Category Archives: Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Duke prospect Ray McCallum talks of the recruiting process

July 10, 2009 Andrew Slater

Ray McCallum, Jr. is a listed 6’1” point guard from Detroit Country Day in Beverly Hills, Michigan. His father is the head coach at Detroit Mercy and was formerly an assistant under Kelvin Sampson at Indiana and Oklahoma. After his father took the head coaching job in Detroit, McCallum moved from Bloomington, Indiana to suburban Detroit. The diminutive and cerebral point led his new team to a 24-2 record and has developed into one of the more coveted point guards in the country. During the recent LeBron James Skills Academy, McCallum sat down with Blue Devil Nation to talk about a variety of topics.

(Blue Devil Nation Premiums summer AAU coverage is unmatched. Andrew Slater reported live from LeBron James Skills Academy this past week and the interviews are now rolling in. Mark Watson is headed to the Peach Jam, so the in person coverage continues. In fact, BDN will cover the rest of the major AAU events this season with our dedicated staff. Join now to see what you are missing. In a recednt survey our members overwhelmingly agreed that BDNP is the best subscription site around. You'll be glad you did.)

Blue Devil Nation

How is your recruiting going right now?

Ray McCallum:

It’s been good so far. I’m having fun with it, you know. Just trying to enjoy it because you only go through it once in your life. I’m just trying to enjoy it.

Blue Devil Nation:

Do you have a time frame for when you’d like to decide by?

Ray McCallum:

No, I’m just trying to enjoy the rest of the summer and again the last time I’m playing AAU ball. Have fun…see where I end up at the end of the summer and which schools are still interested in me.

BDN:

I'd really, what are some things that you’ll find in the school that you ultimately decide upon?

RM:

I want to go somewhere where there’s a good coach, a good team, a good history, a place where I can play, play my game, win, you know, academics. Everything really, you know.

Blue Devil Nation:

How important is immediate playing time for you?

Ray McCallum:

That’s my main goal. I mean I’ve been playing since I was little and I’ve always wanted to do that. I’ve been starting since I was a freshman. I’m going to leave it up to that and try to go somewhere where [private] I can come in and start.

Blue Devil Nation:

What are your strengths and what are some things you’d like to improve upon?

Ray McCallum:

I think my strengths are running a team, finding an open guy, you know, and I think can really score. I think all of those things and my shot. My shot has gotten a lot better. I’ve been working on that. I’ve gotten a lot better, but I really don’t think you can ever shoot it perfectly.

BDN:

How do you feel you’ve performed in the recent point guard camp, the NBAPA camp, and during the spring in general?

RM:

I feel I played real well. I mean the NBA camp was good. It was a good experience playing with the top one hundred players in the country and then coming here.

BDN:

Was this your first major sneaker camp?

RM:

Yeah, this was my first one. Then the Deron Williams was exciting, you know, getting to go against the top 20 pgs in the country.

Blue Devil Nation

:Well, let’s talk about that. Who were some of the toughest guys you faced there?

Ray McCallum:

Let’s see. Brandon Knight, Joe Jackson, Kyrie Irving, and Kendall Marshall…I mean everyone who was there was very talented. So, it was good and I felt like I learned a lot.

BDN:

Who’s been the most aggressive program recruiting you?

RM:

Well, pretty much everyone is showing me the same amount of love…right now.

BDN:

You get the one phone call per…

RM:

Yeah, the one phone call per week, er, month. I get a lot more e-mails and stuff like that.

Blue Devil Nation

How do you think that having a father who’s been a lifer in this business has differentiated from many other kids?

Ray McCallum:

I think I’ve got an advantage in the recruiting process. Going through what my dad’s been through, you know, being at a big time program. Seeing all the big-time players come through and how all of their recruiting goes.

Blue Devil Nation;

As his son, you’ve also seen firsthand and dealt with the recruiting losses that he had. The sometimes devastating nature of a coach having put in a lot of work on trying to secure a player… for the player to only decide at the last minute for another program.

