I know it’s hard to fathom this departure, but there are times when we must put life in perspective.  That said, I will tell you that Williams left with Coach K and his staffs full blessing.  Make no mistake, the news changed the Blue Devils outlook on next season and expectations have been significantly lowered as a result.

Duke fans were excited when they landed Eliiot Williams and visions of him breaking out this season gave the faithful hope that the 2009-10 season would be one to remember.  But faithful is the keyword here and we’re about the separate the real fans from the bandwagon fans.  When there is an unfortunate controversy, we’re suppose to come together.

Coming together is what the Williams family is doing and as fans we should support them and follow their lead by coming together in a unified way for a team that is terribly thin in the backcourt.  Jordan Davidson will return to the team after back surgery and a student manager will take a spot on the team as well.  There is some speculation that a football player may help out, but that seems unlikely unless there is a redshirt freshman available.

We’ll miss the slashing drives and thunderous dunks Williams brought to the table, but life has a way of testing us.  And this is a situation which we should work through together.  Anyone who has ever dealt with a sick family member would have done the same thing.

Williams will petition the NCAA for a waiver as we first reported and it is believed that he will become a Memphis Tiger.

Official Press Release -

Elliot Williams To Leave Duke For Family Medical Reasons

DURHAM, N.C. – Rising sophomore Elliot Williams has decided to leave Duke University for family medical reasons, school officials announced Wednesday. He is expected to file an appeal for a waiver of the NCAA’s year in residence transfer rule that would require him to sit out the 2009-10 season. Williams is seeking to transfer closer to his hometown of Memphis, Tenn., to be near his family.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Elliot and his family,” said head coach Mike Krzyzewski. ““We fully support him in his efforts to be closer to them during this trying time. He is a good young man with an opportunity to become an outstanding player. We wish him well as he determines his future. He will always be a part of our program and we will always be in his corner.”

Williams averaged 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in 34 contests a year ago. He started 11 of the final 12 games of the season as Duke claimed the 2009 ACC Championship and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. The Memphis, Tenn., native had five double-figure scoring games as a freshman, including a season-high 15 points at Maryland on Feb. 25. He also posted an 11-rebound game on Nov. 11 against Georgia Southern and sparked a 101-91 Duke win over Wake Forest on Feb. 22 with a season-high four steals.

The Blue Devils may end up with a top rated point guard but it will not be from the Class of 2009. Eric Bledsoe and John Wall have signed with Kentucky, while Darius Smith decided to head East to Connecticut. Those three point guards all had Duke on their list, but the Blue Devils have most likely finished up their recruiting for this year and did not bring in a point guard to complement 6’11 Mason Plumlee and 6’9″ Ryan Kelly two McDonald’s All-Americans who will potentially provide Coach Krzyzewski considerable depth in the front court. The recruiting focus now shifts to 2010.

For this coming season, point guard duties will remain with Senior Jon Scheyer, a 6’5″ wing guard, and Junior Nolan Smith, a 6’3″ combo guard. While neither Scheyer nor Smith is a true point guard, both players bring point guard skills onto the court. When the two play together those skills combine to create a point guard who, while not spectacular, is certainly solid.

Jon Scheyer protects the basketball which results in a minimal number of turnovers. After Scheyer led Duke to the ACC Championship and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, Kyle Singler commented, “He makes plays for himself and others. That spot for us, when Jon has been there, has been huge for us.” For the season, Scheyer recorded a 1.8:1 assists to turnover ratio, while averaging 14.9 points per game. Defensively, Scheyer is a tremendous off-the-ball defender who led Duke with 1.6 steals per game.

Nolan Smith’s key skills are on-the-ball defense and the ability to finish at the rim. When he is healthy, Smith is a player who makes Duke a stronger team. Staying healthy has been a bit of a challenge for Smith over his first two seasons as a Blue Devil. He missed three games, late this past regular season, after suffering a concussion and bruised ribs in a game at Maryland. As a freshman, Smith was slowed down the stretch after hyper-extending his knee. With Duke being thin in the backcourt this coming season, it is imperative Smith avoid any significant injuries such as the concussion as well as the nagging little problems of his freshman year.

Last season, the three headed monster Coach Krzyzewski alluded to was: Kyle Singler, Gerald Henderson, and Jon Scheyer. The three combined to average 47.9 points per game which represents 72 percent of the team’s points. With Gerald Henderson gone to the NBA, Coach Krzyzewski will be looking for a couple of players to step up their consistency on offense. Nolan Smith, who averaged 8.4 points per game last season, is a likely candidate as is Elliot Williams, who averaged 4.2 points.

As a freshman, Williams came on strong, after being inserted into the starting line-up, averaging 7.3 points over the last 12 games. Williams brings exceptional athleticism onto the court and has the ability to play pressure defense. He needs to develop a consistent jump shot and must improve on his woeful free throw percentage, but Blue Devil fans should look for Williams to be a significant factor in the rotation from day one especially if he makes the type of freshman-to-sophomore improvements prevalent in the college game.

Coach Krzyzewski will only have three guards at his disposal next year so look for Kyle Singler to spend major minutes at small forward. Duke will have to play a larger line-up out of necessity and the competition for playing time should be fierce. Seniors Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek have started 62 and 21 games respectively during their first three seasons in Durham. They have the advantage of understanding Coach Krzyzewski’s defensive system and will be looking to have breakout senior seasons. Neither player has proven to be a consistent offensive option but both have their niche. Thomas is a versatile defender who is valuable in a fast tempo contest, while Zoubek is an extremely talented passer out of the high post. Zoubek made 82.8 percent of his free throw attempts as a junior.

Sophomore Miles Plumlee and freshmen Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly will be intent on taking away playing time from the two experienced seniors. Miles Plumlee looked lost on the court at times during his freshman season but also showed flashes of talent. He is mobile and should benefit from the standard freshman-to-sophomore improvement. His brother, Mason Plumlee is a player many analysts believe has the ability to make an immediate impact. Time will tell. Ryan Kelly is a wiry outside-in player with 3-point range. Kelly won the 3-point shooting contest at this year’s McDonald’s All-American game.

