DURHAM, N.C. – [Press release courtesy of ACC.com] Duke, the 2010 National Champions, welcome Final Four participant Michigan State to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 1 in the premier matchup of the 12th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge Presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. The ACC/Big Ten Challenge will run from Nov. 29 through Dec. 1 with all 11 games being shown on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com.
The Blue Devils return first team All-America candidates Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith along with seven other letterwinners, including Miles Plumlee, Mason Plumlee, Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly and Andre Dawkins, for the 2010-11 season. Duke also welcomes a top 5 recruiting class featuring Kyrie Irving, Josh Hairston, Carrick Felix and Tyler Thornton.
Singler and Smith averaged 17.7 points and 17.4 points per game respectively a year ago, while the Plumlees combined for 8.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Curry, a transfer from Liberty, and Dawkins give the Blue Devils two sharpshooting weapons on the perimeter, while Kelly is a skilled stepout forward.
This year’s event – featuring top college basketball programs playing for conference supremacy and the Commissioner’s Cup -- will include 11 teams that played in the 2010 NCAA Tournament: Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland and Wake Forest from the ACC and Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin from the Big Ten.
For the sixth consecutive year, the Challenge will feature 11 games and include two telecasts on ESPNU with ESPN and ESPN2 combining to televise the remaining nine games. ESPN3.com, the broadband sports television network from ESPN, will simulcast the ESPN and ESPN2 telecasts.
The ACC has won 10 of the first 11 Challenges with ACC teams winning 67 of the 108 games played. A year ago, the Big Ten won its first Challenge by a 6-to-5 margin. Road teams won six of the 11 games in 2009 and seven of the contests were decided by seven points or less, including four games by four of fewer points.
Duke, which lost its first game in the challenge last year, will look for its 11th win in the event, the most of any other team. The Blue Devils have won their two previous Challenge games against Michigan State, topping the Spartans, 81-74, in Durham in 2004 and, 72-50, in East Lansing in 2003.
2010 Big Ten/ACC Challenge schedule (times and networks are to be determined):
Now that it's known which college players will officially enter the NBA Draft the picture for the 2011 college basketball season is coming into focus. As expected Gordan Hayward who missed a desperation shot in the national final as the buzzer sounded has elected to stay in. Many have said the Boston Celtics assured him he would not fall past them, so that made his decision easier. While college basketball loses here, Hayward has elected to go out on top. This makes sense in that Butler would be hard pressed to equal their story book run in 2010. A player like Hayward is cashing in on being hot but had the Celtics not offered the supposed guarantee, he would have been better off returning. The Duke-Butler game will suffer as will the Bulldogs with his decision. His return would land Butler in the pre season top five but his loss means they'll likely struggle to remain in the top 25. Of course, who wants to sell them short?
Speaking of departures, UNC loses not only Ed Davis but David and Travis Wear to transfer. While some didn't see the Wear twins leaving, many who are close to the program had an idea. This means UNC is really thin up front but don't fret for the Tar Heels for they will be a team with a lot of potential scorers. Despite heavy rumors, UNC managed to keep it's other freshman and that will allow them a roster full of perimeter guys. If you think teams cannot regroup after losses, look no further than Duke who had no recourse when Elliot Williams transffered to Memphis. Duke came together and everyone worried about their guard depth and in the end Duke gelled and nobody saw them coming.
Enough with departures, let's talk about the returns starting with Malcolm Delaney to Virginia Tech. The Hokie Nation is smiling from ear to ear for there the 2011 Techsters should garner an NCAA berth. Look for Delaney and Duke's Kyle Singler to run neck and neck for pre season ACC Player of the Year per local media. Both are shoe ins for All ACC.
