Tag Archives: Blue Devil Nation

Duke Basketball

Duke-Southern Illinois square off in MSG – Game Picks

[private]Duke returns to New York City once again, where they will face Southern Illinois in the semifinal of the Coaches for Cancer 2K Classic.  The game tips off just after 7:00 EST and will be televised on ESPN2.

Duke is coming off a close call at home versus Rhode Island and is facing a team which plays with a similar tenacity.  SIU is no pushover.  In fact, all week long people have raved about their defensive prowess which held opponents to well under 60 points per game last season.

The Saluki's are anchored on the inside by well rounded Carlton Fey and the back court is manned by Bryan Mullins.  There is little doubt that they will want to showcase their program to a national audience, especially against the team that gets everybody's best shot in Duke.

It will be interesting to see how the Devils respond.  In the past, Duke has blown through early games, but this is a team with a developing chemistry.  Coach Krzyzewski shortened his bench against the Rams, so one thing we'll watch for is if a freshman can step up on a national stage.

In the first few games, the freshman have looked like freshman, looking lost at times and reacting too slow and or with hyper speed or forcing the issue instead of letting the game come to them.

Then there is Greg Paulus who will not be 100%.   That means Nolan Smith will have to prove he's ready to take the next step as a leader.  More intriguing is the early play or lack thereof from Gerald Henderson.  "G" has all the tools to dominate aspects og the game, but has yet to put together a complete game and seems to be struggling to find his place in the chemistry.

Duke can likely count on Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler for leadership and cool under pressure, but they will need help to get through the next two games. That help could come by way of Lance Thomas, who has shown he wants to be starting with his recent play.

I am of the opinion, that K is bring this team along at his pace, one which will help them develop come the ACC.  There have been time when Duke didn't play well in the limelight of the Big Apple, but SIU will be facing this stage for the first time in awhile.

I feel that Gerald Henderson will have a breakout game and that Duke will get balanced efforts from their cast in route to a win.  Look for the Devils to go at Fey early and often to get him in could trouble.  Fey is a solid defender, but the Saluki's will be challenged if Duke gets into their bench up front.

It will be vital that Duke gets good play from either Smith or Paulus as well.  While I certainly respect the tough opponent, I feel Rhode Island prepared Duke for this game and that K will in no way allow Duke to look ahead to possible match with UCLA.

The pick here is Duke 82 Southern Illinois 64[/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Ryan Kelly signs his letter of intent to play for Duke University

[private]Ryan Kelly signed his letter of intent today which is the first day of the early signing period.  Kelly, a 6-10 power forward, is ranked by scout as the #3 power forward and #11 overall player in the Class of 2009.  In July, Kelly was a starter for the USA Men’s Basketball U18 Team that won a silver medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Formosa, Argentina. As a junior at Ravenscroft, he was named the 2007 TISAC Conference Player of the Year, averaging 23.7 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks per game.[/private]

Duke Basketball

Duke wins opener – advances to face Georgia Southern

[private]Anytime there are 48 turnovers and 46 fouls in a game, it's going to be ugly on the eyes.  Duke opened -

courtesy Associated Press
courtesy Associated Press

the new season with a sloppy 80-49 win over Presbyterian in the Coaches vs Cancer 2K Sports Classic.  The Blue Devils were out of sync on the offensive end of the floor, missing open players and committing an bevy of turnovers. 

"We committed 21 turnovers.  That's a lot of turnovers for a team that's not pressing us.  A lot of our turnovers were self inflicted wounds.  We just gotta get better," said Kyzyzewski shortly after the opener concluded.

While a 32 point victory is good from an average teams standards, it is not from Duke standards.  One must consider that this is the second earliest start in history for the Devils and Coach K is still experimenting with various combinations.   In short, they are working out the kinks.

Kyle Singler was the clear choice for the player of the game.  Singler tallied a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds to go with 2 blocks and two steals.  Nolan Smith, who was the starting point guard, added 15 points on 6 of 7 shooting from the field to go with 3 assists.

Duke started slowly, the game being tied at 2-2 with just over fifteen minutes left in the half.  They rode a solid defensive effort to close out the half with a bang.  The aforementioned defense accounted for 27 Blue Hose turnovers and several steals.  Duke held their opponent to 30% shooting as well.

A bright spot was the play off the bench for Lance Thomas, who hustled his way to 12 points and 5 rebounds.   Miles Plumlee, getting his first start as a freshman went scoreless.  Jon Scheyer added 12 key points, almost all of them in the first half when Duke couldn't find their mark.

Gerald Henderson struggled to get into the flow as well, scoring just 6 points.  Brian Zoubek foulded out with just two points.  Paulus added 4 points and 3 assists, Czyz also had 4 points to lead the freshman in scoring.   Williams and McClure had 2 points apiece.

