Tag Archives: Kyle Singler

Every player played a role in Duke’s ACC Championship run

March 15, 2009 Mark Watson

The Blue Devils came together as a team to win the 2009 ACC Championship

It wasn't that long ago when people were writing off the Blue Devils after a road loss against Boston College. There were cries of this team has hit the skids or they are already burned out. During press conferences, the Duke players get the same questions over and over with concerns to fatigue.

Well, the Boston College loss seems long ago now and the 2009 Duke Basketball team closed out the season in style by winning the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and now look to the NCAA's. Krzyzewski praised his juniors, stating that they had been through adversity, but a closer look shows a story behind practically every player. Here are some general thoughts on each player -

Kyle Singler- He has answered more questions concerning his physical being at the end of last season than he has his better moments this year. Krzyzewski semi jokingly asked the media to ask Singler a question after his stellar opening round game against Boston College. Make no mistake in that Singlers early play allowed Duke to advance. You can bet that he will hear another question this week with concerns to his playing every minute of every game of the tournament. Singler appears poised to make his presence felt, starting with Binghampton on Thursday. Singler made the All Tournament Team, but was still fifth in the voting which makes me wonder what games were some media members watching?

Dave McClure- The senior has been through enough ups and downs with injuries to where it was good to see how much he contributed as the consummate role player this season. His defense and hustle will be remembered as much as his shot to beat Clemson at the buzzer. McClure brought some toughness and senior leadership when the Devils needed it most. His back to back baskets against Maryland helped thwart comeback attempts.

Greg Paulus- Paulus has played through untimely injuries in the past two seasons. What does it say about a player who made an All ACC team the season before to accept a role on the bench? That takes character which is something Paulus has in spades. Always the competitor, one has the feeling he has a couple of big shots left before he finishes his career.

Brian Zoubek- Like McClure and Paulus, Zoubs has battled injuries galore in his career. The center grabbed some key boards versus Florida State. He has been able to come back and contribute after hitting a mid season slump. At some point and time, Zoubs is likely to get valuable minutes in this years tournament.

Lance Thomas- Thomas finds himself drawing tough defensive assignments. The minutes he logs should tell you what the coaches think about him. His hustling play is invaluable. Thomas is due for a good showing on the offensive end and what better time to do that than the NCAA's?

Elliot Williams - Duke could not have turned their season around if it were not for Elliot Williams play. Williams has had a tough learning curve as a freshman, but he grabbed key rebounds in the tournament and his skills are something which you cannot teach. He hit a slight wall of late, but he is still starting and his on ball defense will be crucial for a Devils run. Williams just needs to keep his head up and continue to let the game come to him while working on his outside shot.

Nolan Smith - Smith played great minutes in the tournament and his play was very important to Duke's championship effort. Much like Williams, Smith came alive at the right time when production was hard to come by. It appears that Smith has fully recovered from his injury.

Jon Scheyer- What can be said about Jon Scheyer? He took over running the point and is playing as good as anybody in the conference. Scheyer won the tournament MVP for a reason this weekend. He's showed no signs of becoming stale since Coach K made the change and he will be counted on heavily as Duke goes into the final days of March.

Gerald Henderson- Henderson came alive today and his play put Duke over the hump. When Gerald goes, Duke goes, so it's important for him to be consistent. Henderson seems to be on a mission and he has blossomed into a leader. The future is bright for Gerald and I implore you to worry about the here and now and not look ahead to anything other than this seasons games. If you look ahead in worry and not live in the moment, then you will miss out on a lot.

Olek Czyz, Marty Pocius and Mile Plumlee- When Nolan Smith drove down the throat of the Seminole defense for a dunk, Czyz and Plumlee jumped off the bench with authentic glee. Sure, these kids want some burn, but they are part of something special, a championship. Don't think they will not contribute in the NCAA's for I have seen some strange things happen with rotations. Still, they are a big help everyday in pushing their teammates in practice and supporting them. How comforting is it to know that Duke can go deep to players like Marty Pocius if needed?

Duke will now have to put the hard earned championship behind them and focus on the game Thursday evening. I would imagine they will be allowed to enjoy being ACC Champions through Monday, but then it will be back to business. In order for Duke's season to continue, each of the aforementioned players will have to find new ways to contribute, show up and make stops or a big shot when they have to.

