BDN caught up with P.J. Hairston (Class of 2011) during a recent AAU event and we have some audio from that conversation for our members. Hairston visited Duke unofficially a short while back. Hairston is a 6'-5" shooting guard from Greensboro, North Carolina, where he plays his ball for Dudley. He is a member of the CP3 All Star team in [private] AAU play.
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I finally located the second audio interview with Kyrie Irving after he tossed in forty points in Cameron Indoor Stadium. If you have followed this site, you are aware that we broke Duke's interest in this talented young star long before others picked up on it. BDN has covered Irving at many events and that will continue this weekend, when Andrew Slater attends the "Rumble in the Bronx, event. The great thing about Andrew is his knowledge of national prospects, but when it comes to the East coast, he is more than just a little plugged in. So, why not join Blue Devil Nation Premium and get full access to the fastest growing subscription site around. We think you will quickly learn that this site stays ahead of the curve with the information you covet and that we take a hands on active role in our coverage of all things Duke. We are dedicated to bringing you a great Duke fan experience in a professional manner and when we talk of prospects, we have seen them play firsthand. We never deal in rumors at Blue Devil Nation, but we sure as heck are forced to squelch a few along the way on our members only message board. Our site sees no use in having a public message board, for they turn into quite the mess in a short time. We do value our visitors though and we'll continue to offer free content and peeks at what we cover in our premium section. When I first started Blue Devil Nation, there was a need for a site which was accurate, dependable and personable. I can promise you that we'll strive to add features we think you'll love in the near future. We have a Twitter page to keep you in touch with our offerings and tidbits on whats going on Duke Athletics. We are adding feature writers, all of which you have heard of as well. In short, I am excited about our coverage and the BDN team hopes you are as well. Thanks to all of you for making up the Blue Devil Nation. Now, on to the interview with Kyrie [private] Irving -
We will return to one on ones interviews, so stay tuned for a more streamlined experience. Talk about thi interview on the message board. [/private]
BDN takes a look at the how the recruiting class of 2010 is shaping up. First of all we know that Josh Hairston, Andre Dawkins and Tyler Thornton are in the fold, but who are they really after to fill that class out? Duke is happy to have all three of these kids but they are still seeking an [private] athletic wing, a point guard and a physical presence down low.
What this mean is that Duke is looking to bring in six players next year and seven counting red shirt Curry. Duke is confident that current bigs in the program will all blossom. Mason and Miles Plumlee alongside Ryan Kelly and Olek Czyz give the Devils a lot to work with. Three of the four are very versatile players while one is an athletic project.
Harrison Barnes remains Duke's biggest target but he is followed closely by Kyrie Irving. Okay, you're asking where is Brandon Knight, right? Knight is very much on his radar, so he is still listing Duke but Brandon is hard to read and takes a low key approach to recruiting. He is well aware that there is a spot here if he wants to come, but Duke cannot sit by waiting on his decision. That's why they have turned it up with Kyrie Irving. Duke loves his athleticism and his demeanor. Duke very much feels that they have a good shot at landing Irving.
Duke will on the recruting trail in July and Irving and Barnes will get a lot of attention at that time. Duke is in desperate need of a point guard and Thornton is well aware that he'll likely be a backup at Duke and/or a program kid and is accepting of that role. The Blue Devils like Ray McCallum as well and they have been told that he is no hurry in his recruiting by those close to the situation. The bottom line is that Duke will look his way if and when there comes a time when they feel less confident with Irving.
Despite reports that Irving is leaning towards Indiana, recent statements to BDN indicated that he was in the early stages of the process. Irving will visit Duke in the near future. Duke feels as if his athleticism is just too enticing and again, they feel good about the situation. Should that change on his visit and different vibes are felt, then they'll turn their attention to Ray McCallum and offer him.
Harrison Barnes' recruitment will go on for a while yet, but Duke feels good about their positioning and their relationship with the key prospect. Again, he will visit Duke after he does UNC and this will be for the third time late this month. The feeling is that this one may go down very much like Kyle Singler's recruitment, meaning they felt confident but had to let it play out.
Ideally, Duke wants to bring in a wide body athletic type and don't sleep on a kid like DeMarco Cox for he is very much what they are looking for physically. While he needs work on his grades, there is time to turn that situation around. Duke is interested in Tarik Black, but they'll need to get some more views of him in order to get a good feel for his game. We'll keep you posted on any developments with concerns to unofficial visits and such.[/private]
We've been taking care of business behind the scenes and working on a few technical issues, but AAU coverage and more will be back later this evening, so please check back in. Until then, here is our picture of the day which features Vince Taylor, Coach Mike Krzyzewski and Gene "Tinkerbell" Banks.
If one spends enough time evaluating talent on the AAU scene, they quickly learn that it takes more than one event to judge a player's skills. All too often, a kid will blow up in a game or an event and get crowned the next Kobe Bryant. Others will struggle or not live up to expectations, making it easy for the observer to label them overrated.
Had I not been around the circuit a few times, I would have stated that LaQuinton Ross is vastly overrated. Ross (6-8, 180, Jackson, MS) came into the Tournament of Champions event in almost everybody's top five players in the class of 2011, but he failed to live up to the hype when I first saw him. I thought to myself, perhaps the reason for my disappointment has something to do with him playing for a very talented AAU team. I then did a little digging and was told he as coming off an injury, which hindered his ability to move as he normally would.
In my second view, Ross showed flashes of why he has earned high rankings by the scouts, but he still was far from his A-game. Don't get me wrong, he stands out as an outstanding player, but just didn't seem to be one of the nation's top five players. That's why I always wait to give my true analysis of a player after multiple views. My general rule is that I must see a prospect play in a minimum of five games and that has to be over two separate events. This rule has proven to help me get a real feel for a player. One must consider that intangibles are always at work. A kid may be hurt, or he has been going through some of life's issues. I like to see a young man play tired to see if he forces himself through it. I like to see a kid go up against an wide variety of match ups and AAU styles. I could go on but you get the picture and you can bet that I will see Ross play a few more times before making a true assessment.
It is worth noting that Duke has already made contact and visited Ross's school to see him play as you will hear in this audio interview - (Join BDN Premium and get full access and benefits from our site) [private]
Enjoy the interview.
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Marshall Plumlee took to the floor in Cameron Indoor Stadium during last weeks TOC in front of his parents and brothers Mason and Miles. His two brothers are already at Duke and Marshall will prepare for the upcoming season with Christ School by developing his skills on the AAU trail. BDN talked with Marshall after his teams victory which you can hear in the following audio [private] blog. Coming in July, Blue Devil Nation 2.0.
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