Tag Archives: Mark Watson

Duke Basketball, Duke Football

Watzone’s Monday Musings – Coach Krzyzewski, Duke Hoops, Cheerleader of the Week

BDN's Cheerleader of the Week

It's another Monday morning and that means a new edition of Watzone's Monday Musings.  I'm a little upset that I will not make it to New York tomorrow night in that I have been there for most of Coach Mike Krzzyzewski's milestone wins and this is the biggest one of all!  We will have Andrew Slater there, so rest easy knowing BDN is always represented.  I mean, is there anything else more news worthy than Coach becoming the NCAA's All Time Wins Leader?  Still, we'll try to talk a little about other happenings, so here we go -

K - R - Z -Y -Z - E -W - S - K - I

Coach K has become a brand name and for good reason.  The man is an ambassador for all of basketball, Team USA's lead man and so much more.  But his name is Mike Krzyzewski and he deserves the respect of people spelling out his name instead of taking the easy way out with Coach, the 11th letter of the alphabet.  To this day I watch as media members still fumble with his name.  After 902 wins, you would think they would have it down pat, huh?  If you are around mid day or just after 12:30 or so, follow me on out twitter page for I will be tweeting his press conference comments as they happen.

The Michigan State game

The stage is set in New York City in the famed Madison Square Garden for Duke to win one for their coach and the world to acknowledge his incredible accomplishments.  But this game will be a test of a young teams mettle.  The Blue Devils hung on for a win over a tough Belmont team but showed when the game gets tight, to some extent, so do they.  This is something that happens to a young team that has not established a go-to guy yet and they could face a similar situation in New York.  It will be interesting to see if the immense pressure of winning this game for their coach will make them push too hard or be so emotional that they are spent early on.  Oh!  That's right!  Duke has Coach Krzyzewski, so all will likely work out.

Mason Plumlee

Mase is having a good start to the season averaging 15.5 ppg, 11.0 rebounds per game and an even more impressive 4.0 assists per contest.  Duke will need for Plum 2 to remain consistent for success this season and Mason seems ready for the challenge.  The physically gifted junior is coming into his own and he can do things athletically few can down low.  It seems like yesterday when I was hanging with Mason at the North Carolina State High School Basketball Championships.  As they say, time flies!

Brother Miles

Masons older brother, Miles, had a really nice outing against Presbyterian where he pout up a double-double of 13 points and 11 boards.  But he struggled in the opener and Duke needs the senior captain to bring his "A" game every night.  Like Mason, Miles can do some incredible things with his uncanny athleticism and once he realizes few can stop him when he wants to take it home, he can become a beast in the paint.

Curry seeks consistency

Seth Curry was one of the more hyped players coming into the season and made All ACC First Team.  Curry scored 10 points in each of the first two games and while that is consistent, Duke needs him to take it up a notch.  No reason to think this won't happen and there would be no better time for it than in New York tomorrow evening.

Tyler Thornton has been a steadying influence

Thornton brings a calm to the floor when he is out there in that he plays with maturity.  Thornton had a great opener where is production was more than many felt they might see.  While his numbers fell in the last win, he is getting 20 minutes of burn a game.  Thornton will play a key role on this team and will be depended on as the young freshman develop.

Freshman development

This is an on going process but Austin Rivers is the only one of the bunch playing a major role thus far in the 2011-12 season.  Rivers is just scratching the surface and trust me when I say this kid has shown you nothing yet despite playing well and scoring at a 15.5 ppg clip without taking a ton of shots.  Alex Murphy has been saddled in a precautionary manner after suffering a fall, so it is hard to see what he might bring to the table.  Quinn Cook has showed flashes of brilliance but is getting use to the pace of the college game and how sneaky defenders can be.  Michael Gbinije has played a few minutes but has yet to really find his way as well.  The bottom line is the freshman are just that but Duke needs them to adjust their games quickly for at least one of them besides Rivers will need to be counted on in a key reserve role.

Football team banged up

The Duke Football team fell to 3-7 on the season with a 31-21 loss at Virginia and several players were banged up.  Duke is now playing for the future and will attempt to set the tone for next season when almost everybody returns.  An upset win over Georgia Tech in their last home game this week or the following week at North Carolina but injuries might make this a tall task.  Duke never really got a break through victory this season, so fans can hope one will come.

