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Alex Murphy prepares for his Duke arrrival
It wasn't that long ago that Alex Murphy was a part of the 2012 class where he joined Rasheed Sulaimon as two of the Blue Devils to be. Since that time, Murphy, who had the credits, decided to graduate early and attend Duke University this coming season.
Murphy will have graduated from school by the start of next week and, after spending a bit more time with his family, he will be in Durham no later than July 1st to enroll.
The first two calls to Murphy went unanswered in that he was in the gym getting his shots up with his Dad or working out with Chris Herron. I worked around his schedule in order to bring you the latest on the soon to be freshman basketball player at Duke University.
Murphy will join a five man freshman class and the group will hit the road running once on campus in an effort to crash course the newcomers on the intricacies of the Duke system. One month after their arrival, they will head to China with ten practices under their belt.
You've been working out a lot in the off season while finishing up at St. Mark's. Can you describe an average workout for Duke fans?
The things I try to do? I get a lot of shots up right now. There are a lot of guys I work with around here, sometimes my brother and a few other guys. We go one on one and work on some skill stuff and conditioning.
What is your current height and weight?
I'm about 6-8 and 215 pounds.
What position do you envision for yourself at Duke? Would you consider yourself a hybrid forward, a wing?
Yeah, I mean, anywhere. Kind of a hybrid forward or wing. I think I am most comfortable on the wing especially in transition and in the half court as well. That's where I envision myself.
When will you arrive on campus?
I am not sure of the exact date but probably July 1st or 2nd.
Once there, you will be going on a trip to China and Dubai with the team. Are you looking forward to that?
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I am not sure the exact date we'll leave for that either but it will be some time in early August. So, we'll have a period of time together before go and hopefully will be on the same page when we get over there.
Duke recently added Jeff Capel to an already solid and stable staff. And Nate James will still be in the fold as well. What do you think of the Capel addition and have you had a chance to talk with him?
I haven't spoken to him yet but obviously he has a great reputation having coached at Oklahoma, I think for five years. Any time you have a guy with head coaching experience and wants to come back, especially to his alma mater you want the guy there. I think we have the best, one of the best coaching staff in the country now. As you said, with Coach James still being there and around, he's a great guy too.
Was Nate James involved with your recruitment? I know Chris Collins was the lead assistant, but anything from James?
Um, yeah, a little, he definitely watched us play a few times and I talked with him when I was down there and he's a great guy and all the players get along with him really well. He's got a great personality, so ...
Is there a part of you that second guesses your decision to graduate a year earlier than planned?
No, not at all. Before I made the decision, it was tough because I didn't know whether or not I wanted to do it. But once I made the decision I haven't looked back once thinking maybe I shouldn't have done it. I knew it was what I want to do, so ..
Are you a bit nervous about the situation? Is there extra pressure or a sense of urgency to prepare?
Yeah, a little bit. I am excited, anxious, nervous, a lot of different things. Coming in your freshman year I think it's a good thing if you are a little nervous. I will just come in and do the best I can.
Have you had a chance to speak with the staff of late? Have they spoken to you about how they might use you and what to prepare for?
Not as much about how they are going to use me. They sort of mentioned that throughout the recruiting process, so not too much of that recently. I talk to Collins a lot. In fact, I'm going to call him a little bit later today. They've been great in this.
Do you talk to the players much or have you been staying in touch with any of them?
Yeah, a little bit. Here and there we talk a bit. I know all the guys I am coming in with, Marshall, Mike, Quinn and Austin. I talk to them a bit but obviously when I get down there the whole team will be together and we'll spend a lot of time together, so that will be good.
What is the one thing you look most forward to when getting to Duke?
I don't think there is one thing, I am just excited about the whole experience. Just to be with the team all the time, working out, meeting new people, seeing more of the school, just everything.
Many have talked about certain players who might redshirt this season, but my understanding is that no plans have been made and the staff wants all to compete and go from there.
Yeah, that's the idea right now. I'm going to come down ... there is no plan to redshirt right now, so I am going to go down there with the mentality I am not going to and try and earn a spot. There is no plan and it will not be decided until the season comes.
Alright man, I appreciate your time Alex, have a good day.