Winning the ACC title is a wonderful achievement, but these guys can still make some more memories. No matter what happens, this team came together when they had to and now own a trophy and a banner. My guess, is that they are still hungry, but only time will tell if they advance further into March than recent years.

Duke Basketball

Kyle Singler helps lead Duke past Boston College 66-65

March 14, 2009 Mark Watson

Kyle Singler 26 points, 9 rebounds, 6 blocks and 2 steals

Duke started the game by holding Boston College to just two points in the first eight and a half minutes of the game. But then the Eagles stormed back to take a 29-22 half time lead and Duke was clearly struggling.

Perhaps the fact that Duke was unable to hold a shoot-around in the Georgia Dome was the culprit, but once they warmed up and doubled their first half scoring to finish the game with a hard earned 66-65 win.

The Blue Devils were led by what could have been Kyle Singler's career best game. The sophomore forward led the Devils in scoring with 26 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and had 6 very timely blocked shots.

Singler put the team on his back in the first half and the second, playing iron man minutes and missing just 5 shots from the field. His 2 steals ended up in baskets on the offensive end and every time Duke needed a big shot, he seemed to be there.

The Blue Devils rallied for a 9-0 run to pull ahead by a single point after the break, but Boston College refuse to fold. Tyrese Rice found his shooting touch, ending the game with 17 points. But it was a solid defensive effort which pushed him out of the final two offensive possessions.

Biko Paris tried to pick up the slack going 5 of 5 from the field, all three pointers. The Duke defense effectively slowed down Rakim Sanders.

Gerald Henderson, saddled with two fouls in the first 30 seconds of the game, came alive to score points and Scheyer chipped in with

Lance Thomas played an effective game as well, and Dave McClure did many things defensively that only show up on the teams "true (hustle) blue" stats.

This was the kind of close win that teams generally grow from and all of today's ACC Tournament contests were decided by 3 or fewer points.

Duke was shooting just 32% at the half but ended the game at a respectable 46.8%. Duke moved to 26-6 on the season and will take on Maryland for the third time this season tomorrow at 3:30.

Duke is sure to take the best shot Maryland has to offer in that they are close to an NCAA bid after defeating #9 Wake Forest. A win over Duke would certainly put them in the NCAA field. Maryland will go all out for they just need a win over Duke and do not necessarily have to win the tournament to accomplish their goal.

Official Game Notes Link

Quotes / Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski -

“It was a man’s game out there tonight and I’m proud of our guys to make that one stop we needed to win the game. It was going to be a one possession game and our kids executed real well. Gerald Henderson delivered to give us the lead and then we played really good defense. It’s survive and advance so to speak.“I thought Kyle was sensational for us. Gerald got into the foul trouble with two quick ones in 30 seconds and that screws anybody up, especially the coach. I thought Kyle kept us in there. In the second half, we just flowed so much better offensively with Gerald [Henderson], Jon and Kyle playing so well. [David] McClure and Lance Thomas were very, very good for us and obviously Elliot has been such a key guy for us.“We’re proud of the win and congratulate Boston College for a good game against us and for what I would think would be a good seed in the NCAA Tournament.”

On the second-half turnaround for the Duke offense
“I think a lot of it has to do with we had 20 minutes to warm-up. This is our first time shooting in this place. They played very well but I do think part of it was not being able to get accustomed to your environment. Hopefully we are accustomed to it now and we get to play a very good Maryland team. I think that had something to do with it with the fact that Gerald [Henderson’s] foul trouble and their defense was probably a concoction there that leads to 22 points.”

On the play to give Duke the winning basket
“We tried to get him and Jon [Scheyer] in an action where Jon was screening for him to get into the low post. Set a screen for the screener. He was open the first time we did it and we were going back to it either if he was open to hit him or for Jon to take a three. They executed well and Gerald delivered. It was not an easy shot but at least he was one-on-one in the post. It was a big time play by Gerald.”