Out of those five frontcourt options, someone needs to step up and establish themselves as a consistent offensive threat. As Coach Krzyzewski stated in March, Duke played a lot of three on five last year and the lack of an interior offensive threat hurt the team. Zoubek and both the Plumlees have the size to be an impact post player what remains to be seen is if they can develop the game to get the job done. Thomas and Kelly are players who need to provide minutes at power forward so Singler can play on the wing.  Sophomore Olek Czyz is a wild card and could compete for playing time at power forward due to his leaping ability and strength, or see duty on the wing due to the lack of backcourt players.

Singler, Scheyer, Smith, and Williams will be the core of next year’s rotation. The question is who will be players five, six, and seven? The answer will be interesting but Duke Fans will have to wait until next year and ACC games in January before knowing the answer. In the meantime, it is only late spring and a whole summer of starting line-up and minutes per game speculation lies in front of us not to mention summer pick-up game reports. I’ll see you all on the message boards!

Team celebrated the 2009 ACC Championship

DURHAM, N.C. – The trio of Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler shared the Swett-Baylin Award for Most Valuable Player at the annual Duke Men’s Basketball banquet on Friday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Henderson, a Wooden Award All-America and first team All-ACC choice, also received the Bill Krzyzewski Captains’ Award, True Blue Award for most charges drawn (20), the Best Field Goal Percentage (.450) and Best Defensive Player.

Scheyer, the ACC Tournament MVP, also received the Bill Krzyzewski Captains’ Award, the Iron Duke Award for most minutes played (1,214), the Best Free Throw Percentage (.836) and the Most Assists (102). He has recorded the best free throw percentage in all three of his seasons at Duke.

Singler, a second team All-ACC selection and 2K Sports Classic MVP, had the Best Rebounding Average with 7.7 rebounds per game. It is the second straight season he has posted the top rebounding average.

Senior Greg Paulus was named an Academic All-America for the second straight year and received the Dr. Deryl Hart Award as the top scholar-athlete. He has been named the top scholar athlete in each of the last two seasons. He also received the Bill Krzyzewski Captains’ Award for the second time in his career.

The Glenn E. “Ted” Mann, Jr., Award, which is given to a reserve who contributes the most to team morale, was delivered to freshman Elliot Williams. The Coach’s Award for a player exemplifying the commitment and values of Duke Basketball was given to Lance Thomas.

Three other awards were handed out Friday night. Joey McMahon and Griffin Tormey received the Gopal Varadhan Senior Manager Award, Elise Rose was given the Harry Rainey Spirit Award and John Roelofs was the recipient of the Charles Hogan Memorial Band Award.

2008-09 Duke Men’s Basketball Award Winners

Swett-Baylin Award (Most Valuable Player): Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler
Dr. Deryl Hart Award (Top Scholar-Athlete): Greg Paulus
Glenn E. “Ted” Mann, Jr., Award (Reserve Contributing Most to Team Morale): Elliot Williams
Coach’s Award (Player Exemplifying the Commitment and Values of Duke Basketball): Lance Thomas
Iron Dukes Award (Most Minutes Played): Jon Scheyer
Bill Krzyzewski Captains’ Awards: Gerald Henderson, Greg Paulus, Jon Scheyer
Best Field Goal Percentage Award: Gerald Henderson
Best Rebounding Average Award: Kyle Singler
Best Free Throw Percentage Award: Jon Scheyer
Most Assists Award: Jon Scheyer
Best Defensive Player Award: Gerald Henderson
Gopal Varadhan Senior Manager Award: Joey McMahon, Griffin Tormey
Harry Rainey Spirit Award: Elise Rose

Krzyzewski praised the play of Lance Thomas

Duke had little trouble whipping up on undersized Binghamton to advance to the Saturday evening game with Texas.  While the Blue Devils had their way over the course of the game, Binghamton played inspired basketball.  The Bearcats kept it close by hitting 6 of 11 three pointers in the first half.

But the Duke defense tightened up in the second half, allowing a single three pointer and starting with a 17-2 run to send the pesky Bearcats reeling.  Duke hit nine three pointers of their own and dominated the game from the charity stripe going 21 of 25.

It didn’t hurt that the Blue Devils held a 38-20 edge on the boards, many of them on the offensive end.  Duke had six double figure scorers on the night, led by Lance Thomas who went 5 of 5 from the field for 14 points.

“It just seemed like Lance had tremendous energy and our whole team fed off of it,” stated Krzyzewski after his team notched him victory number 832.

Kyle Singler fell just short of a double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds and had a team high 5 turnovers.  Gerald Henderson chipped in with 13 points and 6 rebounds and Nolan Smith was pretty much a sixth starter off the bench with 13 points and 3 assists.

Jon Scheyer had a team high 15 points and Elliot Williams continued his ascent with 11 points.  Scheyer and Williams had four assists each, making them the team leaders in that category.

“Elliot made a few really big time decisions, or good decisions in how we moved the ball, instead of taking a quick shot,” said Krzyzewski of his freshman’s play.

Duke will now head back to Durham and prepare for Texas, who won handily over Minnesota to advance.  The Longhorns will bring a lot more size to the table than the Blue Devils’ first opponent and will be led by A.J. Abrams who scored 26 points today.

The Blue Devils are now 29-6 overall for the season.  Duke is now 87-29 in the NCAA Tournament which equals the highest winning percentage of any team.  Duke now has 30 NCAA Tournament wins since 2000 and 290 wins in the decade which tops the list of all schools in that time period.

Box Score Link

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.

Krzyzewski praised freshman Elliot Willams after the game. Williams scored a career high 15 points to go with 6 rebounds.

The Duke Blue Devils defeated Maryland 78-67 to move into sole possession of second place in the rough and tumble Atlantic Coast Conference.  The pesky Terps played the Blue Devils even most of the game, but after the score was tied at 60 apiece, Duke made key plays to go up 66-60 and never looked back.  They outscored the Terps 18-7 down the stretch.

“We knew what was at stake.  You have desperate teams.  You have a Virginia Tech team that won at Clemson tonight and Maryland beat the best team in our conference in North Carolina.  We knew they were an entirely different team now,” said Krzyzewski.