Support the seniors and show up for the last home game

While Duke has struggled to find wins this season, the senior class, as small as it is, has given fans some ACC wins and a few years ago, the Blue Devils had nada.  We'll talk more about them later in the week but I do want to mention Matt Daniels, a vicious hitter who has been a main stay on the defense.  If Duke ca find players with his resolve and spirit all will be fine and coaches are hoping that other players step up late as he passes the torch.  Daniels has been rock solid for Duke and you should single him out and watch him pop in the last two games.

Until next week, Go Duke and congrats to Coach Mike Krzyzewski for he will soon be the King of the Hill and kounting.

 

Duke Basketball

BDN Video – Ryan Kelly and Miles Plumlee Post Game Comments

DURHAM - Blue Devil Nation was on the scene in Cameron Indoor Stadium as Coach Mike Krzyzewski won his 902nd career game, tying Bobby Knight for the record. I caught up to Ryan Kelly who scored a team high 17 points and Miles Plumlee who had a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds for their thoughts on the game and Coach K's accomplishment.

Duke Basketball

BDN’s Duke Basketball Notebook – the season is upon us

It's time for this season fourth edition of BDN's Duke Basketball notebook as the Blue Devils are set for tip off.  On to the yapping -

Duke has a tough opener vs Belmont, Maui Invitational bits

It's been a long time since Duke opened with an opponent as dangerous as Belmont, who they play Friday at 9:00 in Cameron Indoor Stadium.  You have to go back to the 2001-02 season when Duke came away with a 1 point victory over Seton Hall.  Normally, teams schedule a walk through game in their opener but not Coach Kryzewski, at least not this season.  Belmont returns everybody of significance from a 30 win team a season ago and they have veterans at key positions.  Meanwhile Duke is young, really young and they will have their hands full in that Belmont is much better than the opponents they faced in their two exhibition wins.  This game is actually a part of the Maui Invitational, an event the Blue Devils have never lost a game in, but Duke will advance win or lose, while Belmont then plays at Memphis, a team the Duke could meet if they defeat Tennessee which is  expected in the opening round.  Former Wake Forest Coach David Odom set up these games and Duke could have probably backed out but Krzyzewski knew this game would offer a chance to prepare his team for the likes of Kansas, Memphis, Michigan or UCLA, all top rated teams in the Maui Invitational.  Duke will see a well drilled team in fundamentals in Belmont and while I think the Blue Devils will win, the game could be a lot closer than people think.

Duke turns around to play in mere hours against Presbyterian on Saturday

Duke will turn around after some time for sleep and face Presbyterian at home.  This game will be a walk through and a test for the young Blue Devils legs.  They will need to bounce back quickly in Maui so this game too is somewhat by design.  The reason I say somewhat is that Duke thought this would be a 7:00 game but instead it is a 9:05 tip off.  Interestingly, the 4:30 tip off on Saturday will be about the time the first half is ending for the football team who travels to Virginia for a 3:00 start.

The word is Defense

In talking to the players on media day, the word all of them mentioned is a Duke staple, that being "defense." Be it Seth Curry or Austin Rivers, all the Blue Devils said that what they were working on after the two exhibition games was getting it together on the defensive end of the court.  Duke and defense ... so what's new?  Speaking of Seth Curry, we'll have a video interview with him up in shor

Krzyzewski approaches all time wins mark and there is lots of media attention

If you are not behind the scenes covering Duke, you may not realize how much media pull Krzyzewski has been handling.  Everybody, every outlet from here to Asia wants a piece of Coach who is approaching the all time wins mark.  If Duke wins their two home openers, he can break the record at Madison Square Garden in New York versus Michigan State.  If the Blue Devils slip, that home ticket against Davidson will likely triple in value.  Regardless, Krzyzewski will be honored upon his return.  There are a bevy of specials on, starting tomorrow on ESPNU and speaking of ESPNU, both of the Blue Devils home opener will be televised by that network.  Mike Breen and Doris Burke will be doing the opener, no word on the following evening but likely the same team.  Anyhow, back to the demand on Coach K's time ... there will be several newspaper specials and shows in the works and we'll keep you posted on them either here or through one of our social network outlets.

BDN Social Networks, join now!

Speaking of our social networks, we have a new Facebook group, called Blue Devil Nation and it is an open group, meaning all can participate.  Just follow the link to your right and I will approve you in short time.  There you will find some great photo galleries from the games as well as off beat fun pics.  And you definitely want to follow us on our popular and informative twitter site.

