Monthly Archives: October 2011

Duke Basketball

Countdown to CTC #2 – Austin Rivers

Another day closer to Countdown to Craziness which kicks off the Duke Basketball season.  Today, I would like to talk about the Blue Devils sensational freshman, Austin Rivers.  As many of you know, I am always on the road at AAU events in early spring and summer, so let me share some of what I saw of Rivers during that time.

The first thing you will notice about Rivers is his swagger.  He's got game and he knows it and there's not a single time when he is not willing to take the big shot.  He always had the ball in his hands and now he must learn to play off ball and that will be an adjustment for the talented freshman.  Rivers lit up the circuit at about a 25 ppg clip and he loves to create his shot which you will see shortly.

Rivers will play the off guard spot at Duke, but let's not  make too much of that for the Blue Devils system has no true or traditional positions and there will be times when he handles the rock on clear outs. You probably all know that Austin is the son of Glenn "Doc" Rivers, the Boston Celtics head coach and former Atlanta Hawks player.  Duke has done well with kids that have NBA lineage in the past, such as Michael Dunleavy, Gerald Henderson and even assistant coach Chris Collins.

The only knock I have on Rivers is that his AAU team did not seem to teach good defensive skills, so that is an area he will have to improve upon quickly.  With Coach K at the helm, it's hard to imagine he will not get the vaunted Duke man to man defense down pat.  Coach will also make Rivers a complete player and help him to be better prepared for when he goes to the NBA.

I remember being the first Duke site to interview Rivers during the Boo Williams Invitational when he was a mere 15 years old.  At that time he had committed to Florida, but during the interview I realized that the verbal may not be as solid as some thought it to be.  As it turns out, the Rivers family contacted Coach K and Duke a year and a half down the road he ended up casting his lot with the guys in royal blue.

Even when he was at the ripe age of 15, there was a buzz about him and that buzz would continue to grow as he developed reaching fever pitch in his senior season.  You could always count on a full gym when he was playing and he will now lay in an eternally full joint, sold out place  known as Cameron Indoor Stadium.  Like other prospects along the way, it has been fun to watch Austin grow into the young man he is today.  The only gripe I have is he told me I would get to check out his moms infamous home cooking one day.  Yeah, right.  Of course, he was kidding, but I was all hook line and sinker, nabbing that bait, LOL. Austin is very close to his family and is always seen with his mom and little brother wherever he is playing.

There will be a few growing pains and lessons in store for Rivers, but there will also be nights when his play will have dust falling from the rafters due to the rocking Cameron Crazies getting a dose of AR.  And you know what?  I can deal with missing momma's home cooking for there will be plenty of that in Cameron this season.  Austin Rivers.  Another reason to get excited about Countdown to Craziness.

Duke Basketball

Countdown to CTC – Miles Plumlee

With Countdown to Craziness right around the corner, I thought it a good idea to have our own countdown to the CTC.  I'm really excited about Miles Plumlee going  into his final season at Duke.  Plumlee will almost assuredly start for Duke and I think he's ready to have a big year.  Apparently Coach K thinks so too in that he named the eldest Plumlee a captain for the coming season.

Miles is an exceptional athlete as seen by his flashes of brilliance.  I think he'll harness those flashes in a more consistent manner this season and more importantly, I look for him to pick up the team when they need a lift.  Plumlee brings toughness up front and his mature frame will benefit him against the likes of  UNC's vaunted front court.  In fact, Duke closes the regular season against the Heels at home and Plumlee will be the lone senior on the team, so it'll be his day.

Last season, Miles came rolling out on a unicycle to the delight of the Cameron Crazies during CTC.  And for the record, Plumlee can juggle while riding his unicycle as  well.  It'll be interesting to see what he comes up with in a mere ten days from now and for that matter what song he chooses for his introduction.  And you can bet that the athletic senior will have a few slams up his sleeve for the dunk contest.

I remember his recruitment as if it were yesterday.  In fact, it sure as heck doesn't seem like it's time for him to graduate.  Duke first recruited Miles brother Mason and at that time Miles was Stanford bound.  With the coaching change, Miles decided to come to Duke to play with his brother.  In hindsight. Duke got a two for one deal of the young men who led Christ School, Arden to the state title.

It's been fun watching Miles mature into the man he is today.  The once quiet Plumlee has now stepped up to the challenge to lead this years team and you will see a much more outgoing player, one who when Duke needs a play, will reach deep to make it happen.  Miles Plumlee.  Just another reason to look forward to Countdown to Craziness.

Be sure to check out Andrew Slaters outstanding in depth  Miles Plumlee Interview in this link.

