DURHAM, N.C. - Duke sophomore Andre Dawkins hopes to make a big contribution for the 2011 Duke Blue Devils and he's prepping at the N.C. Pro Am which goes into its final week. Dawkins talks of the freshman, his off season workouts, the pressure of possibly being number one and much more in BDN's latest [private] player interview.
Just press play -
BDN, covering the Duke beat. [/private]
DURHAM, N.C. - On a steamy summer night the N.C. Pro Am continued but no shows from North Carolina and N.C. State disappointed some for anticipated match ups would not take place. Well, that is if you are a Heel or Pack faithful for the Blue Devils turned out in force. On a night when the defense mirrored the NBA All Star game seven Blue Devils were in action and three of them scored 20 plus points. And two of the Devils would go head to head in the evenings most entertaining game
Kyrie Irving wasted little time in wowing the crowd by daring the defenders to stay with him using cross over dribbles and stutter steps to free up his shot or set up a dish to a teammate. Irving hung in the air for one showboat assist which brought the crowd to their feet, but it was a catch while hanging in mid air and a tomahawk dunk that really had the place rocking. Irving ended the evening with 22 points and 7 assists. Irving was scheduled to go against N.C. State freshman Ryan Harrow who failed to show due to prior obligations.
While Tyler Thornton did not score a point, he played solid on ball defense and his shadowing frustrated opponents into mistakes or an uninvited elbow push off. Thornton dished 3 assists and played a solid overall game.
But the third Team Hendricks Dukie, Josh Hairston impressed as well where he scored 18 points, his tournament high. Four of his baskets came off either Irving or Thornton assists and he was comfortable in the paint while floating out to hit turnaround jumpers.
Hendrick's won the game by a 110-96 margin and they will play again this coming Tuesday.
In the night cap Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry put on a show. The two teammates traded baskets early on, smiling at each other as if to say top that as the game progressed.
"I came out and hit my first couple of shots and then a three from the corner and I was really feeling it after that," said Dawkins who would end the game with a dazzling 36 point effort.
"I see him do it every day, so it's no surprise for me," said Curry who sat out last season after transferring from Liberty.
Curry nailed a trio of three point shots to start the game setting the bar high but Andre was the first to draw blood with a three of his own.
"He hit the first one and said, "What are you going to do,?" it was fun and good competition. With two great shooters it was fun to go back and forth, stated Curry.
"Yeah, we were keeping tabs the whole game to see who had more points but he is playing the distributor for his team and didn't put up as many shots as I did playing the two spot for my team," said Dawkins who for a while could not miss.
Curry replied by saying, "He got the points but I got the win." He continued, "Last year we were on each others team in practice a lot so we got to know each others game and we try to make each other better."
If last night was any indication of the future, when Curry and Dawkins are both on a roll it will bode quite well for the Blue Devils.
BDN Sidebar -Ryan Kelly chipped in 9 points and played a solid overall game but with former Wolfpack and current Los Angeles Laker Josh Powell [31 points] joining Team Jamison his D-One team fell 101-95 which evened things up after Kelly led them to a win with 31 last week.
Miles Plumlee added 10 points to the victors and had a vicious behind the head dunk. He was also on the end of Dawkins best assist of the night where he caught a behind the back pass for a dunk on the break.
Rodney Rodgers got a warm reception as he took to mid court in a wheel chair after his tragic accident. The former Durham Hillside and Wake Forest star spoke of his foundation.
The games will continue next Tuesday with tip off of the first contest scheduled for around 6:00. Be prepared to walk a distance due to parking issues and keep in mind that the doors will be shut down upon capacity. Admission is free.
For more Pro Am thoughts check out the BDN Premium message board where we report live and be sure to sign up for our twitter page for the best updates available. Be sure to check out our live updates from the recruiting trail where BDN's Andre Slater is in Las Vegas checking out all the action as Coach K, Collins and James scout the nations top prospects.
DURHAM - Another sultry summer evening and BDN was on the scene checking out the action. In the evenings first game, Ryan Kelly showed off his newly formed body while scoring a team high 31 points which translated into a 66-59 win for his D-One team
Kelly scored on dunks, jump shots and nailed three shots from beyond the stripe and shot a very productive 13 of 18 from the field. We had him at 8 rebounds unofficially to go with a couple of blocks. Kelly spent most of the summer in Durham where he played with Miles Plumlee and he made a quantum leap in production from his first nights effort.
Andre Dawkins, who switched teams, made it to the game at the start of the second half and ended the game with 6 points going 2 for 6 from the field. Dawkins has yet to play in a full game during the tournament.
