Tag Archives: John Wall

[private]The ghost of former Raleigh Broughton player, "Pistol" Pete Maravich would have loved to play in his former gym on Friday night. The reason was there was a standing room only crowd so big that a horde of people were turned away outside.

The reason for the huge gathering of basketball fans was the 37th Glaxo Smith-Kline Holiday

Duke commitment Ryan Kelly and former Duke player Kevin Billerman pose after last nights victory

Invitational. Day One saw Duke commitment Ryan Kelly lead Ravenscroft to a 71-56 victory over Apex.

Kelly tallied 21 points and added 4 rebounds and 3 blocked shots according to the official stat sheet. Kelly displayed a wide variety of moves.

"We definitely began to get in a little bit of rhythm as we get into this tournament in Glaxo and didn't do as well as we had liked to down at Chic-Fil-A (Invitational). But we finished with a win there and started out with a win here," said Kelly after the game.

In the nightcap, John Wall displayed his incredible athleticism as his Word of God team advanced with a 67-41 blowout against Rocky Mount. Wall finished the game with 16 points, 3 blocks and 2 assists. He had three resounding dunks in the contest which brought the crowd to its feet.

Word of God will not play again until Monday evening and Ravenscroft takes to the court again tonight at 9:15. Preceding that game, Mason Plumlee and Christ School open with their first contest in the tournament.

Duke Assistant Coach Chris Collins and his Father Doug were there to take in the event. Raleigh Police were called in to help handle the crowd outside where a line stretched for more than 100 yards two and three deep.

For complete and unmatched coverage, consider joining Blue Devil Nation Premium. There you will find quotes from Kelly and Wall and analysis of the event that few fans were able to see. You can also read our live blog from the event on the members only message board. BDN will continue to report the results of the games in our free section as well, so check back in this evening.[/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

High School Hoops Edition No. 5

December 19, 2008 Bob Green

[private]It is the time of year for Hoilday Tournaments with the City of Palms Classic and the Chick-fil-A Classic both involving players committed to or being pursued by Duke.

At the City of Palms, John Wall scored 15 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out nine assists as Word of God defeated American Heritage 63-61. Wall also had two blocks and three steals. On Saturday afternoon, Word of God will face off against St. Patrick's and UNC commitment Dexter Strickland.

On Saturday afternoon, at the Chick-fil-A, the much awaited Ravenscroft and Christ School game will take place. Both schools feature a player who has signed with Duke: Ryan Kelly for Ravenscroft and Mason Plumlee for Christ School. The winner of this game has a potential second round game against Miller School which is led by Marshawn Powell and Mychal Parker. Of course, Miller School has to take care of business and win their first game. Here is the tournament bracket.

In other games earlier this week:

On Tuesday night, Christ School scored 31 unanswered points including the last 21 points of the first half in a 96-52 win over Asheville Christian. Mason Plumlee scored 14 points in the game. Plumlee scored 13 points on Thursday as the Greenies defeated Greenville SC High School 88-41. This game featured a 25 point Christ School run including the last 16 points of the first half.

Brandon Knight scored 40 points as Pine Crest defeated North Broward Prep 84-52. Knight made five three point baskets and dished out 10 assists in the game.

Harrison Barnes scored 19 points, all in the first half, as Ames defeated Cedar Falls 77-40.

Josh Smith dropped 30 points on Jefferson as Kentwood won 66-43.

Andre Dawkins scored 17 points as Atlantic Shores pummeled Green Run 78-41.[/private]

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

General Basketball Recruiting Update is up

December 2, 2008 Mark Watson

John Wall played in Cameron during the Gibbons TOC

The undercurrent of information has been a little quiet of late, mainly due to the flurry of November and early December games. But some tidbits are starting to trickle back in and December will allow us to cover the likes of John Wall and current commitments in person as their seasons are now in full swing. Here is an update on Duke targets -

[private] Harrison Barnes is set to begin his high school basketball season. You can follow his team by going to this LINK. Duke is in weekly touch with Barnes and they feel as if there is a solid relationship foundation which they will build upon.