Delaney will put the Hokies in the upper division of the ACC but they'll have plenty of competition from their company. Duke will not only be the pre season choice for the regular season title in the ACC but the country as well. As mentioned earlier, expect UNC to rebound from a lack luster season by their standards. UNC will add a ton of scoring with the addition of Harrison Barnes and Reggie Bullock and they'll likely rotate Henson and Zeller down low while playing a quicker team than a season ago. The addition of C.J. Leslie in Raleigh will propel the Pack to the top of the conference. Sydney Lowe has a terrific, yet young starting line up and the excitement will rekindle rivalries in the Triangle area. The other two teams we see in the upper division are Florida State and Miami, but there is a lot of time between now and tip off, so we'll hold off on our official predictions.
Two Big Ten teams benefited by returns as well in Purdue and Michigan State. The Spartans are loaded with the return of Kalin Lucas and they'll be in the top ten all season long. In fact, rumor has it that Duke will face Michigan State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Purdue got some great news when Ja Juan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore pulled their names out of the draft to join an rehabbing Robbie Hummel to form one of the nations top starting lineups.
I started working on an ACC Football preview for a group this weekend and the one thing which stands out is how many of the top teams return most of their starters. The Coastal division probably has the top four teams in the conference all in one division and any of them could be in the title game in Charlotte. Duke will be rebuilding and a leap beyond last seasons fifth place division finish will prove tough. A huge early season barometer will be when Duke travels to Wake Forest in the second game of the season. The Blue Devils have an interesting schedule where there appears to be some winnable games, but the conference structured it in a way when Duke could have used an off week later in the season. If there are must wins on the schedule I'd say that Elon and Army fall into that category. The bottom line is that Duke will be painfully young but quick and with a massive rebuilding job on defense they will lean on their offense while breaking in a new quarterback.
We appreciate your patience of late in that most of our staff has a lot going on from moves to family health issues. Look for a lot of recruiting coverage in the coming days on both the hardwood and gridiron as we return to normal. We hope to debut our first prospect video this week as well. BDN has a lot of changes coming in the near future in that we are always trying to make the site better.
Carrick Felix will be on campus in late May to prepare for the rigors of ACC Basketball. This is the first of a series of previews of the incoming players to the Duke program in the 2011 season. Felix told the Blue Devil Nation that he wanted to win his own national title while at Duke.
It was a typical day on the recruiting trail during an open period for Duke Assistant Coach Nate James, well, maybe not so typical in that he found himself in Southern Idaho which is a state the Blue Devils rarely if ever visit. He was there to check out a seven foot behemoth Aziz Nidiaye, but it was a sleek athlete who unexpectedly caught his eye.
I hesitate to use the phrase diamond in the rough but it is more than appropriate when talking about JUCO transfer Carrick Felix. James saw a lot of things he liked in Felix's game during the open gym and the future Blue Devil knew he had the opportunity to make an impression. In fact, he made it a point to introduce himself to Duke's second year assistant in the coaches office after learning who he was, but the likely story is that he was more than aware of who was coming in.
It was March and Duke was just beginning what would turn out to be one of the most magical runs in Duke Basketball history where three seniors led a tight knit group to a national championship. James in just his second year has already made an impact on Duke recruiting efforts and Felix was the first of three kids he played a big role with, the others being Michael Gbinije and Tyler Adams.
"I introduced myself to Coach James in our coaches offices and then we get on the court. He’s watching our center and I was just playing like I always play. I play hard and practice hard and later that night he gave me a call and was excited about the way I played basketball. Ever since then, he’s followed me everyday and we’ve developed a wonderful, wonderful relationship. He’s actually playing like the big brother role right now," said Felix.
Not many people have seen Felix play other than on film but he adds a dimension to next seasons talented roster that wasn't there before. Felix runs the court with ease and when open he wastes little time in flushing down a dunk. He has the ability to be a stellar role player in the Blue Devils system if he continues to work and don't be surprised if he once again finds a way to standout once practice officially starts.
"It’s been a long journey with many ups and downs but Coach K and Nate James saw me and liked me and now I get the opportunity to be a Duke Basketball player and a part of their family. I honestly worked for it. I really worked for it, I worked real hard for it. I’m excited and glad they’re giving me the opportunity," Felix told Blue Devil Nation.
Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski had only seen Felix on film but at the advice of James he took a look at a kid who was being courted by Arizona, Arizona State, Washington from the Pac 10 and Maryland and Clemson from the ACC not to mention West Virginia.
"He’s kind of like another person in my family. I felt like I could talk to him about anything from the start. We just clicked like we knew each other for years and I felt very, very comfortable around him and he did around me, so we really clicked," said Felix when asked about meeting Krzyzewski for the first time.
As we mentioned Felix has all the tools to play key roles especially on the defensive end, "They’re going to use me as a defender. On offense Coach K is excited and feels he can use me at any position because of my versatility. He’s excited knowing he can use me a multiple positions and that’s what they need, so I’m excited about that and look forward to being the best player I can be," said Felix."
Felix's journey to play for the defending national champions wasn't always smooth but he persevered. "My mom didn't even graduate from high school but she still pushed me and made me understand the importance of academics. I was not a good student when I was younger. I didn’t know what I wanted to be in life so I eventually sat down with my mom. We had a talk and identified what was important and academics is part of that.. I just want to do the best I can, just like I do on the court? I want to work that same way in the class room if not harder. I’m a student athlete first not an athlete-student."
With a good attitude and desire Felix now finds himself living the dream and he can't wait to get started in Durham. In fact, he'll be on campus in just two weeks to learn the Blue Devils system and go through off season conditioning drills. Those drills will be conducted by the aforementioned Nate James who will hold down the fort while Krzyzewski and his assistants Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski will be in Las Vegas training Team USA for another run at the Gold Medal.
Felix moved around a lot while he was growing up in that his Dad was a military man. He somewhat reluctantly calls Arizona home in that he played his high school basketball there, but he has seen his share of destinations before he landed in Idaho. Felix will now call Durham home and he already feels a part of the team.
"On my visit to Duke I was just talking to the coaches, but then I met the guys. I talked to Nolan, Kyle, Mason and Miles Plumlee. I hung out with Miles some but all of them welcomed me with open arms. I really like that they made me feel comfortable. I mean, I felt real comfortable, like a family and that right there … that was a big part of my decision. I’ve been sending texts back and forth with Seth Curry since I left and he’s a pretty good guy and I think we can be really good friends. I got along with all the guys, so I’m excited," said Felix.
BDN also asked Felix to describe his game in his own words for the many who had yet to see him play, "My game is unique [said with emphasis]. I’m not like a lot of other players … my best thing is my athleticism but I still kind of new to the game. I need to dribble and shoot better, but I can kind of do it all, just unique. You’ll see that when you see me play, the way I run, the way I move the ball, it’s not like anybody else."
Only time will tell if Felix is ready to contribute right away but unlike a true freshman, he brings some experience which should help him adjust to what he readily admits will be a more physical and faster paced game in the ACC.
"It’s been a long journey for me and I’m happy. I’m just ready to be a Duke Blue Devil and play for Coach K and win a national championship. That’s what I want to help them do so I have to work hard in order to give them the help they need to get the job done."
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N..J. - Duke University and Butler University will meet in a rematch of their dramatic NCAA National Championship game on Saturday, December 4 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ. The game will tip-off at 3:30 pm ET and will be televised live on ESPN.
Duke beat Butler in a 61-59 thriller to win its fourth national championship and end Butler's miracle run through the NCAA basketball tournament.
"The IZOD Center and the Meadowlands are synonymous with the best in college basketball because of games like this," said Dennis Robinson, New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority President and CEO. "Duke and Butler played a championship game for the ages and I know the great fans of the metropolitan area are as excited as we are that they have agreed to this rematch."
