Monthly Archives: October 2011

Duke Basketball

The Clash in Cameron will feature Mitch McGary and Jabari Parker

On December the 17th in Durham, North Carolina, Bleid Sports will bring some of the nations top high school basketball players to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first annual "Clash in Cameron."  The event will bring the likes of Duke prospects Jabari Parker and Mitch McGary to town as well as other big time players. There will be an abundance of talent on display and we'll list some of the stars to watch for in our next article but for now, let's take a look at what the event is about.

I got to know Matthew Moyer, the head of basketball operations at Bleid Sports recently and we had a shared interest and I liked what he was doing for the kids and schools with the event.  I have become a proud sponsor but please note that I have nothing to do with actual event planning or who is invited. "The "Clash at Cameron" grew so fast that Jamaul Alexander at NCCU was able to work it out to add the tremendous facility at his school. Both of these institutions have been such a blessing to work with. I don't know that I've met nicer people to work with," said Moyer.

Mitch McGary-BDN Photo

Another sponsor has come aboard as well, the Jerry Stackhouse group which puts on the N.C. Pro Am.  As you know BDN has worked closely with them during their summer event and we look forward to doing the same for the coming games. We'll have a lot more information on the event in the coming days and we'll keep you in the loop, so check back in with BDN for breaking news.  Moyer was kind enough to list the three basic principles of the that drive their effort -

The "Clash at Cameron" was developed with three basic principles in mind:

1. We want to offer student-athletes the opportunity to play at a venue that they may not otherwise have the chance to play in.

2. Our showcases are fundraisers for all of he schools involved. Each school gets 150 tickets to sell to their friends, families, and supporters. They keep all of the money from their ticket sales. We also print Gameday programs for each of our showcases. each school gets to sell 4 full pages and their team page. They may sell that "real estate" for whatever they would like. Again, they keep 100% of the money raised by selling those pages. We also offer several other fund raising opportunities for each school. We have quite a few schools across the country that are already exceeding $4000.00 in money raised for their school.

3. We are a Christian base organization. We stand firm in the belief that we offer players and coaches the chance to play in a very clean, well organized event that promotes good sportsmanship and fellowship with their fellow competitors.

Jabari Parker - BDN Photo

More from Matthew - Once we added the NCCU facility we decided to add some extra elements to the event. Nathan Faulk, the boys coach at South View high school, asked me to put together a coaches round-table meeting. So we did. We are now bringing in Reggie Rankin from ESPN and former Boston Celtic Dee Brown to host our coaches meeting on Friday, December 16th at the Chancellors dining room at NCCU at 5:30 P.M.  We are also having a featured game on Friday the 16th at NCCU between Body of Christ Academy from Durham and La Lumiere from Indiana. That game will be followed by a 3 point shooting and slam dunk contest.

On Saturday, December 17th the games begin at 8:30 A.M. at Cameron Indoor Stadium and NCCU. There will be 8 games at NCCU and 9 games in Cameron.

Clash in Cameron Schedule

8  Mitchell vs. Fayetteville 71st boys

9:30 Mitchell vs. Hoggard girls

11  South View vs. Eugene Ashley girls

12:30  Northwood vs. Charlotte Christian

2  Concord vs. Wilmington Hoggard

3:30  South View vs. Eugene Ashely boys

5  Kinston vs. Charlotte Christian girls

6:30 Raleigh Millbrook vs. Brewster Academy (Mitch McGary)

8  Kinston vs. United Faith Christian Academy

9:30 Huntington Prep vs. Simeon (Jabari Parker

 

NCCU

Friday 12/16:

Raleigh's Finest Academy vs. Christian Faith Center Academy

Arlington Country Day vs. La Lumiere

--Contests-- (dunk contest, etc)

North Gwinnett vs. Upper Room

Saturday at NCCU

9:30  Anson vs. Farmville Girls

11:00  Northwood v. Concord Girls

12:30  Anson vs. Farmville Boys

2:00  Body of Christ H.S. vs. Shiloh

3:30  Rocky Mount Prep vs. Christian Faith

5:00  Quality Ed. vs. La Lumiere

6:30  Arlington vs. Whitney Young (Okafor)

8:00  Raleigh's Finest vs. Body of Christ Prep

9:30  Mt. Zion vs. Kestrel

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Nation for breaking news leading up to the event and check back with us for more event information.