There are a lot of questions concerning John Wall, but one must first understand that his camp is in no hurry to amp up his recruitment. Much like Boynton's recruitment, this one will go on for awhile, so you may as well relax until Spring. Duke is in constant touch with his camp and the two have been trying to work out an on campus visit. With the Blue Devils playing in season, they must keep their concentration on the business at hand while continuing their get to know Wall efforts. Coach K is the lead in this one, but he will be assisted by his entire staff. Most recently, Coach K and Nate James visited a Church of God game to check out Wall. They will cover his games when they can throughout his entire season. Wall has a handler named Brian Clifton. Handlers are always under scrutiny in recruiting circles for many of them have been known to sink their claws in for eventual favors. There is no reason to believe that this is the case with concerns to John in that they stepped in when he needed some guidance. In short, one never knows for sure. Wall is likely a one and done player and he could go many ways with his eventual choice. He would be in a really high profile situation at Duke, which works to both parties advantage. He could go to other schools and coast through while being the man. The Blue Devil Nation will keep close tabs on this situation which is in it's infancy at this time.

Our most recent interview was with Josh Smith who has the Devils on his list. Duke will not back out, but they are looking for and or paying attention to how his family handles the recruitment. The Smith's have not ruled out an early commitment and if that happens you can bet it's going to be on the West Coast. This one will not get real serious until March or April. It remains to be seen if Smith pays his own way for a Triangle visit. If this happens, he will likely visit Duke and UNC.

Duke talks to Brandon Knight in one way or another weekly. A lot of rumors have said he is Florida bound, but he hasn't told the Devils this. As you can see rumors are a dime a dozen in that he got out of a recent UF visit while not committing. While Boynton is at UF, this duo has to breakup at some point and time and college may be that time. Knight was a confessed UConn fan growing up and certainly has ties in his home state. UF has been managing to keep their own in state of late and common sense tells you that it can sometimes be a better "family" choice than an individual one. Knight knows Duke wants him, but Wall is at the forefront until he makes his selection.

Duke will not settle on other 2010 prospects until the picture clears with current prospects. You can bet that they will be out and about as soon as the AAU season opens looking for kids that fit.

While it has been a slow period for recruiting news, it's on the verge of picking up. We'll be covering John Wall and others at the upcoming Glaxo Invitational just after Christmas. We are also preparing for the use of video come AAU season and some almost real time ways of reporting.

As many long time members know, there are slow periods and then it opens up like a severe storm without warning. We are carrying most of our in season current player interviews to premium starting at the end of this week. This is coverage that cannot be found at Scout or some other sites.

We've been stretched a little thin of late, but I expect to finally make some long awaited additions in the coming days. We will hopefully have photo galleries back soon. As usual, thanks for being a part of the Blue Devil Nation. [/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

High School Hoops Edition No. 2

November 27, 2008 Bob Green

[private]
The Virginia-Pilot says anything short of a state title will be a disappointment for Shores this season. The Seahawks are led by junior guard Andre Dawkins. The 6'5" Dawkins was second team All-Tidewater last year and has given a verbal commitment to play basketball at Duke. Senior Steven Pledger, who has signed a Letter of Intent to attend Oklahoma, is Dawkin's back court mate. Atlantic Shores plays in the private schools league but the Virginia-Pilot ranks them as the third best team overall in South Hampton Roads.

Andre Dawkins scored 25 points as the Seahawks opened their season with a 66 - 32 victory over Wilson. Pledger chipped in 20 points. Atlantic Shores is back in action on Monday December 1st as they open up conference play at Stonebridge.

Ryan Kelly has scored 32, 31, and 28 points in three Ravenscroft victories to open the season. They defeated Northern Durham 76 - 57, Greenfield 75 - 68, and St. David's 82 - 48. Kelly has also had double digit rebounds in each game including 14 in the St. David’s game. A couple of key dates to look toward are January 7, and February 4, 2009, when Ravenscroft travels to Word of God, the school which features John Wall the nation’s number one rated high school prospect according to Rivals.