Duke returns two starters and nine letterwinners from last year's team that captured the NCAA Championship as well as ACC Tournament and ACC regular season titles. The Blue Devils, led by Hall of Fame head coach Mike Krzyzewski, closed the year by winning 18 of their last 19 games to finish 35-5 overall and No. 1 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll. Preseason first team All-America candidates Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith are back after combining to average 35.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game a year ago. The duo along with junior Miles Plumlee (5.2 ppg. & 4.9 rpg.) will be joined by a talented group of underclassman that includes sophomores Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins, Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee as well as newcomers Carrick Felix, Josh Hairston, Kyrie Irving and Tyler Thornton.
"We are excited to play Butler next season in the Meadowlands," said Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. "Given the outstanding game played between Duke and Butler in the 2010 NCAA Championship, there will be added interest in next year's matchup. Surely, Coach Stevens will have his team ready to perform at a high level. We look forward to what will be a significant challenge."
Butler captured the attention of the nation in March with its run to the NCAA National Championship game. The Bulldogs were the only team to defeat both a No. 1 seed (Syracuse) and a No. 2 seed (Kansas State) in the tournament, and Butler ended the season ranked No. 2 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll. Head coach Brad Stevens guided the Bulldogs to a school-record 33-5 campaign, which included a 25-game winning streak - the nation's longest in 2009-10 - and Horizon League regular season and tournament championships. The Bulldogs return starters Shelvin Mack (14.1 ppg), Matt Howard (11.6 ppg) and Ronald Nored (6.0 ppg). Leading scorer and rebounder Gordon Hayward declared early for the NBA draft but has not signed with an agent. Butler was the only team in the nation to post an unbeaten conference record (18-0) in 2009-10.
"It's an honor for our program to be invited to play in the IZOD Center in December," said Butler Head Coach Brad Stevens. "Obviously, the challenge will be great, as we have a tremendous amount of respect for Duke."
Duke has a long history at the IZOD Center amassing an 18-1 record including five NCAA East Regional Final victories. Butler has never played at the Meadowlands.
Monday Musings likes to salute the people behind the scenes, like these two lovely cheerleaders.
The Duke Blue Devils continue to reap the rewards of being crowned national champions. The team will go to the White House to meet with President Obama soon and some of the players helped with the Jon Scheyer Foundation's May Madness Gaming event this past Saturday in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Kryzyzewski and Duke's National Championship is the gift that keeps on giving in so many ways.
As you know by now, recruiting never stops and the men's basketball staff is mapping out their plans for the coming summer months. The Duke staff are not allowed to attend events in May due to NCAA rules. Speaking of rules, the NCAA will decide the future of camps soon, so stay tuned for that. The consensus is that they will not allow events like The Tournament of Champions to be played on major college courts and or in venues. This would drastically change the landscape and many of the current tournaments could soon be a thing of the past.
Speaking of events, BDN's Andrew Slater took in some action at the Spiece Field House event in Fort Wayne, Indiana this past weekend and he will soon be reporting on what he saw with interviews and a analysis for BDN Premium members. The coverage will likely start some time tomorrow so check back in with BDN as we remain the most active Duke subscription site on the circuit.
For you recruitniks [not a real word butr appropriate] it's also worth noting that Nike has already started to roll with changes in their camp sessions. The most recent Boo Williams event was coined Nike EYBL Development camp and teams now play an even amount of games. In the past, the teams played to meet in a championship game. The verdict is still pending on whether or not people like the changes.
The Duke Football coaches have been out on the road as well and they'll now sit down to see which kids warrant an offer. Duke most recently signed an interior lineman in
You may have noticed that BDN's Patrick Cacchio has been interviewing football prospects and he will continue to serve in that role. He concentrated on the offensive line prospects the past couple of weeks and we'll switch gears to some skilled positions in the near future. BDN is dedicated in covering Duke Football as many of you already know, but we've amped up our recruiting coverage and for now, all of the articles are free. So, be sure to tell your friends that BDN is the place for football and we are certain our coverage of prospects will be just as good as our infamous basketball offerings.