Ray McCallum:

Yeah, it can be, but you’ve got to always think that if you miss out on one great player, that there is another out there to go get.

Blue Devil Nation

What schools have you visited so far?

Ray McCallum:

I went to Midnight Madness at Kansas. I went to a game at Notre Dame. I went to an unofficial at Arizona. Michigan for an unofficial. I went to a game last year at UCLA.

BDN:

What’s your current height and weight?

RM:

6’1” and 179.

BDN:

Who will you seek guidance from, whenever you do decide upon a college?

RM:

My parents really. They’ve taught me everything and I really rely on their advice.

Blue Devil Nation

Can you talk about the transition from Bloomington to Detroit Country Day?

Ray McCallum:

It’s been great. It’s an excellent school and a great mix with athletics. I’ve really improved as a ballplayer since I’ve moved there. I’m very fortunate to have wound up there.

BDN:

What’s it like at Detroit Country Day? I know they’re a great academic school and they’ve produced many great players like Webber and Shane Battier.

RM:

First of all, they compete for state championships in all sports and, you know, the Sporting News ranked it like fifth in the country in best high school sports programs…and, academically, it’s great and you have to wear a blazer.

Blue Devil Nation

You played with DaShonte Riley, Jordan Dumars, and Donnavan Kirk at Detroit Country Day. Have any of them encouraged you to go to college with them?

Ray McCallum:

They’ve all brought up their schools, but they’re mostly joking about me joining them.

Blue Devil Nation

The year before you arrived I remember Donnavan was somewhat frustrated that your predecessor wasn’t getting the big men the ball enough. As the point guard on that team, how did you try to placate all of those guys?

Ray McCallum:

Yeah, I averaged six assists. I tried to get everyone touches. I try to feed the bigs, you know. They told me the year before they didn’t really have a point guard. So, they didn’t get the ball. My main goal is to dominate this year.

BDN:

How’d you guys do?

RM:

Oh, man, we went 24-2 and we lost terribly in the Elite 8.

BDN:

Wow.

RM:

Yeah, the two teams we lost to were Bloomington

BDN:

I heard about that game and it must’ve been an emotional one for you.

RM:

Yeah, it was and Flint Power in the Elite 8.

BDN:

Who’d they have?

RM:

Nobody. They had nobody we should’ve had a problem.

BDN:

You know the year before, Kirk was saying he couldn’t believe they lost to a team with no starter taller than 6’3” and DCD had five D-I athletes and four guys 6’8” or bigger.

Blue Devil Nation

:Speaking of Dumars, did it take any time for you to get used to seeing Joe Dumars consistently at your home games?

Ray McCallum:

No, I’m real close with Joe and their family. Me and Jordan are best friends and I’m always over at their house. He’s at our practices.

BDN:

But it’s still an odd thing, compared to the average kid in America, to have the Pistons’ GM observing your high school games.

RM:

Oh, no, it’s definitely unique, but he’s real cool and you wouldn’t even know he was there. He’s got a real laid back and cool office too.

BDN:

How much will your role differ in the upcoming season?

RM:

Oh, it’s going to be real different. We only have one big kid left. He’s about 6’9”

BDN:

Amir Williams?

RM:

Yeah, he’s good and so we have me and a whole bunch of guards.

BDN:

Which players do you try to model your game after?

RM:

Let’s Chris Paul and D.J. Augustin actually.

BDN:

From a size perspective, Augustine is a good player for you to emulate. I know you had an injury last year. Has that completely healed?

RM:

Oh, yeah, I’m all good.

BDN:

Fairly or not, there was a perception that you were a Kansas lean for a little while. Is that accurate?

RM:

No, no, right now, everyone’s equal.

Blue Devil Nation

Do you view yourself as a scoring point guard?

