Category Archives: Duke Basketball

Duke Basketball Recruiting News

High School Hoops 2010 Edition No. 1

Q. Miller photoBlue Devil Nation will once again be covering High School Hoops during the 2010 season. As we've done the past couple of seasons, we will scour the Internet in order to provide the Duke faithful with player updates, game results, links to articles and box scores, along with our critical analysis and commentary on high school action for players committed to Duke as well as recruiting targets. This season our High School Hoops articles will be posted as premium content so we invite all visitors to join Blue Devil Nation, kick back and allow us to do the heavy lifting, so you, our faithful readers can enjoy this one stop site for Duke related high school basketball coverage.

This coming season, we will be keeping tabs on the following committed Duke players: Josh Hairston (Montrose Christian), Kyrie Irving (St. Patrick), and Tyler Thornton (Gonzaga College HS). Additionally, we will closely follow recruiting targets Roscoe Smith (Oak Hill Academy), Brad Beal (Chaminade College Prep), Quincy Miller (Quality Education Academy), Marshall Plumlee (Christ School), Austin Rivers (Winter Park HS), and J.P. Tokota (Menomonee Falls HS).

In early season action, Marshall Plumlee and Quincy Miller’s teams went head to head [private] with Christ School defeating Quality Education Academy 95 – 79. Quincy Miller scored 26 points for QEA, while Christ School was led by University of South Carolina recruit Eric Smith with 21 points. Marshall Plumlee contributed 8 points and 8 rebounds for the Greenies. Coach David Gaines stated the Greenies would be adopting an uptempo offense focused on taking a lot of three-point shots. It will be interesting to see how 7’-0” Marshall Plumlee fits into the new offensive scheme.

The Greenies improved to 2 – 0 by defeating Veritas Christian Academy, 79 – 59, on Thursday evening. Marshall Plumlee scored 8 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for the second game in a row.

Oak Hill Academy kicked their season off on 31 October with a 100 – 55 win over Central Carolina Academy. Roscoe Smith was the leading scorer with 24 points. In a 105 – 76 defeat of Flora McDonald Academy, Roscoe Smith scored 28 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Flora McDonald features N.C. State recruit Luke Cothran.

Looking ahead, there will be multiple players from our Watch List participating in various Holiday Tournaments this year. Winter Park HS, featuring Austin Rivers, will play in the City of Palms Classic December 18 - 23. Gonzaga College HS and Montrose Christian Academy will both travel to Honolulu, Hawaii to participate in the Iolani Classic December 17 – 22. Those schools feature Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston respectively. The Chick-fil-A Classic December 18 – 22 will include Christ School and Marshall Plumlee.

Following up on one of the players we tracked last season, Josh Smith (6’-9” 280) from Kentwood HS in Covington, WA has committed to play his college basketball with the UCLA Bruins. Blue Devil Nation wishes Josh the best of luck in Westwood. [/private]

Duke Basketball

NIT Opening Round – Official Game Notes for Coastal Carolina at Duke

K LanceGame 2 l NIT Season Tip-Off First Round
Duke (1-0) vs. Coastal Carolina (1-0)
Monday, Nov. 16, 2009 l 7:02 p.m. l ESPNU
Cameron Indoor Stadium l Durham, N.C.

The Opening Tip
Duke (1-0), ranked ninth in the AP preseason poll and eighth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, faces Coastal Carolina (1-0) on Monday, Nov. 16 at 7:02 p.m. in the opening round of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Monday's contest will be televised by ESPNU with Mike Gleason and Jimmy Dykes calling the action.

The Last Time Out
Duke opened the season with a 96-62 win over UNC Greensboro on Friday, Nov. 13 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Junior Kyle Singler led five double-figure scorers with 20 points for the Blue Devils. He was 9-of-15 from the floor and added five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in the win. Senior Jon Scheyer closed the game with 18 points and four assists, while Brian Zoubek had 14 points and seven rebounds. Duke also received double-figure scoring efforts from Lance Thomas (14) and Miles Plumlee (10).

Series History
Duke and Coastal Carolina are meeting for the first time on Monday.

NIT Season Tip-Off History
Duke is 18-2 all-time in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament, including a 10-0 mark in first and second round games played at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils have won eight straight games in the tournament. Duke won NIT Season Tip-Off championships in 1985, 2000 and 2005.

