Plumlee confers with Coach K - copyright Blue Devil Nation Photo
Here is a post game audio Q & A with Duke freshman Mason Plumlee done just moments ago. Mason scored 18 points to go with 12 rebounds in Duke's 128-70 exhibition win over Pfeiffer. We are headed to ACC Operation Basketball in the morning, so prepare for an onslaught of new interviews. We still have post game interviews with Ryan Kelly and Kyle Singler we hope to have up tonight. We'll add more football news as well, but we'll balk on a game story this one time for the score ssays it all. Just press play -
Duke got it's point guard of the future when Kyrie Irving decided to make the Blue Devils his collegiate choice on ESPNU just minutes ago.
"Im pleased to announce I will be attending Duke University," said Irving.
When asked what the main factor in his decision was. Irving said, "Just my relationship with Coach K and the whole staff. It was a great mix of academics and athletics. On my offcial visit, it just felt like home."
Irving will join 6-8 forward Josh Hairston and 6-2 point guard Tyler Thornton as true freshman in the class of 2010.
Irving, one of the nations top point guard prospects. picked the Blue Devils over Indiana, Kentucky and Texas A & M.
The New Jersey native is a vital cog in the Blue Devils future plans and he'll be given the wheel to the ship from day one.
Irving visited the Duke campus with his Dad and Uncle and played pick up with the current players while on his official visit and that successful weekend pretty much sealed the deal. Duke students cheered his name during a football game against N.C. Central where he hung out with rising senior Lance Thomas.
Irving plays his high school basketball for powerful St. Patrick's and he dressed for the New Jersey Celtics and the New Jersey Roadrunners on the AAU circuit. In Orlando, he led his team to back to back victories over the circuits two best teams, scoring 65 points in the process.
The rising high school senior had some of his best games of the summer circuit during the AAU Nationals where Coach K and his staff watched his every move. For more on his summer exploits, just check out the BDN archives.
It's worth noting that two other jersey point guards in Bobby Hurley and Jason Williams led Duke to all three of Duke's National titles under Kyzyzewski.
Coach K bonded well with Irving during the process and the Devils made it clear that he was their point guard of choice. Duke Assistant Coach Chris Collins was the lead assistant with Irving.
With Irving in the fold, Duke will now turn their attention to Harrison Barnes and other prospects. More on this on the Blue Devil Nation Premium message board. And more on Kyrie Irving as next week progresses.
Irving's commitment starts off a huge sports weekend at Duke where they will entertain Harrison Barnes and play Pfeiffer at 6:30 on Saturday. Duke also plays a huge football game at 1:30 versus Maryland. So, if you are local, this is a great time to support the Devils in person.
Irving in action during the NBAPA Top 100 Camp - BDN Photo
Andrew Slater's Scouting Report on Kyrie Irving - Kyrie Irving is a 6'2" scoring point guard from St. Patrick's of Elizabeth, New Jersey. He has the prototypical size and demeanor to lead a college program to the highest levels. He is a classic example of a scorer with a shooter's touch.
Irving can change pace well, has an above-average and improving handle, and a good sense of spacing. Irving can get to the basket at will against most quality guards and possesses a very good crossover that he utilizes in transition and particularly against half-court pressure. He’s got a quick release with three point capability, but there are stretches when his long distance shot is flat. Irving takes few “bad” or ill-advised shots for a kid his age and his court vision is quite good. Irving is a very good mid-range shooter with a quality release and is more than capable of coming off of a screen and knocking down shots on either elbow or through the bank shot. He is also an excellent foul shooter, which would’ve been beneficial in close, late game possessions, but, for St. Patrick‘s sake, they were only in one close game after Irving joined the team.