It was a workmanlike victory for the Devils who never showed signs of losing their composure despite the usual hostile home crowd.  Duke was also able to take

19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocked shots for "G"

Grevies Vasquez out of the game by taking several charges.  Vasquez ended the game with just 10 points coming off his signature performance of 35 points and double figure assists and rebounds in their upset win over North Carolina.

Gerald Henderson continued his torrid pace, putting the team on his back during key stretches.  Henderson who has been one of the most consistent players in the country of late ended the game with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocks.

Freshman Elliot Williams made some huge plays, be it grabbing key boards or getting to a loose ball.  Williams, who has now started three consecutive games, tallied a career high 15 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.”We were struggling to stop them on the offensive end defensively, but we put it together in the last minutes of the second half and came out with a win,” said Williams.

“One of the things I try to use to help the team out is my athleticism.  That was a play where I just tried to get the rebound and I got it, pumped faked and went up as quick as I could,” said Williams when asked of a key rebound and stick back in traffic.

“I thought a couple of the plays Elliot made to get a loose ball and a bucket a couple of times was huge.  He made the pass of the game – the extra pass to Jon for the three.  You could see with that three that the look in their (Maryland) faces changed,” said Krzyzewski.

Kyle Singler also chipped in with  double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.  Jon Scheyer also scored in double figures with 12 points.

Duke has protected the ball well in their 3 game winning streak and ended the night with just nine turnovers.  Duke also outrebounded the Terps 39-28.

It was a solid victory for the Blue Devils who move to 9-4 i n the ACC and 23-5 overall.  Duke will now travel to another hostile environment in Blacksburg, Virginia to take on a Virginia Tech team that gained a huge road win over Clemson.

Notes- Nolan had a mild concussion and some chest pain.  Duke expects him to be okay but they are taking precaustions.  Smith ran into a nasty pick from Maryland’s Neal. 

Box Score Link

From GoDuke.com – A Winning Tradition
•    Duke has now won 1,870 games all-time, the fourth-highest victory total in NCAA history. The Blue Devils have an all-time record of 1,870-814, including 753-213 under Coach K.
•    The Blue Devils have won 284 games this decade, the most wins in a decade by the program. The win total is the second most by a team in NCAA history behind Kansas (286-60 from 1990-99).
•    Duke is now 929-237 all-time as a ranked team, including 787-180 as a Top 10 team.
•    The Blue Devils have won 20 or more games 44 times in school history with 24 of those coming under Coach K. Duke has won at least 23 of the first 28 games a total of 20 times.
•    Duke claimed its ninth ACC win of the year. They have an 845-478 all-time record against current ACC schools, including a 277-247 mark on the road. They have now won nine games in conference play in 12 of the last 13 seasons and in 21 of the 29 years under Coach K.

Duke vs. Maryland Series
•    Duke and Maryland met for the 165th time on Wednesday with the Blue Devils now holding a 105-60 lead in the all-time series. 
•    The Blue Devils are now 4-3 when playing in the Comcast Center and 30-24 when playing in College Park.
•    Coach K is 46-20 all-time against Maryland. He has a 17-8 ledger in the month of February.
•    Duke has been ranked in each of the last 30 games they have played against Maryland and 54 times overall in the series. They have been ranked in the top 10 in 46 games.

Duke In The ACC
•    Duke now owns a 518-277 all-time record in ACC regular season games since the inception of the league in 1953-54.
•    Duke has an 845-478 record against schools currently in the Atlantic Coast Conference, including a 278-247 record at home.
•    Coach K owns a 343-147 record against schools currently in the ACC.

Duke In February
•    Duke improves to 5-3 in the month of February in 2008-09. Under Coach K, the Blue Devils have a 170-66 all-time record in the month of February.
•    When playing on Feb. 25, Duke is now 16-11 all-time, including a 6-2 record under Coach K.

Krzyzewski Climbs Victory Ladder
•    Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski earned his 826th victory as a head coach on Saturday. He ranks fifth all-time in NCAA Division I history for career victories and is first among active coaches.
•    Krzyzewski is now four victories shy of Jim Phelan for fourth all-time.
•    Coach K now has 753 wins as the head coach at Duke, ranking him sixth in NCAA Division I history for victories at one school and second among active coaches (Jim Boeheim, Syracuse – 791). Krzyzewski is six wins shy of Western Kentucky’s Ed Diddle for fifth all-time.
•    Krzyzewski’s 826 victories are the second most by a head coach through 34 years of coaching. Only Dean Smith of North Carolina won more games with 830 victories.

1,000 Career Points
•    Duke has 58 players in school history who have scored over 1,000 career points, giving the Blue Devils the third most 1,000-point scorers of any school in Division I behind North Carolina (62) and Louisville (59).
•    Duke has three current players who have scored at least 1,000 points in their career. Jon Scheyer ranks 39th all-time with 1,186 career points. Greg Paulus currently ranks 40th on the school’s all-time list with 1,173 career points. Gerald Henderson ranks 48th with 1,111 career points.
•    Sophomore Kyle Singler is also chasing 1,000 career points this season. He currently has 894 career points.

Offensive Notes
•    The Blue Devils scored 78 points and have now scored 70 or more in 24 of the 28 games on the year. Duke is 21-3 this season when scoring at least 70 points and 664-132 all-time under Coach K.
•    Four Duke players scored in double figures, marking the 15th game this season that four or more players have scored at least 10 points for the Blue Devils.
•    Duke made 25 field goals to give them 19 games with 25 or more made field goals.
•    The eight made three-point field goals for the Blue Devils give them 14 games with eight or more made treys. Duke has made 24 three-point field goals in the last three games.
•    Duke made 20 free throws and have now made 20 or more from the foul line in 11 games this year, including the last three contests.
•    The Blue Devils outrebounded Maryland 39-28 and have now outrebounded its opponent 18 times in 28 games.
•    Duke committed only nine turnovers, the sixth time this year they have recorded single digits in turnovers. Four of those six games have been in February.

Defensive Notes
•    Duke held Maryland to 67 points, including 33 in the second half. The Blue Devils have held 18 opponents to under 70 points on the year.
•    The Blue Devils limited the Terps to three made three-point field goals. Duke has held 12 opponents to three or fewer made treys, including seven ACC opponents.
•    Maryland committed 11 turnovers and the Blue Devils have now caused over 10 turnovers in all 28 games this season.
•    Duke blocked six shots to give them nine games this season with five or more blocks.

