Roscoe Smith visited the Duke campus [private] yesterday and sources close to the situation say the visit went well. He arrived at Duke on Saturday morning and stay until just before the football game before heading back to Oak Hill Academy for the start of his high school season. The Smiths seemed to have enjoyed themselves during the unofficial affair. The Duke staff will travel to Oak Hill Academy on September the 17th to watch him in an open workout. More on the visit is coming. [/private]
Tom Konchalski has been the editor and publisher of the highly respected High School Basketball Insider Report for more than thirty-five years. Currently, more than 225 colleges subscribe to his service. He is one of the select McDonald's All-American voters. After a weekend at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts, Mr. Konchalski sat down with Blue Devil Nation to talk about some Duke commitments and prospects.
Mason Plumlee
Mason Plumlee: First of all, he has surprising athleticism. He can really jump. The trouble is his body lacks flexibility. He's got to get pliable. I really think he needs a person to work with him on that. He plays too erect. He never really bends his knees. He tries to back people down. He's got the quickness. The main thing he lacks is flexibility. He's got the size. He's very coachable. [private] He'll be a four-year player there and I think he'll be a good player in time.
Ryan Kelly
Ryan Kelly: Ryan has so much more fluidity to his game right now. He really does so many things. He's got nearly a perfect skill set for a guy 6'9." He's not going to be a three. He's a step out four man, who has very good skills. Defensively, he'll be capable of defending the four, but he just needs to get stronger. Plumlee less so, but also most kids coming from high school need to get a lot stronger.
Andrer Dawkins
Andre Dawkins: He's a very good shooter... 6'4"...plays in a system. He's a guy that you don't need to get fifteen shots per game. He'll play within the system. He will knock down the three-pointer, but he's very patient. He doesn't really look to create his shot that much, but he'll take the shots that come to him. He'll be a very good system player. He's a big off guard that can shoot the ball. He's a good example of the saying "good shots make good shooters and bad shots make bad shooters."
Tyler Thornton
Tyler Thornton: He's a utility guard. I don't think he's a pure point guard. He's not a great outside shooter, but he has really active hands. I think he'll be a defensive catalyst. He'll be a utility guard...a little point guard...a little off guard. He's a program player. You might say that's a euphemism for a career backup, but he'll be a program player. He'll be part of a winning process. Listen I don't think they're going to beat North Carolina or win the ACC or a national title with Thornton starting for them, but I think he can help.
Joshn Hairston
Josh Hairston: Now, Josh Hairston's got a chance to be really good. He's 6'8," skilled, athletic with a good body, yet hasn't really hit the weights much yet. I think a big part of going after Tyler was that he was a D.C. teammate of his and continue to work D.C. Assault. Nolan was the first player to commit from the program and, if these two also have a good experience at Duke, they will be in good position to get future players as well.
John Wall
John Wall: He's Evil Knievel without the cycle. He's the most explosive athlete in the class. He's just in a different class. He's 6'3 ½." He tries to just run by people. He plays at one speed. He's got to...if hes going to play and be an elite point guard...learn to play at different speeds. He'll drive by you...dunk on you...throw alley oops, but he's got to learn to not always try to play at one hundred miles per hour. As a point guard right now, he'll get assists mainly because he'll get by people and create numerical disadvantage. Through that...he'll find people, but he's got to learn to play at different speeds. He's just explosive. He's got to shoot it better. He's got to get more selective with his shot and push the ball at different paces. Someone has got to work with him on that...but there is no one in this class at his level of athleticism.
Harrison Barnes: I've never had a chance to see him play yet, but he's supposed to be a terrific player. I was at Reebok, when he was at Nike.
Kyrie Irving: Very good player. His father is in the Hall of Fame at BU. He played at Adlai Stevenson in the Bronx. His name is pronounced "Dedrick," but it's spelled Drederick. He played mostly for Jarvis at BU. He was a very, very good player at BU. He was about 6'3." Kyrie is now 6'1." He transferred in from Montclair Kimberly Academy. He would be eligible today, but they don't play again until Thursday. Right now, he's sort of a combination guard...at least 6'1." I'll tell you what I thought he and Isaiah Epps (Pitt) were the best junior guards in Jersey, but now he may very well be the best. He can shoot the ball very well. He can handle it and he's younger physically. See, Isaiah Epps is going to have to go prep school next year. He's run out of eligibility. I think he's a combination guard, but because of his size...he's 6'1"...wherever he goes they'll probably try to make him into a point guard. He's a talented player. He could play at that level. Would he be an all-American at Duke? Probably not, but he could be very good for them.
Jason Morris: Well, he didn't shoot well today again. His father, Phil, played in NY too. He lives with his mother down in Augusta, but the father played in New York and first talked about him when he was in the sixth grade...but everybody thinks their kid is great in the sixth grade. He goes to a very good school. He's going to play with the Gauchos, but he's played with other organizations in the past. Jason Morris has great explosion with the ball. He really elevates. He's got Otis-like elevation with the ball. He can stop on a dime and explode with his jump shot. I think he'll be very good and he's mature for his age. [/private]
Here is the latest recruiting update which covers pretty much every prospect on the radar. Rest assured that the information our premium members receive is accurate and ahead of the curve.
Let's start this update by saying that Duke had a chance to look at many prospects during the eleven day lay off. They, of course, visited Harrison Barnes, [private] well, Wojo did due to K's automobile accident. Barnes remains a top priority.
Chris Collins watched Ryan Kelly early in the month. Nate James took in a Ray McCallum practice. You'll read about two 2010 kids that have caught the staffs eyes in
Brandon Knight remains on the Duke radar, but there are others
the aforementioned Ray McCallum and Kyrie Irving. The staff was able to see both of these youngsters during the break. Chris Collins was able to attend Irvings practice and you will learn why he didn't take in a game as you read Irvings capsule.