Yeah, absolutely.
Alex Murphy to Duke
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BDN Recruiting Focus – 2013 Prospect Peter Jok
HAMPTON, Va - A prospect to keep an eye on is Peter Jok of All Iowa Attack. Jok stands a slender 6-6 and is a slender 185 but his potential has many excited about the class of 2013 product. Jok is represented by his [private] AAU coach Henry Huddleson and a handler and saying he is soft spoken, giving up little information is an understatement. In fact, during my interview, if you can call it that, the fellow at NBADraft.net came up to listen in. Afterwards, he stated I just wanted to see if you could get anything out of him for you usually have success.
Obviously, I got very little out of him too and this was my first experience with Jok. I kind of got the impression that his handler has told him to say very little forcing one to go through him to get anything tangible.
Jok actually clammed up a bit when NBADraft.net came in about the time I asked him a question on recruiting.
When asked to describe his game, Jok said, "I'm an inside-out player, playing all the positions." I then asked if he considered himself a hybrid of sorts and he stated, "It changes every time, depending on who is guarding me. If it's a small man guarding me I take him inside and if it is a big, I take him outside.
"I am not allowed to talk about recruiting, my guardian handles that, said Jok. Jok is represented by Mike Nixon and he tells him what people and or coaches are saying and such.
He wants to play for a running team that gets up and down the court and loves Kevin Durrant, probably the most mentioned player of the weekend these kids look up to these days.
"My goal is just to get better as a player and as a team and that's what I came here to do," said Jok. Off the court, he gave the standardized answer of going to movies, hanging out with friends and practicing hoops.
Jok recently transferred to WDM Valley in West Des Moines, Iowa. His All Iowa Attack team has a portion of what will be his high school teams starting five this coming season. Jok had to transfer before April to be eligible and just did so a week ago.
The 2013 prospect has a nice game but needs strength. He runs in a smooth manner and is active on the glass but is still deferring to his teammates at this point in the AAU season. Jok played very well early one but had a couple of games where his stats were a bit meager. Jok, is well spoken, seems grounded and seems to have a good deal of discipline and focus.
BDN Premium will keep an eye on Jok as the AAU season heats up and he is one of the kids on that long list of look-sees for the Blue Devils staff. [/private]
Duke entertains 2012 prospect Alex Murphy
DURHAM - The Duke Blue Devils hosted Alex Murphy, one of the nations elite prospects during last evenings Maryland game. Murphy is near 6-8 and is projected as a wing or big forward and is ranked the 6th best player in his class by Prep Stars. He plays his high school basketball for St. Mark's in Southborough, MA and suits up for New England Playaz in AAU ball.
Murphy remained on campus today in order to get a better feel for the school and program. Duke Assistant Coach Chris Collins is the lead assistant for Murphy and that means he's playing a big role in the process. Collins was seen showing Murphy around last evening and answering questions during both re and post game. Murphy was accompanied by his father, Jay, a former Boston College and NBA standout.
The two sat directly behind Coach Mike Krzyzewski on the Duke bench and were stoic for much of the game, but there were some positive reactions. Those included a father and son look at one another when Cameron got really loud after a Kyle Singler play.
They also cheered as the game got tight and Duke mounted a comeback, with Murphy fist pumping and clapping more a the game wore on. Murphy was joined by 2013 prospect Jabari Parker who was hosted and shown about by Duke Assistant Coach, Nate James.
The Cameron Crazies twice cheered "Alex Murphy, come to Duke," and that brought a smile and look from Murphy.
Early returns are that both visits went well. For more details on the recruiting front, join BDN Premium and we'll keep you in the loop. Once a member, you can discuss the latest happenings with fellow members on our private message board. And you will certainly like the changes we have in store for the site, not to mention some coverage this coming week that is sure to make for a happy member.
Duke prospect Tony Parker keeping tabs on the Blue Devils
When we last spoke with 2012 big man Tony Parker he was about to visit Duke for their Countdown to Craziness event. Since then the stud big man has been busy with his high school season getting into the full swing of things. Currently Miller Grove High School and Parker are 5-0 including an impressive win against USA Today’s number one team in the country Milton. Tony had a great night with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks in the win. BDN got a chance to speak with the highly skilled big man and catch up with him a little bit.
