Tag Archives: Duke prospects

Grayson Allen talks Duke, workouts and his future with BDN

1Grayson Allen has helped lead his Southern Stampede AAU team to seven straight wins where they'll advance to the EYBL Finals know as the Peach Jam this July in Augusta, South Carolina.  Most recently, Allen attended the NBAPA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, Virginia where he competed against some of the nation's top collegiate prospects.  Blue Devil Nation caught up to the future Dukie and he shared how the recruiting process went down in detail.  He also gave us his thoughts on his most recent camp experience and how it helps him moving forward, not to mention his rooming with another key Duke target Kavon Looney and what the staff has him working on.  What I learned about Allen was that he's athletic.  Standing around 6-3, he competed in an impromptu dunk contest and took off from the free throw line to flush one down.  He has a good and improving handle is unselfish despite his ability to score.  Anyhow, check out our latest interview from the NBA Top 100 Camp and join BDN Premium to read all of our past articles and the many to come.

What do you feel like you have learned or will take with you moving forward from this camp? 

That it's tough competition. Every time down the court you can't just make a play and shoot it yourself. You definitely have to get your teammates involved and there are really good post men down low so you have to feed them. But mostly, you learn how to be professional on and off the court and you focus on how to carry yourself.

Wow!  You rolled that right out and seem quite humble as well.

Yes sir. My parents instill in me to stay focused and humble.

Your tweets seem to reflect that you have a religious up bringing.

I was born and raised in a Christian home, so pretty much everything I see is what God has blessed me with. So I just perform on the platform given to me by him to show others Christ.

So when did Duke actually offer you and what was your reaction at the time to that?

Last summer, about April and then they saw me play in July. Coach Nate James came to my high school two or three times and watched me play and I stayed in contact with him after that. They called and set up an in home visit and I felt like we hit it off then.

How soon did you know after the offer you wanted to go to Duke?

When they scheduled the home visit I had a feeling that [private] the offer was going to come. So when it did come I had already thought about it a lot. Coach K, Coach Wojo and Coach Capel being in the house and the fact I had already thought about it a lot and after sitting and talking with them it was an easy decision. I just had a feeling Duke was where I wanted to go and after thinking and praying on it, I made the call.

Have you heard from the staff of late?

Yeah. I text Coach Wojo and Coach Scheyer.

So Jon Scheyer is getting involved already?

Yeah, yeah.

Are you happy to see a former Duke shooter on the staff now?

Oh yeah. It's gonna be cool. He's still a young guy and he was obviously a great player at Duke, so I feel like I can learn a lot from him.

Once in the fold, the staff will tell their future players what to work on. Can you share any of that with us?

They want me to work and try to be a lock down defender and guard multiple positions including the one, two and possibly the three because I will really have to do that at the next level while keeping an aggressive mind-set.

Let's talk about the impromptu dunk contest you guys had in between drills. You took off from the free throw line and flushed a dunk down. Can you talk a little bit about that?

It feels really good. (grinning) All I can say is that it was God-given because my parents weren't big athletes or anything. My Dad played a little football and basketball.

Is it me or do you have some big feet?

[Laughs] Yes.

I didn't know if it was just my vision or the yellow sneakers you were wearing.

Big feet and hands. I wear a size 16 shoe.

Wow! Does that mean you're still growing?

Yeah, that's what the doctors tell me. I have had some problems with my left knee. That's the knee I jump off and the doctor said it's (I tried to transcribe what it was called but never quite got the translation), so he thinks I could be 6-6 but I could be full-grown, I don't know for sure.

Will you be attending any skills academies?  What are your plans for the rest of the summer?

I'm going to the Kevin Durrant one for sure.  I will be going to the Peach Jam and the Super Showcase and then I am not sure what my team will be doing. We have a free week, but it's a live period for the college coaches so we'll do something.

The following are some additional comments when another site entered the interview -

On what he's currently working on ...

Right now, I continue to work on my ball handling and consistency on my shot. I had a little bit of an off weekend, so I need to work on consistency there. As a ninth grader I had that kind of chicken wing shot.