I had a friend say the other day that he knew I had been busy going out on the road to cover an AAU event after following the team every step of the way to the national championship. "You must be glad to have some free time now," he said. I wish! BDN stays busy all year round with recruiting and we constantly strive to come up with off season articles of interest. We cover the Duke beat and more and by more we are the only subscription site to offer a ton of free articles to the Blue Devil Nation. In short, check in often in the coming months or you'll be missing a lot.
You may have noticed a bit of slow coverage of late, well, we had a lot of our key people in transit on way or the other and every now and then I try to sneak a couple of days in. The trouble with that is it never fails that something happens when I let my guard down, so not a lot of rest for the weary.
In closing this weeks Monday Musings, I want to thank the Blue Devil Nation for their support. You guys make us constantly want to improve our coverage and we are always open to suggestions provided they are grounded in reality;)
Coach K wasted little time in coming over to ackonwledge his family after his amazingly special team won his fourth national title. Family is a keyword in the Blue Devils program as many players still seek advice and work out in the facilities. You can always come back to Duke if you are a player and Coach K uses his influence to help those who committed to him out. Coach K is pictured her with his daughter Debbie and his grandson on the court of Lucas Oil Arena - BDN Photo
DURHAM - Well, there is nothing like going into summer with a national championship in tow for Duke fans and the program. It's amazing how many positives come out when you are the last team standing. One of the first and most important things is how a title helps with recruiting. The Blue Devils coaches cannot be out on the road this month and NCAA rules have shortened their window of opportunities in seeing kids but that is just a blip in the radar.
Duke garnered a lot of respect with their win which is evident when BDN talks to several future prospects on the recruiting trail. Doors have been opened and negative recruiting against the Blue Devils is tougher for unscrupulous opponents. Take your pick of a few accusations that must now be taken off the table. Big men do not develop at Duke? Did anyone see how awesome Brian Zoubek was down the stretch?
That is just one of many accusations used against Duke but we'll not get into that here for that is a story for another warm day. What we can tell you is that when Duke calls they get kids attention. A simple letter from Duke gets kids excited. One prospect recently told BDN in a proud manner that Duke was now involved for his services, yet all he had was a letter but his interest may mean the Blue Devils take a closer look.
The Duke staff sends feelers out to several prospects but only a few make the grade and remain on the radar after the staff takes in open gyms and the grassroots events otherwise known as AAU basketball.
And prospects and their parents are wising up to the negative barbs by doing more research on their own. It is well documented that many in the media want to play Duke up as the evil giant or that they are hated by many, but if one digs deep you'll see that there is little research done prior to what seem like monthly rant fests. Many unproven accusations have been sent the Blue Devils way and the curious thing is this seems to come more from shoddy journalism of late. All it takes is one hater to get the ball rolling and then another media type might pick it up and roll with it not knowing there were few proven facts. This in turn snowballs due to less stringent media requirements of the day and gullible people who believe anything they read on the web.
Face it, in the dawning age of the world wide web, falsehoods are a dime a dozen and with major search engines giving "Joe," off the street a chance to pass himself off as a legitimate and better yet knowledgeable writer for one of the many fan type sites that are butchering traditional journalistic integrity. I cannot tell you how many times I have to shoot down rumors in our members forum from people who take these want to be insiders or new age journalist word. That would for example be the word of a guy with no track record who has never seen Duke play in person nor one who might live in say, ACC country. Their sources? Why it's what they hear in the sea of shoddy modern day reporting where assumptions often take the place of fact.
One of the prospects Krzyzewski wants to coach in the future is Austin Rivers, son of Glenn "Doc" Rivers former NBA player and coach of the Boston Celtics. Read more about the Rivers recruitment on BDN Premium
The truth is the truth and the fact is that Duke is more than ethical in their approach to recruiting and they have a track record for such. And keep in mind that when you are on top, everybody literally gangs up on you. When the Duke staff walks into events like say the Peach Jam a top notch Nike ran development camp for prospects, there will be respect for the job they did winning the title from other coaches, but once they have passed you can see some of them start to talk, heck, I've even heard it firsthand.
