Tag Archives: Duke Basketball Recruiting News

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Monday Musings – Another Gold for Coach K, Recruiting, Duke-Bama, need 2 tickets!

Back by popular demand is a shot from cheerleaders past! Okay, we cannot access our latest pics so this weeks Monday Musings cheerleader of the week is from the past.

It's Monday morning and that means more musings from BDN and we start it off talking of Coach K and his added wears.  We then go into basketball recruiting and end of course with a game which is rocking the headlines, that being the #1 team in the nation, Alabama visiting Duke.

No lickings but he sure keeps ticking

What could Mike Krzyzewski possibly do after coming off a gold medal in the Olympics and winning a national championship with Duke just months ago?  That's simple for him.  He goes out and restores USA atop the FIBA rankings and returns the Naismith Trophy to the United States.  Watching Duke, er, Team USA defeat Turkey in their backyard yesterday, it was easy to see why I mistakenly thought I was watching the Blue Devils.  Team USA used some lock down defense and their quickness to squelch any hopes of  a comeback from Turkey once they built an early lead they never relinquished.  The end result is more confetti atop the heads of the HOF Coach and his sidekick Robin, otherwise known as Duke Assistant Coach Chris Collins.  I found that many Duke faithful felt they were pulling for their beloved home team when watching the games, hanging on every made basket or turnover.  Meanwhile, back in Durham, construction began at the Krzyzewski home where an extra room was being added to house all of his trophies and wears.  Yes, I am kidding.  I do wonder where he puts all of those awards though.

Another shot in the arm for recruiting

So here is Coach K without a single player from the Olympic team, referred to by the media as the "B" team but my thinking is that Coach will have none of that chatter.  Krzyzewski has proved time and time again that he adjusts to his teams strength and weaknesses and in the process he made Kevin Durrant a household name.  His team bought into the defensive philosophy that it takes to win in International Basketball and each players, despite being the man for their NBA teams bought into the scheme which is a testament to his communication skills.  Any prospective Blue Devil could not help but be impressed with how the NBA guys took to Krzyzewski and his staff and you can bet that this was another shot in the arm to recruiting.  Add that to the style his 2010-11 team will play and you can bet that some good names will start to show up soon.

BDN Premium has the latest on several prospects

In our latest offering on BDN Premium our all access  extended service subscription site, we take you inside the recruiting front.  Our first offering of the week is an update with prospect Tony Parker, a load of talent in the paint.  Parker talks to BDN's west coast correspondent Varand K, yes we have our K around here too, about the recruiting process.  As you can see by the headlines, Parker has confirmed he will attend Countdown to Craziness and he chats of Nate James recent visit as well.   It is truly a good time to join and learn of what is going on on the recruiting trail which will soon be red hot.  Heck, it already is inside!  Join and come on in and talk about the latest happenings with other members.

Alabama is a cure of sorts

Alabama is a temporary cure for the Duke Football team after their defense struggled to contain Wake Forest  in a 54-48 shootout this past Saturday.  In yesterday's call in show, Duke-Bama hype dominated the Q and A session enabling Coach, the team and fans to put the Wake game behind them.  Of course, once the ball is kicked off in one of the biggest games in Wallace Wade history, Duke will be in the fire of fires facing the nations top team, a juggernaut, if you will.

Circus Atmosphere in store for Bama at Duke

The weather reports are stating that high tides are expected in Durham this week.  That would be a high Crimson Tide.  It'll be nuts around Durham leading into the game against Alabama.  As early as Thursday, you will see Crimson red all over the place in the local communities.  I mean, they have installed temporary bleachers for the game and the media doubled during yesterdays call in show.  RVs will be parked at the old South Square Mall and Bama fans will then be shuttled into the stadium.  And let me go ahead and warn you, this will seem like an Alabama home game north for they will wear their colors and cheer in unison in a way which might teach some of the locals how to root for their football team.  Do you think Duke concessions will be ready for the onslaught?  I am giving them a heads up.