Duke Player Notes:

Gerald Henderson
•    Junior Gerald Henderson scored 19 points to extend his double figure scoring streak to 20 games. He has scored 10 or more points in 24 games on the season and 56 times in his career. He has scored 16 or more in 14 straight games.
•    Henderson pulled down eight rebounds to give him 14 games this season with five or more boards. He has at least five rebounds in 41 career contests and eight or more in five games this year.
•    Henderson set a career high with four blocked shots. His previous high was three blocked shots in a game three times, including the Michigan game on Dec. 6. The four blocks give Henderson 66 career blocks, moving him into 20th on Duke’s career blocks list.
•    With three assists Henderson has now recorded three or more assists in 13 games this season and 23 career games.

Greg Paulus
•    Senior Greg Paulus became the 26th player in school history to play in 130 career games.
•    Paulus made 2-of-3 three-point field goals to give him 205 career made treys. He has made two or more three-point field goals in nine games this season.

Jon Scheyer
•    Junior Jon Scheyer scored 12 points to reach double figures in scoring for the 21st time this season and 67th career outing.
•    Scheyer had three rebounds to give him three or more in 23 games this season and in 73 career games.
•    Scheyer dished out five assists to lead the team on Wednesday and now has five or more assists in five games on the year. He posted his 17th game this season with at least three assists and has led the team in assists in 14 games.

Kyle Singler
•    Sophomore Kyle Singler recorded his eighth double-double of the season and fourth in conference play with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He now has 12 career double-doubles.
•    Singler has now recorded at least one point, rebound, assist, blocked shot and steal in a game 14 times this season.
•    The 13 points give Singler a team-high 25 double figure scoring games this season. Wednesday marked his 50th career double figure scoring game.
•    With 10 rebounds Singler has now pulled down 10 or more rebounds in eight games on the year and 12 career games. He has eight or more rebounds in 15 games and at least five rebounds in 26 of the 28 games this season.

Lance Thomas
•    Junior Lance Thomas recorded two steals to give him a steal in five of the last six games and in 10 games overall. He has four games this season with two steals.

Elliot Williams
•    Freshman Elliot Williams scored a career-high 15 points on 6-of-8 from the field, 1-of-2 from the three-point line and 2-of-4 from the foul line. He has three straight games with 10 or more points after not scoring in double figures in his first 22 collegiate games.
•    After shooting 6-of-8 from the floor, Williams has three straight games with at least five field made field goals. He is shooting 16-of-22 (.727) in the past three games.
•    Williams grabbed six rebounds and now has five or more rebounds in three outings this year.

Brian Zoubek
•    Junior Brian Zoubek blocked a shot for the 17th game this season. He now has a team-high 25 blocks on the year, nearly doubling his career total of 26 coming into the year.

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.

I had the feeling going in that this game would be a bit special and my gut proved accurate from

Jon Scheyer BDNP

the very start.  As the Duke starting lineup was being introduced, Coach K exhorted his team unlike he had at any other time this season.

This was a critical game for Duke in the more ways than one. Duke needed to protect it’s home court with a victory to stay in the ACC race for a first round bye. The Blue Devils also needed to build some momentum.

Here are several thoughts from the game and more -

Coach K’s emotion was refreshing – Coach K wasn’t about to let his team lose tonight. Every time Cameron would start to wane, he would stand up and exhort the fans. This sent the Cameron Crazies into a frenzy in what was clearly the best atmosphere to date and that includes the UNC game.

And Wake lost this game? - The Demon Deacons came into Cameron and never lost their composure. Down 22 points, they clawed back into the game cutting it to two points before Duke pulled away. With two players in James Johnson and Jeff Teague scoring 28 and 27 respectively and the fact that they shot 61% from the field and drained `4 of 16 free throws, you might wonder how they lost looking at the stats alone.

An amazing performance by Gerald Henderson - Earlier in the week, Gerald said his favorite player was Kobe Bryant. His play emulated the Laker start tonight. Henderson scored a career high 35 points on 11 of 15 shooting. He was deadly from the free throw sripe as well going

Henderson hangs a career high 35 on Wake Forest

12 of 14. “G” put on a show and there were times in the game where he had Cameron going nuts with his moves. Those who saw the performance live will remember it for years to come. It’s no wonder that his proud Father Gerald Sr. was beaming after the game.

Jon Scheyer was just as amazing - What can be said about a kid handed the point guard postion and having a single turnover in 37 minutes of play against a guard heavy team? A lot can be said. Scheyer not only ran the point, he also scored a career high of 30 points to go with 4 rebounds 2 assists and a steal. With Smith and Paulus on the bench, Scheyer stepped up and did his thing.

Lance Thomas is getting consistent - Early in the season Lance was inconsistent, but he has put together a solid streak of games and his work around the glass was oh-so needed.

Kyle Singler – It wasn’t a great offensive performance, but the iron man played 36 minutes

Singler battled down low-BDNP

and he made many plays that do not show up in the stat sheet.

Freshman Elliot Williams stole the show – Okay, Henderson and Scheyer stole the show, but Williams 4 steals were at critical times. Williams played within himself scoring 11 points and he didn’t turn the ball over. His play has given Duke a huge lift and it will take a crow bar to get him out of the starting lineup.

Speaking of the lineup, the new lineups that is - Well, it’s working and players are adjusting. When Smith works out of a late season funk and he will, the team will just get better. Plumlee is adding more athleticism up front and seems to have taken Zoubeks minutes.

Just six turnovers - Duke had an amazingly low six turnover against Wake Forest. And the Deacs can come with some pressure when they want to.

Need more evidence Duke protected the ball? – Not only did they not turn the ball over,

Williams came up with four key steals

they had the ball stolen one single time the entire game. Now that’s what I call protection.

Little time to enjoy the win – Duke now hits the road for two games against Maryland, a team which is playing their best ball of the season and coming off a huge win over UNC. Then, on Saturday, Duke faces a Virginia Tech team which will be more than a little dangerous in that they are seeking another signature win for their tournament resume.