 

Duke Football

Week 9 BDN Staff Football Picks

BDN once again picks the nation's ten toughest contests as Bob clings to a one game lead for the season.

Standings:
1. Bob
2. Andrew -1
3. Patrick -3
4. Guest -5
5. Mark -6

Mark Watson - Duke is banged up and will face a Virginia Tech team just hitting their stride. It will not be an easy task for the Blue Devils to get it going after a heart-breaking loss to Wake, and there is reason to think the Hokies will run right at the Blue Devils front. The Blue Devils are 3 points from a 5-2 record where the excitement would be fever pitch. I think they'll give a good effort but in the end Tech will prove to be too much. Virginia Tech 37, Duke 17.

Bob Green - The Blue Devils' defense better be prepared to stop the run on Saturday when Virginia Tech and the ACC's leading rusher David Wilson (129.8 ypg) arrive at Wallace Wade Stadium. The Hokies will certainly run the ball repeatedly in order to make Duke prove they can stop the run. Once Duke is focused on the run, Virginia Tech will take a shot over the top to try and burn Duke's secondary deep.
The key to this game will be how Duke responds after last week’s disappointing loss to Wake Forest. If the Blue Devils come out focused and intent upon playing a full 60 minutes of football, they have the talent to win this game. Unfortunately, my gut feeling is Virginia Tech will prove to be the better team as they squeak out a victory on the road in Durham. Virginia Tech 21, Duke 19

Patrick Cacchio - Duke comes into this game off two disappointing performances against Florida State and Wake Forest. Simply put, the Blue Devils will have to put forth a much better effort against division leader Virginia Tech. Despite their injuries on defense, the Hokies are 7-1 behind strong play from David Wilson and Logan Thomas, two players likely to give the Duke defense fits. The Blue Devils will try to keep this close, but explosive plays will continue to be their Achilles' heel.
Virginia Tech 35, Duke 17

Andrew Slater - Virginia Tech looks to extend its nation's leading ten-game road streak this weekend as they travel to Durham to take on the Blue Devils. The Hokies feature one of the best running backs in the nation in blazing fast David Wilson. Wilson has already accumulated over 1,000 yards on the ground and helped his team control the time of possession, which the Hokies have the second highest in the country (averaging 34:34 per game). Defensively, the Hokies are stout once again, getting a very good pass rush and averaging in the top ten in scoring defense (16.1 ppg). Duke QB Sean Renfree has been highly accurate this season, but I expect that the Hokies pass defense will be able to pressure him and throw off his timing. The Devils will also have plenty of difficulty running the ball against one of the best rushing defense units in the country. Virginia Tech, 34 Duke 17.

Gobbler Country - I think this is a good match-up for Tech. The potential loss of Alonzo Tweedy at whip doesn't hurt as much against a team like Duke that likes to throw. Duke's going to do all it can to take away the run game, but I think the Hokies will find ways to move the ball through the air. Virginia Tech 35, Duke 10.

Duke Basketball

Curry Joins Kelly & Plumlee as Team Captain

Seth Curry - BDN Photo by Rick Crank

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, Oct. 28

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke head men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski announced that Seth Curry has been named a team captain. Curry, a junior from Charlotte, N.C., joins senior Miles Plumlee and junior Ryan Kelly as team captains for the 2011-12 season.

“We knew going into the season that the leadership would be fluid,” said Krzyzewski. “We thought after practices started that Seth would emerge as a leader. He is showing some really good leadership and he deserves this. The leadership of our team is more of a team concept with Miles, Ryan and Seth. I think this will help make us a better team.”

