Category Archives: Duke Basketball

Duke Basketball

Alex O’Connell Sidelined in Canada

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario -- Duke sophomore guard Alex O’Connell will miss the remainder of the Duke Canada Tour after being diagnosed with an orbital floor fracture. O’Connell sustained the injury early in the first quarter of Duke’s game versus Ryerson University on Wednesday night at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ontario.

O’Connell was released from the hospital last night and rejoined the team at the hotel. He was reevaluated by Duke’s medical staff this morning and is expected to make a full and routine recovery.

The Blue Devils have two games remaining on their tour – Friday versus the University of Toronto in Mississauga and Sunday versus McGill University in Montreal.

Duke Basketball

Duke in Canada – What to Watch

Duke in Canada - What to Watch

Duke is set to play three games in Canada starting tomorrow evening.  With Cam Reddish and Tre Jones sidelined due to injury, here is what to watch.

R.J. Barrett will control the ball

While the starters have yet to be announced, Mike Krzyzewski said in his press conference that the ball would run through R.J. Barrett on the Canadia trip.  I asked Barrett last week if he was comfortable in that role and he said that he was.  Duke loves to play what they call positionless basketball but they have a true PG this season in Tre Jones when healthy.

Who might start?

Duke will likely go with Marques Bolden, Javin DeLaurier, R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Alex O'Connell.

Duke will seek to develop quality depth

With the aforementioned injuries, Duke will play their bench and they'll do so often,  BDN Premium members know who I projected as the season rotation, but Duke needs another body or two to become viable if there are injuries.  Jack White will get some quality time and he could be the likely candidate for added depth once the season starts,  Krzyzewski said he had lost ten pounds in the offseason,  Another source close to the situation said their goal was to get the Austrailian product to play with more confidence.  We can also expect to see Joey Baker, Antonio Vrankovic, Justin Robinson, and Jordan Goldwire see significant minutes.

Look for R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson to Shine

These guys are good and they're about to let the nation see that.  Barrett is a confident player who enjoys challenges.  He will thrive being the one who dictates action on a trip home.  Zion Williamson literally makes Coach K smile when he speaks of him.  All eyes will be on the South Carolina native and if his game translates to the college level right away.

Leaders will lead

Duke will look to Javin DeLaurier and Marques Bolden to lead as both enter their junior seasons.  Duke has also been getting some chatter from White and O'Connell while the talented newcomers adjust.

Don't expect a refined, perfect bunch

The Duke staff is just scratching the surface on conditioning and they have yet to put in major parts of the system.  Duke will play up-tempo this season with more man to man but this trip might not reveal how effective that can be.

Sideline Chemistry

This will be the first time we have seen this staff together.  Gone is Jeff Capel and entering is Chris Carrawell.  It will be interesting to watch how things are handled with the aforementioned along with Nate James, Jon Scheyer, and Nolan Smith.  While Smith is not technically a coach, he plays a major role.  It is worth noting that every coach or staff member mentioned has a national championship ring while at Duke.

Duke Basketball

Duke Basketball Press Conference Tidbits

Duke Basketball tidbits - Reddish will not play in Canada.

Here are some highlights from Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and players Marques Bolden, Javin DeLaurier and R.J. Barret before the teams trip to Canada.

Quick hits -

  • Marques Bolden said that the freshman are fundamentally sound and know how to do the little things already.
  • Bolden was asked about the transfer rumors a season ago and said it was never a true option for him.
  • Bolden said that much of his offseason work concentrated on his motor and eating habits.
  • Javin DeLaurier worked out with teammate Justin Robinson and his Dad David in the offseason where he took kickboxing lessons and also yoga while in San Antonio.
  • DeLaurier said his role was to lead as an upperclassman and that he joked with Bolden that they were the older guys now.  He joked that the freshman came up and asked if there were practices on Saturdays in which they laughed.
  • The freshman are especially close and work hard and are ready to listen according to DeLaurier.
  • R.J. Barrett said he was excited to return home with Duke and see his friends.
  • Barrett said he had worked on his outside game and hoped people backed off him in games.
  • Barrett said that a big part of his game was to make plays and that he could run the point if needed.
  • Barrett said he has achieved good things while in Canada and grew up watching Andrew Wiggins and that the younger generation now looks up to him.
  • Barrett said Javin was one of the hardest workers he has seen.
  • Barrett said that Krzyzewski just allows him to play and he was one of the funniest guys he knows.
  • Krzyzewski said he just wanted his players to play to their strengths without position worries.
  • Krzyzewski glowed when he talked about Zion Williamson calling him a great player and young man on and off the court.  He said his weight was proportioned to his body type and that he had good lateral quickness.