BDN: Congratulations on the big win over Milton, the number one team in the country. This was obviously a big victory for you moving forward, can you talk about how this helps your confidence?
TP: Yea definitely it was a big game and a big win. We just had a tough game yesterday as well and we won. We just have to keep playing and move forward and I think we’ll be alright.
BDN: Your [private] team has won back to back state championships and is looking for its third in a row. Can you talk about the pressure and mindset that goes along with that task?
TP: Well to me pressure is only pressure when you don’t know what you are doing on the court. So not really any pressure here. It’s just the fact of keeping our heads level and stay doing what we’ve been doing. Go out and work hard every day. Doing that will get us to where we need to be and have us playing like we should.
BDN: Is there a ‘take one game at a time’ mentality?
TP: Yes sir absolutely.
BDN: Have you had a chance to speak with the Duke coaches recently?
TP: Yea I have. I talked to them before the Milton game.
BDN: Who are the lead recruiters for you with Duke?
TP: It’s Coach James and Coach Wojo.
BDN: How would you describe your relationship with them?
TP: It’s a pretty good relationship. They came to my school. Coach James came to a lot of my AAU games in July so I know them pretty well.
BDN: Do you talk with any of the current players or commits?
TP: Yea I talk to Quinn Cook a lot.
BDN: Does he speak to you about Duke?
TP: (laughs) Yea yea he does a little bit.
BDN: Have you been able to watch any Duke games on TV this year?
TP: Yea I have. I’ve watched quite a bit of them actually.
BDN: Any thoughts on the team?
TP: They look really really good. They play tough. They are keeping their mental toughness. They are playing really hard and have a lot of continuity on offense.
BDN: Is there any sort of time frame yet for a college decision?
TP: No not really.
BDN: What schools do you feel are making you a big priorty?
TP: Probably Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Alabama, Duke, Georgetown, Louisville. Florida State is coming on hard too. They really are recruiting me the same. They call me about every day. It’s about the same.
BDN: Are schools recruiting you more as a power forward or center?
TP: Pretty much both from all schools.
BDN: Do you have a preference in playing back to the basket or face up?
TP: I like to mix it up a lot. It really depends on who’s checking me. With long guys I’ll try and face them up and use my moves. With smaller guys I’ll post them up and use my drop step.
BDN: Appreciate your time, Tony. Congrats again on the big win over Milton.
TP: No problem sir, thank you. [/private]
Monday Musings – Hitting the recruiting trail in full force
What a great time to be a Duke fan, huh? Kickoff to football is two months away and we can still wallow in the joy of a national championship as the summer moves on. It's getting warm this time of year and that means BDN Premium will be red hot in the coming months. We brought you the latest from Quincy Miller today and have Deuce Bello coming by evening.
But that is only the start folks! Our resident recruiting analyst Andrew Slater will be on the road this week to cover both the Adidas event in Indianapolis and the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, Ohio. I'm pretty sure no other sites place the focus we do on true Duke prospects at these events. I will be heading to the Peach Jam the following week, so rest assured, BDN Premium is the place to be for updates, interviews and analogy being issued daily.
While Andrew takes in the measurements and skills drills at LeBron James camp in just a few hours, I will prep for more NC Pro Am coverage tomorrow all of which remains in the free section. BDN has long supported and covered the event and has proven this is the place to be in July time and time again. We hope to get our football coverage going again as well making this undoubtedly the busiest time of the year for us. Coach Cutcliffe and his staff's recruiting class is really starting to take shape and we want to share that with the nation.
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Later this evening, we'll release our infamous recruiting and team update and our members will tell you it is not something you want to miss. And we have recruiting analyst Brick Oettinger's thoughts on Duke prospects coming this week as well. Be sure to check out our archives if you join where you will also find guru's Tom Konchalski'sthoughts on prospects as well. In fact, it is easy to find all of our updates and player interviews which allows you to catch up. Go back and see how far ahead of the curve we were on things just now coming to fruition or just wait for the numerous updates which will flood our premium section in the coming days.
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