Quotes / Players -

On what he saw over the final sequence of plays
“On my shot, I knew I needed to make a strong move whether to score the bucket or to get a foul. With Rakim [Sanders] shot, I just wanted to push as far away from the basket as I could and then make him shoot the longer shot and just not foul.” - Gerald Henderson

On tonight’s game
“We are happy with the win. It was a very tough game. Boston College is a very good team. We didn’t play our best basketball in the first half but when it counted in the second half we made the plays we needed to make.” -Kyle Singler

On playing Maryland tomorrow
“We need to play 40 minutes to win this tournament, so we are moving on and Maryland is on our mind now.” - Singler

On tonight’s win
“It was a great win and we had to fight it out to the end. We did whatever we needed to do to make sure we were the ones standing at the end, now we just look forward to the next game.” - Lance Thomas

Duke Basketball

ACC Tournament Preview – Duke vs Boston College (Quarterfinal)

March 13, 2009 Mark Watson

Duke will take to the court for the first time in the 2009 ACC Tournament where they will face Boston College in the nightcap. The Blue Devils will try to avenge a loss in Chestnut Hill when they take on Boston College. The Eagles had little problem defeating Virginia 76-63 to make it into the quarter final match up.

The Eagles shot lights out from the free throw line going 31 of 36 for 86% in their first round win. They also saved their legs playing nine players, but part of that was due to foul trouble. Tyrese Rice exploded on the Blue Devils in the second half in the teams last outing and with him going just 1 of 7 from the field against Virginia, you can bet he will wake up against the Devils. It's worth noting that Rice did go 7 of 8 from the free throw stripe.

One of the players who led the Boston College comeback win in the first meeting was Rakim Sanders. The athletic swing player must be contained. He killed the Wahoo's on several occasions and his ability to get to the rim and get his shot off can cause problems.

Jon Scheyer looks to lead the Blue Devils into the semi finals of the ACC Tournament in Atlanta, Georgia

Duke will likely counter Sanders with Gerald Henderson. "G" was as good as any player in the conference down the stretch, but he struggled in his last game out against North Carolina. Duke will need Henderson to return to form on the offensive end.

Joe Trapani had one of his best games of the season versus Duke in Chestnut Hill. He's versatile and has to be watched inside and out. Kyle Singler will be counted on to slow him down, but we all know that the Duke defense switches at will and while he will start out on Trapani, help defense is the key.

Much has been made of Singler tiring down the stretch, but his last outing showed no signs of fatigue. Singler, along with Scheyer and Henderson are Dukes most consistent players and Duke fares well when all of them play well on the same night.

The return of Nolan Smith will certainly help with depth, but he will likely be a bit rusty. Duke got little production from the bench in the UNC game, so all eyes will be on Paulus, Zoubek and company.

Zoubek could play a big role, especially when Josh Southern is in the game for BC. Duke will also have to keep an eye on Corey Radji, a streaky player which bolsters their front line.

The Eagles are assured of an NCAA berth win or lose and come into the game 10-7 versus ACC competition and 22-10 overall. They have a win over #1 rated UNC in Chapel Hill to their credit which shows what they are capable of doing.

Al Skinner has a team that never gives up. In other words, they'll keep playing hard no matter how many points they are down. In short, Duke will have to match their toughness with just that and intensity.

Two bright spots for Duke coming in is the play of Jon Scheyer and freshman Elliot Williams. Williams didn't get off the bench in the first game and he will add a new dimensions to the game.

Scheyer has handled the point guard duties masterfully. Since he took over the point and Williams was inserted, the Blue Devils have had much fewer turnovers. It will be important to protect the ball and keep the Eagles off the line. It would also help to get to the line.

Coach K and his staff has had time to prepare and while many are making this game out to be a revenge game, the Dukies will likely treat it differently than the fans might. Look for the Blue Devils to try and get many players involved early on and implement their will of how they want the game played.

Duke doesn't have a luxury of having a game under their belt, but then again the Eagles didn't get an extra day of rest. Duke may struggle early in the cavernous dome setting for they have spent little time on the court. Duke had a slightly longer lay off than they are accustomed to as well.

I think Boston College will give Duke their best shot, but that the Devils will find a way to advance and should get better production from their bench in this game. The pick here is Duke 79 Boston College 71

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

Duke drops the Seminoles 81-78 on Senior Night

March 4, 2009 Mark Watson

Greg Paulus said farewell to Cameron - BDN-Photo

Duke remained in the hunt for the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championship by defeating a pesky Florida State team 84-81 in their last home game of the 2008-09 season.

Once again, Gerald Henderson stepped up big during a key stretch to help his team win. With Florida State up 76-74 after a Toney Douglas three point shot, "G" drained a three point shot from the corner with 1:41 left in the game to give Duke a one point lead.

