Category Archives: Duke Basketball

Duke Basketball

Jones ACC & Defensive POY – Carey, Devils Honored

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Duke sophomore guard Tre Jones was voted the 2020 ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, highlighting the All-ACC Men’s Basketball Team and award winners for the 2019-20 season, as released Monday morning by the conference office.

The 2019-20 All-ACC Team was determined by a 75-person selection panel consisting of the league’s 15 head coaches and 60 members of the media.

A native of Apple Valley, Minnesota, Jones received 34 first-place votes for ACC Player of the Year, twice as many as any other player. He is averaging 16.2 points and 6.4 assists per game this season for the Blue Devils. A finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award and the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Jones also has a +2.4 assist/turnover ratio and averages 1.8 steals per game.  He is averaging 17.8 points per game over Duke's last 16 games, including his season-high 28 points in the Feb. 8 win in overtime at North Carolina.

Duke's Vernon Carey Jr. was the runaway pick for ACC Rookie of the Year, claiming 70 of the 75 votes for the award. The native of Southwest Ranches, Florida, is averaging 17.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game for Duke. He also is shooting 57.7% from the field while leading the Blue Devils in scoring and rebounding. He owns 15 double-doubles this season – second-most nationally among all freshmen – and is a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award for the nation’s top center.

Jones and Carey Jr. were joined on the All-ACC First Team by Louisville’s Jordan Nwora (18.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg), Notre Dame’s John Mooney (NCAA-high 25 double-doubles; 16.5 ppg, 12.8 rpg) and Syracuse’s Elijah Hughes (league-high 18.8 ppg).

The All-ACC Second Team is comprised of Virginia’s Mamadi Diakite, Florida State’s Trent Forrest and Devin Vassell, North Carolina’s Garrison Brooks and NC State’s Markell Johnson. Third-Team All-ACC honors went to Virginia’s Kihei Clark, Georgia Tech’s Jose Alvarado, Clemson’s Aamir Simms, North Carolina’s Cole Anthony and Wake Forest’s Olivier Sarr.

Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton was voted ACC Coach of the Year after guiding FSU to its first ACC regular-season championship and the Seminoles’ first in any league since the 1989 Metro Conference regular-season title. He earned 62 of the 75 votes for the award. FSU is 26-5 this season and wrapped up the regular season with a 15-5 mark in conference play. The Seminoles are ranked No. 7 nationally in the latest Associated Press poll and the top seed in the upcoming New York Life ACC Tournament. This marks the third time Hamilton has been voted the ACC’s Coach of the Year (2009, 2012).

The Seminoles’ Patrick Williams was named ACC Sixth Man of the Year. The freshman averaged 9.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in 29 games, all off the bench. He also owns a team-high 30 blocked shots.

Williams was joined on the ACC All-Freshman Team by Carey Jr., Anthony, Virginia Tech’s Landers Nolley II and Duke’s Cassius Stanley.

North Carolina’s Garrison Brooks was selected as the ACC’s Most Improved Player. Averaging 16.4 points per game, the junior has more than doubled his scoring average from a season ago (7.9 ppg in 2018-19). Brooks also is averaging 8.8 rebounds per game, which is third in the ACC, and boasts a dozen double-doubles this season.

Jones was the top vote-getter for the All-Defensive Team and was joined on the squad by Virginia’s Mamadi Diakite, Florida State’s Trent Forrest, Georgia Tech’s James Banks III and Boston College’s Steffon Mitchell.

2020 All-ACC Team
First Team
Vernon Carey Jr., Duke, 367
Jordan Nwora, Louisville, 359
John Mooney, Notre Dame, 351
Tre Jones, Duke, 348
Elijah Hughes, Syracuse, 305

Second Team
Mamadi Diakite, Virginia, 234
Devin Vassell, Florida State, 212
Garrison Brooks, North Carolina, 209
Trent Forrest, Florida State, 200
Markell Johnson, NC State, 101

Third Team
Kihei Clark, Virginia, 98
Jose Alvarado, Georgia Tech, 87
Aamir Simms, Clemson, 79
Cole Anthony, North Carolina, 69
Olivier Sarr, Wake Forest, 63

Honorable Mention
Landers Nolley II, Virginia Tech, 58
Michael Devoe, Georgia Tech, 48
Brandon Childress, Wake Forest 44
Chris Lykes, Miami, 32
M.J. Walker, Florida State, 22
Braxton Key, Virginia, 16
Dwayne Sutton, Louisville 15
Steffon Mitchell, Boston College, 11

ACC Player of the Year
Tre Jones, Duke, 34
Jordan Nwora, Louisville, 17
John Mooney, Notre Dame, 11
Elijah Hughes, Syracuse, 7
Trent Forrest, Florida State, 4
Mamadi Diakite, Virginia 2

Freshman of the Year
Vernon Carey Jr., Duke, 70
Landers Nolley II, Virginia Tech, 2
Cole Anthony, North Carolina, 2
Patrick Williams, Florida State, 1

All-Defensive Team
Tre Jones, Duke, 64
Mamadi Diakite, Virginia, 55
Trent Forrest, Florida State, 55
James Banks III, Georgia Tech, 34
Steffon Mitchell, Boston College, 30

All-Freshman Team
Vernon Carey Jr., Duke, 75
Cole Anthony, North Carolina, 55
Landers Nolley II, Virginia Tech, 54
Cassius Stanley, Duke, 36
Patrick Williams, Florida State, 29

Coach of the Year
Leonard Hamilton, Florida State, 62
Tony Bennett, Virginia, 12
Chris Mack, Louisville, 1

Defensive Player of the Year
Tre Jones, Duke, 45
Trent Forrest, Florida State, 18
Steffon Mitchell, Boston College, 8
Kihei Clark, Virginia, 3
Manny Bates, NC State, 1

Most Improved Player
Garrison Brooks, North Carolina, 17
Olivier Sarr, Wake Forest, 16
Devin Vassell, Florida State, 16
Buddy Boeheim, Syracuse, 10
Aamir Simms, Clemson, 6
Moses Wright, Georgia Tech, 6
Prentiss Hubb, Notre Dame, 2
DJ Funderburk, NC State, 1
Jay Huff, Virginia, 1

6th Man of the Year
Patrick Williams, Florida State, 35
Malik Williams, Louisville, 28
Dane Goodwin, Notre Dame, 9
Isaiah Wong, Miami, 3

Note: All-ACC Team points are determined on a 5-3-1 system (five points for first team, three points for second team, one point for third team).

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Duke Will Entertain Trevor Keels, Jeremy Roach, and Jaemyn Brakefield

The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team will entertain two prospects and two verbal commitments when they take on arch-rival North Carolina Tar Heels tomorrow night in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

One of the visitors is 2021 shooting guard Trevor Keels (Paul VI, Va.) whom Duke offered this past December. He impressed Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski during the Hoophall Classic where he blew up in the rankings after his overall performance in the event.

If Keels high school sounds familiar it's because Duke commitment Jeremy Roach attends the same school. Roach will be making the trip to Durham where he'll take in the atmosphere as Duke will celebrate their annual senior day and the last game in Cameron Indoor Stadium for the 2019-20 season.

Another player who will arrive on campus next season will be coming in from West Virginia. The Blue Devils will welcome 6-8 forward Jaemyn Brakefield who plays for Huntington Prep.

Also in attendance will be 2022 Durham Academy prospect MJ Rice. This would mark the second straight game where he will have been behind the Duke bench.

Duke Basketball

Jack White, Wendell Moore All ACC Academic Selections

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke senior forward Jack White and freshman forward Wendell Moore Jr., has been named to the 2020 All-ACC Academic Team, the conference announced Friday.

To be eligible for consideration to the All-ACC Academic Team, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during his academic career.

A sociology major and team captain, White earns All-ACC Academic status for the second consecutive year. The senior from Australia is averaging 3.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game, and his 22 blocked shots rank fourth on the team.

Moore has contributed 7.6 points per game to go with 4.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He has had several marquee performances for the Blue Devils this season, including his game-winning tip-in to beat North Carolina at the buzzer in overtime on Feb. 8. Moore also scored a career-high 25 points at Wake Forest on Feb. 25 and set a Duke freshman single-game record with 15 made free throws.

This marks the 26th consecutive season Duke has had at least one selection to the All-ACC Academic Team. White and Moore are Duke's 95th and 96th all-time selections.

Duke Basketball

Tre Jones Finalist For Cousy Award for Top PG


DURHAM, N.C. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame today announced Duke sophomore Tre Jones as one of five finalists for the 2020 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award.

Not only a tenacious on-ball defender and the No. 12 Blue Devils’ on-court leader but Jones has also emerged as one of the top overall players in college basketball. He is the nation’s only player averaging better than 16.0 points (16.1), 6.0 assists (6.5), 1.5 steals (1.7), a .430 field goal percentage (.433) and a 2.0 assist/turnover ratio (+2.3). The Apple Valley, Minn., native also remains the only player ranked in the ACC’s top 10 in each of those categories.

Jones has come on strong in the latter half this season, averaging 17.7 points over his last 15 games, including his 28-point effort and late-game heroics to beat North Carolina in overtime. Jones’ 362 career assists are the most among active power conference sophomores, while his +2.87 career assist/turnover ratio would stand as a Duke record.

A three-time ACC Player of the Week, Jones is the only player in the conference to be named a finalist for the Cousy Award. He is also a semifinalist for the Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year Award and was named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20.

The five finalists for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee this month. The winner of the award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Naismith Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live Friday, March 6 on hoophallawards.com.

The winner of the 2020 Bob Cousy Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles on Friday, April 10.

2020 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Finalists

Tre Jones (Duke)

Devon Dotson (Kansas)

Markus Howard (Marquette)

Payton Pritchard (Oregon)

Malachi Flynn (San Diego State)


Duke Basketball

Duke Must Be More Than Jones and Carey

As a Tre Jones last-second shot bounced off the rim the Duke Blue Devils lost their second consecutive game and their third in the last four outings. A 52-50 loss to Virginia, a team that should have been ranked due to their play of late is not the end of the world, but considering just a play or two would have altered the outcome leaves one feeling empty.

The Blue Devils had their opportunities against Virginia, but a troubling trend continued in the setback. A glance at the box score shows that the team past Tre Jones and Vernon Carey Jr. were a combined 6 of 34 from the field on offense.

To make matters worse, the Blue Devils had an alarmingly paltry four total assists in the loss. Thankfully, Duke has done enough work to warrant a double-bye in the fast-approaching ACC Tournament, but there is plenty of concern with how Duke closes out the regular season against crosstown rivals N.C. State and North Carolina.

Not that long ago, fans and the staff had to feel good about their final two games in Cameron, but now many doubt they can end the skid against hungry teams.

N.C. State can punch their NCAA Tournament ticket with a win and the Monday turnaround gives Duke little time to regroup. One game at a time sure, but it was hard not to notice North Carolina's dominating road win at Syracuse as well.

Early in the season, the Blue Devils had several different players stepping up on different nights which helped them to a fine start. As of late, it is as if everybody on the team is deferring to Vernon Carey and Tre Jones to handle the load.

And they cannot will this team to win by themselves.

As good as Carey and Jones can be they are not Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett from a season ago and they cannot win games taking on the big two role as could two of the top three picks in the NBA Draft.

For whatever reason, the rest of the Duke cast is struggling. Perhaps some of the freshmen have hit the so-called wall, but the Blue Devils are not getting much help from their upperclassmen as well.

If Duke hopes to get past this adversity, it will only come from playing team basketball where other players step up. At this point in the season, the Blue Devils expected to develop a third scoring option, but inconsistency is preventing players with the potential to fill the role.

Duke is not relocating the ball quick enough of late to help handle the pressure. And their players are not playing as if they know and trust one another in certain games.

The aforementioned issues allow opponents to double down on Carey and pressure Jones. And when Duke is not sharing the ball where they have had recent outings of four and six assists, well, you are going to keep losing games.

Duke is starting to tumble in the rankings and their hopes for playing in Greensboro in the NCAA's first round took a major hit. But this team should not even be thinking of that. They should try and find a way to get some swag back for it has been missing of late.

The Blue Devils will have had little time to make adjustments before tomorrow's game with N.C. State. But they can hopefully understand they need to find five players who are willing to play winning basketball when on the court.

"I think this is a key period for us (to) find out who we really are," said Duke leader Tre Jones after the loss to Virginia. Duke faithful hope the Blue Devils are more than they have shown of late.

The Duke versus N.C. State game tips at 7:00 on ESPN. The Blue Devils are currently 13-5 in the ACC and 23-6 overall going into the two-game homestand which ends he regular-season.

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Patrick Baldwin Jr. Visits Duke

The Duke Blue Devils entertained elite prospect, Patrick Baldwin Jr., during yesterday's in over Virginia Tech in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Baldwin is one of the best players in the Class of 2021 and he has long drawn the attention of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Now standing 6-10, Baldin is skilled beyond his years and smooth even when facing triple teams at the high school level Baldwin has become coach's dream.

The rising star has ties to Northwestern where his Dad was dubbed, the "Man of Steel." This, of course, has made him a major target for former Duke player and assistant coach Chris Collins.

As it turns out, his Pops, also named Pat, captained three Northwestern teams in the early nineties. He stood 6-1 and he met Parick's mom, Shawn, a volleyball star who was 6-2.

The result of their union is their son Patrick, one of the more versatile players in the country which has earned him a place with the nation's top tier prospects.

His Dad has gone on to coach UW-Milwaukee after stints at Loyola and Northwestern. So, there is some pull to stay with the family.

But the Baldwins know that playing under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke is a great opportunity, thus this weekend visit took place. And make no mistake about it, he is a major priority for the Blue Devils staff which feels he falls right in line with stretch fours past and more.

Growing up in a coach's family makes him an ideal fit for Duke. He is their type of prospect. He has a solid basketball I.Q. and works hard to better his skills while on his journey.

Another thing which could bode well for the Blue Devils is his friendship with Max Christie. Duke has long been on both these guys and wants them as part of the cornerstone for their next great class.

Duke has had tremendous success in getting players to the NBA without holding them back or trying to keep them in the program. This is another area that makes their offer a coveted one.

And it goes without saying that Patrick has been an early part of the USA Basketball program and the Blue Devils have the man who steadied the machine after it took a step back.

With the Northwestern lineage in the family, there is little doubt, Patrick, values education. But it is no secret that this young man will make his initial money playing basketball professionally.

Duke offers him the best of both worlds with hoops and education, but other schools are still trying to get in the picture before it is too late.

Kentucky and many others have kicked the wheels on Baldwin, but this one may come down to playing with family or in a familiar situation like Northwestern or Duke.

Baldwin has also visited North Carolina and Roy Williams has been up to see him. And of course, Marquette, Wisconsin and a bevy of other schools have offered.

Baldwin could make an impact no matter where he goes to school. But if his dream is to possibly play for a national title, Duke may in time be his choice.

Baldwin once visited the Duke Basketball Camp, so he has some familiarity with the campus and program. The staff surely showed off some of the nation's finest facilities during his weekend visit while making him aware that he is a major piece of the future should he come to Durham.

While Cameron may not have been its usual raucous self due to an early knockout punch of Virginia Tech yesterday, the Crazies did call the budding star over to sit with them, or to be technically correct, stand with them.

Baldwin, like other stellar prospects before him, caught Coach K's eyes early on. As good as he is, Baldwin is only scratching the surface of what he will become in college and one day, the NBA.

One thing that's clear is Krzyzewski and his staff desire to work with Baldwin and help him while being a part of his journey. Stay tuned for more on this developing story.

Duke Basketball covets players who have played in the Team USA Basketball system.
Baldwin most recently set a scoring record for Sussex.

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