Tickets anyone?

As of this morning I have had nine people ask me if I could help them get a pair of tickets to the game.  Folks, this ain't no Duke-Elon game!  Bama faithful bought an ridiculous amount of season tickets for this game. Yes, season tickets.  If you see a few scalpers driving new cars the following week it will dawn on you how much money will exchanges hands making those verminous scalpers a lot of money.  The question is will Duke fans sell out for the moola?  If you do, you will not experience a game they will talk about for years to come. 

My phone is ringing

It started yesterday morning and by dawn of Monday, five people called me to ask if I saw the opening line.  "It's just  23.5 exclaimed each person," as if they were trying to get my okay to lay their hard earned money on the visiting Crimson Tide.  I must say that I was a bit surprised by the line myself, but maybe ... aw heck, I don't know because I don't gamble.  One of them said I would take a 24-0 loss right now.  Let's not be that defeatist no matter how foreboding the game looks.

And that ends another addition of Watzones' Monday Musings.

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Savon Goodman – BDN Premium has the latest with the rim rattling prospect

Rim rattler Savon Goodman - BDN Photo

Savon Goodman is a 6'6" 205 lb wing, who repeatedly demonstrated violence against rims across the country with his mix of power and athleticism. Although he played a full slate of AAU tournaments and camps from California and Nevada to North Carolina and his native Pennsylvania, he worked extensively with Lamont Peterson, noted for his work with reigning NBA Rookie of the Year,Tyreke Evans, on both improving his perimeter shot and handle as well as his speed and explosiveness. On the high school level, he will play for Academy of the New Church in suburban Philadelphia, along with two of the best defensive big men in the country, 6'11" Malcolm Gilbert, who verbally committed to Pittsburgh, and 6'9" Rakeem Christmas, who verbally committed to Syracuse. At times, this past summer, Savon competed alongside Duke recruit, Amile Jefferson, for Team Philly, which is run by Lonnie Lowry, the older brother of former Villanova Wildcat and current Houston Rocket, Kyle Lowry. Savon spoke with Blue Devil Nation recently about the latest in his recruitment, his work with Lamont Peterson, playing alongside the aforementioned Christmas and Gilbert, and his impressions of Duke University.

I guess we'll start with the most basic recruiting question. Which schools are after you?

West Virginia, Villanova, Temple, LaSalle, Georgetown, Penn State, Texas, and Florida. That's all I know of right now.

Are those all firm offers or are they a mix of interest [private] and offers?

No, it's a mix.

In terms of position, do you view yourself as a pure two, a three, or just a versatile wing?

I think, at the next level, I'll be a two.

Will distance be a factor for you?

No, absolutely not.

Do you have a go-to move and where do you like to catch it?

I like to catch it in transition.

Yeah, absolutely. You've been able to do that for some time.

Yeah, yeah, but I wouldn't say I have any one particular spot, but I guess on the wings so there's some room to operate. Now that I think about it, I probably would like to catch it there every time. (laughs)

Who do you try to model your game after?

Tyreke Evans

Well, you work out with his trainer, Lamont (Peterson).

Yes, absolutely

Do you ever workout with Tyreke Evans?

Oh, yeah, yeah. We try. We can, but when he's out in Sacramento and I'm in Philly, it's tough. We definitely try.

Now, you also play at Academy of the New Church with Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse) and Malcolm Gilbert (Pittsburgh).

Yes, yes.

Are all of you guys coming back next year?

Oh, yeah. I know there's been some rumors, but we're coming back. I don't know who started them.

Don't worry about the rumors. I'm just glad to clear that up.

(laughs) Yeah, definitely.

What about Amile Jefferson? At times, he plays with you on the AAU circuit and you guys are very cohesive together. He's told me that he thinks that, for whatever reason, you guys complement each other very well out there.