After a Toney Douglass miss, Henderson drove into the lane, drew the foul and hit two free throws with 57 ticks left on the clock.

Down three, Douglas missed a three on the other end. Henderson grabbed a long rebound, drove the length of the court ahead of the Noles defense and hit a layup while fouled.

Henderson hit the free throw giving Duke a five point lead with 29 seconds left. Duke rode out the final seconds for a 84-81 win, pushing their conference record to 11-4 setting up the regular season championship game against rival North Carolina in Chapel Hill this coming Sunday.

Florida State was scorching hot from the field, hitting 47.1% of their three point attempts and 50% from the field. Toney Douglas lead all scorers with 27 points to go with his 7 assists. The Noles also got double-doubles from Uche Echefu and Soloman Alabi.

Singler and Williams battle for a rebound - BDN Photo

After going into half time trailing 40-34, the Blue Devils erupted for 50 second half points, lead by Henderson with 21 points, 10 rebounds and a team high 5 assists. Kyle Singler had a good game as well scoring 20 points to go with 7 rebounds.

The Blue Devils had to go to their bench early in this game, with Lance Thomas going to the sidelines with a high ankle sprain in less than a minute of play. The Dukies were already playing without Nolan Smith who suffered a concussion and missed his second consecutive game.

The Duke bench responded by outscoring the visitors bench 33-9. Of course, Duke started seniors Marty Pocius, Dave McClure and Greg Paulus. Still, the continued solid play of Elliot Williams provided Duke with some spark. Williams ended the game with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

The most telling stat is one which has become a mainstay of late. Duke committed just 7 turnovers, half that of their opponent. Duke was able to hang on the boards with a tall Florida State team as well as grabbing 36 rebounds to Noles 39.

In a game that had the Cameron Crazies nervous for a good while, Duke protected their turf to go 16-0 in Cameron for the season, tying the 90-91 team for the most wins without a loss in a season.

Duke begins to celebrate as FSU tried in vain to draw a foul - BDN Photo

Duke has now won 256 games in the decade, which is more than any other college program in America. And to think, many media types want to tell you Duke is down.

Another interesting note is that Duke is 11-1 when scoring 80 points or more, with the only loss being to, you guessed it, the team eight miles down the road who they'll play on Sunday.

Krzyzewski's emotion - Coach K continued his emotion of late, encouraging the crowd to chant and firing up his team. The entire Duke staff looked as if they would run to the scorers table at any minute to go in. The upper deck stood on several occasions where emotions were running high. Some were flipping their hats around in rally cap mode, others were screaming in a way that is only appropriate for the team they love. It was nice to see how so many fans ride right along with the team, grimacing or becoming elated on every little thing. Anyhow, make no mistake that the staff's emotion has been critical during the stretch run.

Seniors say their farewells - Duke honored Greg Paulus, Dave McClure and Marty Pocius before and after the game. For the first time in four years, the seniors came back on the court after a win to give their emotional farewells. It was a night when one could see Cameron Crazies linger after the game, taking pictures to preserve memories of their four years. A look around showed one cheerleader sitting on the baseline by herself reflecting on all that she had seen. Another cheerleader was visibly emotional, fighting back tears as if to say, this has been great and I don't want to leave. In the end, all worked out well and the team sent the seniors off in style. It is worth noting that Nolan Smith, always the clown, had a box of tissues in his hand. There were plenty of hugs and lots of smiles for all. It's hard to believe that the next home game is about eight months away. BDN will have more on the game later, including a photo gallery if all works out. So, please check back in.

A quibble- It seems that many season ticket holders have sold their tickets to brokers and some of the locals are not too happy about it. There have been several sections where opponents have sat near the faithful all season long. Many season ticket holders have voiced their displeasure. Not sure what can be done, but I am thankful I don't have to sit beside the more hostile fans as some do. I understand fans from other schools want to come in, but generally they are confined to being behind the visitors bench. The fact that some season ticket holders don't make sure a homer is in their seats will continue to be a problem if nothing is done.