On playing with some NBA types ...

You might watch some of these players on T.V. and think I can take them, I can take them but being out here with them is a reality check. They are way, way, way ahead of us and we have a lot of work to do.

On his impending workouts ...

When I get a little bit of free time this summer I already have trainer and a workout program to start on and lift some weight to prepare for the next level and college.

On rooming with Kavon Looney ...

I've been in his ear a little bit concerning Duke, we talked about it some.

You said yesterday, you were trying to be low key.

Yeah, he's a great player who can stretch out the defense.

Thanks for your time.

Yes sir.  Thank you.

Talk about this interview on the BDN Premium message board where I give my analogy on his game. [/private]

Nike Peach Jam Morning Session

The Nike Peach Jam is in full swing in Augusta, Georgia where BDN Premium is on the scene to bring you the latest on who the Blue Devil staff is watching.  Coach K was here bright and early spending time between 2013 studs Jabari Parker and Julius Randle.  He then watched Nerlens Noel and Rasheed Sulaimon.

Houston Hoops defeated the Arkansas Wings by a 76-61 score with Rasheed Sulaimon dropping 18 points.  Baltimore Elite took care of Louisiana Select and Playaz took out the Family.

Adam Woodberry tossed in 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds but Nerlens Noel and BABC won easlily.  Noel ended the game with 12 points, 8 boards and 3 blocked shots.

Jarnell Stokes didn't miss a shot from the field and he led his team to a 2 point win over California Supreme, tallying 14 points.

Justin Anderson dropped 23 as Boo Williams fell to the Oakland Soldiers and Branden Ashley with 24 points.

Team Takeover, the favorite to win the event, defeated All Ohio Red 73-68 as Patrick Holloway scored 18.

Athletes First got 27 points from James Woodard and they took down the Georgia Stars with Duke prospect Tony Parker scoring  16 pts, 5 boardsand Alex Poythress a game high 10 rebounds and 17 points.

CP3 was led by Rodney Purvis who dished ten dimes to go with 17 points as they defeated Albany City 76-63.

Mac Irwin Fire and Jabari Parker (12 pts, 6 rebounds) slipped past Mean Streets by a 65-56 score.

Team Texas lost a heartbreaker to Indiana Speice 57-56.  Julius Randle had 10 points from the free throw stripe for 18 and Matt Jones added 26 and 8 boards, 2 more than Randle.

For more in depth updates on Duke prospects, join BDN Premium and gain full site access.

Duke Basketball Recruiting Update – the weekend visitors

BDN Premium breaks down the weekend and recruiting

Durham, N.C. - This weekend marked the first time Kyrie Irving had been to a game at Duke this season and what he saw made him want to stay.  Irving will be here soon enough, July to be exact as will his future teammate Josh Hairston who also attended the Blue Devils blowout win over North Carolina.

But there were others in attendance and we will discuss those kids in our latest lengthy BDN Premium Duke Basketball Recruiting Update.  As you know, Austin Rivers [private] was unable to make the trip in that his team advanced to the championship game in Florida.  I still feel great about Rivers and Duke.

Another Duke target Qincy Miller went to Kentucky instead of making the trip to Durham.  While Duke still holds interest in the talented forward, they will continue to recruit others for many reasons.  One is that Quincy is quite the internet personality and two, a lot of people are involved with Millers recruitment, two names which you should figure out.  Now, I'm not talking other teams here, for we know who they are.  I'm talking individuals with lot's of pull.  As I stated in an earlier update, Miller changed a whole lot from the first time I talked with him to now.  He is enjoying the limelight and at times seems aloof, but that's probably just a kid enjoying himself.  Anyway, Duke is definitely still interested but Quincy has to show that back.  Make no mistake, Duke is still on his list but if there is a team to beat it is Kentucky.  This one will go on for a good while, so prepare to ride the waves.