The staff was unable to see John Wall but they stay in touch with him. They will check him out at the Glaxo Smith KlineTournament along with Mason and Ryan. In breaking news it has now been learned that Nate James will visit the City ofPalm Classic where he will go head to head with Kenny Boynton. Wall has not had many local games of late and of course, Duke has not had many home games for kids to come to.
Coach James will stay in Florida and check out Brandon Knight this coming Monday and Tuesday.
They are planning on getting some kids to home games, but the lists are a work in progress and will not be finalized until a week or so before each game.
Holiday tournaments start in force this week. Brandon Knight, who is coming off a 40 point effort will play in the 26 team Krurel Classic in Florida. Just north will be the big event in Fort Meyers with a bevy talented teams and players. Among those of interest for Duke are John Wall,Tyler Thornton and Kyrie Irving's team minus him.
Then there is the Chic-Fil-A Invitational where both Duke 2010 commitments Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly go head to head as Ravenscroft takes on Christ School in their only match up in the regular season on Saturday evening. Coach K and Chris Collins will visit this event on Monday and take in Kelly and Plumlee. This tournament also features Daniel Orton and no Duke is not recruiting him.
I'm currently compiling a new chart of prospects and commitments much like we had at the old site. Here is skinny on two kids which are being evaluated. One of the names I will cover later is Jason Morris.
Since none of the corporate sites have listed these kids, especially one, I would appreciate it if the names stayed here. The second you drop a hint or teaser out there it magically appears there. In fact, I have held the names back despite knowing about them for awhile now to see if they would appear elsewhere first.
Ray McCallum - Class of 2010 ( 6-1, 195) Detroit Country Day (Strong evaluation, no offer yet - Duke visited McCallum recently and they like what they saw. The Blue Devils have been evaluating the 2010 prospect since last summer. He played with Mason Plumlee for Indian Elite in AAU ball. His Dad was an assistant coach with Indiana and is now the head man at Detroit. He is refered to as "Little Ray". He attended high school in Indiana but left for Country Day when his Father got the Detroit job. Country Day, of course, produced Shane Battier. Detroit Country Day features seven high to mid major prospects and is one of the top teams in the nation. He tallied ten points in their only game this season but the buzz is that he is the missing piece to the puzzle at the PG spot.
In a recent brief conversation with the budding star, he said he was in no hurry and will go through the recruiting process. He also stated that the calls and letters had picked up significantly.
Among the schools hot on him of late are Duke, LSU, Syracuse, Oklahoma and Kansas. All of them recently viewed him in an open gym. Of those schools, Kansas has been very aggressive and according to McCallum the most active in the process of late. In fact he visited the Kansas midnight madness or late night at the Phog as he called it.
McCallum holds offers from the likes of Detroit, Kansas, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas and UCLA. His current ranking is sure to soar and his early play in his high school season has been solid.
He hopes to lead his team to the state title and wants to see how things develop before narrowing his choices down after the AAU season. Until that time, he has become a hot commodity and is a name to keep an eye on.
Kyrie Irving (6-1, 168) PG St.Patrick HS, New Jersey -(Evaluation started, strong interest no offer) - Irving caught the eye of evaluators and Duke is paying attention. They have started the process and Coach K will take a look at the young man come Spring. Irving spent his first two seasons at Motnclair Kimberly Academy. He helped lead that team to the New Jersey Prep "B" title.
The talented prospect put up some serious numbers which included averaging 26 PPG, 10 RPG and 4 APG. He had a career high 48 points and is a serious threat on the offensive end of the court. He will play for St. Patrick, New Jersey this season.
Yes, that is the same traditionally strong St. Patrick team which features Dominic Cheek, UNC bound Dexter Strickland and Michael Gilchrist. The "Roadrunners," as they are called may be the best team in the country.
Despite the talent jam, Irving is expected to continue to make a name for himself. This however will not happen until the tenth game of the season due to his transfer.
Duke will gauge his interest over the next couple of months where they will join a crowded field of suitors that include rival UNC, Florida, Memphis, Villanova, Rutgers and Indiana where he recently visited. Expect that list to grow as coaches see him play with a talented cast.
One interesting note is that his Coach Boyle compares him favorably to Jason Williams for his ability to score and distribute. Like Williams, he can play the one or two in college. Also like Williams, he doesn't shy away from taking the big shot when a game is on the line.
We will likely update or add to this update in the next 24 hours. I will also be going down to Columbia with a premium member where I will be able to tell you about the Kelly-Plumlee battle firsthand. [/private]
Ryan Kelly was officially offered a scholarship when he visited the Duke campus on an unofficial visit today. [private] The Duke staff is in the process of setting up an official visit. Kelly was accompanied by his family.
Duke Coaches will be allowed back on the road on September 9th and will visit the Boyntons on that very day. Duke is also ironing out a date for his official visit despite various internet rumors which said he would not visit Durham.
Mason Plumlee will come in on his official with his parents on September 12th to the 14th. That same weekend on the 13th, Duke will entertain Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton on a visit. They will be joined by Duke commitment, Andre Dawkins.
Duke could very well end up with a class of Plumlee, Kelly and Boynton in 09. I will keep you updated.[/private]
His Dad was an assistant coach with Indiana and is now the head man at Detroit. He is refered to as "Little Ray". He attended high school in Indiana but left for Country Day when his Father got the Detroit job. Country Day, of course, produced Shane Battier. Detroit Country Day features seven high to mid major prospects and is one of the top teams in the nation. He tallied ten points in their only game this season but the buzz is that he is the missing piece to the puzzle at the PG spot.
[private] The Duke staff is in the process of setting up an official visit. Kelly was accompanied by his family.
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