Post Game Quotes -
Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski

“Wow, that was a great game. There were so many amazing performances tonight. That was as good a game as there’s been in the ACC this year – offensively, anyway. Our kids have been practicing real hard, and they played really hard tonight. [Gerald Henderson and Jon [Scheyer] had signature games. But, Elliot [Williams] gave us a verve right off the start. In the two games he’s started, he’s really given us a spirit out there. Again, a little bit of a turning point [on Wake’s run] and we didn’t know what to do to stop them. I mean, they are so good offensively – so good. So we put, for a couple exchanges, Lance [Thomas] on [Ishmael] Smith so that hopefully Lance’s length would keep him out a little bit. I don’t know if that worked but they missed a couple. It was something a little different, we got the rebound. There were three critical exchanges – one thing is we never lost the lead. I think it was 80-78 when Jon was smart enough to get fouled on a three pointer – that was a huge play. It gave us a five-point lead. You lose the lead in a game like this and you might lose the game. Then, we had G and Jon hit threes at the end of the shot clock. Those three plays were fantastic and I thought for us were critical. It’s a big win for us. It’s a huge win.”

On his energy during introductions and the game’s magnitude:
“The one thing I’ve tried not to do here is assume winning – that you assume you’re going to win. Tonight was a huge game for us. It was as big a game as we’ve had in three years, because we’re 7-4 [in the ACC] and the way the schedule is in February and March, we’re already going to end up playing a top schedule in the country and probably the toughest in the conference, and we’re away, so you have to win this game. I know that, I know that. So, whatever you can do ethically, legally, and physically you got to try to do. It wasn’t about us, it was about our kids. They responded to a lot of game pressure, hit big shots. Wake Forest is a very, very talented basketball team. We could not stop them, but they couldn’t stop us either. It was one of those old-fashioned ACC basketball games. A lot of good basketball out there tonight. I’m really proud of my guys. I’m very happy.”

On trying to stop Wake’s offense:
“Sometimes great offense just beats defense. They kept coming down on us where we’re always retreating, playing off your heels. That’s why I think Lance’s length for a couple of exchanges helped a little. They’re very talented, [James] Johnson and [Jeff] Teague are very talented and are going to play basketball for a long time in their lives. They’re going to score a lot of points in college and in the pros. They’re two really big-time players.”

On Elliot Williams’ consecutive starts:
“Since the last Wake Forest game when we had a tough loss there, our pressure on the ball kind of went out the window. Our defense starts with disciplined pressure on the ball, not stealing. Elliot’s been working really hard. [Assistant Coach] Nate [James] works with him after practice on offense and defense. He’s been really good in practice, and always had a good attitude. We just felt we need a change. He came up big at St. John’s. He hasn’t played like a freshman. He’s played at least 30 minutes in each of these games and had 11 points in both, but that’s not where he’s been the most important. He plays with a really good enthusiasm and confidence that you wouldn’t think would be there for a kid who hadn’t been playing. He’s been a huge spark for us.”

On seeing a team a second time in a season:
“This is more like what you would see in a round robin. No question about that. Like how we are going to play a Maryland team again that was at their worst here, and they’re at their best now. Each team in the league would like that opportunity for you to see them twice. If you only play them once, you never have to revisit that. That’s another reason why this game was so important.”

On Jon Scheyer playing the point:
“I think it does help him, because once he gets rid of the ball then he’s guarded by a point. That’s something we looked at to get his offense going. He had one turnover tonight and I think none at St. John’s. He’s played two games, brought the ball up and has one turnover. That’s pretty good. He doesn’t have to make plays for anybody and then his offense has gotten better.”

On tonight as a must-win game:
“Instead of saying we had to win it, I told them we’re going to win it. I think sometimes the anticipation of doing something should help more than the expectation of having to do it. It’s a little like what we did with the Olympic team. We’re going to win, not that we have to win. It’s a subtle thing, but it’s an important thing.”

Duke Junior Gerald Henderson
“It was a lot of fun. Cameron was really special today. I was just making reads. A lot of times my teammates were finding me in good spots where I could score the basketball. I shot a pretty good percentage today – I don’t want to say it was lucky, but I made a lot of my shots.”

“I was just seeing gaps in the defense. We put in a couple of new plays and I just saw some gaps. The last couple of games I’ve been shooting a lot of free throws and just trying to draw fouls. For me, that’s a big thing – if you want to have big games, you have to get to the free throw line. You have to be aggressive throughout the whole game. I kind of had the same mindset throughout the game, just to stay aggressive. But when you’re up, it’s easy to relax, so we just had to really get tough. It wasn’t just on me – Jon played a heck of a game and a lot of guys played well. So when it got to two, we just needed to get stops because we were getting what we wanted on offense. We were really in a good flow.”

“Offensively, we played a really good basketball game. They’re a good team, but we felt like on the defensive end we didn’t do as good a job on some of those guys. It’s tough – they have a lot of really good players, with [Jeff] Teague and [James] Johnson both having a really good game.”

On Coach K’s intensity:
“Even yesterday and the last couple of days leading up to the game, you could tell his intensity level had risen a little bit. We want to win this league, and we’re still fighting for first place. His intensity and his passion is something that leads us and we just followed his lead.”

“Starting the game, Elliot [Williams] was unbelievable. With his pressure he caused about three or four steals in the first 10 minutes. That’s why he’s in the lineup if anyone is wondering why we’re starting a freshman. That’s one of his strengths, really putting pressure on the ball and making opportunities for us.”

Duke Junior Jon Scheyer
On the new starting lineup:
“I don’t think [it’s a radical change]. I think it just puts us in different positions. I feel more of our strengths can be used with this lineup. We can create some mismatches and defensively we just need to stay big and stay in front of people and I think it can be a great lineup.”

“There is nobody in the country that can attack the rim like Gerald [Henderson] can. In the open court or the halfcourt, he is someone who can create his own shot or create shots for other people. I was very proud of him tonight – he was great throughout the game. It started in warmups. He was the one getting everybody going in warmups today and making sure everybody was ready. That’s just as big as all the points he scored today.”