Although a work in progress, Kyrie has become a more intense defender, who takes calculated and opportunistic gambles for steals on defense, in particular, using his good, but sometimes underrated athleticism to anticipate errant or lazy passes . Given his tendency to take the ball to the rack, he needs to add muscle to withstand the rigors of a long and physical college season, but, at the high school level, he has been able to consistently deal with the punishment that his relatively thin frame takes from attacking and finishing in the lane, as frequently as he does. Irving worked on assuming more of a leadership role for his AAU team, the Roadrunners, in preparation for his upcoming senior season with the Celtics of St. Patrick's. He is capable of finishing above the rim in transition, but, in traffic, relies on floaters, finger rolls, and is both skilled and ambidextrous around the rim. The NJ guard has a very high basketball IQ, is a considerate teammate, and is quite attentive and coachable.
Barnes makes a move during the NBAPA Camp this past summer - Photo copyright Blue Devil Nation
Duke will entertain the nations top rated prospect, Harrison Barnes, this weekend - but don't look for a sudden verbal.
Barnes has been methodical and consistent throughout the recruiting process, refusing to talk of any schools in home visits. In short, the Barnes family feels these matters are personal.
That has led to a lot of wild speculation for when there is little factual information available, rumors and spin mills dominate the frantic and obsessed message boards. Of course, battles between rival schools like Duke and UNC make this recruitment sizzling hot.
The Blue Devils were on Barnes, 6-6 forward, early and his relationship with Krzyzewski goes back a good ways. In fact, Barnes has visited Duke three times and this weekend's official visit will be the fourth time.
But that hasn't stopped Roy Williams and UNC from making a hard charge a bit later in the process. Despite the fact Williams could not talk to Barnes in any way, he flew to Iowa recently and - sure enough - local TV stations picked up on it. This enabled Williams to get some TV time and his mission accomplished.
For every move the Blue Devils have made, Williams has had a counter move, but this weekend, Barnes attention will be on Duke and Duke alone.
Barnes would be a great fit for Duke in more ways than one. The Blue Devils offer a roster spot guaranteeing Barnes to play his natural position. The Devils made no secret that he was their choice from day one and in the process they've turned away other interested prospects making him a priority recruit.
The Blue Devils are also expected to get a verbal from Kyrie Irving tonight but this is yet to be official and that may well help their cause for Barnes has mentioned that he'd like to play with him. In fact, the two stay in regular contact with one another, but in today's social media outlets, that's not surprising.
Kansas and Oklahoma remain in the mix for Barnes as well, but the consensus among those in the know is that this is a tobacco road battle.
This is nothing new, for the two behemoths have gone head to head before. One of those battles was for Brandon Wright, a player Duke coveted that signed with the Heels.
But another was Shane Battier, who called Dean Smith to let him know of his choice and got an answer of "okay." followed by a dial tone.
While Wright was a good player for UNC, Battier was a legend at Duke and the battle for Barnes is more similar in that he is a certain impact player.
Make no mistake that this is one important recruit for Duke and a commitment would start a shift in the balance of power in a big way. Of course, Williams knows this and he has done a great job of making up ground.
Let's be honest here, Williams likely knows that Barnes to Duke would be a huge future blow. I'm sure he'd take a Barnes to Kansas scenario and rest at ease, but this is as much about keeping Barnes away from Duke as it is getting him to Chapel Hill.
Only time will tell in this one and no matter what you hear in the coming week, very little of it is likely to be factual. One thing I'm pretty certain of is that Barnes will go through with his plans and announce on November 12th and Duke is most certainly in this one.
For more details and discussion, join Blue Devil Nation Premium and be in the know.
One of Duke's most coveted prospects, Kyrie Irving, is set to announce his collegiate decision tomorrow on ESPNU which airs at 5:30 EST. Irving will choose between Duke, Kentucky and Texas A & M. The Blue Devils have made Irving their point guard of choice and his addition would give the Blue Devils a three man class with Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton. For additional information, join and partake in the Blue Devil Nation Premium [subscription only] Message Boards and be in the know. We'll have more on Irving's pending decision tomorrow.
Duke got it's point guard of the future when Kyrie Irving decided to make the Blue Devils his collegiate choice on ESPNU just minutes ago.
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