Ray McCallum:

You know, when I play with great players, I pass first, you know, score, when I need to score. When you’re at camps like this…with such talented players, you’ve got to get everyone involved. However, when I’m with my high school team, I feel like I’m more of a scorer. I mean I think I’m a combination of both.

BDN:

What style of play do you feel best suits you?

RM:

I honestly think I can play either up-tempo or the half-court game.

BDN:

Now, you’ve moved around, but will distance be a factor at all?

RM:

No, not at all. I’ve been everywhere.

Blue Devil Nation

:Do you workout often?

Ray McCallum:

Oh, I workout everyday. I’m in the gym. I work on strength and conditioning.

BDN:

At Detroit Country Day or at your dad’s university?

RM:

Both, but Country Day has very good facilities for a high school.

BDN:

How closely do you follow college basketball?

RM:

All the time. Whenever there’s a game on, I’m watching it.

Blue Devil Nation

I’m sure you’ve vicariously felt the successes and the pains that your father has experienced on the recruiting front. How does it feel to be the one coveted? To be the prize.

Ray McCallum:

It’s crazy. It came so fast, you know. This was my last one. I can’t believe I’m in this situation and I’m very grateful for it.

Blue Devil Nation

Were you always highly recruited or did it change when your dad left Indiana?

Ray McCallum:

Well, yeah, but you’re right it really picked up when my dad left Indiana because before the other programs thought I’d go there because of him.

Blue Devil Nation

Do you know Mason Plumlee fairly well?

Ray McCallum:

Oh, yeah, Mason… That’s my boy. He’s like one of my best friends.

BDN:

Which Duke coaches have you communicated with?

RM:

Coach Collins. He-mails me quite often. Nate James will call me and tell me things.

Blue Devil Nation

What’s your feeling about Duke, both as a program and as a university as well?

Ray McCallum:

They have so much great history. It’s a great school and a great team. I mean they’re always guaranteed to get into the NCAA Tournament. And Coach K…he’s everything. In terms of the university, I mean it’s Duke. It’s amazing.

BDN:

What’s your opinion, from afar, of Coach Krzyzewski?

RM:

I mean he’s a Hall of Fame coach, he’s won three national titles, and just won a gold medal for the country. He’s very likely going to have the most wins of all-time.

Blue Devil Nation

Does your father have a relationship with him?

Ray McCallum:

I don’t think they’re too close, but they definitely know each other.

BDN:

What would you like the audience to know about you as a person?

RM:

I’d like them to think of me as a good person with a good character…likes to have fun, but is a good student. Just an overall good kid.

Blue Devil Nation

I think that’ll come across in this interview. Thanks for answering all of my questions.

Ray McCallum:

Oh, no problem. Thank you for asking me them. [/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Kelly, Scheyer and Plumlee help their teams to a win at the N.C. Pro Am

July 8, 2009 Mark Watson

Special to Blue Devil Nation from Rick Crank Photography

Day two is in the books for the 2009 N.C. Pro AM and once again it was another entertaining night of basketball at N.C. Central University. Three Blue Devils played this evening, the incoming freshman Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly and Jon Scheyer.

Kelly wound up with 15 points and 7 rebounds and 1 blocked shot. His team was down double digits throughout the contest but staged a late comeback to win the game. During that stretch, Kelly hit two free throws with 1:38 left to give his team a one point lead.

On of Kelly's teammates was UNC's Ed Davis. The two teamed well on the front line and Kelly looked for Davis when he had the ball, but the normally solid Davis struggled with just 6 points on the evening, looking frustrated at times.

Kelly also went up against David Best (10 points), a strong and aggressive player during the majority of the game. Best blocked Kelly's first shot of the game and dunked on the other end the next time down, but Kelly settled in nicely to lead his team in scoring after that. In fact, Ryan had 7 of his teams first 8 points as they struggled offensively to open the game.