“It wasn’t like a must-win game for us but it definitely was a huge game for us because we did lose our last two ACC games. In this game we could’ve gone to sixth place or we could’ve gone to second place, and we knew how big of a game that was for us because we still want to be in the hunt for the ACC [regular season] title. We’re still in it with that win. We don’t need to worry about what everybody else is doing – just keep playing our games and keep getting wins.”

On Elliot Williams:
“If you watched the game tonight, you wouldn’t have guessed he was a freshman. He was on one of the best guards in the country [Jeff Teague] to start the game and he steals the ball from him a couple of times, gets right in his face, and that’s the toughness we need. It gives the rest of us energy. He’s been huge for us the last two games.”

Duke Freshman Elliot Williams
“We’ve been working so hard. The times I was on the bench just watching, cheering on my team, [Coach Mike Krzyzewski] told me to keep my head up and just keep playing. [And then recently] he told me, ‘You’re finally doing it, man. Just stay hungry.’”

“I’ve been working hard the whole season, but I had a lot to learn. Just watching guys like G, how he moves without the ball, and Jon, how he plays defense. I’ve always been pretty athletic, but there was a lot I had to learn on defense. Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] said he trusted me and when he played me in the St. Johns game, he liked the way I played so he kept rolling with me.”

On the pressure he applied to Jeff Teague:
“I think he was kind of relaxed at the beginning. In the last game [against Wake Forest], we didn’t do that, so I wanted to make sure that he felt my presence at all times. He was a little relaxed out there at the beginning and I got a couple of steals on him. But he’s a great player and he adjusted.”

Wake Forest Head Coach Dino Gaudio

“I thought it was a typical ACC basketball game late in the season. I will say this. If someone would have said we were going to score 91 points and we lose, I think I would have called them a liar. I thought it was really fast-paced, I thought it was really up-and-down. I thought our kids played very, very hard. They never dipped their heads one time. I think the difference in the game was in the first half we had too many turnovers. We talk a lot about no turnovers for touchdowns. The analogy I always give the kids is like a quarterback in football. He throws the ball out in the flat and he’s running for a touchdown. That’s what they did. They had several turnovers for touchdowns where we couldn’t guard them. We turned it over too much, 16 turnovers in the first half, and that was a real big difference in the game. The other thing, and we have done very well at this, but we sent them to the free throw line too many times. When we shoot more free throws than our opponents we are 19-0. That wasn’t the case tonight. I was proud of our kids. I thought they played hard and not once did they dip their heads during the game or timeouts so we just have to turn the page and move on to the next one.”

On whether they made any adjustments offensively in the second half:
“I think when you play these guys, I think if you just try to run your offense—and what I mean by that is guard the forward pass, reverse it through the post, swing it to the other side, that’s not happening. They take you out of all of your stuff. Mike [Krzyzewski] knows, we try to spread them and we try to drive them. We try to put them in ball screen situations. Our guards are quick and we want to be in attack mode and that’s what we did. I’m a little disappointed in our defense. It was lacking tonight and that’s usually been our stronghold. I think before tonight we were No. 1 in the league in field goal percentage defense, I think we were No. 1 or No. 2 in the league in three-point field goal percentage defense. We’re No.1 in the ACC in blocked shots. We’re also No. 1 in field goal percentage offense and I think we’ll stay there shooting 61 percent.”

On struggling defensively:
“You know what? They play really hard on offense. They really move well without the ball. I’ll let Mike [Krzyzewski] speak to this, he knows his team better than I, but they started in the last three or four games. They are running more motion than they did before. They were running a lot of ball screen stuff early, but he’s running a lot of motion now and they do a good job of it. They do a terrific job of it.”

On Gerald Henderson’s play:
“He was really good tonight. The one shot he made, the one three as the shot clock was winding down. We are right in his face and that’s all you can do without fouling him and big-time players make those shots. He’s a pro and he made good shots. It’s like when we went down to Miami a couple of weeks ago. Jack McClinton is just knocking them down. We watch the film after the game and I’m telling you guys are right in his face. We had three guys on the ball. If those guys do that, then they’ve done their job.”

On the difficulties of Jon Scheyer running the point:
“Jonathan [Scheyer] is good. We put L.D. [Williams] on him, so whether Jonathan played the one or the two we still put Williams on him. When Elliot [Williams] started we put Jeff Teague on him and L.D. is a really good defender.”

On going with a smaller lineup in the second half:
“I just thought the game was so incredibly fast, it wasn’t a game for our big guys. It was just really fast paced. I think early in the game [Al-Farouq Aminu] needed to adjust to the pace of the game. He took the ball out a couple times, but he’ll learn. He’s just a freshman. Everybody canonize some of those kids when they come in, but he’s a terrific player for us and I’m really glad we have him. It was a learning experience, a tough place to play of course.

Official Game Notes -

No. 9-ranked Duke defeated Wake Forest 101-91 on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. to improve to 22-5 on the season.

A Winning Tradition
• Duke has now won 1,869 games all-time, the fourth-highest victory total in NCAA history. The Blue Devils have an all-time record of 1,869-814, including 752-213 under Coach K.
• The Blue Devils have won 283 games this decade, the most wins in a decade by the program. The win total is the second most by a team in NCAA history behind Kansas (286-60 from 1990-99).
• Duke is now 928-237 all-time as a ranked team, including 786-180 as a Top 10 team. The Blue Devils are 77-58 when playing a game where both teams are ranked in the top 10, including a 58-42 record under Coach K.
• The Blue Devils have won 20 or more games 44 times in school history with 24 of those coming under Coach K. Duke has won at least 22 of the first 27 games a total of 25 times.
• Duke claimed its eighth ACC win of the year. They have an 844-478 all-time record against current ACC schools, including a 402-127 mark at home. They have now won at least eight games in conference play in 14 straight seasons and in 24 of the 29 years under Coach K.

Duke vs. Wake Forest Series
• Duke and Wake Forest met for the 233rd time on Sunday with the Blue Devils now holding a 156-77 lead in the all-time series. The two meetings this season were split between the two schools with each team winning at home.
• The Blue Devils are now 54-16 when playing Wake Forest in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke has won the last 11 games played in Cameron.
• Coach K is 37-23 all-time against Wake Forest. He has a 13-12 ledger in the month of February.
• Duke has been ranked in each of the last 27 games they have played against Wake Forest and 93 times overall in the series. They have been ranked in the top 10 in 80 games.

