BDN wishes Carrick Felix the best as he reopens his recruitment.
The news broke this morning that Carrick Felix would not join the Duke Basketball team in the 2010-11 season. With rumors and speculation flying everywhere, BDN decided it was time for the facts. "His reasoning for not attending Duke is that he sat down and talked with some people and didn't think he could accomplish his goals at Duke with concerns to college basketball," said Colby Blaine, his assistant coach at Southern Idaho Junior College.
Blaine continued, "He wants to open his recruitment back up and see what his options are and [private] where his abilities will help him in college basketball."
"Carrick didn't have any exact answers for his exact reasoning for pursuing other opportunities, but he saw something he wanted to explore, so he pulled the trigger on it. We support it out here and are going along with it."
Blaine said Felix decision came in the last six or seven days and that he would not be attending Duke. Blaine who will be working local camps this summer said he had built a strong relationship with Felix calling him a special kid that deserves the best.
In the end, perceived playing time was the biggest factor and there was no problem with admissions as was reported earlier. Felix is already in talks with other schools and his plans will become clear in the near future. [/private]
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This Monday morning the BDN sends a shout out to the parents of Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston both of whom will be on campus this summer. BDN Photo
Well, it never fails folks! I attempt to take 48 hours away from the wired world and all heck breaks loose. Okay, okay, not that much but enough starting with the answer to the question about Carrick Felix. Yes, it is true in that he will not enroll at Duke. The word is admissions were the hold up but the fact is nothing official is out there yet and he has opened up his recruitment. The BDN wishes Felix the best in all of his future endeavors but fortunately Duke is really deep this coming season. Felix was viewed as an athletic wing with good defensive capabilities to go with his explosiveness. The Duke staff was looking forward to working with him before the latest happenings.
The Duke Football staff has been on the recruiting trail and they are working it hard. Duke offered Colorado quarterback Brock Berglund which you can read about in our football section. We'll have more on this and another offer coming shortly.
More props to Doug Collins who will be officially named the coach of the Philadelphia Sixers today. Doug of course is the father of Duke Assistant Coach Chris Collins and played his most memorable moments in Philly as a player. While Chris will be returning to Duke this season one has to wonder if this will open some doors down the road. Collins [Chris] is a basketball fanatic who misses only the occasional bounce of the ball if a game is on television. BDN wishes Doug the very best in his new job.
You may have seen a few folks saying Jon Scheyer could play basketball in Israel. It's not far fetched. BDN will follow the situation.
This weekend will likely be an end to one of the AAU's best tournaments, the Tournament of Champions where the games are played on the campuses of Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State. BDN Premium members will get all the skinny and this may be your last chance to catch this tournament in that the NCAA will soon not allow these events to be played on major college campuses. A lot of other changes are in the works and as summer rolls in we'll discuss the future of off season hoops.
Mason throws one down against Wake Forest in Cameron where Duke was 17-0 during their magical run to the national championship. Mason played 14.1 MPG as a freshman averaging 3.7 ppg and 3.1 rpg. Photo courtesy of my pal, Lance King
DURHAM, N.C. - As the dog days of summer creep in, Duke must put their magical ride to the national championship in perspective by preparing for next season. Don't get me wrong in that the program will indeed bask in the light of their fourth title for that is worthy of continued celebration but Krzyzewski has already started to look ahead.
Replacing three sensational seniors is a daunting task especially down low where they lost the hard working Lance Thomas and the burly Brian Zoubek. While one can justifiably argue that Jon Scheyer is perhaps the biggest loss in terms of stats Duke can replace him much easier in the backcourt in that they're a tad depth shy up front. Enter the Plumlee brothers.
Mason and Miles Plumlee will get more than a few minutes this season and their development will be vital to the Blue Devils' efforts to repeat as national champions. Both brothers are not only capable but expected to have breakout seasons.
Despite playing a role where he came off the bench in his freshman season, Mason Plumlee showed flashes of brilliance. One moment which stands out was his exclamation point, behind the head dunk versus rival North Carolina at the Dean Dome which helped Duke continue a run which sealed the victory.
And for those not keeping track, Mason is 2-0 against Duke's arch rival with two ACC and one national championship in his first season. Talk about the kind of stats where a legacy can start, right?
Many are excited by Mason's potential which has one on line draft projection specialist slotting him in the first round of next season's draft. To fill those expectations Mason will have to round the learning curve this season after adjusting to the speed of the game in his freshman campaign.
Learning the Duke system is no easy task. It took Brian Zoubek's senior season for the light to go off on where he needed to be on the court.
Mason will still experience some growing pains but there is no reason for the athletic big not to rise to the occasion. In order to do that, Mason knows that his off season workouts are vital to his progress and he'll waste little time in preparation. In fact, the Duke coaching staff was able to get their soon to be starting center into a summer internship with Attack Athletics.
The rising sophomore will train under one of the masters of his profession in Tim Grover, known as the trainer to the pro's. If you haven't heard of him before, Grover not only trained Michael Jordan exclusively but former Duke standouts, Carlos Boozer, Elton Brand, Luol Deng and Chris Duhon, and that only scratches his list of clients.
After spending the better part of a month in Chicago, under intense daily tutelage, Mason will return to Durham where he'll work out with returning players under the watch of Duke Assistant Coach Nate James, Chris Carrawell and Chris Spatola. In short, there will not be a lot of down time.
Duke will play up tempo in the coming season with a sleek point guard named Kyrie Irving who will almost certainly run the team from day one. With the likes of Irving and Nolan Smith pushing the ball, Mason should have lots of opportunities for easy baskets off cuts. And of course, nothing brings the Cameron Crazies to their feet like a thunderous and emphatic dunk.