While many fans might fret and dissect the team after a lack luster performance, you can bet that they will be ready to play tomorrow evening when they take on Georgia Southern, a winner over Houston.

It seemed as if the team didn't allow the game to come to them on offense and more passes could have been made.  Several shots went halfway down and popped out and it's been awhile since Duke hit just 3 three point shots.

All of the mistakes are correctable and most of them will take care of themselves as the team moves along this season.  By tomorrow evening, I expect fans will remember this game as simply a win.  The reason is that it will be quickly forgotten if Duke takes care of the ball and works as a team to advance to New York.

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Official Box Score link from GoDuke.com

K-ments -

- “You hope [the defense] is always ahead of the offense, because it can produce offense. You have a chance to win if you play good defense. It was almost as if we were trying a little too hard on the offensive end at times. It comes. It’s our first game.”

- “I thought we played really hard, but it’s like when you watch any game that has good defense and the offense isn’t that good, you don’t think it’s that good of a game. But if the defense stinks and the offense is good, you think you went to a hell of a game. It’s like 9-8 in baseball, 33-30 in football – and that 10-7 game just stunk. And so I think that’s part of it. I thought we did have spark. We played really hard, or else we wouldn’t force 28 turnovers, but that didn’t translate to being fluid on the offensive end. We had 35 points off turnovers, and that’s when we had a numerical advantage. When their defense was set, I still thought we were trying to force things.”

- “I’d like to see some made lay-ups and the extra pass and to take better care of the ball. I don’t fault any kid. They’re playing hard. But in order to get better, you have to take responsibility and be accountable – we can play better offensively and that’s the only way you get to be really good. We want to be really good.”

- “I’m a big basketball-gods guy. I think sometimes you get punished – you miss layups and when you don’t see that open guy. We had that run in the first half, we were up 32-11, and four of the next five plays we had a guy wide open. We didn’t make a bad play, but it wasn’t the right play, and that just comes from playing. Hopefully we’ll make those plays.”

Kyle Singler -

- “This team is very competitive.  I think that’s one of our strengths – we just love to play and compete.  But tonight it just wasn’t there.  That’s on us.  Our standards weren’t met tonight and we’ve just got to come back tomorrow with a different mindset and attitude.”

 - “I did miss a lot of opportunities, but I’m not going to dwell on it.  It’s a team game, and we just have to move on.”[/private]

Duke Basketball

Three questions for Jon Scheyer

[private]How will the three point line being moved back play into this season?

The guys who really shoot the three can hit them, so it won't bother us that much.  It could become a little bit more of a specialty because teams will not have as many players who can shoot the three.  So, that can change how our game plan works.  Knowing the three is a little further will have us scouting team and looking for the changes.

As a team, how will you deal with the last two seasons early outs in the NCAA's?

You are going to be judged on what you do in March and we haven't done much.  All of us were anxious last year to get back after the loss in our freshman year.  This past year we learned you have to take the games one step at a time and when it comes March we'll worry about that.

How does it feel to be a captain for the Duke Basketball team?

It's something I dreamed about, wanting to be a captain and it's an honor to be named one at Duke University.  I'll do whatever it takes to lead the team.  I'm glad Coach and my teammates have confidence in me and I don't want to let them down.[/private]

Duke Basketball

Krzyzewski talks of “Duke Standards”

[private]"When I talk to our team, I tell them these are our standards."  Those are the words that came out of Coach K's mouth during a recent practice.  He then referred to a very good team meeting where he asked the players to participate intalking of a practice tape from the previous day and adding their take.   "We record all of our practices," stated Coach.  And they do, there are six state of the art cameras along the walls in the new practice facility.

The "Duke Standards," mean communication, togetherness and all out effort among the many.  Coach demands that his players look coaches and each other in the eye when talking.  "I asked them to contribute in the meeting and no fooling around."  This discipline afforded Duke another opportunity to grow as a team and when Coach K instructs or suggests, you can hear a pin drop and echo through Cameron.

The HOF coach will talk to the media about last seasons tournament ending game versus West Virginia, but it's clear that he's ready to put that game to bed and move on as is his team.  During the off season his staff discussed the reasons for that loss and adjustments have been made in order for Duke to make a deeper run in March and quite likely April.

"It's obvious that we have a deep team.  Anybody wh has had the opportunity to watch this team in the pre season knows that," stated Krzyzewski.  He then went on to hintt of a plan which willkeep his team fresher down the stretch.  Just one of those reasons is the pleasant play of incoming freshman Miles Plumlee, who

Coach K instructs Singler and Plumlee
Coach K instructs Singler and Plumlee

has enabled Kyle Singler to play a more natural position where he's able to showcase his immense skills set.  But it doesn't stop there.

Players like Marty Pocius have picked up the system better and as of right now Nolan Smith has been running with the first team ahead of senior co captain Greg Paulus.  Anytime, you can bring a hard nosed competitor like Paulus off the bench, well, it's the sign of a team with depth.