Ravenscroft, Word of God, and Christ School will all participate in the GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational starting December 26 and running through December 30. This is an opportunity for fans to see Duke Commitments Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly plus recruiting target John Wall in action against each other. Tournament games will be played at Broughton High School’s Holliday Gymnasium.

Brandon Knight and Pine Crest High School played their first game of the season on Wednesday November 26 and Brandon Knight made five three pointers and scored 36 points as the Panthers defeated Northeast 76 - 62. Knight is a true point guard and a coveted member of the Class of 2010. Duke is one of many colleges recruiting the talented player.

This excellent article from the Miami Herald discusses Brandon Knight and Kenny Boynton and is a must read for anyone interested in high school basketball. Knight and Boynton are two of the best players in the nation and AAU teammates, but during the high school season they go against each other head-to-head multiple times. Brandon Knight led Pine Crest to victory in three of four meetings against Kenny Boynton and American Heritage last season.[/private]

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

John Wall talks of his Memphis visit and scheduling a trip to Duke

November 17, 2008 Mark Watson

John Wall returned from his visit to Memphis on Sunday afternoon and he may pay a visit to Duke possibly on [private] Tuesday of this week, the day before the team leaves for the Coaches versus Cancer 2K Classic in New York.

"Probably some time next week or this week," said Wall on when that visit might take place. I then

asked if Duke was a serious player at this time and Wall said, "I haven't been offered yet. Coach K wants me to sit down and talk to him in person and we'll take it from there."

He seemed to have liked his visit to Memphis, bit didn't elaborate too much on how it went saying, "It went good. I think it's a great school with a great environment. The fans show support and it was a great visit over all."

When asked who would play the biggest role in his recruitment he stated, "Probably my Mom and my high school and AAU Coach, Brian Clifton."

Wall also has a criteria which has pretty much remained the same saying, "I'm looking at the style of play, how my relationship might go with the coach. I like a style that lets you get up and down the court."

"The thing I most need to work on is my jump shot," said Wall. That's about the only thing which needs polish for Wall is a cat quick point guard who plays good on ball defense and finds his teammates with his unselfish play and terrific passing ability.

"All the teams on my list have been aggressive," said Wall. He continued to name his list and Duke was still in it. "They had showed some interest before and explained to me how they recruit players and once they offer they stick with that player."

He was of course talking about Kenny Boynton, who recently selected Florida. That opened the door for Wall. He also stated that Coach K had handled the majority of the process.

I asked the young prospect to describe his game in his own words. "I'd say clutch and I can lead my team to victory and get other people involved and he can lead his team to victory," said Wall. As a person, he said, "I'm cool, like to have fun and try to be a good person."

For those of you think there might be an early verbal to a school, think again. Wall stated, "I will wait until spring before I make a decision, that hasn't changed. I'm still wide open."

Walls list of schools - Duke, NCSU, Baylor, Memphis, Kansas, Oregon, Clemson

His team's first game - November 28th [/private]

BDN Premium Articles, Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

John Wall will visit Memphis this weekend and then …

November 13, 2008 Mark Watson

While John Wall will visit Memphis over the weekend, the word is that he is anxious [private] to visit Duke next week. Tuesday is the target date at this time, maybe Monday. In a brief exchange with John, he says his recruitment will almost assuredly go to the April 15th and beyond signing period.

While some rumors insist he wants to stay near home, a source close to the situation told me what they considered to be his final four. That being Duke, NCSU, Memphis and Baylor. The presence of Baylor says that he is still considering the overtures that Dwon Clifton will take care of him. This is in no way something I want anyone to hint at at Devils Illustrated or anywhere else.

Anyhow, as of today, Wall is very open to Duke. If this battle stays clean, then the Blue Devils have a great shot to land him. Duke certainly has some good selling points and K's NBA connections are nothing to turn your nose up at. Wall could more than better himself with a year under K and he would be on TV in that "all" of the Blue Devil games make it there.

A lot of people keep asking me to answer rumors from elsewhere. If I haven't said anything, then I haven't heard anything different from what I tell you here. No, UNC is not the leader for Barnes and to my knowledge, Knight will not verbal to UF in November. That's all I have to say about that. I could be wrong, but I'm generally pretty close. [/private]