Duke-UNC Alumni Game Update

The promoters had little time to assemble the Duke-UNC Alumni game and as we mentioned on twitter, the game has been postponed.  They are still trying to bring it together but if the NBA and players reach an agreement, it will be a pipe dream.  None of these events which you are hearing of around the nation are sanctioned by the NBA, so players take the risk of injury.  That fact has kept the event from being held at Cameron Indoor Stadium or the Dean Dome in that they want no part of possible injuries.  Of course, players want to play and earn a little coin during the lockout, so it may very well happen yet and it will be at N.C. Central University and it does, don't be shocked if there are two games, you heard that here first.

A salute to the military on Veterans Day

In recognition of Veterans Day on Friday, Nov. 11, Duke Athletics will show its support of our servicemen and servicewomen by inviting over 250 armed forces personnel to Cameron Indoor Stadium to attend the Duke Men’s Basketball season opener against Belmont at 9 p.m.  The soldiers from the Marine Corp Air Station Cherry Point, Marine Corp Air Station Cherry Point Single Marine Outing, Camp Johnson and Camp Lejeune will attend the game free of charge and standing amongst the Cameron Crazies in the student section on Friday night.  If you know somebody that fought for oyur country, thank them on this day. Prior to the game, there will also be a moment of silence as we remember all those who have been lost while defending our freedom.

Clash In Cameron, there will be both boo birds and cheers

Now that Mitch McGary has singed with Michigan, the boo birds will likely be out in Cameron on December 17th during the Clash in Cameron which features the nations top high school players.  McGary and his Brewster Academy will play the 7:00 game, while the nations top rated player and major Duke prospect, Jabari Parker will take to the court at 9:00.  Stay tuned foe more details.

Rasheed Sulaimon is a Duke Blue Devil

Rasheed Sulaimon put pen to paper on signing date and he is now an official Duke Blue Devil.  Welcome to Duke, Rasheed!  In case you are wondering the early signing period began on November the 9th and runs until the 16th.  The next signing period will be from April 11th to May 16th.

BDN will be on the scene all season long

BDN coverage will be top notch again this season.  We are scheduled to be at every game with the exception of #2 ranked Ohio State in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge,at Georgia Tech,  at Clemson.  That's all but three games that we'll be at live and in person via our wonderful staff.  Terry Rains will be in Maui reporting for us and we look forward to that and Andrew Slater will be in New York when Coach K hopefully sets the all time wins mark.  And as always, the original press row tweets from Cameron will continue all season long.  It all started in the national championship season when we were right their in the middle of it all be it on the court for the celebration or in the locker rooms.  BDN gets out there to bring you the best possible coverage we can and that's why this is the most Duke-centric no official site out there!  We can't wait for the season to start!

Duke Basketball

Watzone’s Duke Basketball Notebook Week 2

Mason slams one in vs Bellarmine - copyright BDN Photo

It's time for the second edition of my Duke Basketball Notebook which will recap the latest happenings around the program. And as always, we'll sprinkle a bit of inside information in as well to add a little spice.  Okay, we are seeking a new name for our weekly column, so send in your suggestions via one of the social networks.  We feel fans make up the Blue Devil Nation!  Now, on to the tantalizing tidbits -

Rotation revisited

During last week's Monday Musings article I was not clear when I mentioned that  Mason and Miles Plumlee, Ryan Kelly, Seth Curry and Austin Rivers were the Blue Devils five best players.  Instead, my wording made some think I said they would start.  Well, Coach K himself quickly said that this would not happen moments into his post game press conference after the Blue Devils defeated Bellarmine in their exhibition opener.  "I'm not that good of a coach to figure out how to start them all at the same time," said Krzyzewski.  And if you think there was a clear picture established coming  away from the opener with concern to the rotation, think again.  Duke started true freshman Alex Murphy alongside the Plumlee brothers, Curry and Rivers.  But Murphy struggled in the role and would not come off the bench in the second half.  Kryzewski inserted Tyler Thornton into the lineup and the Blue Devils outscored last seasons Division II National champions by a twenty point margin.  Raise your hand if you didn't think Ryan Kelly, named a co captain on this seasons team would start after his play in China?  Well, not to worry for anybody trying to figure out what Krzzyewski will do this season may be fooled.  The bottom line is you will see a bevy of players in the fifth spot this year and it will all depend on the opposition according to the HOF coach.

Seth Curry and talk

After the game I made my way to Seth Curry in the locker room and everybody else followed.  Curry has become the silent leader of this seasons team being named caption just last week.  In the post game conference, Krzzyeswki jokes with the media about getting good answers from Curry, but I told him he was better.  Curry is not a natural talker on the court but in the Duke system this is a must and he's getting better.  One has to think he will be one of two players who have the ball in their hands if the Blue Devils are down a deuce in the close game with a few ticks left.