Duke In The ACC
• Duke now owns a 517-277 all-time record in ACC regular season games since the inception of the league in 1953-54.
• Duke has an 844-478 record against schools currently in the Atlantic Coast Conference, including a 403-128 record at home.
• Coach K owns a 342-147 record against schools currently in the ACC.

Duke At Home
• The Blue Devils now have an all-time record of 737-150 (.831) when playing in Cameron Indoor Stadium, including a 377-55 (.873) mark under Coach K.
• The Blue Devils have a streak of 64 straight seasons with a winning record at home heading into this year and are now 15-1 thus far at Cameron in 2008-09. The last time Duke had a losing record at home was in the 1943-44 campaign when they went 7-8.
• Duke has now won 15 home games in a season for the third straight year and eighth time in school history.
• The Blue Devils have sold out 290 consecutive games at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke In February
• Duke improves to 4-3 in the month of February in 2008-09. Under Coach K, the Blue Devils have a 169-66 all-time record in the month of February.
• When playing on Feb. 22, Duke is now 18-4 all-time, including a 9-0 record under Coach K. The Blue Devils are 3-1 on this date against Wake Forest.

Krzyzewski Climbs Victory Ladder
• Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski earned his 825th victory as a head coach on Saturday. He ranks fifth all-time in NCAA Division I history for career victories and is first among active coaches.
• Krzyzewski is now five victories shy of Jim Phelan for fourth all-time.
• Coach K now has 752 wins as the head coach at Duke, ranking him sixth in NCAA Division I history for victories at one school and second among active coaches (Jim Boeheim, Syracuse – 790). Krzyzewski is seven wins shy of Western Kentucky’s Ed Diddle for fifth all-time.
• Krzyzewski’s 825 victories are the second most by a head coach through 34 years of coaching. Only Dean Smith of North Carolina won more games with 830 victories.

1,000 Career Points
• Duke has 58 players in school history who have scored over 1,000 career points, giving the Blue Devils the third most 1,000-point scorers of any school in Division I behind North Carolina (62) and Louisville (59).
• Duke has three current players who have scored at least 1,000 points in their career. Jon Scheyer ranks 39th all-time with 1,174 career points. Greg Paulus currently ranks 41st on the school’s all-time list with 1,165 career points. Gerald Henderson ranks 50th with 1,092 career points.
• Sophomore Kyle Singler is also chasing 1,000 career points this season. He currently has 881 career points.

Offensive Notes
• The Blue Devils scored over 100 points for the first time this season. The last time they scored over 100 was against Albany last year in a 111-70 win. The last time Duke did it in an ACC game was against Wake Forest (102-92) on Feb. 20, 2005. Duke now has scored 100 points 171 times with a 166-5 record in those contests.
• Duke scored at least 50 points in each half, marking the 44th time under Coach K that has happened. It is the ninth time it has happened under Coach K against an ACC opponent, the last was against Virginia on Jan. 15, 2003.
• The Blue Devils have scored at least 50 points in a half nine times this season, accomplishing it five times in the first half and four times in the second. They have had four halves of 50 or more in ACC play.
• Gerald Henderson and Jon Scheyer combined for a Cameron Indoor Stadium record 65 points. It is the most two players have ever combined for at home and during the Coach K era. It is the fourth highest combined total of the top two scorers in school history. The record is 75 by Danny Ferry (58) and Alaa Abdelnaby (17) at Miami on Dec. 10, 1988.
• It is the first time under Coach K and ninth time in school history that two players scored 30 or more in the same game. The last duo to each score 30 points in a game was Gene Banks (31) and Mike Gminski (30) did it against Clemson on Jan. 9, 1980.
• The Blue Devils shot .541 (33-of-61) from the field, the second straight game they shot over 50 percent. It is the seventh time this season they have shot over 50 percent from the floor with a 7-0 record in those contests. Coach K owns a 419-30 all-time record when his teams shoot 50 percent or better.
• The 33 made field goals give Duke 30 or more made field goals in 11 games this year.
• Duke has made more free throws than its opponent has attempted in 14 contests this season. They have made 25 or more free throws a total of five times.

Defensive Notes
• Duke forced 20 turnovers in the game, the sixth time this season they have caused 20 or more turnovers in a game. The 20 turnovers led to a 26-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
• The Blue Devils had 10 steals to give them 10 games with 10 or more steals in a game.
• Wake Forest shot 61 percent (36-of-59) from the floor, the highest percentage by a Duke opponent this season. The previous high was 58.5 percent by Boston College. The last team to shoot over 60 percent against Duke was N.C. State (.608) on March 8, 2007. The Blue Devils are now 14-33 when its opponent shoots at least 60 percent from the floor.

Duke Player Notes:

Gerald Henderson
• Junior Gerald Henderson scored a career-high 35 points on 11-of-15 from the field, 1-of-4 from the three-point line and 12-of-14 from the foul line. The 35 points is tied for the 37th highest single game total in school history. The last player to score 30 points in a game was J.J. Redick (30) against Florida State on March 1, 2006.
• Henderson recorded his first career 30-point game and has now scored 20 or more in seven games this year and 11 times in his career. He has reached double figures in scoring in 23 contests this season.
• Henderson scored 18 points in the first half on 6-of-9 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. It was two points off his single half high of 20 points in the second half against Southern Illinois.
• With his 35 points Henderson moves past Associate Head Coach Chris Collins into 50th on Duke’s all-time scoring list.
• The 11 field goals and 12 made free throws were both career highs for Henderson. He has now made 10 or more free throws in back-to-back games. The last player to do so was J.J. Redick who made 10 or more in three straight games from Jan. 14-21 in 2006.
• Henderson has now made 10 or more field goals three times in his career, all coming this season.

Jon Scheyer
• Junior Jon Scheyer scored a career-high 30 points on 8-of-16 from the field, 5-of-10 from the three-point line and 9-of-11 from the foul line. His previous career high was 27 points at Miami last season.
• Scheyer has now scored 20 or more points in a game seven times this season and 13 times in his career. He has scored in double figures in 20 games this year.
• Scheyer made five three-point field goals to match a career high. It is the third time in his career he has made five treys. He has made three or more treys in eight games this season and 24 times in his career.
• With nine made free throws, Scheyer has six games this season with eight or more made foul shots. He has attempted 10 or more on six occasions this season.
• Scheyer tallied three assists to lead the team. He has led the team in assists in 13 games this year with 16 games of three or more.
• The two steals give Scheyer 13 games with two or more steals on the year.