 

Duke Basketball

Coach K Talks Practices to Date

Coach K

The first Mike Krzyzewski coached Duke team to take an offseason foreign trip was the 1983 group to France.  Freshman at that time could not make the journey per NCAA rules, but that has now changed.

Thank goodness for said changes, in that Duke will rely heavily on freshman this season and two of them in Tre Jones and Cam Reddish will be sidelined for their upcoming Canadian trip.

It was announced earlier today, that Cam Reddish is hobbled by a groin injury and that Tre Jones had yet to recover fully from an issue with his hip.  While both players will be ready to go for the season and are participating in some drills, Krzyzewski will err on the side of caution and sit his prized freshman but did call the injuries minor.

Duke has completed seven of ten allowed practices to date.  "So far, I couldn't be more pleased with the chemistry that has developed and these guys have been really fun to coach," said Krzyzewski.

Krzyzewski also said they have not been pushing conditioning as of yet, stating that his team was in decent shape but the staff did not want to push them too early. "For this trip, it is impossible to put in your entire system, so we are trying to keep it simple and see how our guys play."

As for the veterans, Krzyzewski said that Javin DeLaurier has played great and not just good.  And that Marques Bolden was healthy and adjusting to a new position and how he will be used.

Other notes from his press conference were that Jack White has lost ten pounds and is shooting the ball better per Krzyzewski and Alex O'Connell has been playing well.

The Duke coach also said the team would run a different offense this season with five men out and more motion.  And there was a strong hint that the team would get back to playing some man to man defense.

Before Kryzewsski came out for the media, R.J. Barrett took to the podium.  He was asked if there were instances where he could run the point as a lead ball handler in which he said yes.  Krzyzewski would later say that as well, "Having those two guys (Jones, Reddish) out will hurt our ball handling for the trip and there will be more emphasis with R.J. being out there.  Alex O'Connell will help and Zion (Williamson)  will be all over the place "

Krzyzewski also said this years group would be good defensively and that they would do a lot of things differently than a season ago on offense where he expects the players to have the freedom to create.

Duke will leave for the Toronto area on Sunday where they will play three games in six days.

GAME SCHEDULE
August 15, 2018, 7 p.m. ET Game 1 vs. Ryerson University Hershey Centre 
August 17, 2018, 6 p.m. ET Game 2 vs. University of Toronto Hershey Centre 
August 19, 2018, 3 p.m. ET Game 3 vs. McGill University Place Bell

 

Duke Basketball

Injuries Will Sideline Tre Jones and Cam Reddish

Tre Jones

Duke head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski confirmed today that incoming freshman Tre Jones and Cam Reddish will not play in their upcoming Canadian trip.

According to Krzyzewski, Reddish is nursing a groin injury while Jones is still not fully recovered from a hip injury.  It was also mentioned that both players were currently participating in some of the seven practices to date including drills.

Both players will be ready to go when practice starts in October per Krzyzewski and neither injury is expected to affect either player long term.

Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Duke Basketball Recruiting Update (Public)

The Duke Men's Basketball staff is once again on the recruiting trail in full force as the open period begins.  The Blue Devils have been active with many players of late, extending new offers and setting a list for future prospects while trying to close on current ones.

The staff is busy in more ways than one.  With the Canadian trip fast approaching, this is a time when everyone must take their vitamins.  A demanding schedule means time management, yet that seems to be something a Mike Krzyzewski led program thrives on.

Duke is fortunate to have four assistant  coaches, if you count Nolan Smith that have all won national championships.  That knowledge combined with individual experiences offers them communication skills and knowing what kind of team they need to build for future success.

So far, Duke has yet to land a single player for next seasons class, but it is just a matter of time.  Duke is not hurt in the least by players waiting in that they can see firsthand starting in August of how they blend high school players into roles with the team.