Yeah, yeah, we've played at several events together (Bob Gibbons, Las Vegas Fab 48, Desert Duel) and been successful. I'm not sure why. Maybe power and speed or something. We're very different players, but it just clicked.

Now, there is a natural question for two elite-level AAU teammates who play well together and can play alongside each other at the next level. Have you guys talked about playing together in college or is it a matter of, if it happens, it happens?

Yeah, if it happens, it's great, but, if not, that's okay too.

Are you guys still very close?

Oh, yeah, absolutely, yeah, he's like my brother. We get along and fight sometimes like brothers, but we're definitely cool.

What's your current weight and and height?

I'm 205 and about 6'6."

Who will you seek guidance from before you do ultimately decide in recruiting?

Definitely my parents and my high school coach

What would you like the audience to know about you away from the court?

That I'm a cool dude. I'm laid back off the court, but I like to talk and communicate on it. I'm easy to hang around with.

What would you say your range is right now? Where do you feel comfortable shooting the ball?

I feel comfortable shooting the ball anywhere, but I think I need to improve my confidence in shooting the ball past the three-point line.

Do you work on your three-point shot a lot? You have the reputation of being a great finisher around the basket and in transition, but that you need some work on your outside shot.

Oh, yeah. I work on my three-point shot and my dribbling every day to just try to add that to my game and wipeout my weaknesses. I definitely am trying to improve on my outside shot.

I always think that's a big step in a young player's game, when they can acknowledge their weaknesses and, instead of hiding it, work to improve on or get rid of them. What would you say is your greatest strength right now that you bring to the court?

I definitely think it's getting to the bucket. I feel like I can really do that well.

You're a very good slasher.

Yeah, I try to be. I think my weaknesses right now are my dribbling and my jump shot. Believe me, I'm going to be getting to work on those two things as soon and as much a I can.

Do you still view this as early?

Oh, yeah, we haven't sat down and really looked at the schools or anything.

Have you visited any schools yet?

Really, just the local ones.

Can you talk about the experience of playing with the twin towers of Christmas (Syracuse) and Gilbert (Pittsburgh)? How has it gone so far? What have you learned from those guys?

Rakeem, he's one of the most dominating big men in his class. Well, let's just say it's been interesting. (laughs) Playing with those guys helps take some of the pressure off of me and it also forces me to work on my perimeter game. I mean they are so big and take up so much room that I really can't fit in there and score easy buckets. It's probably a good thing in the long run. I know at the next level that this will pay off, even though I love to post up and use my body inside. On the AAU level, I can though and I definitely enjoy it a lot.

What's your role going to be on the team this year?

Handling the ball, helping to control the possessions and get our team's best shot. We were too sloppy, at time, with the ball last year. my role is going to expand a little bit this year. I'm taking more control and even more of a leadership role.

Now, one of your rivals was knocking your school and saying "oh, it's isn't a good school and they don't do real work," but I looked into it and found out that it is a quality school, has a good track record of sending kids to quality colleges, and they teach Latin.

Yeah, absolutely, it is a good school and very challenging. I think sometimes guys just try to knock what they don't know or are jealous of.

I'd like to get back to your work or training with Lamont Peterson. You mentioned that you're working on your dribbling and your perimeter shot. How is that going?

It's going well so far. Basically, every chance I get, I'm working out with Lamont Peterson. We're trying to work on things.

Now, what do you guys work on? Can you give the audience a normal routine of what a typical workout for the two of you to work on?

Absolutely, we're trying to work on quickness and my explosion as well, but, in the first hour to forty-five minutes, we do nothing , but handling. We just work on improving and strengthening my handle. Then, take a quick break and come back to work an hour and a half on my shooting. We're going after that hard. We finish up with conditioning.

So, you really are working much harder on your basketball skills than your conditioning with him. A friend of mine who happens to be friends with Evans said that those two would concentrate primarily on conditioning, when Evans was in high school.