Austin Rivers and his adjustment to the college game

The other player who will eventually become a go to guy will be the potential laden Austin Rivers.  You heard it here at BDN first folks --- Austin Rivers is the best interview on the team.  Rivers played but 19 minutes and Kryzewski hinted at mixed reviews for his opening game, but rest assured his game is being broken down and rebuilt for the better.  Rivers had the ball in his hands pretty much the whole game in high school and on the AAU circuit and now he is learning to play off ball and it will be an adjustment.  Rivers is the best penetrating guard on the team from my vantage and he will learn to pass off on his drives which will help the bigs finish inside.  Rivers knows he's learning as well and he acknowledged that by showing Blue Devil Nation Video/ his battle scar on the game.  Rivers took  a hard fall and after having his head buried for a few seconds he jumped right back up and moved on.  In the past Rivers may have complained to the refs or showed animation but it is clear that this has been addressed by the staff and he is already a better player from learning that lesson.

Marshall Plumlee and redshirt rules

If you are expecting to see some burn from Duke freshman Marshall Plumlee, think again.  As you know we tweet live from press row in Cameron and several followers wanted to argue that he could play in an exhibition and still red shirt.  Well, they isn't true from what I have gleaned and the only way Duke will waste a year of him coming in deep off the bench will be if there are injuries up front.  Krzyzewski made it clear that the brothers Plumlee, Mason and Miles, Ryan Kelly and Josh Hairston would rotate in the two big spots, leaving three perimeter spots open in the process. And back to BDN tweets for a moment, ESPN Gamecast is now running our take in their roll and we appreciate that.  We're pretty good at what we do and take in all things Duke so if you are not a follower, you should consider it for breaking news and unique coverage.

3 Point Shooting struggles versus Bellarmine

Duke defeated a well coached Bellarmine team by 25 points on the strength of a 49-29 second half.  But the Blue Devils struggled mightily from the three point stripe, going 2 for 14.  Had they hit a few more of those shots, the score gap would have widened earlier.  It was midway through the second half before Tyler Thornton dropped on from the top of the key.  Andre Dawkins who struggled from the field in the Blue-White game had another poor shooting night going 0-3 from the stripe and 1 of 5 overall.  Dawkins is considered the Blue Devils best three point artist.

 

Blue Devil Nation Facebook Open Group and BDN Photos

Let me plug our Facebook site as well, in that Blue Devil Nation has a open group.  We have just started to grow that end of our coverage and you will find our outstanding photo's there as well.  Join the group and see our Countdown to Craziness galleries as well as fifty great shots from the win over Bellarmine.  Our photographers have features Lance, now touring ESPN Game Day on a weekly basis and currently my friend Rick Crank and they are both really good at what they do.  We've always been big on illustration at BDN and that will continue.  While you are at it, check out our videos on You Tube under Watzone and Blue Devil Nation Video where you will see timely post game interviews and exclusive coverage.

Key Duke prospect Tony Parker waves at the Cameron Crazies as he walks off the court after this weekends exhibition game. BDN Premium has the latest from Parker hot off the press! Photo copyright Rick Crank/BDN

Tony Parker Interview

Well!  I posted a Tony Parker Interview for Blue Devil Nation Premium last evening but accidentally made it available for public access.  Needless to say, many got a chance to read it and there were some very positive vibes.  BDN Premium is our extended subscription service which takes you on the inside of the latest happenings surrounding Duke Athletics and our information is always ahead of the curve.  Hey, it's what we do and we do it well!  If you got a chance to read the article before we carried it back to premium, perhaps you realize how timely our coverage is.  If so, join!  In fact the first ten new members to sign up for a years coverage which is our best rate, will get ten bucks through paypal, making it a steal at $90.00 for the year.

Duke vs Carolina

As we hinted to you last week, there is a Duke vs UNC alumni game in the works and the powers that be are still working on a facilities.  When the details are ironed out, we'll let you know more.   We also broke the information on Clash in Cameron last week where Mitch McGary and Jabari Parker will show off their skills in Durham.  We'll have more on that as well.

As for Monday Musings, well, it will return next week with he usual tidbits.  Up next for Duke hoops is an exhibition game against the Shaw Bears on Wednesday evening and as always, BDN will be front and center to bring you the best coverage we possibly can.