Kyle Singler
• Sophomore Kyle Singler reached double figures in scoring for the 24th time this season and 49th career game with 11 points on Sunday.
• Singler recorded at least one point, rebound, assist, blocked shot and steal in a game 13 times this season.
• With six rebounds Singler now has five or more boards in 25 of the 27 games this season.
• Singler had two steals to give him two or more steals in 13 games on the year.

Lance Thomas
• Junior Lance Thomas had six rebounds to give him eight games this year with at least five boards. He has 26 career games with five or more rebounds.
• Thomas blocked a shot for the eighth game this season.
• The 33 minutes played were a season-high for Thomas. His previous high was 28 against Rhode Island.

Elliot Williams
• Freshman Elliot Williams reached double figures in scoring for the second straight game after not reaching 10 points in the first 25 games of the season. His 11 points matched his season high against St. John’s on Thursday.
• The five made field goals also match a season high which he set at St. John’s.
• Williams tallied a season-high four steals. He has two or more steals in three games this season. His previous high was three steals against Loyola on Dec. 31.

Krzyzewski instructs Elliot Williams in practice - photo copyright BDNP

interview, where all but three questions were our own.  Williams seemed happy to have been in the spotlight and his teammates Jon Scheyer and Gerald Henderson had nice things to say about him.   Williams stated that Coach K had not been to the team with concerns as to who will start against Wake Forest.  Up next – Jon Scheyer, so be sure to check back.  Don’t you think it’s time to join the best Duke subscription site on the Internet?  Our members will tell you that you are missing the best recruiting news and more.  Give us a try – you’ll be glad you did.  We will be adding yet another update on recruiting shortly.

Well, let’s get right to it.  What was it like to start last evening?

It was fun!  It was my second start of the season.  Being able to start in Madison Square Garden, giving my teammates an edge,  I came out and played good on ball defense.  It was fun for me out there.

When did you first know you were going to start?

Two practices ago, I had a good practice.  He flipped me over to the white team.  I had a couple of more good practices and coach gave me a starting spot.

Was it tough sitting on the bench for much of the season?

Yeah, it was tough.  That’s the toughest part as a freshman.  Coming into a situation where there are a lot of good players in front of you.  You have a lot of moves that you can do in high school that you can’t do in college (smiling).  The things I had to do were watch how Jon (Scheyer) moves.  Watch how he moves off the ball.  I watched “G” and how he used his athleticism to get into mid range – things like that.   Coach is coach!  Whatever he says, I’m going to believe in.

So, you felt like you learned a lot in practice regardless?

Yeah.  Learning things in practice, watching on the sideline – things I needed to learn.

A.P. writer- Talk about why you think you played …

I guess Coach sees I can be a really good defender, an on ball defender and that I can slow down some of the guys who has hurt us in the past.   Being 6-5 and an athletic guy out there I can help.  I’m somebody who can make some strong

Williams said he had learned a lot in practice

moves, get into the lane and finish around the rim and just bring energy to the team.

Talk about your defense …

When I first got here, I was moving my feet a lot.  One of the things I have learned is to lock into the man and not move my feet as much because I was getting wore out early.  That’s one of the main things I have learned.

You seemed comfortable out there last night.  Were you letting the game come to you?  Is that pretty much what was going on?

Yeah, that’s pretty much what was going on.  If you come out too antsy you’ll make dumb turnovers and not get better.  One of the main things I wanted to do was just be calm and know I’ve been in this situation before.  I just wanted to play like I knew I could play.

I talked to my Mom after the game. I didn’t  tell them I was going to start.   She said she was proud of me and to not get settled with that and stay hungry.

Do you feel like you will build on that performance?

Exactly.  That’s hopefully what I’m going to do.  Look back on this game and see that’s how I want to play and build on that.  Be more aggressive and pick my spots, play off the veteran guys and play good on ball defense.

Do you see know how Duke might use you?

Yeah.  Oh yeah.  That’s one of the things I saw yesterday.  They can use me a lot of places defensively, on ball, off ball … and just attacking the rim and things like that.   I can handle the ball pretty well so sometimes they have me help

Krzyzewski told Williams he earned the start in practice - BDNP Photo

and bring the ball up.  I can play the two position – I’m a good slasher.  Also, I can use my athleticism to rebound and that’s what they want me to do.

You were known for some great dunks in high school.  Do you look for those moments?

(smiling) When you look for them, you’re probably not going to get them.  You just have to let the game come to you and if it happens it happens.  That’s something I’ve learned.

I hope you don’t spend too much time on the Internet reading various things, but there are some who feel you are not happy.  Are you happy at Duke?

(shaking his head)  Um-hum.  I’m happy at Duke.

(A.P. writer) How has the transition to offense and defense been for you out there?

It was tough for me to transition from offense to defense early in the year.    Because I was so excited to be out there as a freshman I used a lot of energy on defense.  As I was telling him (nodding towards me) one of the things I do is try to lock into my man and be poised out there.

Can you talk a little bit about the adjustments you have had to make in college and which ones have been the most difficult?

The first thing is some of the moves I was able to make in high school, you can’t do in college.  You need to be strong with the ball and not so loose, being able to move without the ball.  In high school I would just catch it and go … there was no help defense, no charging … so (laughing)

(N & O)  Who had a big influence on you growing up?

My brother and my Father basketball-wise kept me going.  There was a time in the seventh and eighth grade where I almost quit playing ball.  To be real with you, in the seventh and eighth grade I really wasn’t that good.  But in the ninth grade I had a big growth spurt of about four inches.  I always played guard and when I grew having guard skills helped me.

Are you looking forward to the Wake Forest game?

Oh yeah.  Yeah.  It should be a good game.  We played pretty well out there but a few things went wrong.  They’re a great team – a very athletic team.  Hopefully we can come away with a win.

Thanks for your time!