Oh, yeah, for us, conditioning comes last in terms of priorities.

BDN: I just assumed that he was working on your conditioning because of his experience with Tyreke Evans and the fact that you're frankly in great physical shape, compared to even most of the elite players in your class.

Well, thanks, but, no, we've been mostly working on just improving my basketball skills. Dribbling and shooting.

I know you played at the Bob Gibbons Tournament. Did you get a chance to play at Duke at all?

Oh, yeah, we played the Wisconsin Playground there. It was a great experience.That was the first time that I was ever there.

What was your impression?

It looked or felt different than it does on TV. It felt smaller and it wasn't packed (laughs) for our game. For me, it felt great personally and I would never mind playing there.

Would you ever visit the school unofficially if the program picked up its interest in you?

Oh, yeah, I'd be right down there (laughs). That's no problem. Believe me.

I know it's still early, but have you personally talked with any of their coaches yet.

Me, no, not just yet. I'm definitely open to them. Definitely.

What's your impression of the school and the program?

I don't know about their school too much right now, other than they have an excellent reputation, but nothing too specific. I do know about their basketball program. I mean they are the defending national champions and put players in the league. What else can somebody say about them? No coach or player can knock them. You go there, you listen to what the coaches tell you, you do your work, and eventually, hopefully, you move on the next level, either in the NBA or overseas. Plus, with a Duke degree, if you get hurt or things don't necessarily work out, you're going to get a job. Case closed. Nobody or player should be listening to any negative recruiting against Duke.

Lastly, out of curiosity, do you prefer to play in a more methodical, half-court offense where you can occasionally post-up, which is close to what you do now in high-school, or an uptempo offense, where you take advantage of your athleticism and slashing ability?

Oh, definitely, I love to get up-and-down. I love to run and use my athleticism. [/private]

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BDN checks in with talented prospect Shabazz Muhammad

 Shabazz Muhammad has quickly become one of the top prospects in the nation in the class of 2012.   Armed with a great shooting touch to go with his strong insid game, it’s no wonder why he’s drawing so much attention from every major college basketball program.  BDN caught up with the immensely talented junior to get his thoughts on the recent Elite 24 event and the recruiting process/

BDN: Can you tell us how your summer has gone so far?

SM: My summers been going really well, we played a lot of good teams in summer ball and I think I did a really great job, and now it’s back to high school season.

BDN: This is your [private] first Elite 24 game, is there anything you want to show off to the fans?

SM: Yea it’s exciting but I know I’m the young guy here so I’m gonna try and get these other guys involved that aren’t going to be back in this game. I’m just here for those guys and I’m gonna get them involved and have fun out there.

BDN: Now earlier in the summer you had a chance to check out the USA Basketball training camp in Vegas.  Can you talk about that for us?

SM: It was a great experience watching those pro guys, they really work their butts off. They just play hard day in and day out, and I see why those guys are where they are at now.

BDN:  Yeah, for sure. You’ve now won back to back state titles at Bishop Gorman and now you’re going to go for the Lakers three-peat. Can you talk about what that process is like to go about trying to do that?

SM: Yeah, the mindset is just getting it in in practice every day and working hard in practice. I know the teams are going to be practicing hard to try and get after us so we gotta respond and practice hard and get ready for the season.

BDN: So your brother Rashad is now going to be playing with you.  Can you talk about the experience of being able to play with him and share that chemistry?

SM: Yea definitely it’s going to be great. He played JV last year and we’re moving him up to varsity this year so he should do really well and he’s really filling out

BDN: Can we get a quick scouting report on him?

SM: About 6’4, really long. He brings the ball up and he can really shoot the ball, and he’s a havoc for the little guards who try to guard him because he can post them up or take them on the wing.

BDN: Do you guys play a lot of one on one together? How does that go?

SM: (smiling) Yea yea yea I do play one on one with him, he still can’t get there quite yet but he’s doing good.

