Tag Archives: Duke Basketball

Cassius Stanley Can Ball

Perhaps the number given to Cassius Stanley's was a hint that he could play. The California freshman who led Duke in scoring with 19 points against Colorado State dons number two for the Blue Devils.

A quick look at Blue Devils past shows that some good players have worn #2 over the years. A season ago the number belonged to Cam Reddish and Gary Trent Jr. before that. You can trace the number back to two national champions in Quinn Cook and Nolan Smith as well.

Whether the number assigned to Stanley has anything to do with his ability or not, after just two games he's shown he is more than capable of handling a starting nod on the 2019-20 Blue Devils.

The Los Angeles native has had immediate success on the court this season. Stanley was wonderfully efficient in the Duke win over Colorado State. The self-proclaimed LeBron James and Lakers fan, went 8-11 from the field for his 19 points,

But Stanley is more than just instant offense. A quick look at the box score shows he grabbed a team-high 7 rebounds and added a blocked shot for good measure in 25 minutes of play.

His play was noticed by Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski who lauded his newcomer during his post game press conference. The long-time Duke leader called Stanley's two opening games outstanding -- high praise indeed.

Duke won a defensive slug-fest against Kansas and Stanley scored 13 points in that game on 5 of 6 shooting. He also played 30 minutes, the second-most on the team.

You can already see that Krzyzewski wants Stanley on the court. And the reason for that is his efficiency. One of the most telling stats was the fact Stanley committed 4 turnovers against Kansas only to cut that down to zero in the win over the Rams.

Stanley has the potential to be a solid on-ball defender as well. He gets his hands on the ball and has stayed with his man in the 2-0 Duke start to the season.

It's also clear that Stanley likes to run the court and his two baskets against Kansas on the break were game-changing. Despite the early success, Stanley is still learning the Duke system and getting better as a player.

We have yet to see the finished product with concern to Stanley. But it is clear that he will play a vital roll on this year's team. The one thing which is evident early on is that Cassius Stanley can ball. And that is great news for this year's Duke team.

Countdown to Craziness Tips Friday

Duke Countdown to Craziness

DURHAM, N.C. – The 2019-20 Duke men's basketball team will debut Friday night when the program hosts Countdown to Craziness presented by Delta Air Lines at Cameron Indoor Stadium. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase through the Duke Athletics Ticket Office.

Countdown to Craziness presented by Delta Air Lines features a night of entertainment, games, engaging videos and on-court contests all leading up to the introduction of the 2019-20 Blue Devils, the unveiling of this season's team poster and the annual Blue-White scrimmage.

The festivities begin at 4 p.m. in Krzyzewskiville, adjacent to Cameron Indoor Stadium, where fans can enjoy various activities, music and games. Doors to Cameron open at 6 p.m., and the annual Blue-White scrimmage is set to tip off at approximately 8:25 p.m.

Countdown to Craziness will broadcast live on ACCNX with Ryan Craig and Chris Spatola providing commentary and analysis, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be heard across the Blue Devil Sports Network from Learfield/IMG College with David Shumate and Jon Roth on the call.

Duke opens the 2019-20 regular season when it battles Kansas at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Nov. 5 in the State Farm Champions Classic. Prior to the start of the regular season, Duke hosts exhibition games against Fort Valley State on Oct. 26 and Northwest Missouri State on Oct. 30.

Countdown to Craziness presented by Delta Air Lines Schedule of Events

4 p.m. - Festivities begin in K-Ville

6 p.m. – Doors open

7:55 p.m. – National anthem

8 p.m. – Introduction of the 2019-20 Blue Devils

8:25 p.m. – Blue-White scrimmage

Captains DeLaurier, Jones and White

 

Tre

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski has announced that sophomore Tre Jones and seniors Javin DeLaurier and Jack White will serve as the team's captains for the 2019-20 season.

DeLaurier and White are repeating as captains after leading the Blue Devils to a 32-6 record, an ACC Championship and the Elite Eight in 2018-19. Jones, an All-ACC guard and the team's leading returning scorer from last season, is serving for the first time.

"I am thrilled to have Jack, Javin and Tre as our captains for this season," said Krzyzewski, who enters his 40th season as Duke's head coach in 2019-20. "Javin and Jack did an incredible job last year leading our team. To have them back with that experience as seniors, and to add our point guard, is important. They are each great leaders in their own way and I'm confident our team is in good hands."

Since 1998, DeLaurier and White are the 13th and 14th repeat captains at Duke -- a list which includes current associate head coaches Nate James (2000 and 2001) and Jon Scheyer (2009 and 2010).

DeLaurier averaged 3.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last year, finishing the year with his first career double-double against Michigan State in the Elite Eight. The Shipman, Va., native played in all 38 contests and started 16 while blocking 50 shots, good for third-best on the team.

White, from Traralagon, Australia, appeared in 35 contests a season ago, averaging 4.1 points, 4.7 rebounds while registering 37 blocks. An All-ACC Academic selection, White helped lead Australia to the bronze medal at this past summer's World University Games.

Jones enjoyed a prolific year as Duke's freshman point guard. recording the best assist-to-turnover for a season in program history of 3.62. The previous record of 3.03 was set by Steve Wojciechowski in 1997. The All-ACC and ACC All-Defensive Team pick finished last year averaging 9.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per contest while pocketing 68 steals in 36 games.

Duke opens the season versus Kansas in the State Farm Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

R.J. Barrett is ready for any Media scrutiny

When ESPN's Stephen A. Smith tried to grill R.J. Barrett he quickly found out he could not rattle the former Duke standout.  Barrett is and always be a confident alpha dog and Smith will soon learn that fact if the New York Knicks keep the 3rd pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

At eighteen years old, Barrett is set to embark on a long NBA Career where he will only get better.