Curry, a preseason All-ACC selection, is Duke’s leading returning scorer after averaging 9.0 points per game a year ago. He knocked down 64 three-point field goals to share the team lead with Andre Dawkins, while also leading the Blue Devils in steals (52) and three-point field goal percentage (.435). Curry was named to the ACC All-Tournament team last season after averaging 10.9 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals as Duke claimed its third consecutive ACC Championship.

Duke opens its exhibition schedule on Saturday with a 7 p.m. tip-off against Bellarmine, the 2011 NCAA Division II national champion. The Blue Devils also play Shaw in exhibition action on Wednesday, Nov. 2. Live video of both games is available through GoDuke.com Inside Access.

The Blue Devils open the 2011-12 regular season on Friday, Nov. 11 in an EA Sports Maui Invitational opening round game against Belmont at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The season opener will tip at 9 p.m. and will be televised by ESPNU.

Duke Football

BDN turns to Gobbler Country to help preview the Hokies

Virginia Tech will roll into Wallace Wade Stadium sitting in 1st place in the ACC Coastal Division

The Blue Devils will host the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday in Wallace Wade Stadium. The Hokies enter the game first in the ACC Coastal Division, and with a 10-game winning streak against Duke. The Blue Devils will have a tough task if they hope to pull off the big conference upset against David Wilson and the Hokies.

To help give us a look at the Hokies' 2011 season so far, BDN welcomes back our good friend furrer4heisman from Gobbler Country.

BDN: The early October loss to Clemson took the Hokies out of the spotlight, but they still sit atop the ACC Coastal Division at 7-1 overall. What potential roadblocks lay between Virginia Tech and a rematch with Clemson in Charlotte?

Well, they've got to beat Duke before they worry about anything else. It may be coachspeak, but Duke is no longer a team that you can take the week off and still expect to win easily. When you've got a quarterback like Sean Renfree, you've got a chance if the game is close. Tech can't start slow again and give Duke hope. They're a banged up football team. They haven't had a bye yet and it's easy to get caught looking ahead. They can't do it, even if it's "just Duke."

Beyond that, there's a road game on Thursday night against Georgia Tech and I don't like our chances in that one. Tough environment against an offense that has given us fits ever since it arrived in the conference. Then there's a Thursday night game home game against UNC, a game we lost in the same situation two years ago and then the rivalry game against UVa. There's plenty of landmines, but things have kind of set up nicely for Tech so far this year. They just have to handle their business and they'll get another shot at Clemson.

QB Logan Thomas has led VT to a 7-1 record in his 1st season taking over for 2010 ACC POY Tyrod Taylor

BDN: As many expected, David Wilson and Logan Thomas have been very good in their first year as starters for the Hokie offense. How would you rate their season so far and what do they need to improve during the second half of the season?

Wilson has been outstanding and has a good chance to break Ryan Williams' school record for rushing yards in a season. Where he sometimes gets in trouble is on runs designed between the tackles, he won't just take his yards that are available and he'll try to bounce it to the outside.

Thomas has been very solid. He's had one bad game. Like most quarterbacks, he just needs to work on the consistency of his throws. I'm happy with the progress he's making and so far he hasn't been careless with the ball.

BDN: Despite several injuries, the Hokies' defense remains one of the top units in the ACC. How does Bud Foster do it year in and year out?

Well, we had a down year last year, finishing eighth in the ACC in terms of both yards per game and yards per play allowed. It was an uncharacteristic Bud Foster defense in that teams were able to run right at us. We just so happened to score A LOT of points and it didn't matter as much. Tech's defense is at its best when it keeps teams behind the chains.

When you look at last year, the Hokies were giving up over five yards per carry on first down. Only Duke and Virginia were worse. This year that number's down to 3.7, which is certainly better but not outstanding.