Rivals writer interjects: Ask him if his school is better than Findlay prep?

BDN: Is Gorman better than Findlay?

SM: Ummmm we’re gonna play them, so hopefully we can beat them. I think this is gonna be the closest year that we’ve played them.

BDN: Good luck with that. Your father played for USC so he knows the process, does he help you a lot with your decision?

SM: Yea he’s a big help, I mean he’s been through this process before, going to these colleges and visiting them, so I just ask him all about that and he responds and helps me out a lot thinking about the colleges.

BDN: You’ve had a really great summer so far averaging around 30ppg. Can you talk about the coaches that have seen you out there?

SM: Yea they just say good job and to keep it up and that I’m really improving. I try to improve every year and keep showing those skills, and it’s really paying off.

BDN: Any coaches in specific?

SM: Yea Duke and Coach K, he’s been really impressed. Coach Williams was impressed and Coach Calipari was impressed. Those coaches have been calling and saying that.

Rivals writer interjects again: He got 55pts in Vegas this year.

SM: smiles and laughs

BDN: Do you have any trips coming up for the upcoming college season?

SM: Yes for Midnight Madness I’ll be at North Carolina.

BDN: While in North Carolina any chance to take a trip 8 miles down the road?

SM: (smiling) I dunno, I might we’ll see, but it’s definitely going to be exciting.

BDN: Thanks a lot Shabazz.

SM: No problem. [/private]

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BDN checks in with Austin Rivers at the Elite 24

VENICE BEACH - Highly sought after rising senior, Austin Rivers, was recently ranked as the #1 prospect in the 2011 class by Rivals. After having a busy summer playing for USA Basketball, and bringing home the gold, the rising senior gets a chance to end his summer with a bit of fun out in Venice Beach, California. Austin took some time after the Midnight run to talk with BDN and here’s what he had to say.

We’ve got Austin Rivers here at the Elite 24 Midnight Run. First off, congratulations on being invited to the Elite 24 for your second year in a row, that’s a big accomplishment. Last year, you were out at Rucker Park; this year, you head out to the West Coast for Venice Beach.

Thanks man, appreciate it.

Now, you’ve been playing AAU for a few years now, do you find at events like this that you bond with players? And have you been hanging out with anyone particular over the summer?

Definitely. I think being with the best players in the country just hangin’ out with them you get to bond with them and create relationships with people you’d never get to meet. I’ve become best friends with Myck Kabongo, he’s one of my real good friends, Brad Beal, Quincy Miller, Quinn Cook, all of the guys out here. I’ve became friends with [private] all of them even just today, and I know most of them already but just today I met new people and I’m already friends with them. Just to be out here and bond with them and connect is cool.

So you’ve had quite a busy summer so far and you’ve been quite successful. You won the Disney Showcase. Do you have a favorite moment throughout this summer?

Yea I’d say the Disney Showcase just because how my team got to enjoy the W. Ya know I played pretty well over the summer overall but just to win is obviously the greatest feeling. We went in there with our heads high and came out winning; it was good for our team and was kind of our last hoorah, if you will. I’ve been with that team for like 9 years so just to end on a good note like that was nice.

Now another big thing you did this summer was playing on the U18 Team USA. Congratulations on bringing the gold over here! Can you talk about that experience and what it means to wear the USA across the chest?

Oh yea man I totally forgot, I didn’t even think about that when you asked me what was the greatest moment (smiles and laughs). Now that was probably the greatest moment of the summer, winning for my country. You know it’s one thing when you represent your town or your city or state of Florida, but it’s another when you represent the whole country. So just going out there with your country across your chest and for us to win the gold medal meant a lot. Getting to play with great players like Patric Young and Kyrie Irving and go out there and getting the victory was big.

I’m sure it was a great feeling. You got to play with those great players in Kyrie, Quincy, Lebryan Nash. Is playing with great players something that will come into play when you make your big decision for college?

