Tag Archives: Duke Basketball

ACC Tournament Week – One on One with Elliot Williams

March 11, 2009 Mark Watson

Elliot Williams has been asked to defend some of the best guards in the ACC

I was able to sit down with Duke freshman Elliot Williams and get his thoughts on the UNC game, his season and his future, team health and more.

So, whats this (pointing to an ice bag on his knee)

Aw, it's nothing

So this is not a Ty Lawson thing (joking)?

Naw, not at all. I'm alright. (laughing)

That was a tough loss ... (UNC)

Yeah. Tough loss. I thought we played pretty well, just couldn't get the stops at the right moments. We were down one or two three possessions in the game to go ahead and we just have to hit our open shots, but we'll be alright. [private]

Does it bother you a little bit that you missed those open shots from the three point stripe?

Not really! It doesn't bother me.

Just keep shooting?

Just keep shooting and hit my open shots. I really ... this is one of the first times I'm learning to be an off ball player. Usually the ball has always been in my hand ...

It's a learning experience ...

Yeah, it's a learning experience all the way around. I want to knock those shots down. I've got to just keep shooting them and keep working.

What's the atmosphere around the team at this point? I mean you guys have just picked yourselves up and it seems obvious you are not going to let yourselves be down.

Naw, naw (emphatically shaking his head). We are feeling good going into the ACC Tournament, NCAA Tournament. I've talked to some of the guys and they've said this is the best they've felt. There all healthy, our best players are playing well and we're ready to go at this.

What is the general health of the team? I know Lance and Jon have been hobbled ... Nolan? (Scoop;))

Going into the ACC Tournament, we should be completely healthy. Nolan is feeling good. Today he did some stuff and he is feeling well. Lance? He's a soldier. And you know Scheyer, he's doing good, he's practicing, so we're getting healthy.

Your spirits have obviously been totally uplifted - you're starting now ...

Yeah.

... what does that mean to you. Does this kind of thing help you forget time on the bench?

No. (smiling) You can never forget that because it's the kind of thing that motivates me, but at the same time being on the bench helped me a lot.

How hard was that on you?

It was hard. But I used that as an advantage to keep working hard and get better. Because I didn't want to be there and I thought I could help the team with my play.

Tell me a little bit more about Nate James?

Nate James (said with obvious respect and admiration)... It's great to work with him. He relates to everything I do. We have a relationship on and off the court. He's a cool guy, straight up guy.

Have you met that mean dog of his? (Mastiff)

Yeah!

That's a bad dog. That's no poodle.

Yeah, (laughing)

Do you talk with your Dad a lot?

I talk to my whole family. They've been very supportive of me and what I've done. I talk to them every two or three days.

How is student life? Is it hard to balance everything in your first year?

I mean, we have a good academic advisor in Kenny King. Academically, it's difficult, but we are managing it pretty well.

Going into the ACC Tournament, what has been the message in practice of late?

We've been pretty intense and we've got to tighten up on a lot of offensive things. Learn to dig deep. Like I said at Carolina, we were down two or three times and they scored each time, so we have to dig deep and get those stops, because we are going to be in some situations like that in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.

At this time, I was joined by the local media, where the first question was about the play of Tony Douglass of all things;) I will print that part of the interview later today. [/private]

Duke Basketball

March madness begins! Kyle Singler Interview – “It’s a new season.”

March 10, 2009 Mark Watson

Kyle Singler sat down with the media just minutes ago for a question and answer session going into the ACC Tournament.

What did the coaches have to say after Sunday's tough loss?

Just take open shots. Whether it's 25 or 30 open shots, you should take them. As long as they are good shots he wants us to take as many as possible.

How do you feel now as opposed to last year from a physical standpoint?

It's really hard to look back at last year at this point to see where we were as a team because it was such a long time ago. I mean, right now as a team we feel great. We feel we are in a great position to make a good run at this thing and getting a lot of guys back healthy is a key. Everybody is excited and that's the way it should be.

What about you personally?

I will tell you the same answer. It's hard for me to tell where I was last year at this point, but I feel great.

Do you feel like you guys can continue forward where all five starter played big minutes?

Every game is different. Every game brings a different situation. We are going to have to have guys come off the bench to help us. That's not to say, they haven't. Dave has been big for us. Brian has had big minutes for us and down the line. Five guys are going to play the majority of the minutes and that's just the way it is.

Going back to being fresh ... doe's it have something to do with the all out way you play?

That's the way you should play, I guess. It's the way I play. I feel good right now. I guess having a year under your belt of college basketball is definitely a good thing to have.

Coach said on Sunday, that the way you are playing now, guys are getting different shots. Can you speak for yourself about the kind of shots you are getting now that you are playing a different way?

