thick of the race with Florida and Kansas. [/private]

Blue Devil Nation

Monthly Archives: August 2009