Tech's success comes from doing well on first down and then pressuring the quarterback. We've had some good cornerbacks that we've trusted to be left in man coverage, allowing the Hokies to commit more personnel to the run game and then blitzing the opposing quarterback, which is where that success has come from. But if you're not doing your job on first down, everything else starts getting compromised.

BDN: You picked Duke to upset Boston College earlier this season. Even though the Blue Devils have lost 10 in a row to the Hokies, do you think they'll be able to give VT a scare on Saturday?

Vegas certainly does. The line started at -14. It's since moved to -15, but obviously the odds makers think this one will be closer than it's been in most years. If the Hokies are caught looking ahead to the bye week and beyond that to Georgia Tech, then they're in for a surprise. Duke has enough talent to put a scare into the Hokies, but I like the matchups on offense and defense for Tech and think they'll win comfortably. Not overwhelmingly, but comfortably.

BDN: Thanks for your insight!

Duke Basketball

Watzone’s Duke Basketball Notebook – Duke-UNC Alumni Game & Tantilizing Nuggets

Let's get it started in here! Cameron Indoor Stadium is the place to be Saturday as the Duke Basketball team opens the season against defending Division II National Champion Bellarmine.

Duke-UNC Alumni Game in the works

I have no details other than it is scheduled to take place on November 17th.  With the NBA lockout, this could be a loaded and fun even and we'll have more details in the near future, so stay tuned.

Who is Bellarmine?

Duke takes on Bellarmine in it's exhibition opener this Saturday at 7:00 in Cameron Indoor Stadium.  For those of you unfamiliar with the school located in Kentucky, they are the defending Division II National Champions.  In fact, they are the pre season favorite to repeat and are ranked number one by Sporting News.  They have two first team Division II All Americans in Jeremy Kendle and Jermey Hobbs and a couple of new players have been added to an already talented cast.  Coach K is going to schedule the best teams possible to prepare his team.

Have you noticed yet?

Duke opens the season with a very talented Belmont team who won 30 games a season ago and they return everybody who counts.  This will be a tough test for the younger Blue Devils in that they are a well disciplined team.  The game is schedule to tip off at 9:05 EST on Friday November 11th.  But have you noticed that Duke has another game on Saturday versus Presbyterian at 4:30?  That's one heck of a quick turnaround!  Both games will be televised by ESPNU and every Duke game this season is televised on some network as always.

Rotation

I had a lot of questions on my Monday Musing article where I said the two Plumlee brothers, Kelly, Curry and Rivers would start.  What I meant to say were these are the five best players on this seasons team.  Andre Dawkins is right there and he may be in the lineup this week.  The key will be seeing which freshman can step up and provide depth for Duke will play a lot of them this season.

Speaking of freshman

Will there ever be a freshman that breaks Chis Duhons' record of 2.85-1 assist-turnover ratio? How about 51 dunks in their first season, a record held by Josh McRoberts?  Heck, how about Mike Gminki's 3.3 per blocks game when he was still 17 years old to start off his first year?  Johnny Dawkins is atop the list averaging 18.1 ppg as a frosh.  Bobby Hurley had 9, 10 assists games in his first year as well.  Now, we'll see where Austin Rivers makes his impact.

Michael or mom ... what's up?

There have been few players as troubled as Michael Beasley.  Now he is suing Curtis Malone, a man that reached out to him, took him off the streets if you will and allowed him to live in his home for five years.  Five years.  So, we are to think that Curtis Malone would allow him to stay in his home and mentor him for five years just to get hooks in place?  Please.  What a farce but it will be a newspapers dream to drag this one all over the place.  There is a long piece in the Washington Post and then there is this From Yahoo Sports.

Tony Parker

The big man from Georgia will be on the Duke campus with his family this weekend.  Duke and Coach K have stayed the course with Tony and it could well pay off.  Parker is a key prospect for the Blue Devils and one they stayed true to turning other big name prospect away to court him.  Maybe, their faith will pay off with an eventual verbal.

Mitch McGary

In case you have been out of the country and missed it, Mitch McGary will choose between Duke, Florida and Michgan next week.