You know of course. To win championships you got to have great players, you know there’s never really been a team that I’ve known in college basketball that has won with just one great player and everyone else is bad. They’ve always had three or four or even five great players. So that’s one thing you always have to be looking at is who you’re going to be playing with and who’s going to help you and get you better.

Yea definitely. Now recently in an interview, Kyrie Irving said that if he was so fortunate to be in a position to be a one and done, and if you were to commit to playing with him, that he would definitely consider staying to play with you. Is that something you guys talk about often?

You know we definitely have talked about it, if I was to come there he’d love to stay. But then again, you know a player like Kyrie if it’s time to go I’m sure he’s gonna go. I’m pretty sure he’s going to leave after this first year, you know I wish the best for him, I don’t wanna jinx him or anything like that. Just playing with him this summer he’s already kind of ready, he’s a hell of a player. I think Coach K will put him in a position to succeed there.

Now in my opinion you have one of the better offensive games I’ve seen for a player your age. My favorite move of yours I think is the little jab step/head fake that I saw you doing a little earlier. Would you say those are your go to moves? Or do you have any other ones you use a lot?

Really I just read the defense, and those are kind of my go to moves, the jab step. You know John Wall told me earlier (as he laughs) “I don’t wanna see none of them jab steps out here!”. Yea that’s kind of my go to move, I like to shake them with my jab and kind of get people off of their feet. But as far as in the open court I just read the defense and I try to go to the side where the players are weak and try and attack.

One thing you’ve talked about is your defense. Is there anything you try and do to get better? Perhaps taking on the best perimeter player each night?

Yea definitely, that’s what I did for USA Basketball. They stuck me on the best player, and coach actually saw me as the best defender on the team. He saw that I had the potential and said “you’re a great defender, you just gotta do it”. Just for Coach Capel, Coach Hewitt, and Coach Witherspoon to have the confidence in me to play defense really helped me and I think I’ve become a pretty good defender over the summer and I think I’m a good defender now.

I definitely agree. You’ve got a big year ahead of you coming up. You’ve got to defend your state title and I know that was a special moment for you. Can you talk about how you want to repeat and what steps you try to take to accomplish that?

Yea, you know, it’s always harder to repeat something cause after you win your next year people maybe start slacking off or teams start coming at you a little harder. I think it’s going to be special if we can win this year and I think we have a great chance to. We have some new guys coming in and we still got people returning and we have some good players around me.

Are you going to be used in a similar way as last year?

Yes, but I think this year I’m going to average a lot more rebounds because we’ll miss our big man, Adam Jones, who graduated last year. I’m definitely going to have to board more and average around 7-8 rebounds a game. And I’ll probably have the ball in my hands a little bit more this year, just attacking the defense more and getting people open a bit more, so just to try and be an all round stat-sheet filler.

Going into your senior do you have any personal or team goals that you’d like to achieve?

Yea I’d say our team goals are obviously to win the state championship and I’d just say have everybody be open-minded. You know not everybody is going to be playing as much as they wanted to or doing as much as they can. But I just think as a leader of the team I kind of have to set an example, and I’d say my goal is just to try and establish a good chemistry with my team. I just hope we can come into the season with no ego’s and just come in ready to play and win.

Everybody has their own role type of thing?

Yea, yea exactly.

Now originally you had made an August date to announce. That got moved back a little bit. Is that something that you and your family talked about?

Yea, exactly, definitely. My brother rushed it two times actually, in Indiana he’s still kind of not comfortable there. It’s just my families had tough times with those schools and I just thought it’s too early, and I was already so busy with my summer, I just thought I needed to slow down and think. I’ve already set some visits. I think it’s October 1st I go up to Duke and uhh I think October 16th I go to North Carolina.

For their Late Night?