Like Kelly, Scheyer and Plumlee helped lead their team to a comeback victory after being down 13 points in the first half. Scheyer started the game 0-3 where the ball just seemed to rim out for him. One of those plays still brought oohs and ahs as Plumlee missed a dunk and Jon jumped up and almost flushed it home on the tip, but it caromed out as the basket gave way.

Scheyer played a good floor game, showing he can run the point as he did last season, despite playing in a three guard offense. After missing his first free throw, he connected on the second and went 4 of 5 from the stripe in the game. One the next possession he connected on a three pointer and missed just one shot the rest of the way in route to 12 points. Scheyer also dished 4 assists and at least 4 blown assists.

Scheyers best offensive move was on the baseline where he weaved through and faked out three defenders to hit a shot at the first half buzzer capping off a comeback and giving Team Duhon momentum the rest of the way.

Mason Plumlee was saddled with early foul trouble but had two dunks early in the game and was 4 of 4 from the free throw stripe. He altered a few shots and grabbed around 6 boards. His Team Duhon won the game going away in the end 76-69. Plumlee was credited with 8 points, but their was one tip which seemed as if it were credited to another player.

On a couple of side notes, BDN ran into Robert Brickey who has accepted an assistant coaching position at North Carolina Central. Kyle Singler was not in the house for he's attending the LeBron James Skills Academy, a huge Nike event that BDN's Andrew Slater is covering for our subscribers. Slater has an interview coming with Singler where our

members sent in the questions which will run in our free section. He has secured interviews and scouted some of Duke's main prospects as well. Among the players mentioned are Roscoe Smith, Harrison Barnes, Andre Dawkins. Coach K, Wojo and Nate James are watching the Nike event as I type. For more the latest breaking information, join Blue Devil Nation Premium.

Thursday NC Prom Am Schedule at NCCU, admission is free -

6 pm Navy vs KG
7 pm Lucky 7 vs Team Duhon (M. Plumlee, Jon Scheyer, C. Du)
8 pm WR Starkey (L. Thomas, Kelly, Curry) vs Team PJ Tucker
9 pm Dreamworks vs E-Net (Singler, Miles Plumlee)

Not all players participate each evening

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly show off their skill set in the N.C. Pro Am

July 2, 2009 Mark Watson

Mason Plumlee, Kyle Singler and Miles Plumlee - copyright BDN Photo

The 2009 NC Pro Am kicked off tonight at North Carolina Central and Duke was represented by the Plumlee brothers, Kyle Singler and Ryan Kelly. Players from all over the state compete in the event. Those players could be in high school, college, retired or the pro's. For instance, the Charlotte Bobcat's Sean May played tonight and Jerry Stackhouse and others will hit the floor before the event is over.

Ryan Kelly played in the first game and his team squeaked out a win in double overtime. Kelly ended the night with 14 points. Kelly set a lot of high picks, but he seldom got the ball back on the roll. He had one key block to help send the game to overtime. There was one sequence where Kelly had his shot blocked but recovered the ball to put in a jump shot. On the next possession, Kelly threw down a dunk.

In a bit of irony, Mason Plumlee faced off against brother Miles Plumlee and his teammate Kyle Singler. Much like last year, the refs seemed to have quick whistles on the Dukies, with all three collecting nine combined fouls in the first nine minutes of the game. Most of those calls came late or from perceived contact.

The refs let the teams play in the second half and that made for an entertaining game where the lead exchanged hands several times. Singler was his usual steady self in that he did pretty much everything on his way to 14 points. As our premium members know, Singler will now head to the LeBron James Skills Academy to finish out the week.

His teammate Miles Plumlee scored 6 points and showed a good handle with the ball. Both Singler and [Miles] Plumlee had a bushel of rebounds in the contest. They were also assisted by ex-UNC star Jawad Williams who scored 18 second half points, but despite their efforts, they came up short.

