Duke point guard Nolan Smith spoke of getting more accustomed to running the point guard position mentioning Jon Scheyer, his transition and the positions requirements. Check out BDN's post game interview with Smith who talks more on the focus it'll take as the season continues.
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It's the Christmas and Holiday season and BDN wishes all of you a safe and happy time. Duke students are hard at work on their exams while the basketball and football staffs gear up for a bit of recruiting.
Tickets still avaliable
On December the 29th, a Wednesday evening in Greensboro, Duke will take on UNC-Greensboro in a game that will push their record to 12-0 on the season. But it is Krzyzewski's record that will be the focus and around 9:00 that evening the HOF coach will pass North Carolina's Dean Smith with 880 wins landing him in 2nd place on the All Time NCAA wins list. There are still tickets available for the historical game, so get on the horn and make arrangements to be there for a piece of history. You'll be hearing a lot more on this as the game approaches and you can see that we have added a graphic to salute Krzyzewski's accomplishment. And 23 wins past that, Krzyzewski will own the record all by himself over his mentor and friend Bobby Knight.
Krzyzewski keeping it low key
One might think Coach K would be living in the moment with such a record coming but he is more concerned with this seasons team and he seemingly will prolong the urge and joy of celebration. No matter how you cut it, this will be one historical season but he wants to be the last team standing in Houston, so his work efforts will be focused on that goal rather than the record.
Holiday Tournaments begin
The Men's Basketball staff wil be hitting up some holiday basketball tournaments where they'll see pretty much everybody on their watch list. BDN will be taking in a few of the events as well so we can keep the information flowing. The recruiting picture will begin to clear this month but it'll be spring before we really get a feel for who the new targets will be.
Let's defend
No, I'm not talking about the national title. Besides, if you are a Duke fan you realize that the Blue Devils do not defend any championship for each year the team changes personnel. Krzyzewski has put great emphasis on defense during the December games though and that is the first sign of what the team might look like without the injured Kyrie Irving. It's really not a big departure from last year but expect the team to morph even more in due time. You can bet that there are some late nights where the staff is rethinking their plans and you of course know by now, that I for one remain positive that Kyrie Irving will be back on Coach K floor before the season is out.
It's "on" come January
Enjoy the break while you can for once January hits it'll seem like Duke is playing a game every night compared to the December lull. Duke plays their first of six conference games starting with Miami in Cameron. Next up will be Maryland who fancies themselves Duke's rival, again at home but away games with Florida State and N.C. State will give one an idea of how Duke measures up before the February-March run. Duke will go out of conference with a trip to New York to face St. John's as well.
Singlers time of year
I continue to be impressed that Duke senior Kyle Singler doesn't bump his averages up against weaker competition. Most players numbers or stats drop come ACC time but that's when Singler picks his game up. Watch as his numbers trickle up against better comp, a rare thing indeed. Kyle wants to win first and all else will fall into place. It should be fun to watch Singler close out his four years at Duke. That said, realize that this kid stayed when he could have been preparing to hit the road to Boston or Golden State for his next NBA game.
A last minute Christmas Gift thought
Looking for some stocking stuffers for a Duke fan? Of course there are tickets available for Elon and UNC-Greensboro but Bob Harris has a new book out too. Bob, of course, is the long time voice of the Duke Blue Devils and his new book "How Sweet It Is!," just hit the bookshelves. It has a forward from Coach Mike Krzyzewski and even a CD with interviews done with Muhammad Ali and a long list of interesting characters. My favorite part of the book was when Bob addressed the game where Dean Smith rapped the scoreboard in Cameron and didn't get a technical. I was there but the game was not on television and Bob recaps what happened on that night and it is simply too good to give away here, so pick up a copy and get the scoop for yourself.
Give the gift of BDN as well
Another gift suggestion is Blue Devil Nation Premium which gives one full site access where you'll be on the inside. BDN Premium cover more than just recruiting but that is the main draw. We'll bring you up close and personal be ith the recruiting trail or the hallways of the Final Four. We'll happilylet somebody know around Christmas that you've purchased them a membership and that is sure to make any Blue Devil fan happy. We have 1, 3, 6 and 12 month rates that you can link to above.