I think what coach was trying to say to us, is not different shots, but the amount of shots we get. I think what he is trying to say is ... guys get shots in different positions. You might go through a stretch where you might not shoot the ball for five minutes and you might get five shots at different positions. It's just getting use to the flow you might have. Just taking good shots.

Have you thought about who you will play on Friday?

The two teams that we might play, we've played before. As of now we are not focusing on a team or who is projected to win. We are just focusing on ourselves right now and trying to get better as a team.

Would you relish a chance to get back at Boston College?

I think right now our focus is that it's a new season and what's happened, happened. Whether it's BC or Virginia, we are starting fresh.

What would winning an ACC Championship do for you guys?

Well, coming in to this, it's a new season and we're playing the best basketball we've been playing throughout the whole season. This is a time where if you win three games, you feel good about yourself. Winning a tournament helps your confidence, boosts your confidence. You definitely want to come in and play as well as you can and that projects into the NCAA Tournament.

About having success in March ...

We just have to come in with the mindset, just like I said it's a new season. What we've done we've done. And this Duke team? We need to do something this year and we know that. I think guys are excited because of that. We just have to stay healthy. We have the team to win - win games, win big games. It's a confident group.

As a team we still have a lot of growth still. We are not as a group at or where we will be. I know that's tough to say, but a lot of guys still have a lot of potential, still. So, what Jon was trying to say is that we might not know how good we really are. This week is a big week for us. We're not worried about who we are playing, we're just trying to get better as a team.

Duke Basketball

Nolan Smith participates in today’s Duke practice

March 10, 2009 Mark Watson

Noaln Smith chases down a loose ball in practice

Nolan Smith returned to practice today, but is still listed as questionable at this time. "He's okay, he's back at practice," said a nodding Elliot Williams when questioned by the Blue Devil Nation. Smith suffered a concussion and bruised ribs when he ran into a nasty screen from David Neal during the Maryland game.

Check back in for a Kyle Singler interview later today. Also, premium members get a one on one exclusive with Elliot Williams.

Duke Basketball, Duke Women's Basketball

The Blue Devils will rebound from two tough losses

March 9, 2009 Mark Watson

Our Senior Cheerleaders still have some more cheering to do this season

Yesterday was not the best of days for fans of Duke Basketball, but there was a silver lining. The Blue Devil men fought valiantly only to come up short late against their arch rival UNC, while the women lost a heartbreaking defeat in the ACC Tournament final to Maryland.

Duke Women's loss to Maryland- Duke came into the game with fabulous wins over Virginia and Florida State, two very strong teams. They faced a Maryland team led by two of the nations very best players in Kristin Tolliver and Marissa Coleman.

The Blue Devils staged a terrific comeback late in a hard fought game to send it to overtime. As entertaining as the entire tournament had been, the final show was quite the show. Maryland used an amazing touch from the free throw line to ice the game.

Duke came up just short, as Abby Waner launched a desperation three pointer that fell short. Waner then turned right in front of me with tears immediately welling up in her eyes and Duke was forced to watch the Terps celebrate.

Sure, the fans were disappointed as was the team, but the Duke contingent gave the women what they deserved in a huge ovation for the effort. I mean, they were just inches away.

Despite the loss, Duke showed a bit of moxie in the tournament and they served notice that they will be a tough out in the NCAA Tournament.

The Duke Men's loss to UNC- One of the more stinging defeats comes from losing to your arch rival, but Duke in no way rolled over. In fact the Blue Devils came into this game with legitimate injuries to Lance Thomas and Jon Scheyer who played on sore ankles.

Oh, and Nolan Smith didn't suit up at all. Krzyzewski used this game to play his starters as he would in a crucial NCAA game and he came away knowing his team had fight.

UNC simply a few more plays and found a way to win on senior day. Duke didn't get it's normal production from Gerald Henderson and they had little help off the bench, but they still hung in the game.

Jon Scheyer was amazing in that he didn't miss a shot from the field and he played the PG spot without a single turnover. Scheyer was visibly upset and drained during an interview after the loss. Scheyer and Duke lost with dignity and it's obvious that this team is not fading late in the season as it seemed to in the past two years.

Like the women' s team, the men will be a tough out once the pairings are announced. There was no complaining from Kryzewski and company, yet they had plenty to whine about from the outside looking in. They also found themselves in the 9:20 game in Friday's ACC Tournament, but the only thing you will hear from that is the quick turnaround.

On a day when Scheyer and Waner were upset from a painful loss, they were still embraced by the Duke fan base, for their teams were awfully close to winning these games.

So, cheer up Abby! There are more games to be played and no two players showed the heart of Duke better than Jon Scheyer and yourself.