Only time will tell just how good Mason Plumlee will be but there are few people that would tell you anything other than he should flourish in the 2010-11 season. If Duke is to make another run at the title, Mason will have to be at his best and all signs point to the fact that he will certainly put in the work and that in itself should excite the Blue Devil Nation.
DURHAM, N.C. – Seniors Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith were named team captains for the 2010-11 men’s basketball season, head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced on Tuesday. Both players are first time team captains.
“We’re really excited about naming our co-captains so early this year, and the reason is obvious – Nolan and Kyle are our leaders,” Krzyzewski said. “They have big shoes to fill. Losing the three seniors, who all were outstanding leaders, is the biggest gap we have to fill. But we’re confident that these two young men can do it.”
Singler, the 2010 Final Four Most Outstanding Player, averaged 17.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game as a junior while leading Duke to a 35-5 record and the school's fourth NCAA Championship. He became one of 18 players in school history to score over 700 points in a single season, finishing with 707 points in 2010. Singler, a two-time AP honorable mention All-America selection, ranks 18th on Duke's career scoring list with 1,767 points. He is also 11th on the career three-point field goals chart with 205, 18th with 762 rebounds and 15th with 95 blocked shots. Singler has scored in double-figures 95 times with 32 games with 20 or more points scored. He also has 20 career double-doubles to his credit. Singler, a three-time All-ACC selection and the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2008, has helped Duke to a 93-18 (.838) record over the last three seasons. He has been a member of back-to-back ACC Tournament Championship teams in 2009 and 2010, making the ACC All-Tournament team both years and earning ACC Tournament MVP honors this year.
"Nolan and I have grown so much over the last three years and now it is time for both of us step forward and become vocal leaders of this team,” Singler added. “I am honored to be a team captain and take great pride in my ability to help lead the team. We had three great senior leaders a year ago and Nolan and I are determined to follow their example.”
Smith is coming off a breakout junior campaign in which he averaged 17.4 points per game, a 9.0 point per game increase over his sophomore season. He collected NCAA Tournament South Region Most Outstanding Player honors after scoring a career-high 29 points in Duke’s 78-71 win over Baylor in Houston. Smith also earned NCAA All-Final Four Team, ACC All-Tournament Team and second team All-ACC honors a year ago. Smith became the 60th player in Duke history to top the 1,000-point plateau in 2010 and ranks 45th at Duke with 1,147 career points. He has scored in double figures in 59 career games, including 36 times as a junior.
"Being named team captain along with Kyle is a huge honor," Smith said. "I am excited about my leadership role with the 2010-11 team. We have high goals set for this team and the only way we can accomplish them is with hard work and great leadership."
The Blue Devils are 93-18 since Singler and Smith joined the program, with the 93 victories matching the fifth-best three-year win total in school history. Duke is 52-8 over the last three seasons with the tandem in the starting lineup.
It's a rainy Monday in Durham, N.C. but a little Blue Devil spirit will brighten your day.
The NBA conference finals feature three former Blue Devils in former teammates JJ Redick and Shelden Williams and the ageless Grant Hill. Redick had a nice game off the bench by scoring nine points but his team couldn't rally and go down 1-0 to the Boston Celtics. Shelden Williams didn't get off the bench for the Celts. The amazing 37 year old Grant Hill will try and help lead the Phoenix Suns past the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant in game one of their series which starts tonight. It's good to see Grant still playing with savvy after dealing with numerous injuries early in his career.
While it is not yet official, it seems as if ESPN will obtain the rights to ACC basketball and football games. Sources are saying that Fox Sports drove the price up by narrowly missing it's goal. In fact, if the deal is finalized as expected, the ACC's revenue more than doubled. There will be efforts to provide broadband telecasts meaning that there could be a way to see every game your team plays. Raycom held the rights to the ACC for more than a decade and they will now have to purchase the games from ESPN to continue their telecasts. While the aforementioned is expected, it remains to be seen where this leaves FSN. As the deal finalizes and all the facts come out it's hard to see the long term effect but one thing is for sure, the ACC came out as winners here.
I was talking with a long time scalper at a local establishment this past weekend and after that conversation it would be wise to get Duke-Alabama football tickets sooner rather than later if you want to attend. The game will be sold out. How often does the defending national champion with the Heisman trophy winner in tow visit Wallace Wade Stadium? And Alabama fans? They'll come in like a tide.
There are three more dates left to catch the Duke Athletics tour featuring David Cutcliffe. For those of you who can make it, here are the remaining dates -
WASHINGTON, DC
May 20
6:00-7:30 pm
Blackfinn American Saloon
1620 I Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
CONTACT: Samantha Kozub (919-613-7554)
WINSTON-SALEM, NC
May 25
5:30-7:00 pm
ISP Headquarters
540 North Trade Street
Winston-Salem, NC 27101
CONTACT: Whitney Dunlap (919-613-7557)
DURHAM, NC
May 26
5:30-7:00 pm
Tobacco Road Sports Café
Diamond View II
280 South Magnum Street
Durham, NC 27701
CONTACT: Samantha Kozub (919-613-7554)
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski received the New York Athletic Club's Winged Foot Award at a gala dinner Wednesday night in New York. The Winged Foot Award was established in 1996 and is given annually to the head coaches of the men's and women's NCAA Tournament champions.
Duke won its fourth National Championship with a 61-59 victory over Butler at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. The Blue Devils returned to the site of the school’s first national title and returned home with No. 4. The four championships (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010) rank as the fifth most by any school in NCAA Division I while head coach Mike Krzyzewski tied Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp for second most among all-time coaches.
Kyle Singler was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player while Jin Scheyer and Nolan Smith were each selected to the All-Final Four tournament.
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