Duke Football Recruiting
Coach David Cutcliffe and his staff have been hard at work on the trail and with official visits of late. BDN's Patrick Cacchio has had a bevy of interviews unlike other subscription sites, these are still free at BDN to all at this time. We'll have more of these interviews as the week progresses so bookmark our site for the best free Duke Football coverage anywhere.
BDN caught up to Duke All American Kyle Singler after Duke defeated St. Louis on Saturday. Singler talks of stepping up in the absence of Kyrie Irving, the season to date and more ...
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Duke Offensive Line Coach Matt Luke has secured an impressive group of verbal commitments for the class of 2011, including Wisconsin native Marcus Aprahamian. Marcus is a 6’5” 300 pound offensive lineman from Brookfield, who committed to the Blue Devils back in May and will compete for playing time at offensive tackle and guard in 2011. Blue Devil Nation checked in with Marcus after his recent visit to Durham.
BDN: Can you recap your visit last weekend and describe how that went?
It was great. We got there Friday night, me, my mom, and my dad. We got to the hotel and we met some of the commitments, players, parents, and coaches. Then we went out to dinner and talked more with some of the players there and got to ask them questions. We got to go out with the players two nights and see what Duke is like outside of football. That was a lot of fun. Saturday, we got to see all the academic stuff, all the weightlifting and training facilities. That was pretty great to see all that. Sunday we had a nice breakfast, then me, my mom, and my dad got to talk to Coach Cutcliffe about Duke football.
BDN: Some of the other offensive linemen in your class have mentioned that you guys have stayed in touch throughout the year. Can you talk about your relationship with the other Duke commits and players?
Those guys are awesome. All the commitments are just great guys and fun to be with. They’re easy to talk to and just a lot of fun. It’s easy to talk football with them because we all just love football so much. All the players at Duke right now, I mean I know I got very close to all the offensive linemen there, just in one weekend, so it should be great to form so more bonds with those guys and just be around them.
BDN: Where do you and the Duke coaches see you fitting in with the program?
They were saying how excited they were about not only me but this entire recruiting class. We’re the future of this program. Coach Luke has been talking to me about playing either guard or tackle. Out of the five commitments we have for the offensive line, one is for-sure center, two are for-sure guards, and one is for-sure tackle, and I’m kind of the guy who can play guard or tackle.
BDN: How much were you able to follow Duke’s season and what were your impressions?
I was talking to Dave Harding, who was the starting left guard for them. He was my host for this visit and he was saying how much closer they’re getting and how much more pain they feel for the losses. He was saying that’s a good thing, that pain they’re feeling for the losses, because it just shows they’re that close to being a great program. The more pain you feel for those losses the better you will be in the future. We’re excited. It should be a good future for Duke football.
BDN: I know you guys had a bit of an up and down season, but individually you were named to the All-Area team, among other accolades. Can you recap how your senior season went?
As a team, I thought we did pretty good. We made it back to the playoffs after one year of not being in it. I wish we could have gotten more, maybe a couple more games. But I just look at it as great memories with all those guys. The new coaching staff that we had, it was great to meet all of them. I think that the Brookfield Central program will be great in the future, there are a lot of really good players coming up. Personally, I thought I had a pretty good season. I got knocked out for a game with a concussion and I was pretty bummed out about that. We had 11 injuries this season and I think that may have kept us from going farther in the playoffs.
BDN: What are your plans between now and when you arrive on campus?
My plans right now are just to keep working really hard. I would like to make an impact as a freshmen, maybe get some playing time. If I could start, that would be awesome, but if I get redshirted, that’s ok. I’m just going to keep working hard. Hopefully I can go back to Duke and maybe go to a basketball game or something. I know the coaches – Coach Cutcliffe and Coach Luke – will be coming over to my house for dinner sometimes. I should be graduating around June 12 and the week after that will head to Duke for camp.