With the one and done rule in effect, Duke is still looking at young men who can jump straight to the league.  The Blue Devils also realize that current players on the team will play a role in who comes next if they turn pro early.

That makes for a mixed bag in how to fill the roster, but it is an envious situation for the program.  Duke has zeroed in on several players, so we now have a good idea who will possibly fill the 2019-2020 roster.

It makes sense that Duke could lose all of their starters for a second year in a row, if the team has success and especially if they are lucky enough to win it all.  Many things play a role in when the best time for some players to go pro is at hand.   Others are destined to go already despite not dribbling a ball in an actual game in Duke uniform.

Duke will spend a lot of time in the many tournaments in Las Vegas this week.  While there, they will try to close on some guys in this class while hanging in with others who will make late or next Fall decisions.

Among the players which have standing offers are Cole Anthony (PSA Cardinals/Nike) who is hands down the best guard in his class and the son of former UNLV standout, Greg Anthony.  Anthony is on the cover of the latest Slam magazine and sure to garner more hype but he will not pick a team until the Fall of 2019 when all the fallout has occurred.

A player who will make an earlier selection which holds an offer is Bryan Antoine (Team Rio/Under Armor).  The shooting guard has long had Duke at the top of his list and will visit campus on September the 29th.  It helps that he is friends with current Duke freshman Joey Baker who continues to help the staff recruit.  He is also a very likable player on the shoe camp circuit who may players want to play with.

Vernon Carey (E1T1/Nike) has long been near the top of the high school rated players.  He is top three on every list and he has included Duke in his final teams.  Carey will visit Duke during Countdown to Craziness in October and he will likely have some company in the stands at that time.  Duke has been all in on Carey for some time now and he will be a center of focus for them this week.

Another player Duke is heavily recruiting is Wendell Moore (CP-3/Nike).  Duke most recently visited Greensboro to see him play where they had multiple staff members at all of his games.  Moore is their wing of choice but he is being heavily recruited by other schools as well.  He will visit the Duke campus on September the 21st and through the weekend.

A player Coach K loves for his non stop motor is big man Isaiah Stewart (City Rocks/Nike).  Stewart is the real deal and he is slated to visit Duke for the UNC game in Cameron but those plans could be changed and he may visit earlier.  Duke is considered one of the leaders for this young man and they've seen enough.  And it is good they've seen enough for Stewart has elected to sit out this week and will another Duke target in guard, Josiah James.  Duke has been on the 6-6 PG for a while now and they will likely seek a visit in the coming months.  The  guard situation is a bit more complicated which I speak openly about on the message board for members.  In fact, I go into much more than just the general list in this article for Blue Devil Nation members.  There will be an extended update tomorrow which goes into more details on the targets and new offers which will go out soon. So, consider joining Blue Devil Nation Premium where you can currently get two years for the price of one during our BOGO special.

Okay, back to subject at hand.  Duke loves Matthew Hurt (D-1 Minnesota).  Coach K himself is running front on this one and that is a good thing for Kansas and others covet this talented player and Self was able to recently coach him.    Duke will check him out this week and our members know the details from past updates.  Hurt is a Duke kind of player and one they will push for until the end.  It won't be an easy road for his service in that it is so competitive but it would be a rewarding one and a great match.

Say hello to Nico Mannion (West Coast Elite/Under Armor).  Okay, so you knew about him from past updates, but he has recently reclassified to the class of 2019 and Duke has an offer out and will scout him even heavier in the coming week.  For those who do not know, Mannion is a USA PG which is the kind of player a Krzyzewski coached team covets in that he loves those who have represented the country.  Of course, Mannion was not originally from the US which you can see in past updates, but he will continue his ascent to his dreams at a college in 2019-2020.

Duke has also done more than kick the wheels on Armando Bacot who was very impressive with his team in Nike play.  Duke wants three front court players and that could include him if two aforementioned players look elsewhere, so there remains consistent contact.

I expect we'll see another front court player offered once the evaluation period ends, if not two.  Duke has and will scout Jaden McDaniels, Jaiden Delaire and Drew Timme.  They also have some names in place if things get tight with Moore.

The players which Duke may get early from our last update has not changed.  BDN will cover that again tomorrow along with the new players which are becoming fixtures for the future.