Miles Plumlee talks of the coming season, playing with his brother Mason and a special dunk in this audio interview -
Tag Archives: Duke Basketball
BDN Audio – Coach K’s opening comments/part 2 added
Here are Coach K's opening comments from today's season opening press conference. We're working around our audio host difficulties and will bring you more asap.
Part 2 - Q and A 10.00 min. Just hit play!
2009-10 Player profile and preview – Miles Plumlee
According to Perky Plumlee, when his sons Miles and Mason stand back to back with their arms raised, Miles has almost a full hands reach advantage. That length combined with athleticism should allow Miles the opportunity to build upon his freshman season where he adjusted to the speed of the college game.
Miles started the season in the middle for the Blue Devils last year but found himself learning the Duke system on the run and ultimately out of the line up. The Duke staff hopes that Miles can become more consistent with his play in 2009-10 and harness the fire that earned him a starting spot in the pre season.
The eldest Plumlee will be joined by his brother Mason this season and there is no reason to think that the chemistry between the two siblings will do do anything other than help on the court. Expect Miles to float between the four and five spot this year, allowing junior Kyle Singler more freedom where he will play his natural position.
Yes, I know that Duke doesn't have natural positions, but with this seasons team he will be depended upon to battle on the boards with Mason and Brian Zoubek. Still, Miles strength in high school was his inside-out game where he faced the basket. So, look for him to have an improved back to the basket game this season.
Over the summer, Miles competed in the N.C. Pro Am event held at N.C. Central and he had packed on twenty solid pounds of muscle. He showed signs of brilliance, but the environment didn't allow him but so many looks. Despite that he was one of the better front court players in the league.
Miles also scored a lot of point at Christ School Arden via his perimeter shot, but his ability to run the court and handle the ball well for a big man is when he's at his best. During one dunk at the event, Miles had his elbows even with the rim before the flush.
Duke is very deep in the front court this season, so it'll be interesting to see how things shake out for Miles Plumlee. I've been hearing that the staff is pleased with Miles off season development, thus Duke fans anxiously await seeing that improvement for themselves.
Awesome opportunity to meet the 2009-10 Duke Men’s Basketball Team
DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke men’s basketball team will hold the Duke Open House for Men’s Basketball on Saturday, Oct. 17 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The free event will feature an autograph session beginning at 11:00 a.m. in Cameron Indoor Stadium and conclude with an open practice.
In order to keep the autograph line moving there will be a one autograph per person limit and no pictures are permitted with players or coaches. Duke fans will have the opportunity to take pictures with the 1991, 1992 and 2001 National Championship trophies during the autograph session.
Saturday, Oct. 17 Open House Event – Free Event
10:00 am Doors open to Cameron Indoor Stadium
11:00 am Men’s Basketball autograph session begins (one item per person, no pictures with players)
12:30 pm Men’s Basketball autograph session ends
1:00 pm Men’s Basketball open practice begins (fans can sit upstairs to watch)
3:00 pm Men’s Basketball open practice ends
ACC Basketball 2009-10 Season Preview
Official practice sessions for the 2009-10 college basketball season will commence in less than 10 days. Excitement throughout the Atlantic Coast Conference is palpable so it is time to preview the ACC. The Duke Blue Devils will win the ACC in 2009-10. Wait, wait a second…before all the Carolina fans howl with indignation, insist the Tar Heels will still rule the roost in the ACC, and label the author as a complete Duke Homer; remember that Duke won the ACC last season. That's right, the ACC Champion is the team which wins the tournament, not the team which finishes the regular season with the best record. Carolina fans, worldwide, consistently choose to ignore this small fact.
But, for the record, this article is my prediction on how the teams will be aligned at the end of the regular season. What? Howl the Carolina faithful once again, you are switching between apples and oranges, discussing last year’s ACC Tournament one paragraph, this year’s regular season the next, that's inconsistent, you can't do that. But of course I can, this is the Internet and it is my article, so I make the rules.
Anyway, on to the predictions: when March 11, 2010, arrives: Duke, Carolina, Maryland, and Clemson will have earned a first round bye at the ACC Tournament in Greensboro. What's that sound? More indignant howling, but this time it is coming from Atlanta. Sorry, Yellow Jackets faithful, but Paul Hewitt will find a way to lose despite the formidable talent he has recruited to play in Atlanta. He has consistently accomplished less with more in the past so why should this season be any different?