On the other hand, Mason Plumlee showed that he will be a force this season by leading his winning team in scoring with 16 points, several of those coming on solid dunks. There was one play where a driving guard bounced the ball high and Mason ran behind him on that break to catch it for a dunk which drew a good crowd response. He later threw down another reverse dunk as the PA announcer said, "Mason Plumlee has arrived and is in the house." But the dunk which brought the most oohs from the fans was when he went down the baseline and crammed an authoritative power dunk on his brother.

The action will continue and if you are in the Triangle area, admission is absolutely free. Here is the web site for more details -Link to NC Pro Am

We'll discuss the Duke players more thoroughly on the BDNP Message Board.

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

BDN’s informative General Update #44 – The skinny on the recruiting front and more

July 1, 2009 Mark Watson

In a recent poll with our members, our General Update was by far our most popular offering. Join Blue Devil Nation Premium today and see what the buzz is about. Our members overwhelmingly stated that Blue Devil Nation Premium was better than other subscription services. If you've been on the fence, it's time to jump in for our coverage on the AAU trail is about to explode.

Duke has put the full court press on Kyrie Irving of late and they [private] hope that their August camp will be the start to putting the nails in the coffin. Let me take a second to remind you that all of the information this update is sensitive and by contract cannot be shared with e-mail groups, other message boards or reprinted in any way. Irving is not likely to pull the trigger early, but BDN Premium has learned that his Dad and uncle will make the trip as well.

The Blue Devils feel confident that they will close the deal with Harrison Barnes in due time. Do not look for other teams to get involved any further for in my opinion, Duke is the favorite with Kansas the only other alternative. Barnes will not participate in any more AAU events after the Peach Jam.

Duke will still look for a sixth player to add to the class and that will be a forward unlike the ones currently on the roster. Duke is also still highly interested in Ray McCallum.

Duke is still seeking to get involved with Fab Mello, but at this time they are not on his current list. Mello will receive an invite to the Elite camp. BDN will attempt to get a Q & A with Mello in the near future.

The Blue Devils are also hoping to close the deal on Quincy Miller soon rather than later. Miller soared in the rankings after Duke offered. Of course, anyone who looks at early rankings in the class of 2011, may be disappointed as time goes on for not even the gurus have had that many views of the kids. In fact, it's alarming to see how some of the rankings come about and some certainly do a better job of it than others. Anyhow, Miller is a Duke type of kid and getting a verbal from him by the end of summer would allow Duke to concentrate their efforts on the team.

The Men's staff is about to hit the road big time. They will have a high profile at all of the events with Krzyzewski attending LeBron James, Peach Jam and the Vegas tournaments. I am pretty sure he'll end up in Orlando if there are enough kids of interest and an early look at the south Florida events shows that they have more talent than in past years. We are talking of the Showcase and AAU Nationals. Duke Assistant Coach, Nate James and his wife are expecting a baby in mid July, so he will not attend the Peach Jam nor the Vegas events.

Many of you have asked about Duke possibly filling a lost in 2009. There is a possibility, but only if certain prospects seek them out. Duke will likely close out the class as it stands now, but a final move is a possibility.

Our own Andrew Slater will be covering the LeBron James Skills Academy this week and I will be at the Peach Jam later this month. You can count on coverage from Las Vegas as well. In short, BDN Premium will continue to show you that this is "the" place for the best basketball recruiting coverage. Kyle Singler will be attending the James Academy and Coach Krzyzewski, Wojo and Nate will attend this event. They'll also take in the Adidas Take Five where Chris Collins will replace James. Nate will then spend one day at the Reebok event.

Speaking of Nate "Dogg" James, I had a one-on-one interview with him which will go up this weekend. There will be little rest for the coaches as Krzyzewski, Wojo and Collins will then head to a loaded Peach Jam event in Augusta.