Miles Plumlee wowed the crowd with two early blocks but his team came up short in overtime where Johnny Thomas hit a three in overtime to steal the win. Miles finished the game with 9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and a steal. Plumlee was also sporting a thickening beard and seemed to be in great physical shape.
His teammate, Seth Curry, made his debut and after missing his first five three point shots settled in and lead a late charge after his team was down by 11. Curry ended the game with 11 points to go with two steals. Many of his shots were in and out and it is clear that he'll take the open shot when available. He played good on ball defense and had two steals and a near third. One steal and lay in late in the game cut what was a big lead to 2 and that helped his team get to the extra period.
Nolan Smith played in the night cap and due to the late start many of the fans had left. They missed a show for Nolan dropped in 36 points as he was clearly the best guard on the court. Smith found a variety of ways to score which included, three point shots, pull ups, runners and buzzer shots.
Smith, never one not to entertain, heaved a ball toward the rim where he thought it was a buzzer shot late in the first half. The shot missed badly which is not a big deal for a heave. The problem is there were 19 ticks left on the clock. Smith laughed it off and atoned for that with a true buzzer beating shot at the half.
Mason Plumlee let the game come to him and ended the game with 22 points and a bevy of rebounds. Plumlee looked comfortable on the court and was in good shape after working in Chicago for the past month. What was different? His range. Plumlee nailed a couple of three pointers and his outside stroke has improved. His dunks were effortless and he helped Smith garner a sweet comeback victory where for three quarters they were outplayed as a team. It was Mason's late slam dunk that gave his Dremworks team a 74-72 lead. The bucket gave Plumlee two successive dunks down the stretch.
But it was Nolan's night for after he cut the lead to 79-78, he was fouled and hit two free throws while trading a few good spirited barbs and that clinched the 81-78 comeback win over Team Navy. Smith's performance stole Kelly's thunder as the star of the night, but both players were impressive and that is a good thing for Duke fans.
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DURHAM, N.C - Three Duke Blue Devils took to the court at the N.C. Pro Am on Tuesday evening on the campus of N.C. Central University. This was the first appearance for Andre Dawkins and Ryan Kelly fresh off the national championship and the two scored 10 points apiece while their team lost by 8 points. True freshman Tyler Thornton added 8 points.
In the preceding game, Team Stackhouse held off a game Team 212 on their way to a 4 point overtime win. A packed facility saw Harrison Barnes display his various skills scoring 31 points while his teammates Reggie Bullock added 21 and 20 points. In coming freshman point guard Kendall Marshall took in the action from the sidelines as his teammates took the majority of the shots.
While the Tar Heels played the entire game, that was far from the case in the third game, the most disjointed game of the evening. Kelly was the exception, playing much of the game if for no other reason than his team had just one other guy over 6-4. Kelly looks thicker than last season and it is obvious that he has worked on gaining weight in the off season. I had Kelly at 8 rebounds unofficially.
Kelly struggled from the free throw stripe and his shot wasn't as accurate as I have seen, but he showed nice athletic moves polishing off two dunks on successive offensive possessions and moved well with the ball, always looking for open teammates. He couldn't help but wear down playing so many minutes inside.
It was quite a different story for Andre Dawkins who opened the game with a strong one handed throw down dunk and a three point shot. After starting the game, Dawkins was then benched until the fourth quarter. Here is the culprit, his team had 13 players on the bench. Yep, that's right 18 players on the team.
Of those 18 players, several off them were in way over their heads and the Team Navy coach seemingly wanted to play all of them which prevented any hope of victory or good basketball. Dawkins move better with the ball in hands and showed that he continually gets better athletically.
Then there was Tyler Thornton, who to me, was the most impressive of the group despite maybe one quarter of play. Thornton's efficiency was evident where he was 3 of 3 from the floor, dishing 3 assists. He was the best guard on the court when in the game, playing under control, looking for his teammates. In short, he played smart. All of that went to the wayside when players from the bench came in and jacked up ridiculous one on one shots which cheapened the game in terms of competitiveness.
Thornton moves well with the ball and is quicker than many realize. He is more than capable of earning a little burn in his first season at Duke despite the tremendous depth on the roster. In short, there will be a role for Thornton. One of his perceived weaknesses was his three point shot, but BDN has told you in the past that he has been working on that part of his game.
The true freshman showed the ability to catch and shoot nailing one three from the corner barely moving the net. In fact he hit both of his shots beyond the stripe.