Numbers Game

  • The Blue Devils have won an NCAA-best 69 consecutive non-conference home games.
  • Duke is 23-2 in in-season tournaments over the past nine seasons. The Blue Devils have won seven straight in-season tournament games.
  • The Blue Devils have won 13 straight games and are 26-9 all-time against Big South opponents.
  • Duke has won 29 straight home games against unranked opponents, dating back to a 68-67 loss to Florida State on Feb. 4, 2007.
  • Jon Scheyer (1,367 points) and Kyle Singler (1,080 points) are the highest returning career scoring tandem in the ACC with 2,447 career points. The duo combined for 38 points in Duke's season opening win over UNC Greensboro.
  • The Blue Devils shot .597 (37-of-62) from the field against UNC Greensboro, their highest field goal percentage since Dec. 17, 2007 when they shot .603 (38-of-63) against Albany. The 37 made field goals are also the most since that game.
  • Senior Jon Scheyer had 18 points and four assists (zero turnovers) in 37 minutes against UNC Greensboro. He is now averaging 18.5 points per game since becoming Duke's starting point guard with 12 games remaining in the 2008-09 season. Scheyer also has 33 assists and just 14 turnovers (2.4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio) in that span.
  • Sophomore Olek Czyz recorded career highs in minutes (24), points (6), rebounds (6), assists (3) and steals (2) in the win over UNC Greensboro. Czyz, a native of Gdynia, Poland, scored all six points off dunks on Friday.
  • Duke posted a 44-26 rebounding edge in the season opener against the Spartans. Five players grabbed five or more rebounds with Miles Plumlee leading the way with nine boards.
  • The Blue Devils grabbed 15 offensive rebounds on 30 missed shots (25 from the field and five from the foul line) on Friday.
  • Duke senior class of Jon Scheyer, Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek
  • combined for 44 points, 17 rebounds, eight assists and four steals in the season opener. The trio was 15-of-23 (.652) from the field and 12-of-14 (.857) from the foul line in the win.
  • Freshmen Andre Dawkins and Ryan Kelly each had eight points, three rebounds and a blocked shot in their collegiate debuts.
  • Sophomore Miles Plumlee had career highs in points (10) and rebounds (9) and also matched a career best with three blocks against UNC Greensboro.
  • Duke is 47-14 (.770) when ranked ninth in the AP poll. The Blue Devils have won six straight games when ranked No. 9 in the country.
  • Monday's game will be the final game of a two-game suspension for junior guard Nolan Smith. Smith is serving a suspension for a violation of rules pertaining to summer league participation.
Duke Basketball

Duke rips UNCG 96-62 in their season opener behind Singlers 20 points

Photo courtesy Lance King/GoDuke.com
Photo courtesy Lance King/GoDuke.com

Durham, N.C. - The Duke Blue Devils disposed of UNC Greensboro by a score of 96-62 in their home opener as Mike Krzyzewski improved his record to 28-2 in his thirty seasons at Duke.  The Blue Devils were more than a little short handed in the contest with two starters Mason Plumlee out with a fractured wrist and Nolan Smith serving a two game suspension.  Also, missing in action was Jordan Davidson who lost his Grandmother.

Duke got production from it's eight man rotation where two freshman made their Cameron debut.  Andre Dawkins and Ryan Kelly each tallied 8 points in the victory.

If you are looking for difference makers, once again Duke's Dynamic Duo of Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler were willing to take a good portion of the load.

Singler went 9 of 15 from the field for 20 points and 5 rebounds while Scheyer finished with 18 points and 4 assists.  Scheyer ran the point all night and the Devils scored 96 points even though they were not looking to run due to a limited roster and just one true guard in Scheyer.

"I saw a couple of buckets go in and got my confidence going," said Singler.  He continued by stating, "If I'm in rhythm and have my feet underneathth me and it is not a contested shot, Coach K is fine with any of us taking the shot."

The secondary ball handler for much of the evening was Kyle Singler and he handled the duties with ease.  Singler who reworked his body in the off season drew Coach K's praise where he said he was in incredible shape, the best of his career.

Olek Czyz [6 points 6 rebounds] also drew praise from Krzyzewski and the Poland native got his first start in a Duke uniform.  Czyz read the passing lanes making two steals and finishing each one with a dunk which got the crowd into the game.

Speaking of the crowd, they too got props from Krzyzewski and it wasn't just lip service.  The Crazies were the best I have seen in many years for an opener and the stands were packed.

"I was really pleased with our crowd.  The students were great.  It's November 13th and they were fantastic.  It was a lot of fun in here tonight and we are looking forward to Monday and Tuesday and having the same kind of action," said Krzyzewski.

They made sure they serenaded Marshall Plumlee [Class of 2011 prospect] with chants of come to Duke and they were much more spontaneous with the absence of cheer sheets.

Marshall's brother Miles scored 10 points [his first double digit scoring performance at Duke] and led the Blue Devils in rebounding with 9 boards.  Brian Zoubek was also effective going 6 of 7 from the field for 14 points and 7 rebounds.

"We're a little bit more comfortable as a team.  The starting lineup did a great job with Olek Czyz coming in there and playing with a lot of energy," said Zoubek.

Duke shot 59.7% from the field in the game and had 46 points in the paint.  They also scored 20 points off turnovers.

Duke will next face Coastal Carolina who defeated College of Charleston 70-59.  The game tips off at 7:00 on Monday.

Link to Box Score

Duke Basketball

Barnes goes to the other guys – time to move on

41Wow!  Today's Harrison Barnes decision broke a lot of hearts in Durham in that he went to our bitter rival the North Carolina Tar Heels.  As Duke fans, you can sulk or move on.  Times like these are when we find out just who the real Duke fans are for it is not the Blue Devils birthright to get every prospect.

The only thing Duke fans can do is man or woman up, break out the royal blue and move forward by supporting Duke in their home opener this evening.  Duke Basketball is bigger than any one recruit and that includes Harrison Barnes.  Make no mistake that Barnes decision was a brutal blow, but the last time I checked the fight is still on and Duke will show up.

We'll discuss today's disappointment later but for now there is a Duke game to attend and I am on my way to support the team I cover.  Best of luck to the Barnes family.  I hope you guys made the right choice for you certainly turned a great opportunity down.

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