On the football front, Coach Cutcliffe welcomed the incoming freshman class yesterday and they were put through the now infamous running drills. According to Thaddeus Lewis all the freshman did well and took it, so to speak. He said that Desmond Scott had been looking good and that he would get some playing time from day one. When talking of his strength, Thad said that he had the best hands of any back coming out of the backfield.

BDN will continue to cover the football preseason as it has in the past. IOW, we'll regularly attend any function made available to us and will update you on the practices leading into the opener with Richmond. We have long been dedicated to football and hope to expand our coverage with some key additions. In an effort to put a brighter light on the program, BDN will keep 90% of it's football information free.

You may have noticed thatt GoDuke has gone to a new cleaner look and that they are more user friendly. BDN has had some changes in the works as well. We are redoing our front page and will be going to a new message board which is synchronized with the site, meaning you do not need to register for both. The changes should help streamline your experience.

Also, I will be addressing the survey questions on our message board and we appreciate the responses, complaints and props. I am happy to announce that members were overwhelmingly happy with the site with almost all who participated saying BDNP was better than other subscription sites which cover recruiting. We will strive to keep this site ahead of the curve and when I say that, I am mainly talking about information and not so much technology. Information was by far the one area in the survey which members pointed to time and time again.

Our site should be a good counterpart to GoDuke and free sites like DBR. We are not in competition with Duke's official site. In fact, we support them. BDN tries to fill the gaps in between and we'll always come up with new ideas along the way. That said, I want to thank members for their patience during the past year where I have battled some health issues and the site has found it's footing in the direction after a sudden move.

Changes will start to appear sooner rather than later. Jim Sumner will have his first article up next week and we hope to continue to work with writers you have come to know. BDN will expand the free content in that we plan on bringing you the news that you used to see in newspapers on a daily basis. We are the new or modern day beat writers in an ever changing media world and will strive be professional in our coverage.

I have put aside another project in an effort to make Blue Devil Nation the best it can be and I look forward to hearing your responses as this takes place. After all, it is the members and readers who make up the Blue Devil Nation for we are all in this together.

Addendum - Duke has offered Roscoe Smith. I meant to include this but kind of forgot about it. Nate James is the lead recruiter for Smith. Duke has invited him the their Elite Camp.[/private]

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

BDN’s NBAPA Top 100 Camp Prospect Analysis

June 29, 2009 Mark Watson

Kyrie Irving - Irving started off really slow at this event, but warmed up nicely in the last three games. He was outplayed by Brandon Knight and had two match ups with Josh Selby which were a draw. Still, there were many reasons for his sluggish play. First off, he is accustomed to playing with lesser talent and being the go to man. Yeah, I know that all of the kids at the NBAPA were go to guys, but he had a hard time adjusting to not getting the ball where he wanted it. He did not team well with Tyler Lamb. [private] In fact, Lamb, a shooting guard often tried to receive the in bounds pass when Irving was the true point in the game. When Lamb did get the ball, well, that was that for he was going to shoot. Irving showed he needs work on the consistency of his outside shot, but he is more than capable of remedying this. It should also be noted that he played in many east coast AAU events last year. What I'm getting at is he did not know some of the guys at the event, so it took him a bit to find his comfort zone.

Tyler Thornton - Tyler constantly talks to his teammates and plays a really smart floor game. His defense is solid, but he does have trouble keeping up with speedsters like Joe Jackson. He continues to work on his outside shot and is more than capable of running the point. He became more aggressive as the camp went on and that served him well. Needs to cut down on the occasional drives where he takes it into the teeth of the defense. He will likely surprise a few with his play once he is at the point for a team that plays as a team.

Josh Hairston - Hairston is adjusting to the hype and as we reported here, he'll transfer to Montrose and that will help in that the competition is better. Hairston has been forced to play out of position and by floating outside working on his jumper, his inside game has suffered and slightly regressed. Hairston is a victim of being labeled a Dukie and prospects come at him hard, but he must learn to match their intensity being more physical on the boards and around the glass. He'll be fine, but getting his inside game back in shape will help his confidence which has been slightly shaken of late.