 

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Blue Devils visit Parker, McGary on the agenda as well in our latest update

Just yesterday, Coach Mike Krzyzewski visited 6-9 Tony Parker, one of the Blue Devils long time targets.  Krzyzewski has been pro active with Parker for better than a year now and he's leaving no doubt that he is and has been a prime target,  Parker has some of the best hands you'll see on a big man and he of course, eats up a lot of space in the paint.  He has the opportunity to follow in the foot steps of similar past Duke alumni in Carlos Boozer, Shelden Williams and Elton Brand, all of whom are still balling in the NBA.

Today, Krzyzewski and company continue their trek when he will drop in on Brewster Academies Mitch McGary.  The young budding star is another player the Blue Devils staff covets and one whom they are making sure knows their desire to see him rocking rims in Cameron Indoor Stadium.  While some are saying that McGary is a Michigan lean, he said himself in the recent Jason Jordan's ESPN Blog that he didn't really know where he wanted to go yet.  We tend to believe him and why not?  McGary is not a kid that has been deceptive in his recruiting process to date and he is a young man with several schools making a hard play at him.

The Blue Devils will not be finished with the McGary visit.  Three other key prospects are on the agenda.  [private] Duke will also drop in on Nerlens Noel, the human fly swatter of a defender that is close to reclassifying.  Had the Blue Devils been aware of that possibility, which maybe they were late like everyone else, you would have seen them more active.  Coach Wojo visited Noel last week and Coach K will take a look at him today.  Noel is the best defender I've seem come down the pike in quite a while, altering games and or should I say shots all by himself, getting into the heads of his opponent.

On Wednesday, Coach K will head west to see the nations top rated prospect in Shabazz Muhammad.  I have told you all along that the Blue Devils would hang in this one until the end and that has payed off.  Duke has a legitimate chance of landing Muhammad at the midnight hour and this is because of the relationship that has developed between Krzyzewski and the star prospect.  UCLA is right there two and I personally feel it might come down to these two schools.  Still, never count out Kentucky for they have time and time again sold kids on their, pardon the pun, one year program.  Muhammad is a one and done kind of player and all involved know that.  UCLA  once selling him that he could be "the man," in Hollywood, now has to alter that a little bit with Kyle Anderson in the fold.  Most feel Muhammad would like to play with Anderson but there are a few who feel he might not.  Only time will tell on this one and be patient for this one will go on until the very last minute.

The Blue Devils will drop in on Julius Randle as well, a kid that they feel can like Parker, take on the role of a paint eater.  Randle is a stud bull in the paint, unafraid of any comer.  During the summer circuit, he more often than not took it to older opponents as a Texas Titan where he plays with Matt Jones, another Duke prospect coming to Countdown to Craziness.  It's pretty awesome that Randle and Jabari Parker are seriously considering Duke and as I have said before, I feel Duke is in good shape with Parker and for that matter Randle.

Just a reminder to members - (This message in no way applies to all, for we have some great members here) We have had some problems with people taking information from here and putting it in free forums.  Firstly, there are some things sensitive enough that the staff itself doesn't want it out in public forums and if it gets there it can hinder their work.  Second, you entered a binding contract when signing up agreeing that you would not cut and paste or share our information in other forums.  We want to take you at your word and hope it means something when you check the box.  We don't allow others premium info in our forum in that it is about ethics for us.  If you are one that has been guilty of the above, if we catch you, we will take action which could be a simple ban from this site or more if necessary.   It shouldn't come to down to that.   We don't expect you to not share info with your brother or something, we just ask that you be considerate in understanding that we work hard to bring you news and it keeps this site alive.  The more that gets out there, the less I will say.  That's just the way it is for we are about the health of Duke first and the money second.  But it takes money for us to hit the trail like we do, so members are vital to our efforts.  We have never claimed to know it all, but we do feel we are ahead of the curve more often than not with our offerings.  I mean nobody has an Andrew Slater out there and you have to admit he's good at what he does, the best in my book.  And Patrick has made this the place to be for football coverage and we expect that side of the site to continue to grow as people come to realize how hands on we are with the program.  We have dreams of making this site even better and these are dreams I fully expect to come true, so stick with us and you'll be glad you did.  On a positive closing note - - thanks for your support in that we truly appreciate you following Team BDN.  We love serving Duke fans and hope to continue to do so forever. [/private]

Duke Basketball

BDN Monday Musings – Football is on a roll, Basketball season is upon us, recruiting news

In this week's Monday Musings column I speak of the Blue Devils going to 3-2 on the gridiron entering the bye week.  And then there is basketball as the season is here once again.  We also share a couple of links with concerns to two big hoops recruits in Mitch McGary and Shabazz Muhammad and then talk of the character of the players in both basketball and football.