Kyrie Irving looked as if he were ready to suit up this weekend

I will reiterate that Carrick Felix is all but in save the formalities of admissions which should be no problem.  Felix is a character kid that excels in the class room.  In short, he's not your everyday garden variety JUCO.  Felix is athletic enough to make an impact in a role position the day he steps on campus.  While this is the first JUCO that will be taken under Krzyzewski, you will eventually see Felix has great character and ability.  I would imagine something will happen here shortly.  FWIW, Duke's only other JUCO was Cameron Hall a center out of Canada.

Duke still has interest in Justin Anderson [Class of  2012 6-5 combo guard, Montrosse Christian] but this is at the evaluation stage.  As talented as he is, there are some holes in Anderson's game and Duke will watch to see how he progresses in several areas.  He will get some looks come spring.

The Blue Devils are still high on J.P. Tokoto [Class of 2012 6-5 WF Menomonee, WI] as well and despite waht you hear about him being a Carolina lock, this one may take some turns along the way.  In a way, I would rather people say North Carolina is his if offered.  He will get an offer from them, but there is a jam at his position if you do the homework.

Duke will also continue to be state friendly.  What I mean by that is the Blue Devils will continue to check out local talent and just ask Duke Football Coach David Cutcliffe about how fruitful this can be.  Enter kids like T.J. Warren will be invited to attend games as will others along the way in an effort to maintain relations..   Keep in mind that Miller, Bello and Marshall Plumlee are N.C. kids as well.  BDN will be attending the Telep's camp and we will focus on the local talent at the end of this month.

A new name to keep an eye on is Tyler Adams , a hulking 6-9, 255 pound prospect from Brandon, Mississippi.  He was unable to make the game but was invited.  he is a physical presence that already has a college level body.  Adams is in the class of 2011.

There is no doubt that Josh Hairston is getting bigger as he ages.  Not huge, just maturing and filling out his body.  Hairston, of course was front and center for the game and cheering hard and often.  No word as to why Tyler Thornton didn't make it.

As for Kyrie Irving, well, he had a blast.  He was the first one to jump off the bench when Duke took a 9-3 lead over North Carolina in the opening minutes and he was obviously liking what he saw.  From all reports close to the situation, he can't wait to get to Durham and may be here earlier than July.  Irving had a close friend with him on the visit and he has already tweeted about his experiences.

One big kid there this weekend was Michael Haynes, who made his second game.  As it turns out, former Duke player Sean Dockery is his neighbor in his home town of Chicago.  Not only that, Dockery is acting as a mentor of sorts.  Haynes now plays in Martinsville, Virginia and his game is that of a physical presence.  He is tough on the blocks and in the paint and is the type of player Duke would like to close out the class of 2010 with. For that to happen, he will have to meet Duke's academic requirements.

Gbinije and Muhammad share a moment in Cameron

Then there was the second visit from Michael Gbinije [Class of 2011 6-6 WF Benedictine, Va} from the class of 2011.  From all reports, he is accessing the opportunity at Duke and the word is his parents like the situation a lot.  It would not suprise me to see Duke close on him soon, but we'll see.  I have seen Gbinijie play several times and here is how I see his game.  He will not jump off the page at you athletically bt is a good athlete.  He is always steady and plays withing his capabilities.  He loves garbage buckets and plays taller than his height.  He has a good mid range shot and a decent handle and passes does everything pretty well.  He is a very quiet kid on and off the court.

I am pretty certain Marshall Plumlee did not attend, but I did not confirm that.  It is interesting that Indiana let Roshown McLeod go yesterday.  We'll see what effect this has on Plumlee who is high on Indiana and Duke.

We'll close in saying that Shabazz Muhamed [Class of 2012 6-4 WF Bishop Gorman, LV, Nev}was at the game as well.  The talented Las Vegas prospect took in Duke and North Carolina over the weekend.  It's very early in the process on this one for both the aforementioned schools, so we'll see how this one develops.

That's it for now, but we will likely add some other updates on the message board.  One last note, the team let go of the weekends big game this afternoon and their sole focus is on getting better between now and Friday where they face the winner of the Boston College-Virginia game. [/private]