However, the two teams best positioned to crash the first round bye party in Greensboro are Florida State and Georgia Tech.
This is how the standings will look at the end of the regular season:
1. Duke
2. North Carolina
3. Maryland
4. Clemson
5. Florida State
6. Georgia Tech
7. Wake Forest
8. Boston College
9. Virginia Tech
10. Virginia
11. Miami
12. N.C. State
Here are some thoughts on the league’s projected top six teams in 2009-10:
Duke – Coach Krzyzewski will be sending a lot of experience onto the court this season and that experience coupled with some young talent will give the Blue Devils the edge. Kyle Singler (70), Jon Scheyer (68), Lance Thomas (62), Nolan Smith (22), and Brian Zoubek (21) are all upper classmen with a combined 243 starts. Experienced teams find a way to win in the college game. The transfer of Elliot Williams due to an illness in the family is unfortunate, but highly rated freshmen Mason Plumlee, Ryan Kelly, and Andre Dawkins along with returning sophomores Miles Plumlee and Olek Czyz provide Coach K with depth to augment experience. The last time Coach Krzyzewski was able to place this much talent and experience onto the court was when J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams were seniors.
North Carolina – despite losing Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, and Bobby Frasor from last year’s National Championship team, the Tar Heels will still be a talented and dangerous team. Their frontcourt will be extremely tough with Deon Thompson, Ed Davis, Tyler Zeller, John Henson, and Travis Wear. Marcus Ginyard, Dexter Strickland, and Leslie McDonald will hold their own at the shooting guard position. However, Coach Roy Williams is missing the dominant point guard that has fueled his team in recent years. It isn’t a fatal flaw, but it is enough of a flaw to keep the Tar Heels out of the top spot.
Maryland - Greivis Vasquez is a legitimate preseason candidate for ACC Player-of-the-Year and Coach Gary Williams, who consistently accomplishes more with less, has an experienced supporting cast surrounding his star. Seniors Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne are both double digit scorers, while freshmen James Padgett and Jordan Williams will provide the Terps size in the paint. The freshmen will have a learning curve at the beginning of the season, but Coach Williams will have the Terps hitting on all eight cylinders by the time ACC action commences in January. Vasquez and Hayes are arguable the best backcourt duo in the league.
Clemson – Trevor Booker suffered a minor foot injury over the summer and that is troubling, but I still like the Tigers to finish fourth to secure the last bye. Coach Oliver Purnell is building a solid program at Clemson and the best recruiting class in Clemson basketball history will provide Coach Purnell the pieces to execute his high tempo full court press defense. McDonald’s All-American power forward Milton Jennings is the most high profile recruit in the Purnell era, with shooting guard Noel Johnson and forward Devon Booker also being Top 75 recruits. Junior Demontez Stitt is a steady player at the critical point guard position, but he will be challenged for the starting role by sophomore Andre Young. Having two quality point guards on their roster is definitely an advantage for the Tigers.
Florida State – the Seminoles are young and their youth will probably keep them out of the league’s top four, however, Coach Leonard Hamilton does have talent, size and depth on his roster. Some projected starting line-ups indicate the Seminoles could start one junior, three sophomores and a freshman. Sophomores Solomon Alabi and Chris Singleton are solid frontcourt players, while freshman guard Michael Snaer is highly rated and expected to break into the starting line-up. Derwin Kitchen, Ryan Reid and Xavier Gibson all contribute to FSU’s depth. The Seminoles will definitely miss Toney Douglas, but they will still be a force to be reckoned with in the ACC.
Georgia Tech - the buzz in Atlanta is all about incoming freshman Derrick Favors. Georgia Tech has great expectations for the McDonald’s All-American and #1 rated player in the nation. Add in 3rd Team All-ACC player, Gani Lawal, ACC All-Freshman Team player Iman Shumpert, and senior Zach Peabody, and the Ramblin’ Wreck are loaded with talent. The question is can Paul Hewitt mesh the young talent into a cohesive team? The outlook isn’t positive based on previous performance in Atlanta. Georgia Tech has underachieved over past five seasons and went 0-8 on the road in the ACC last year. Add in the loss of seniors Lewis Clinch and Alade Aminu and this season looks to be a steep uphill battle for the Yellow Jackets.