Duke Basketball

Duke at Virginia Tech Official Game Notes

February 27, 2009 Duke Sports Information

• Game 29 •
[7 AP/7 Coaches] Duke (23-5, 9-4 ACC) vs. Virginia Tech (17-10, 7-6 ACC)
Saturday, February 28, 2009 • 3:30 PM ET • ABC
Cassell Coliseum (9,847) • Blacksburg, Va.

Blue Devil Bits

Duke is 23-5 on the year, including a 9-4 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Blue Devils have won three straight games, including a 78-67 road victory over Maryland on Wednesday.

The Blue Devils are ranked seventh in the AP poll and ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. Duke has now been ranked in the top 10 in 33 consecutive AP polls.

Duke is rated fourth in the RPI according to CollegeRPI.com. The Blue Devils’ strength of schedule is ranked sixth in the country by the site as well.

Junior Gerald Henderson led the Blue Devils in scoring for the third straight game with 19 points on Wednesday. He also had eight rebounds, three assists and a career-high four blocks in the win.

Elliot Williams scored a career-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting against the Terrapins. Williams has set a new career high in scoring in each of the past three games for the Blue Devils.

Sophomore Kyle Singler recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds versus Maryland. He was 4-of-7 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range in the win.

Jon Scheyer added 12 points and a team-high five assists in 37 minutes of play on Wednesday. He has now scored in double figures 21 times this season.

Duke went 20-of-28 (.714) from the foul line in the win over Maryland. The Blue Devils have made 20 or more free throws in three straight games.

Numbers Game

Duke has won two straight meetings in the series with Virginia Tech and four of the last five games against the Hokies. The Blue Devils posted an 69-44 victory over Virginia Tech at Cameron Indoor Stadium earlier this season.

Duke is 9-4 in ACC action, marking the 14th straight year the Blue Devils have won at least eight games in league play. Duke has posted 10 or more wins in ACC regular season contests in 11 of the last 12 seasons.

Gerald Henderson is the only player to rank in the top five in league play in scoring, field goal percentage and steals. Henderson is fifth in scoring at 20.1 ppg., fourth in steals at 1.9 spg. and fifth in field goal percentage at .513 in 13 ACC contests.

Kyle Singler is one of two players in the ACC averaging at least 16.0 ppg. and 7.5 rpg. this season. Cherokee Parks (1994-95), Elton Brand (1998-99), Carlos Boozer (2001-02) and Shelden Williams (2005-06) are the only Duke players to accomplish that feat in the last 15 years.

Freshman Elliot Williams is averaging 12.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, while shooting 16-of-21 (.727) from the floor since joining the starting lineup prior to the St. John’s game. Williams had a career-best 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting in Wednesday’s win over Maryland.

Junior Gerald Henderson is averaging 20.1 points per game in league play. He has raised his ACC scoring average by 7.7 ppg. from a year ago, the second-largest improvement in the conference.

Jon Scheyer has nine assists and just two turnovers since taking over point guard duties three games ago. The Northbrook, Ill., native is averaging 20.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game with a 4.5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in that stretch.

Gerald Henderson has scored in double figures in 20 straight games, which is the fourth-longest streak in the ACC. He is averaging 18.9 points per game and shooting 51.1 percent (140-of-274) from the field in the last 20 contests.

Kyle Singler ranks first or second on the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. He leads the team in rebounds (7.9 rpg.) and steals (46), while ranking second in scoring (16.0 ppg.) and assists (73). He is also third on the team in blocks (23).

Sophomore Nolan Smith is out indefinitely after suffering a mild concussion in the second half of Wednesday’s 78-67 win over Maryland. Smith is averaging 8.5 points with 14 double figure scoring games on the year.

Duke leads the ACC in turnover margin at +4.1. The Blue Devils have committed less than 10 turnovers in a game four times in the month of February and have a +6.7 turnover margin in the last seven games.

Duke Basketball

Elliot Williams named ACC Rookie of the Week

February 24, 2009 Mark Watson

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Duke's Elliot Williams was named ACC Rookie of the Week on Monday after helping the Blue Devils to wins over St. John's and eighth-ranked Wake Forest.

Inserted into the starting lineup last week, Williams responded by averaging 11.0 points and 2.0 steals per game in two contests. The Memphis, Tenn., native was 10-of-14 from the field (.714) for the week and recorded the first two double figure scoring games of his career.

Williams was 5-of-6 from the field for 11 points against the Red Storm on Wednesday and 5-of-8 for 11 points in Sunday's win over the Demon Deacons. He also had four steals against Wake Forest and was a major factor in a defense that forced 20 turnovers, including 16 in the opening 20 minutes of play.

Maryland's Greivis Vasquez was named ACC Player of the Week after averaging 23.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists on the week.