It remains to be seen if Krzyzewski will play more than the seven or eight players he usually does, but he certainly hinted he would and that having their legs late in the season is a priority.  After several views of the 08-09 Blue Devils, I feel certain that they will go nine deep, even ten when necessary.

You can also look for some of the Gold Medal Team USA experience to rub off on their style of play.  "Fans will see an exciting style of play this season," said Krzyzewski.  He went on to say it would be similar to the Olympic team, especially concerning spacing in the motion offense and break.

All in all the table is being set for an outstanding season and fans are getting excited about what they are hearing.  Duke plays it's last tune up game versus Lenoir Rhine this evening, before tipping off the season for real on Monday night against Presbyterian only to come back against the winner of the Georgia Southern-Houston game the following evening.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Nation for coverage of all things Duke Basketball and individual breakdowns.[/private]

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Harrison Barnes talks to BDN about his visit to Duke in an in depth interview

So, you just got back from a visit to Duke.  Can you tell me a little bit about the visit?

I thought it was great to down there and get a full feel of just what Duke University is all about and what the basketball team was like and how the players were treated.

What was the atmosphere like?

I would say that they act in a very professional manner.  Academically?  It rates really high for them and that the players there are treated with a lot of respect from Coach K and the staff as a whole.  I thought the practice facility was very impressive.  They had two gyms in there and that was nice.  They also had a very large weight room.

I understand you sat with 2010 commitment Andre Dawkins during the game ...

[private] Yes, I met Andre during the LeBron James Camp.  So, we've had a chance to become friends for awhile now.

He told me during a recent interview that he gave you a call after Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton became future Blue Devils ...

(laughing) Yes, it is.  He wanted me to join in with them as well.  I told him that I was going to take my time.

Do you know Tyler and Josh?

Yes, I got a at the chance to meet Tyler at the Nike Hoop Jamboree and I met Josh there as well and the NBA Players Association Camp this year.

I understand it was parents weekend and that the Cameron atmosphere was far from what it normally is during your visit.  Did that bother you that the Crazies were a bit scattered and not up to their usual standards?

Andre actually explained most of that to me.  I have not seen the Duke Atmosphere in a full game.  But it was nice with the community repore and the little sections that were there to see how excited they were.  So, it gave me a good idea of what a game would be like.

Man, he's quite the recruiter, isn't he?

Yes, he is. (laughing)

Did you talk with any other prospects or commitments?

Ryan Kelly and I talked a bit.

Your family payed out of pocket to come on an unofficial visit which was probably pretty expensive.  What was your reasoning for visiting Duke as one of just two unofficial visits? 

Duke has been very consistent in their recruiting of me.  I felt that it came to a point in our recruitment that they deserved a visit, so I went down there.  I just wanted to get a feel for what the university was about and to see Duke University up close.  What they had been telling me on the phone was what the university was actually like.

What are your thoughts on Coach K?

I think he is very humorous as well as very personable.  I think he's easy to talk to (it was his first face to face discussion with K) and that overall he's just a really good guy with very good morals.   I felt that it was very team oriented both on the basketball court and off.  I felt that Duke had a very good family environment where they all watched out for each other.

Who has been the primary contact person from Duke?

Coach K has been the primary recruiter.

Did your Mom and sister enjoy the visit to Duke?

Yes, they thoroughly enjoyed it as well.  We all felt it was a great time to meet the team and coaches and get to know one another.  We're just getting to know each other now and then we'll see where this all goes.

Is there a timeline on your decision?

I'm not in any rush.  After the high school season I will get back into the process.  Right now, I'm in no hurry to make a decision.

What stood out on your Kansas visit?

It was just a great experience to see a sold out arena and the support they get in general. 

How far is Aimes, Iowa from KU?

I live about three and a half hours away.

Will proximity come into play?

Right now, distance is no factor.

Let me make sure I have this right.  When are you likely to make a decision?

After my official visits

... and will you take all five allotted officials?

I have not determined how many I will take yet

Which schools have been the most proactive in your recruitment?

Duke, Kansas, Iowa State, Florida, Oklahoma are the ones that come to mind right now.

What impressed you the most about Duke?

Mostly the academics

How important is academics to Harrison Barnes?

It's a key for me because I want to go to a university that will set me up after my career.

I appreciate your time and wish you the best of luck in the process.

Thank you.

According to sources close to the team, Harrison Barnes spent two full days at Duke.  The visit went very well from the staffs standpoint and the feeling is that he enjoyed himself enough to make Duke one of the favorites in the race for his services.  He was able to attend class rooms, talked with K extensively and play a litlle pick up among other activities.  Members - talk about this on the BDN Premium (members only) message board.  If you are not registered, you need to do so in order to get the full effect of BDN Premium. [/private]