Wake Forest, Boston College, and Virginia Tech make up the rest of the ACC’s muddy middle, while Virginia, Miami, and N.C. State are projected to reside in the cellar. It’ll be a long season (actually basketball season always seems to fly by) with many hotly contested games, but in the end this season should play out similar to many past seasons over the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference with Duke and North Carolina fighting it out for the top spot in the standings and another year of bragging rights. Figuratively speaking, my money is on the Blue Devils.
2009-10 Duke Basketball Player Profile – Brian Zoubek
During the 2008-09 season, Brian Zoubek stepped up during several games and demonstrated he could be a key contributor for the Blue Devils. When Duke defeated Texas, 74-69, in the second round of the NCAA tournament, Coach Krzyzewski stated, in his post game comments, "I thought Zoubek did a great job on Pittman when he came in, which neutralized him."
One of Zoubek's best performances was during the ACC Championship game against Florida State, when the Blue Devils defeated the Seminoles 79-69. Coach Krzyzewski said, "...the last time we played Florida State, Brian did a great job on Alabi. We just told him to be ready. We're going to use you, and he came through." The last time Coach K was referring to was 12 days earlier when Duke defeated Florida State 84-81. Zoubek played 19 minutes in the game. "I thought Brian had his best game. He was a physical presence - I thought he played like a veteran tonight."
In an early season win over Xavier, Zoubek scored nine points, grabbed five rebounds, and blocked four shots in 18 minutes of action. He recorded a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds against Loyola, and was impressive in Duke’s 85-44 dismantling of Maryland by scoring nine points and grabbing nine rebounds in 18 minutes.
With season averages of 11.9 minutes, 4.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and .6 blocks per game, Zoubek obviously wasn't a stat stuffer, but he was a zealous player who relished his role and took advantage of every opportunity to contribute on the court. As a senior, Zoubek will attempt to build on last season’s key performances and be a consistent physical presence. He has proven he can provide quality minutes now he needs to prove he can be a factor in every game.
Delivering passes out of the high post and altering opponent’s shots with his physical presence were two strengths last season. While Zoubek only blocked shots at a rate of just over one every two games, he caused many more shots to be altered. He also excelled at the free throw line by making 82.8 percent of his attempts. One key to Zoubek increasing his scoring average will be to increase the number of trips he takes to the line. While 82.8 percent is very solid, Zoubek only attempted 29 free throws.
Zoubek arrived at Duke as the #25 ranked player in the high school class of 2006, according to RSCI compiled rankings, however his development into an ACC quality post player has been hampered by injuries. On July 9, 2009, between his freshman and sophomore seasons, Zoubek suffered a fifth metatarsal fracture in his left foot that required surgery. He re-injured the foot in early January 2008, which resulted in a second surgery at the end of the season that required extensive rehabilitation over the summer and prevented Brian from focusing on basketball specific workouts prior to his junior season.
This past summer Zoubek has been healthy so it is a realistic assumption he has been focusing on improving specific skill sets and will enter his senior season in the best shape, from a basketball skills perspective, of his career. At the Greater North Carolina Pro-Am event this summer, Zoubek participated in a couple of games scoring 15 and 16 points.
With only three recruited guards on this season’s roster, Duke will be playing a larger line-up out of necessity. Kyle Singler will be playing on the wing after spending his first two seasons as a post player. Brian Zoubek will be competing with Lance Thomas, Miles and Mason Plumlee, and Ryan Kelly, for frontcourt playing time. The competition should be fierce but a now healthy and experienced Zoubek is expected to be a factor in the post for the Blue Devils. He will see an increase in minutes on the court and Duke fans will see Box Scores with bigger numbers in Zoubek’s row.
The 2009-10 season will be Zoubek’s last as a Blue Devil and everyone can be assured the 7 footer is going to make the most out of every opportunity to influence the outcome of games and contribute to Duke advancing deep into the NCAA tournament.
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