Yea, I’ve already set up dates for that, both of their Midnight things, whatever their dates are. My parents set that all up, I don’t know the exact dates. So I’ve already set up dates for Duke and North Carolina, and Kansas, Kentucky and Florida will be up next.

Will your visits be a situation where you will visit everyone of your schools, or will you perhaps pull the trigger if you feel it’s right?

Yea, you know it could be. If I have the right feeling for a school I think I would pull the trigger. It’s just a matter of where I feel comfortable and where I feel I could really succeed. Um I might wait just a little bit just to see the season you know. I wanna see how they use Kyrie. I wanna see if they let Kyrie go, I wanna see how North Carolina plays with Harrison, you know you wanna see how colleges do with their players. How Kansas does with Shelby (Josh Selby), just to see ya know. The schools I’m looking at all kind of have players at my position, so I’d like to just see how they let them go let them play, and it’ll help determine where I go.

Yea I understand that. Now one last question, if I was to take your iPod and check it out, what would you be listening to recently?

Well right now I’d probably be playing a little bit of Roscoe Dash, little bit of Lupe (Fiasco), and I’m a big Kanye dude. Oh and Jurzey. But I’m a big Lupe guy, I love listening to Lupe.

Thanks a lot Austin.

Sure man, no problem. [/private]

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BDN checks in with Alex Murphy at the Boost Mobile Elite 24

Duke prospect Alex Murphy took time to chat with BDN during the Mobile Boost Elite 24 event in Venice Beach, California. Photo- BDN, Rick Crank

VENICE BEACH - Fresh off battling some of the brightest and youngest stars the NBA has to offer, BDN caught up with the rising junior from St. Marks Prep School, Alex Murphy. The young prospect more than held his own in the Midnight Run game which starred NBA talents Brandon Jennings, current NBA Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans, DeMar DeRozan and recent #1 pick John Wall.
 
BDN: We’re here with Alex Murphy at the Elite 24 Midnight Run.  First things first Alex, could we please get your height and weight?

AM: Yeah, yeah, 6’8 about 210lbs.

BDN: So, you’re a rising junior, how excited are you for this game? Could you give us some thoughts on it?

AM: Yeah, absolutely, I’m definitely excited.  It’s an honor to be picked for this game.  Obviously it’s the Elite 24, the top 24 players are picked.  I think I’m one of 3 juniors picked for the game.  It’s definitely exciting.  It’s a lot of fun out here in L.A. so far, so hopefully it continues.

BDN: That’s good, man, I hope so too.  So you’ve had a pretty good summer so far and this is a nice way to end it with the Elite 24.  Do you feel like you’ve [private] played as well as possible?

AM: Uh, yeah, I think I had a good summer.  I’m always hard on myself though. I think there’s always room for improvement no matter what people tell you how well you played, in my head I think I could have definitely played better.  But like I said I was happy with it and I think I had a good summer individually and we had a good summer as a team too.

BDN: So you’ve got a big season ahead of you, do you have any specific goals, either personal or team, that you’d like to achieve?

AM: Oh well, as a team definitely we want to win the NEPSAC Class B championship, which is the league we’re in.  It’s a big league we’re in with all the prep schools. And, individually, I think I just want to get better and just take my game to the next level and do whatever I can to do that.

BDN: Right, right.  Now is there anything specific on offense or defense that you’d like to work on?

AM:  Yeah, well, strength and quickness.  Those are two things that at each level you go up those take a step up too, so I got to keep improving on those and just all aspects of the game, nobody's a complete player.

BDN: Absolutely.  So you’ve had a pretty hectic AAU schedule but you spent a lot of time in Gainesville earlier this summer.  Could you talk about how he has helped with your game or with any tips in recruitment?

AM: Yeah, I was down there for about a week visiting with him, just hanging out with him.  I don’t get to see him a lot now cause he’s down there obviously, so that was good.  Yeah, he’s definitely helped me with the whole recruiting process.  Obviously he went through it himself, so if I ever have any questions or concerns or anything like that I can always talk to him about it, he’s really good about it. 