Ray McCallum - Ray was no match for the speed of Joe Jackson in that he had trouble turning the corner on him. Still, McCallum is a pure point guard that generally does not hurt his team. It is clear that he is a notch below Knight and Irving, but he is steady and never shaken when beat. IOW, he bounces back quickly. He was not particularly aggressive on the offensive end at the NBAPA and had trouble getting his shot off when taking it down the lane if he didn't have an outlet. He is quick with the ball and an adept ball handler, but he did struggle with the likes of Knight and Jackson. I think a little more upper body strength would help his game tremendously.

Joe Jackson - He had a great camp and proved himself the fastest of all the PG prospects. He would on occasion look for his shot instead of teammates, but could not be stopped when going into the lane. He plays good on ball defense and despite being wiry and slender he is unusually strong with his movements. Needs work on his outside shot, but is a scoring point that will give teams major head aches when he is on his game. You had to see Jackson play throughout the whole tournament to appreciate him. I have seen where some watched these kids the first two days and formed an opinion from that instead of the entire body of their games.

Tarik Black - As advertised with a solid body and loves to work in the paint. Did a great job against the much bigger Fab Mello and has two key baskets to help his team win the championship game. Not a great spot up shooter nor can he put the ball on the floor like some c, but he is more than efficient with his overall game and his presence is strong when in the game. Much more advanced than Tsafack at this stage, but he is learning the game of hoops as well in that he starting balling at a late age.

Brandon Knight - Knight is freakishly good, but his team did not win a single game. I am not sure what that says, but he has all the tools which make coaches drool. He is by far the best PG prospect in his class and there is a significant drop off to get to the next tier. Some people say he is selfish, but there is nothing he supposedly does wrong that cannot be fixed. Outside shot is spotty, but he is a blaze of motion with the ball and takes it to the rack with tremendous authority. Knight is very confident and is college ready right now.

Dominique Ferguson - He started slowly, but he woke up in the final two games. I feel he needs to be more aggressive on defense and down low. Still, the package is there and he has long arms and a body that is perfect for development. If he learns to play with an attitude of aggression, watch out.

Harrison Barnes - Started slowly by his standards and looked tired. His teammates did not get him the ball a lot, yet he still came away a stat stuffer by tournaments end. He struggled mightily on the front end of one and ones and was double teamed a lot. He is not a super presence when taking it into traffic, but he gets the shot off. Good inside/out play and gave maximum effort. Very smooth in all aspects of his game and plays with a quiet confidence at all times. He is not a rah-rah guy, keeping his emotion in check much like Trajan Langdon did in his days at Duke.

Andre Dawkins - Andre got saddled on one of the weaker teams and he didn't like losing. He continued to show improvement on both ends of the court. This is a kid just now discovering his athleticism and what he can do with it. Dawkins scored on most anybody and played hard even when his team was down and out. He resurrected his team for a late playoff run. Still needs more work on his handle and creating his shot off the dribble.

Fab Mello - Mello didn't disappoint. In fact, he played better against the best than he seems to in AAU tournaments against lesser competition. His size and ability to run the floor is impressive, but he is clueless on how to use his body with positioning. If he masters that, watch out for he will be a beast. Needs polish on his offensive game, but has all the tools to be the real deal. Struggles mightily with communication and seems to create more pressure than there really is. [/private]

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Duke prosepct Kyrie Irving chats with Blue Devil Nation

June 28, 2009 Mark Watson

Duke basketball prospect Kyrie Irving gives part I of an interview to BDN Premium. Hear Kyrie for yourself [private], but for those who do not like the audio interviews, we will try to find a way to transcribe them. During the second part, Irving spoke of his Uncle wearing an IU shirt recently and that it meant nothing. He seemed to have wanted to emphasize that point.

[/private]