But the prospects themselves certainly know Coach K [Krzyzewski] is in the house and that they are coming off a national championship where they beat the numbers 2, 3, 10 and 12 teams in the country to gain the ultimate trophy. But of course, Duke had an easy road, right? Okay, enough on some members of the media and their hate.
The Blue Devils were already enjoying good recruiting efforts with Josh Hairston, Kyrie Irving and Tyler Thornton in the class of 2010 already in the fold and due on campus in late June. But they have most recently received two early verbal commitments from Michael Gbinije and Tyler Adams, two solid prospects which should prove to be part of a puzzle.
And if you dig some facts up, you'll find that both Gbinjie's and Adams families were in approval in that they knew the opportunity that was at hand for their sons. I mean, how many kids parents wouldn't want to play for a coach who has four national titles, an Olympic Gold Medal and a track record for success?
Make no mistake, Krzyzewski's duties with Team USA have been a positive. While I was trying to get away from talking more of the media I cannot help but reflect on how many negative articles existed saying that Kryzyzewski was hurting Duke by taking the job. Are you kidding me? The guy wins a Gold medal and in the process becomes an even better coach.
Tyler Adams a 6-9 banger from Mississippi is the latest prospect to cast his lot with the Blue Devils. BDN Photo
How attractive is this to kids knowing that Krzyzewski talks on a regular basis with the likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James? I mean, Kryzyzewski has proven he can mold the best our country has to offer into champions and this most certainly is a positive. in that he played a big role in putting USA basketball back on top. A deep involvement in USA Basketball opens a lot of door and his contacts with NBA types along the way surely helps in learning from the games best. In short, he can tell kids how Dwight Howard or the many other stars prepare and enlighten them on the little intangibles which could very well make them a better player.
Duke recruiting is also aided by the staff of Chris Collins, Nate James and Steve Wojciechowski [Wojo} form one of the best assistant coaching staffs in America and they can point to facilities akin to the best in the country as just one of the many selling points. But they all come back to Coach in their spills and for good reason.
While interviewing Chris Collins going into the West Virginia game in Indianapolis I made the statement that I had not seen him look this fresh since in a decade. Collins agreed with that statement and elaborated on it in an interview in BDN's archives and the very next day the man himself made the comment that he felt fresher than ever and Duke was finally getting some of the positive coverage it deserved.
It's hard to call Duke a rejuvenated program for they won more games in this decade than any other team, but rest assured some new approaches have worked wonders and it shouldn't be hard to see that Krzyzewski is firmly entrenched at Duke despite the silly if not ridiculous rumors that he was interested in the New Jersey Nets job which was more shoddy journalism.
Kryzyzewski is totally into his coaching these days and he is enjoying each and every challenge along the way. The 2010 Duke team was special in many ways and their success is proof that Duke is still Duke and that they are always playing for the big prize .
And on the recruiting trail? Duke is red hot and the proof of that will come soon enough when kids continue to want to play for a program that is family for life and one that is a proven winner on and off the court. Negative recruiting and articles will continue but Duke forced the nation to take a deep look when the Blue Devils were in the national spotlight. And they saw the truth, that the national champions were a tight knit group of great kids who showed the heart of their coach. And none of them had their noses stuck up in the air as some would have you think. They also saw the real Krzyzewski and the real program and the best thing of it all is that some media members may actually start to figure out that a team that helped gave CBS it's highest ratings in ten years is not so hated after all.
The proof is in the pudding and the ingredients formed a champion.
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DURHAM, N.C. – [Press release courtesy of ACC.com] Duke, the 2010 National Champions, welcome Final Four participant Michigan State to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 1 in the premier matchup of the 12th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge Presented by Dick’s Sporting Goods. The ACC/Big Ten Challenge will run from Nov. 29 through Dec. 1 with all 11 games being shown on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com.
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