BDN: Do you guys ever get to play a little one on one? And does it get pretty competitive?

AM:  Yeah, it is, it’s real competitive; we play all the time whenever we get the chance.  I mean, I’ll beat him in games here and there, but usually when we play serious he’ll end up getting me cause he’s older than me and stronger than me, but I’ll get him soon.

BDN: So you and Shabazz Muhammad spent some time earlier this summer taking in the Team USA training camp.  Could you talk about that experience and how it went? Did you watch anyone specific or get to play with them?

AM:  Yea me and Shabazz were there on different days, we didn’t get to play with any of those guys.  Obviously we saw all those guys that are on the USA team right now over in Greece and Turkey:  Durant, Derrick Rose and all of them.  Kevin Durant is probably my favorite player in the NBA, so seeing him and getting a chance to meet him was really cool.

BDN: Oh, definitely.  You had the chance to play in the Adidas Nations earlier this summer, could you talk about that experience a little bit?

AM: Yeah, that was a great experience; it was a lot of fun, you got to play against the best players in the class.  The most recent Nations program was in Chicago where all the countries from around the world were there, so we got to play against the European team, the Asian team, the African team, the Latin American team, so you got to play against guys all over the world, so that was really cool and a good experience.

BDN: Yeah, that must have been very cool.  Now playing the AAU schedule you get to play against a lot of tough players night in and night out. Is there anyone that you would say was the toughest?

AM: I wouldn’t say there was one player. I played against a lot of good players.  Like I said, a lot of good players in 2011 cause I played up in the 17’s this year, and then in my class as well, all the top guys are here and I played against pretty much all of them.

BDN: So just to switch focus to recruiting a little bit, could you talk about who is coming after you the hardest right now?

AM: Yea I think a couple of schools are coming after me hard now after this summer:  Duke, Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, Texas, Villanova, Butler, Boston College.  Those are just some of the schools that are coming to mind.

BDN: That’s a nice list.  Now, most recruits cut their list down usually.  Do you think you’ll follow suit with that or just commit when you’re ready?

AM: I think after I get back from here I’ll probably sit down with my parents and discuss that.  I’ll probably cut the list, well I wouldn’t say cut it down but I’ll have a list of about 7-10 schools or somewhere in that range.  Now with the timetable, there really is no timetable, just whenever the decision feels right and I know where I want to go.  I definitely still want to visit some more places, so hopefully I’ll do that this fall.

BDN: Could you talk about what factors will go into your decision of picking a school?

AM: I think ultimately my goal is to one day play in the NBA, so, obviously, all the schools that are recruiting me can help and offer that. I think it’s where you feel most comfortable and I think that starts with the relationship with the head coach; style of play is import as well. I think another important factor is am I going to be able to go in and play right away, or am I going to have to come in and sit. Obviously in some situations that has worked out great for people, but in my mind I don’t think I can go anywhere and just sit out and sit my freshman and sophomore year and not play.  I mean I love to play the game so there’s a lot of different factors that come into it.

BDN: Absolutely. Do you have any visits planned for this upcoming college season?

AM:  I don’t have any planned as of right now, but obviously, like I said, I want to visit some places before I make a decision, but I’m not sure when and where yet.

Thank you Alex.
AM: Sure, no problem man. [/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Rivers setting up visits to Duke and UNC

Austin Rivers - BDN Photo

VENICE BEACH - According to BDN correspondent Varand Khachadauri, Austin Rivers will visit Duke and UNC in October.  There is more going on behind the scenes at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 event in California and our guy will be in the thick of things all week long.  Already, BDN has secured interviews with top prospects Rivers and Murphy and we have also chatted with a young man who may open his recruitment back up.  For reports on all the action, join BDN Premium and visit our members only message board for tidbits and stay tuned for the interviews.