Most of the Blue Devils will play in the event, but Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith have been working on their skills at the LeBron James Skills Academy where both college and high school players participate. The much anticipated debut of Kyrie Irving will likely come next week where he joins Kyle Singler on his team.
Interestingly, the Duke players are scattered about on the teams, while Team Stackhouse has been dubbed Team Tar Heel by the fans. N.C. State fans got a chance to see their incoming class last evening where Ryan Harrow took to the court for the first time as well.
The event continues on Thursday evening and the games start at 6:00. Admission is absolutely free, but be prepared to walk a good ways to get in due to construction which cut out an entire parking lot. Crowds have been outstanding to date and at times were approaching capacity. Once the event settles in and the players appear on a more consistent basis that crowd may well push a record.
Duke fans can only hope that they see more of their players like the efficient Tyler Thornton. And the reason fans turn out is to see the local schools kids play. My understanding is that the issue of playing time for the better players will be addressed, but in fairness, this only happened in the third contest.
Be sure to check the N.C. Pro Am out for it is good free entertainment in a friendly atmosphere.
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DURHAM - The Blue Devil Nation participated in a question and answer session with rising Duke sophomore Andre Dawkins who talks of his off season work and what he hopes to accomplish this coming season. Our questions are marked [BDN].
You look as if you grew an inch?
I don't know for sure I haven't measured.
But you look like you put on some bulk.
Yeah, I'm trying to get in the weight room.
[BDN] What have you been doing over the summer?
I've just been working on my overall game but obviously focusing on handling the ball better and just get in really good shape so I'm ready to go.
[BDN] Duke can actually put a lineup on the floor that has five guys who can nail the three next season and you'll have Kyrie dishing you the ball. Are you excited at the possibilities?
It should be fun. I think certain lineups we'll put out there it'll be hard for teams to guard. Even with three or four shooters and when Kyle is playing on the wing, we have enough shooters to knock down the shots.
Mark mentioned Kyrie. Have you seen him play?
We've played against each other before on the AAU circuit before I left a year early, so I've seen him a lot and he has a chance to be a really good player here. He can really get out on the break and he loves to do that and even our bigs can get out and run you know, so it should be really exciting.
[BDN] Have you been working out at Duke and what did you do over the summer?
I've really just been at home working out, trying to lift in the mornings and go to the gym after that and get another workout in at night or play pickup. When we went up to see President Obama I stayed with Nolan for a week and worked out with him.
Did you talk with former Boo Williams teammate James McAdoo and if so what did you say to him with concern to leaving school a year early?
No, I didn't talk to him but it obviously didn't work out for a reason but I didn't talk to him.
[BDN] Are you happy with your decision to come in a year early as a freshman?
Uhm, yeah I think it worked out fine. I mean not everybody is going to come in and win a national championship in their first year, so that might put a little more glitter in it than it should but I think it worked out for me just fine.
Coach K said Ryan had grown and is weighing in at 230 pounds ...
I haven't seen Ryan, I just got back two days ago but Miles has been consistently getting bigger so it should be exciting.
Do you feel better prepared having a year under your belt going into next season?
I would hope so. I know what the coaches are expecting, you know, in practice and workouts and things like that. I just have to be consistent.
[BDN] Coaches sometimes meet with players before they leave school and tell them what to work on, did you talk to coach and if so, what was said?
I talked with Coach Collins after the season was over and he told me to work on my ball handling and get in better shape for those were the two points that kind of held me back last year.
How many times have you watched the national championship game this off season?
I have actually only watched it like twice. I really don't like to watch it because every time I do I thinks that shots going to go in, so I try to stay away from it. [brought a good laugh from media members]
[BDN] Did a lot of people at home come up and talk of the title?
Being at home is always humbling and we don't talk about it much but it is always cool to have people coming up and congratulating you and talk about what a great year we had.
[BDN] Your good friend Kendall Marshall will be a freshman at UNC, did you razz him a bit pumping your ring at him?
I talked to him a little bit. He's a good friend and he wasn't bitter so I didn't rub it in too much. I mean they won it the year before so ...
[BDN] What suggestions can you offer him going into his freshman season?
Really just stay focused. There will be times when you don't know what to do because you don't know what the coaches want but just listen and work as hard as you can.
INDIANAPOLIS - Duke freshman Andre Dawkins would be a high school senior this season, but by leaving a year early he landed himself in the Final Four. Dawkins, as most of you know, graduated one year early and the youthful freshman hopes to build upon his last outing where he scored 6 points against Baylor. BDN caught up to an obviously excited Dawkins and here is what he had to say -
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