Duke Basketball

Duke – Virginia Tech game thoughts, future thoughts and pictures

March 1, 2009 Mark Watson

It was just over a week ago that many were writing the Blue Devils off after a road loss to Boston College. Duke defeated a game Virginia Tech team 72-65 on Saturday to win their fourth consecutive game and in the process pushed their record to 24-5 overall and 10-4 in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference. Here are some thoughts from the game and the future -

Coach K and his staff were emotional throughout the contest - Yes, Krzyzewski raised his chair before setting it down during one timeout. While that may have seemed unusual, his intent was to get his teams attention. Krzyzewski was at his best and his intensity has picked up of late, but he at no time lost his composure. In fact the staff was intense, each one pushing the right buttons at the right time and each one knowing their role. This years team is one that needs that extra push for intensity and they have adjusted to that need. I can see tremendous growth in first year coach Nate James work as well. James tutoring of freshman Elliot Williams is worth noting.

Duke was cool under pressure-Once again Duke committed just nine

turnovers and the team effectively took the Hokie Nation out of the game after they made a comeback to tie the contest late in the second half. At no time did Duke look shaken. In fact, they looked like a team that was all business even when the game took a turn.

Coach K's move to get Singler involved -Coach Krzyzewski knew that it would be tough to win the game without getting his star Kyle Singler involved. Singler had just two points at the half and Duke ran a clear out for him at the start of the second half. Singler was fouled on the play and from that point on he was a go to guy in the game and finished with 21 points. With Henderson held somewhat in check after the half, Singler was the glue as the game entered crunch time.

Gerald Henderson is on fire - Henderson has flat out been hard to stop down the stretch. He's throwing down authoritative dunks with ease and knocking down his outside shots making him an opposing coaches nightmare in how to stop him. Henderson put the Devils on his back in the first half and no player in the ACC is playing better down the stretch towards the ACC Tournament. Henderson's most impressive stat, IMO, was his 6 assists.

Elliot Williams has become a mainstay -Williams scored just 7 points but hit a key three pointer to put Duke ahead ten. The freshman logged 33 minutes and played solid defense.

Steady as she goes- Jon Scheyer has been a hit at the point guard spot. He had just one assist and threw two turnovers, but that's not bad for a game high 39 minutes of play for the Blue Devils. What I mean is that he is protecting the ball. Scheyer was 4 of 8 from the three point stripe and his free throws helped seal the win.

Dave McClure -This seniors contributions are heard to measure in the box score. McClure is adding some toughness and it's obvious he knows his role in the system. He had 4 rebounds, many coming at very key moments in the contest.

Hokie Nation- Virginia Tech students filled Cassell Coliseum like a wall of fans which was impressive. The crowd was loud and a bit more tame than I expected them to be. With the exception of the usual flings towards Paulus, they behaved. Still, hearing the reaction of some fans and watching Seth Greenberg melt down is proof they don't foul in their minds. It should be noted that Set seemed to apologize for fan reactions to Greg Paulus at games end.

Speaking of fouls - The Blue Devils played the driving lanes beautifully taking multiple charges.

Hats off to Vassalio - A.D. tried to put his team on his back and found many driving lanes for dunks in the Duke defense. But it was his three point shooting which made the game close after Duke had gained a double digit lead.

It didn't help that - The Blue Devils contained Malcolm Delaney holding him to 2 of 12 from the field. Despite his cold shooting, Delaney had a game high 8 assists. Many of those came in that he could not get a clean shot off.

Don't look now but -I told some folks that Duke could win the ACC outright if they won their last three games. Well, now that they won a tough game in Blacksburg, everyone is talking about that. Still, do not look for Duke to look ahead to Carolina game with Florida State coming in on Tuesday.

At least it's ... -Senior Day on Tuesday and that should help with added emotion. Duke fans should salute Greg Paulus and Dave McClure for their accomplishments. A Florida State win would jumble the standings and this is pretty much a must win for Duke with concerns to momentum and ACC Tournament seeding. I think we all know that winning in Chapel Hill on Senior Day will take and extra ordinary effort. Still, you think Krzyzewski will have his team ready with a championship on the line? Okay, first things first for Duke and that means taking out a Florida State team - a program which ruined JJ Redick and Shelden Williams Senior Day.

It's hard to believe -that the season is winding down and there is but a single home game left. It's an exciting time and the lineup changes has made for an interesting finish. At the moment, Duke is not stumbling down the stretch like last season. Anyhow, the ACC Tournament is around the corner and it has the makings for the best one in years. Then there is the NCAA seeding and the "real" season begins. It'll be fun!

I will have more photos up later -