Duke Football goes into the bye week 3-2

The Blue Devils were quite resilient coming back 10 points down in the fourth quarter to defeat Florida International on the road.  The last few minutes of the game featured a forced fumble and recovery, followed by a six yard romp into the end zone.  The Blue Devils defense would then bend again, only to tighten up in the red zone where they took over on downs and allowed the offense to run out the clock.  Going into the bye week on a three game winning streak should help this young football team as they continue to gain confidence in their abilities.  If Duke played Richmond tomorrow, they'd win by three touchdowns.  Thankfully, Duke has opened up the offense since then and it is paying off.  Wins is what the program needs and Cutcliffe is starting to deliver them.  The remainder of the schedule is tough, but with a few breaks, maybe, just maybe ... okay, let's take it one game at a time.  For exclusive post game interviews, check out our coverage from Miami.

Basketball is upon us!

Hoops casts a huge shadow over the Duke Campus year round and in less than two weeks I will attend media day at Duke which opens the season for our full throttle coverage.  A few days after that, it's off to ACC Operation Basketball in Charlotte.  We got a glimpse of the Blue Devils early on during the Friendship Games, but we'll have to wait and see how Coach Krzyzewski has decided to use his team.  Duke in no way showed their hand on the trip and it's always fun to see what Coach comes up with in that he always uses his team's strengths to their benefit.

Countdown to Craziness

Tickets are sold out for this yearly event and if you're a Duke fan this is an experience that should be on your bucket list.  The evening is a celebration of the Duke Basketball program that features much more than play on the court.  The dunk contests are always fun, but the video skits are also a riot.  Then there are the introductions of each player to the roar of hoop-starved Duke fans and of course, Coach K addresses the Crazies.  It's a royal blue rush of an evening that is sure to leave you flushed with energy.  And a hint to those who don't have tickets, look for some released at the last moment, and most people outside seem to get in.  In short, come on out and you will probably get in.

Mitch McGary and Shabazz Muhammad

Here are two links, the first being a diary offering from Mitch McGary where he shares the latest on his recruitment.  After a read, you will realize that Duke is battling Michigan for his services.  But before many freak out, my suggestion is to let it play out.  Unfortunately, McGary addresses the rumor about a silent verbal to Duke.  Thanks to some irresponsible twitter types, this bad rumor spread like wildfire.  It's more of a testament to listen to people that have been around for a long time and have a track record.  While I'm at it, I hope fan bases realize they can hurt recruiting efforts with over the top contact to these young men.  And here is the latest interview from Shabazz Muhammad from my pals at a UCLA site.

Captains Ryan Kelly and Miles Plumlee

During last seasons untimely loss to Arizona, I spoke with Doreen Kelly about her son, Ryan.  She referred to Ryan as wine in that he gets better with age. Well, she is on to something for Kelly is looking like he's ready to make the leap to possibly being a star this season.  His work ethic and willingness to do what it takes for the team to win made him a perfect choice for captain.  And then there is Miles Plumlee, a senior poised to have a monster final season.  Plumlee will show off his physical maturity this season and I can see games where he will be the rock for a young team.  I'm excited and happy for both of these young men for earning the honor.  And I almost forgot, Miles senior day game will be the last game of the regular season verus North Carolina in Cameron.

True Blue Character

As most of you know, I cover the Duke beat both in basketball and football.  I can tell you from experience that the kids in both programs possess high character and that is something to be celebrated.   It's a whole lot easier to root your guys on when you know they are truly good young men.  This also speaks to the way both programs recruit, so if you're a young prospect that wants to come to Duke, you know what they're looking for.

Next up, Florida State

The Noles will roll into Wallace Wade Stadium in two weeks eager to put two early season losses behind them.  It's always a show when the big programs come to town and this game will be a good measuring stick for Duke.  With a week more to prepare, Duke could come up with a few new wrinkles and they will most certainly need them against this team.  But they also need a good turnout.  After winning three straight games, fans hanging on the fence or laying on the couch need to turnout.  This is a young team that played their hearts out lately and they deserve some noise.  Besides, it is the day after Countdown for Craziness, so why not make the trek to Durham for a Duke double header!

Duke Football

Duke players discuss the Blue Devils’ comeback win at FIU

MIAMI- BDN has complete postgame coverage of Duke's thrilling 31-27 victory over FIU. It was a happy locker room and the Blue Devils will carry their good vibes into the off week with a tough FSU team looming October 15.

Donovan Varner

Sean Renfree

Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo