ESPN and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) have reached a 12-year agreement for exclusive rights to every conference-controlled football and men’s basketball game, plus women’s basketball and Olympic sports matchups, and conference championships. The agreement, which begins in 2011-12 and continues through 2022-23, was announced by George Bodenheimer, President, ESPN, Inc. and ABC Sports, and John Swofford, ACC Commissioner. It will result in approximately 4,800 ACC events over the 12 years on ESPN’s television outlets, digital and mobile platforms, syndication and more.
Among the entities included are: ESPN, ESPN on ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3.com, the new ESPN 3D network, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN FULL COURT, ESPN International, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Classic and ESPN.com. Numerous events will be produced in high definition across ESPN HD, ABC HD, ESPN2 HD and ESPNU HD.
Additionally, through a new sublicense arrangement with ESPN, Raycom Sports will continue its long-standing position as the syndication home of ACC content for over-the-air and regional cable network distribution in the ACC market and beyond. Raycom Sports will also continue to manage the ACC’s official corporate partner program and the exploitation of its digital assets, including www.theACC.com, the official conference web site.
ESPN has been televising ACC content since the first year of the network in 1979-80. Highlights of the new agreement include:
Football on national TV: Regular-season action on Saturday afternoon and nights, primetime Thursdays, Labor Day Monday and the ACC Football Championship Game;
Men’s basketball on national TV: The most games ever across the ESPN networks, highlighted by both regular-season matchups of the storied Duke-North Carolina rivalry each year; for the first time, full national telecasts on all games televised on an ESPN platform (had been local market blackouts on handful of telecasts); a new weekly Sunday franchise on ESPNU; every regular-season intra-conference game and the entire conference tournament produced and distributed via ESPN and Raycom Sports;
Women’s basketball: A record number of women’s regular-season basketball games and the addition of the entire conference tournament;
Olympic sports: An expanded commitment to the league’s 22-sponsored Olympic sports with regular-season and championship telecasts, highlighted by baseball, softball, lacrosse, and men’s and women’s soccer;
Syndication: Syndication rights for ACC football, basketball and Olympic sports action for over-the-air and regional cable network distribution in ACC markets and beyond via an agreement with Raycom Sports and through potential sublicense agreements with other national outlets;
Digital media: Exclusive ACC football, men’s and women’s basketball, and Olympic sports games as well as simulcasts on ESPN3.com. Live ACC games, including football and basketball, on ESPN Mobile TV;
ESPN 3D: Live ACC action on ESPN 3D, ESPN’s newest network and the first 3D network to launch in the industry;
Additional outlets: ACC action on ESPN International, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN FULL COURT, ESPN Classic and ESPN Deportes; and extensive content rights for ESPN.com.
“Some of ESPN’s most memorable moments have featured the ACC and we’re proud to extend our long-term relationship with this great conference and Raycom,” Bodenheimer said.
ACC Commissioner John Swofford said, “We are excited to be continuing our partnership with ESPN and Raycom Sports. This agreement allows our schools to reach significantly new financial heights while also showcasing more ACC content and coverage than ever before across traditional and new media platforms.”
"We are very excited to continue our 30 year partnership with the ACC and ESPN," said Ken Haines, President and CEO of Raycom Sports. "Throughout the ever-changing landscape of sports television, we have always prided ourselves on the long term relationships we have with both the ACC and ESPN."
Following are the key details of the new agreement:
Football
With exclusive rights to every conference-controlled football game, ESPN will serve as the national cable and broadcast TV home for the conference and distributor of syndication telecasts via an agreement with Raycom Sports. With the agreement granting rights to every matchup, there is flexibility where games can be distributed on a weekly basis throughout the season. Outlets will include:
ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC: The networks will televise ACC games each week, including Thursday, Saturday and a Labor Day Monday telecast each season. The ACC Football Championship Game will continue to be televised each year on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC.
ESPNU: The 24-hour college sports network, currently distributed in more than 70 million households, will continue to televise ACC football.
Syndication: ESPN will sublicense games to Raycom Sports and potentially to additional national outlets. As part of the agreement, Raycom Sports will produce and distribute a package of games for over-the-air syndication and for the first time, an additional package of games through regional cable syndication in the ACC markets and beyond.
ESPN3.com: Exclusive ACC game presentations as well as simulcasts will be offered on the broadband network.
ESPN 3D: ACC matchups will be part of the live schedule of games offered on the new service.
ESPN Mobile TV: Extensive ACC content, including highlights and live game simulcasts will be presented on mobile phones.
ESPN International and ESPN Deportes: The deal includes global rights to present live games and encore presentations across ESPN’s International platforms and domestic Spanish-language rights for ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s 24-hour, U.S.-based network.
ESPN GamePlan: The out-of-market college football service will continue to offer an extensive weekly schedule of ACC games.
ESPN Classic: The network may televise live ACC games as well as historic and immediate encore presentations.
ESPN.com: Extensive ACC content, including highlights, will be presented online.
Men’s Basketball
As the exclusive rightsholder to all conference-controlled men’s basketball games, ESPN will offer more ACC men’s basketball than ever before, including every intra-conference matchup and an extensive schedule of inter-conference action on one of its platforms or through sublicense agreements with Raycom Sports or other national outlets. The deal also includes the continuation of the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge event. Similar to football, as a result of the acquisition of exclusive men’s basketball rights, there is flexibility where games can be distributed. Outlets will include:
ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU: The networks will combine to offer numerous intra-conference games, highlighted by top showdowns, including both Duke-North Carolina contests, plus several conference controlled inter-conference matchups with no blackouts (the previous agreement included select blackouts in the ACC market). Highlighting the schedule will be a new weekly ESPNU Sunday telecast and the continuation of ACC action on ESPN’s Super Tuesday, Wednesday Night Hoops, Thursday Night Showcase and Saturdays. ESPN will also retain the rights to all ACC Tournament games for distribution across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU (with no blackouts).
Syndication: Similar to football, ESPN will sublicense games to Raycom Sports and potentially to additional national outlets. As part of the agreement, Raycom Sports will produce and distribute a significant package of intra-conference games through over-the-air syndication and a series of matchups through regional cable networks.
ESPN3.com: Exclusive ACC game presentations as well as simulcasts will be offered on the broadband network.
ESPN 3D: ACC matchups will be part of the live schedule of games offered on the new service.
ESPN Mobile TV: Extensive ACC content, including highlights and live game simulcasts will be presented on mobile phones.
ESPN International and ESPN Deportes: The deal includes global rights to present live games and encore presentations across ESPN’s International platforms and domestic Spanish-language rights for ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s 24-hour, U.S.-based network.
ESPN FULL COURT: The out-of-market college basketball service will offer extensive weekly coverage of the ACC.
ESPN Classic: The network may telecast live ACC games as well as historic and immediate encore presentations.
ESPN.com: Extensive ACC content, including highlights, will be presented online.
Women’s Basketball
ESPN will expand its coverage of regular-season women’s basketball across its platforms and televise the conference semifinals and championship for the first time on an ESPN network. In addition, ESPN will sublicense games to Raycom Sports.
ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU: ACC teams will appear on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. In addition, ESPN will acquire the rights to the women’s conference championship game for coverage on ESPN or ESPN2, while the semifinals will be aired on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.
ESPN3.com: Exclusive ACC game presentations as well as simulcasts will be offered on the broadband network.
Syndication: Through an agreement with ESPN, Raycom Sports will produce and distribute a series of regular-season games and all early rounds of the conference tournament to regional cable networks.
Olympic Sports
ESPN will televise more of the 22 ACC-sponsored Olympic sports than ever before, increasing its coverage to include regular-season and conference championship events.
ESPN and ESPN2: The networks will have first selection of regular-season events each year (events are to be determined).
ESPNU: A package of regular-season events will be televised annually, highlighted by lacrosse, baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer and others.
ESPN3.com: Numerous, exclusive regular-season events plus simulcasts will be offered annually, including lacrosse, baseball, softball, volleyball, soccer, and others.
Championships: ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU will televise the conference championship games in softball and baseball while ESPNU will offer the men’s lacrosse semifinals and championship, and men’s and women’s soccer championship matchups. Other championships may be selected for ESPN platforms or distributed by Raycom Sports to regional cable networks.
ESPN, Inc.
ESPN, Inc. is the world’s leading multinational, multimedia sports entertainment company featuring a portfolio of over 50 multimedia sports assets. The company is comprised of six domestic television networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, ESPN Classic & ESPN Deportes), ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU & ESPNEWS HD simulcast services, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN International (46 networks, syndication, radio, web sites), ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Enterprises, ESPN PPV, ESPN Zones (sports-themed restaurants), and other growing new businesses including ESPN3.com (Broadband, formerly ESPN360.com), ESPN Mobile Properties, ESPN on Demand and ESPN Interactive. Based in Bristol, Conn., ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc., which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20 percent interest in ESPN.
ACC
The Atlantic Coast Conference, now in its 58th year of competition, is one of the strongest and most competitive intercollegiate athletics conferences in the country. The ACC sponsors competition in 25 sports for its 12 member institutions: Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. Since the league’s inception in 1953, ACC schools have captured 120 national championships, including 64 in women’s competition and 56 in men’s. In addition, NCAA individual titles have gone to ACC student-athletes 130 times in men’s competition and 91 times in women’s action.
Raycom Sports
Raycom Sports is a leading independent sports sales & marketing, syndication, event management and production firm. Raycom is the current television rightsholder of ACC men's basketball and syndicated football telecasts through 2011. Raycom Sports' parent company Raycom Media, located in Montgomery, AL, owns and operates 39 television stations covering over 12 percent of the United States across 18 states.
Category Archives: Duke Basketball
N.C. Pro Am – Thornton is efficient in his short stint
DURHAM, N.C - Three Duke Blue Devils took to the court at the N.C. Pro Am on Tuesday evening on the campus of N.C. Central University. This was the first appearance for Andre Dawkins and Ryan Kelly fresh off the national championship and the two scored 10 points apiece while their team lost by 8 points. True freshman Tyler Thornton added 8 points.
In the preceding game, Team Stackhouse held off a game Team 212 on their way to a 4 point overtime win. A packed facility saw Harrison Barnes display his various skills scoring 31 points while his teammates Reggie Bullock added 21 and 20 points. In coming freshman point guard Kendall Marshall took in the action from the sidelines as his teammates took the majority of the shots.
While the Tar Heels played the entire game, that was far from the case in the third game, the most disjointed game of the evening. Kelly was the exception, playing much of the game if for no other reason than his team had just one other guy over 6-4. Kelly looks thicker than last season and it is obvious that he has worked on gaining weight in the off season. I had Kelly at 8 rebounds unofficially.
Kelly struggled from the free throw stripe and his shot wasn't as accurate as I have seen, but he showed nice athletic moves polishing off two dunks on successive offensive possessions and moved well with the ball, always looking for open teammates. He couldn't help but wear down playing so many minutes inside.
It was quite a different story for Andre Dawkins who opened the game with a strong one handed throw down dunk and a three point shot. After starting the game, Dawkins was then benched until the fourth quarter. Here is the culprit, his team had 13 players on the bench. Yep, that's right 18 players on the team.
Of those 18 players, several off them were in way over their heads and the Team Navy coach seemingly wanted to play all of them which prevented any hope of victory or good basketball. Dawkins move better with the ball in hands and showed that he continually gets better athletically.
Then there was Tyler Thornton, who to me, was the most impressive of the group despite maybe one quarter of play. Thornton's efficiency was evident where he was 3 of 3 from the floor, dishing 3 assists. He was the best guard on the court when in the game, playing under control, looking for his teammates. In short, he played smart. All of that went to the wayside when players from the bench came in and jacked up ridiculous one on one shots which cheapened the game in terms of competitiveness.
Thornton moves well with the ball and is quicker than many realize. He is more than capable of earning a little burn in his first season at Duke despite the tremendous depth on the roster. In short, there will be a role for Thornton. One of his perceived weaknesses was his three point shot, but BDN has told you in the past that he has been working on that part of his game.
The true freshman showed the ability to catch and shoot nailing one three from the corner barely moving the net. In fact he hit both of his shots beyond the stripe.
Most of the Blue Devils will play in the event, but Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith have been working on their skills at the LeBron James Skills Academy where both college and high school players participate. The much anticipated debut of Kyrie Irving will likely come next week where he joins Kyle Singler on his team.
Interestingly, the Duke players are scattered about on the teams, while Team Stackhouse has been dubbed Team Tar Heel by the fans. N.C. State fans got a chance to see their incoming class last evening where Ryan Harrow took to the court for the first time as well.
The event continues on Thursday evening and the games start at 6:00. Admission is absolutely free, but be prepared to walk a good ways to get in due to construction which cut out an entire parking lot. Crowds have been outstanding to date and at times were approaching capacity. Once the event settles in and the players appear on a more consistent basis that crowd may well push a record.
Duke fans can only hope that they see more of their players like the efficient Tyler Thornton. And the reason fans turn out is to see the local schools kids play. My understanding is that the issue of playing time for the better players will be addressed, but in fairness, this only happened in the third contest.
Be sure to check the N.C. Pro Am out for it is good free entertainment in a friendly atmosphere.
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Adidas Nations Day One – Duke prospects looking good
Day one of our Adidas Nations coverage is underway where BDN's Andrew Slater is on the scene bringing constant updates as they happen to our premium members. Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski and Chris Collins are in the house where they are watching several prospects. One of those is Shabazz Muhammad who just dropped 32 points. Alex Murphy? He just dunked a ball to tie his team's game up at 74 all with three seconds left on the game clock.
Find out who the Duke staff is watching and how Duke's hot prospects are doing by becoming a subscriber to the most active Duke site on the AAU circuit, Blue Devil Nation Premium. Andrew has already listed some of the measurements for key recruits at the LeBron Skills Academy in Akron as well. And he will continue to cover both events as the week progresses.
He has already talked with Marshall Plumlee, Shabazz Muhammad, Kaleb Tarczewski and Troy Murphy, so interviews are coming. So if you want to hear about the throng of the nation's finest coaches are watching or the circus atmosphere surrounding LeBron James, check out our trial offer which lasts just a few more days or join for the year which is the best bargain. It's a great time to be a member of BDN Premium.
As soon as you are done, join our private message board where you can find updates like these as they happen -
Drew, Crean, Dixon, Huggins, Capel, Miller, Self, and plenty of assistants. NE Playaz won convincingly, 68-50. The only one who was consistently able to score for D-One was Deuce. Bello finished with 26. Quincy couldn't defend Tarczewski and Clifton kept telling their replacement coach to pull him off of him- Adding that it was Quincy and four midgets. Miller finished with 5points, which is, by far, the least I've ever seen with him. Murphy, displaying his high bb IQ and improved athleticism and strength, and Tarczewski really closed out well in the second half. Alex Murphy finished with 18 and Kaleb Tarczewski finished with a team-high 19. K and Collins are watching DC Assault take on Franchize All-Stars.
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Monday Musings – Hitting the recruiting trail in full force
What a great time to be a Duke fan, huh? Kickoff to football is two months away and we can still wallow in the joy of a national championship as the summer moves on. It's getting warm this time of year and that means BDN Premium will be red hot in the coming months. We brought you the latest from Quincy Miller today and have Deuce Bello coming by evening.
But that is only the start folks! Our resident recruiting analyst Andrew Slater will be on the road this week to cover both the Adidas event in Indianapolis and the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, Ohio. I'm pretty sure no other sites place the focus we do on true Duke prospects at these events. I will be heading to the Peach Jam the following week, so rest assured, BDN Premium is the place to be for updates, interviews and analogy being issued daily.
While Andrew takes in the measurements and skills drills at LeBron James camp in just a few hours, I will prep for more NC Pro Am coverage tomorrow all of which remains in the free section. BDN has long supported and covered the event and has proven this is the place to be in July time and time again. We hope to get our football coverage going again as well making this undoubtedly the busiest time of the year for us. Coach Cutcliffe and his staff's recruiting class is really starting to take shape and we want to share that with the nation.
Be sure and take advantage of the special trial offer or go ahead and save money by joining Blue Devil Nation Premium for a year so you will not miss any of the action or updates. Our private message board is but one of the perks for members where they can discuss the matters at hand in a tame and professional environment.
We work hard at BDN to cover all things Duke Athletics and we think you will see that dedication whether you remain a visitor for our free offerings or you decide to join our subscription section where you will surely be in the know. We think there is a difference in site coverage and issue and we cordially invite you to see that for yourself.
Later this evening, we'll release our infamous recruiting and team update and our members will tell you it is not something you want to miss. And we have recruiting analyst Brick Oettinger's thoughts on Duke prospects coming this week as well. Be sure to check out our archives if you join where you will also find guru's Tom Konchalski'sthoughts on prospects as well. In fact, it is easy to find all of our updates and player interviews which allows you to catch up. Go back and see how far ahead of the curve we were on things just now coming to fruition or just wait for the numerous updates which will flood our premium section in the coming days.
We would love to have you join us, so please consider our offer and judge BDN Premium for yourself. We are passionate and dedicated to the best possible coverage and we are confident you will like what you see. Thanks for reading what is essentially an ad, but one only designed to tell you how exciting a time this is behind the scenes at BDN. Go Duke and thank you for making up the Blue Devil Nation
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US U17 rolls past Lithuania 102-66
Despite tipoff coming 30 minutes after 12 noon, it was early lights out for Lithuania (1-1) as the USA Men’s U17 Team (2-0) ran over, around and through Lithuania Saturday and in the process collected a very impressive 102-66 victory in preliminary round play at the inaugural FIBA U17 World Championship in Hamburg, Germany.
It was the second meeting between the two squads in four days and nothing like the USA’s previous 92-79 victory over Lithuania that came in an exhibition contest held June 29 in Kaunas, Lithuania.
“We came in here with the mindset that we had played them before so we definitely knew what to expect. We came in focused as a team and all 12 guys on the team contributed,” commented 6-8 USA forward James McAdoo (Norfolk Christian H.S. / Norfolk, Va.). “We definitely all played together today. Yesterday we kind of got away from what our mindset was but we got the win, so we came in here today with good focus.”\
Balanced scoring by the Americans was underscored as all 12 players scored at least four points, the team collectively was credited with handing out 27 assists, seven players had at one assist. The U.S. shot a sizzling 56.1 percent from the field, and outrebounded Lithuania 46-36.
About the only flaw in the USA’s dominating performance Saturday was its 25 turnover, nine of which came in the last 10 minutes when the USA lead was floating between 40-50 points.
“It’s awesome,” McAdoo stated about the team’s high energy play. “I like to play up and down; I like to get up and down; I don’t like to post up as far as in the half court set. So when we’re able to get our defense cooking and were getting turnovers, we’re getting deflections, we’re getting blocked shots, that just really aids my game and you saw how that worked out today where I was able to get out on the fastbreak and get a lot of open shots and open dunks.”
Unlike the two team’s last meeting four days ago when Lithuania got out to a first quarter lead and the Americans spent the rest of the game getting back ahead and holding on to the lead, the U.S. struck quickly and with remarkable energy and precision.
Thanks to five points from Brad Beal (Chaminade College Prep H.S. / St. Louis, Mo.) and four more from McAdoo, the U.S. jumped out into the lead 11-3. With the scoreboard reading 11-6 in the USA’s favor, the Americans turned up the defensive intensity and the result was 10 consecutive points and an overall 21-7 scoring rampage over the opening quarter’s final 4:05 that left the USA fully in charge, 32-13.
At one point during the USA’s full in-your-face dominating play, Lithuania was forced into five consecutive turnovers that the U.S. converted into fastbreak points. For the afternoon, the U.S. recorded 38 points off the break.
“There were times when it seemed like they couldn’t really get into their offense, we were pressing up on them and putting a lot of ball pressure and that definitely helped,” stated McAdoo.
The USA’s energy never subsided and at halftime the U.S. lead stood at 56-31. The lead continued to balloon in the second half and the USA went on to lead by as many as 50 points before sailing in for the 102-66 victory.
McAdoo and Beal led the USA effort with 16 points each, and McAdoo added a U.S. best seven rebounds and three steals. André Drummond (St. Thomas More School / Middletown, Conn.) tallied 10 points and five boards, while Chasson Randle (Rock Island H.S. / Rock Island, Ill.) finished with 10 points on perfect 4-for-4 shooting. Quinn Cook (DeMatha H.S. / Bowie, Md.) accounted for nine points, six rebounds and game high eight assists, and Tony Wroten, Jr. (Garfield H.S. / Seattle, Wash.) contributed nine points in the win.
“Obviously we played pretty well today. Lithuania is a very good team. We had a practice game against them earlier and it was really a close game until a few minutes were left in the game. So we knew they were a good team. Our players were very well prepared mentally for this game. We started out the game with getting some turnovers and with our athletic ability and quickness; we started the game out like we wanted to,” USA U17 World Championship Team and Mid-Prairie High School (Iowa) head coach Don Showalter said. “We started off a little different with our press and I think that started the whole run for us. We have some really quick kids and when they can get their hands on balls, get deflections, that starts a run for us and I think we took them out of their offense a little but by having a full court press.”
Other Saturday results saw Argentina (1-1) handled Egypt (0-2) 98-69, while Canada (1-1) beat Australia (0-2) by a score of 76-68.
Following a day off that fittingly comes on Sunday, July 4, the USA will continue FIBA U17 World Championship preliminary play on July 5 facing China, then plays Egypt on July 6 and closes opening round play against Serbia on July 7. The top four finishing teams from each preliminary round group will advance to the July 9 medal quarterfinals, with semifinals games scheduled for July 10 and the gold and bronze medal games to be contested on July 11.
“Our focus is on China as they’re our next opponent,” said Showalter. “We know they are talented, they’re big, they’re strong, so we’re going to have to play well. Our goal is to get better every game and the teams that get better every game are the ones that are going to end up in the medal rounds.
“The nice thing is that if any of our players have a game where they’re not quite on we have players who can come in and spell them and really do well. One of the things I get asked a lot is ’how do you manage your team’s young egos, they’re all great players on their teams” and you know that’s pretty easy because they just want to win. They don’t care how it’s done, it’s not me it’s we on our team and I think they showed that today.”
Serving as assistant coaches for the 2009-10 USA Developmental National Team and 2010 USA U17 World Championship Team are Herman Harried, head coach at Lake Clifton High School (Md.), and Kevin Sutton, head coach at Montverde Academy (Fla.).
Quincy Miller highlights opening night of the NC Pro Am for Duke fans
DURHAM - Sporting his Team USA attire, Quincy Miller highlighted the opening night of the NC Pro Am for Duke fans. Miller had just come back to Durham from San Antonio where the U-18 team had their way with world competition. Miller, of course, is a key Duke recruiting target in the class of 2011 and the versatile prospect showed he was unafraid to go up against the older guys scoring 14 points in a single half of play due to his late arrival.
Because he was late to the event, the promoter allowed Miller to play for one more half with another team as a fill in and he tallied 10 points in that game. Miller went up against future UNC player P.J. Hairston. In fact, his severely undermanned team faced what was essentially a Carolina All Star team that consisted of Harrison Barnes, Reggie Bullock, Jon Henson and others. But with Hairston, the battle got a bit heated. The two went head to head late in the game and despite surely being tired from jet lag, Miller outscored the offensive minded Hairston 14-13 in a single half of play, meaning, how many would Miller have scored with full two half's?
Harrison Barnes was as advertised, calm, cool and collected on the court. Barnes opened the game with two emphatic dunks as his team rolled to an early lead over what appeared to be one of the weakest teams in this years field. Barnes ended the game with 16 points while coasting in the second half.
Reggie Bullock added 10 points and Henson added 8. Also playing on the Tar Heel laden Team Stackhouse was Miller's high school and AAU teammate Deuce Bello who had a game high 18 points and showed off his athletic skill set. Team Stackhouse won easily by a 81-60 margin.
In an earlier game, the youthful prospect Rodney Purvis scored 16 points while wowing the crowd with his abilities. Purvis is just a rising sophomore in high school.
N.C. Sate fans turned out in droves as well, but Ryan Harrow and Lorenzon Brown were no-shows. C.J. Leslie did play though and he tallied 16 points to go with his teammate Tracy Smith 14.
The NBA's number one draft pick, John Wall, was also in attendance and his presence alone made some in the crowd a bit giddy. Wall was seen talking to former UNC standout Jerry Stackhouse for most of the evening.
All of the Duke players were no shows due to the break at school and or Nike skills academy camps. The Blue Devils will start to appear next week where the games are on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
NOTES - There was a very solid opening night crowd despite what was a parking mess due to construction on the N.C. Central Campus. Expect a nice walk to the event if you are able to attend. Admission is a bargain in that it is free. BDN Premium has an article on Quincy Miller due shortly where we get the latest from the prospect. So, stay tuned to BDN whose history of covering the event is well known.
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