BDN: Thanks so much for speaking with me, Marcus. I know Duke fans are really looking forward to seeing you in Durham.
Alright, thank you very much.
Don’t forget to bookmark Blue Devil Nation as your source for Duke football recruiting updates all offseason.
Photos from today's game, courtesy of Lance King of Lance Images
Click on one of the thumbnails to see a slideshow.
The Kyrie Irving-less Duke Blue Devils coasted past St. Louis with a lockdown defensive effort and walked away with a 84-47 victory pushing their season record to 10-0. Duke was led by their senior duo of Kyle Singlerand Nolan Smith who combined for 43 points, 11 rebounds and 5 steals.
Nolan Smith findng his comfort zone at the PG position
Nolan Smith played his second full game at the point guard position and he told BDN he was much more comfortable in the role in the lockerroom which you can hear via BDN audio shortly. Smith tallied 22 points and a team high 5 assists to go withhis 2 steals. The senior Smith took it upon himself to rise to the occasion today with his play.
Kyle is Kyle
Singler played like a senior as well grabbing a board or nailing a jumper when Duke needed one. Singler told BDN he was really enjoying his senior season and that he looked forward to finishing it up with a bang. We have some good audio with Singler coming as well. Singler has now started 78 consecutive games at Duke and his 120 career starts ties him at 11th on the all time list. Klyle passed Shelden Williams and Grant Hill on Duke's All Time Leading Scorers list in today's win. His 3 steals were a season high.
31-4
Duke scored 31 points off turnovers and they continue withtheir emphasis on defense in the four December games. Remember, we told you not one single Duke opponent would score in the 60's this month and thanks to the Blue Devils, they're making me a prophet. Duke held the Billikens to 1 made three point field goal.
Great game for Josh Hairston
Duke freshman Josh Hairston scored his first career double figure scoring game at Duke with 12 points off the bench. Add 4 rebounds and 2 steals and he had his best game in a Duke uniform statistically. Interestingly, Josh was the program cover boy today and we'll have a nice one on one interview coming from the Virginia native tomorrow. Duke Assistant Coach Chris Collins praised his effort in the post game press conference.
Speaking of Collins ...
Duke Assistant Coach Chris Collins filled in for Coach K today who had family matters to attend to and he was a natural. Collins is never short for an answer and he bounces them back with little pondering. It is plain to see that he will one day be at the podium as a head coach.
On Kyrie ...
It's wait and see according to Collins and the powers that be will access his condition when the cast is removed. No firm timelines have been set as of yet. I still feel good about his return, call it a somewhat educated hunch, but it is nothing more than that. Irving cheered from the sideline on his crutches and laughed it up with teammates as the game became out of reach for the visitors.
Miles Plumlee just short of a double-double
Miles dropped 9 points and snagged 9 rebounds which was just shy of a double-double. We told you that Duke would take December to get Seth Curry and Miles going and so far, it is working out wonderfully for Miles. Let's not forget Miles 2 steals either. Meanwhile, his brother Mason got just 11 minutes of play and we look for him to get back in the groove when Duke takes on Elon nine days from now.
Next up, exams and Christmas break
Many students were studying for exams this week and it showed in the crowd, but the Crazies who were there did a good job of cheering. The Duke players will now concentrate fully on exams before they get back to action on December the 20th in a game which even fewer students will be in the stands. With the win over Elon, Coach K ties Dean Smith atop the All Time NCAA win list and that means he breaks Smith's record in Greensboro on December 29th which is quite a milestone. Have you got your tickets yet? They're still available.
Additional Notes - Today was the 200thtime Duke played as a number one ranked team. Duke now has 83 straight home wins over non conference opponents in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the longest such streak in the country. Duke has won 52 straight games int he month of December. Duke has scored 80 or more points in 8 straight games now. Without further ado, here are Coach Chris Collins post game comments vis BDN Audio -
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