Tag Archives: Marshall Plumlee

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High School Hoops 2010 Edition No. 9

Here is another edition of High School Hoops for Blue Devil Nation premium members. This edition takes a look at Duke’s three 2010 committed players: Kyrie Irving, Josh Hairston, and Tyler Thornton; as well as the other players Duke is looking at in the Class of 2010 and beyond. [private]

Kyrie Irving: St. Patrick has advanced to the Championship Game in the Union County Tournament in what could be their last game. Kyrie Irving scored 13 points as the Celtics defeated Union 64-47. St. Patrick will face Plainfield for the championship. Here is some video of the action.

St. Patrick has been banned from participating in the State Tournament due to Coach Kevin Boyle being present during open gym workouts prior to the official start of practice. St. Patrick has filed a civil lawsuit in federal court and a hearing will be held on Monday at 9 am.

Josh Hairston: Montrose Christian ended a losing streak with a 62-56 win over Fork Union. Hairston scored 20 points in the game. Hairston is averaging 17 points per game for the Mustangs and he is currently Second Team in the All-Met Watch.

Tyler Thornton: Thornton is averaging 15 points a game for the 22-6 Eagles. On Friday, February 26, O’Connell defeated Gonzaga 67-55. On Wednesday, February 24, Gonzaga defeated McNamara 62-58. Thornton scored 19 points in the victory.

Trey Zeigler: Zeigler fouled out in regulation but first he scored 27 points to go with 10 rebounds as Mt. Pleasant defeated Bay City Central 73-68 in overtime. The Oilers have now won 13 games in a row.

Marshall Plumlee: Christ School is 35-1 and will play Charlotte Christian for the NCISAA Championship on Saturday night. The Greenies defeated Wesleyan Christian Academy 81-40 in the Quarter-Finals and Forsyth Country Day 67-64 in the Semi-Finals.

Charlotte Christian defeated Ravenscroft to advance to the Championship Game.

Austin Rivers: Winter Park defeated Edgewater 70-59 in the Florida 6A Regional Semi-Finals. Edgewater employed a Box and 1 defense designed to stop Austin Rivers and held him to 11 points but it wasn’t enough to stop the Wildcats from advancing to the Regional Finals. Brett Comer stepped up and scored 23 points. Here is some game video.

In the Quarter-Finals, Rivers scored 41 points in front of a crowd of 1,200 fans including Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski as Winter Park defeated Winter Springs 83-60.

J.P. Tokoto: Menomonee Falls completed the regular season 14-0 in the Greater Metro Conference with an 80-64 defeat of Brookfield Central on Thursday February 25. J.P. Tokoto scored 23 points.

Menomonee Falls defeated Wauwatosa East 67-46 as Tokoto scored a game-high 18 points. The win clinched the Greater Metro Conference title and earned the Indians’ a first round bye in the upcoming state tournament. Menomonee Falls is the #2 seed in Sectional #5.

On Monday, February 22, Tokoto scored 27 points as Menomonee Falls defeated Homestead 74-71.

Finally, here is an article from the Raleigh News & Observer on Kendall Marshall that I’m including in this update in the spirit of the great Chinese Philosopher Sun Tzu whose sage advice was to keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Taking into account all the Larry Drew II rumors about a possible transfer, Marshall could be given the keys to Roy Williams’ broken down jalopy as a freshman.

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High School Hoops 2010 Edition No. 6

Hairston-300x286A plethora of high school basketball action has taken place this past week. Holiday tournaments are in full swing this weekend with future Blue Devils and recruiting targets participating in tournaments such as the Iolani Classic (Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston) in Honolulu, the Chick-fil-A Classic (Marshall Plumlee) in Columbia, the City of Palms Classic (Austin Rivers) in Fort Myers, and the Kreul Classic (Quincy Miller) in Miami. [private]

This edition of High School Hoops 2010 was scheduled to start off with a look at future Duke guard Kyrie Irving. Unfortunately, St. Patrick’s first two games, on Friday night and Saturday, were cancelled. For an in depth look at Irving and St. Patrick’s, go to the NJ.com website as they have a New Jersey basketball season preview posted along with a quick blurb on each of the state’s top 50 players and the state’s best teams.

Turning to the Holiday Tournaments, in the Iolani Classic in Honolulu, Josh Hairston scored 20 points on Thursday as Montrose Christian destroyed Kahuku 70 – 27. On Friday, Tyler Thornton scored 14 points as Gonzaga rolled over Moanalua 84 – 56.

On Saturday, both Hairston and Thornton were in action. Hairston scored 22 points with 12 rebounds as Montrose Christian defeated Iolani 71 – 49. Thornton scored 18 points but Gonzaga fell to Columbia (GA) 55 – 53.

This article at ESPN includes some very nice verbiage on Hairston. Reggie Rankin states, “Hairston will be a good fit in the intense Duke man-to-man defense…” This ESPN RISE Magazine article is complimentary toward both Hairston and Thornton with statements such as: “Tyler Thornton was born to lead” and “Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston couldn’t be stopped.” The buzz surrounding these two players has been relatively subdued, possibly due to their early commitment, however, Duke fans should be ecstatic about these two players arrival next season.

In the Chick-fil-A Classic, on Saturday, Christ School defeated Norfolk Christian 78 - 60. Marshall Plumlee’s line was 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots in 18 minutes. Carolina commit James McAdoo scored 19 points for Norfolk Christian. The State has a tournament preview article, which highlights 10 players to watch.

At the City of Palms Classic, on Saturday night, Winter Park faced Findlay Prep. Austin Rivers scored 22 points and dished out five assists but it wasn’t enough as Findlay Prep prevailed 86 – 75.

Linking to ESPN RISE Magazine once again, here is a detailed article on Austin Rivers and his desire to improve as a defensive player.

Quincy Miller scored 32 points including a 16-17 performance at the free throw line, as Quality Education Academy defeated Central Carolina Sports Academy 90 – 85 on Tuesday December 15. QEA is participating in the Kreul Classic this weekend and on Friday night Miller scored 17 points in a 70 – 60 victory over North Miami Beach.

In action earlier in the week, J.P. Tokoto scored 21 points in leading Menomonee Falls to a 65 – 46 win over Sussex Hamilton.

That’s a wrap for this week’s edition of High School Hoops 2010. Blue Devil Nation’s coverage will continue next week so be sure and stay tuned in order to gather in the scoop on all high school players currently committed to Duke or being recruited by Duke. [/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

High School Hoops 2010 Edition No. 5

Tyler Thornton 3This edition of our running feature on high school basketball action starts off in our nation's capital with coverage of the D.C. Classic. The Gonzaga Eagles featuring future Blue Devil Tyler Thornton are hosting the tournament. Also participating is perennial California powerhouse Mater Dei the alma mater of current Villanova and ex-Blue Devil Taylor King and Carolina's Travis and David Wear. [private]

This week’s coverage begins with links to a tournament preview and quarterfinal game results. The preview has information on all eight teams. In the quarterfinals, Tyler Thornton scored 18 points in Gonzaga’s 83 – 69 victory over Jesuit (Dallas) TX. Gonzaga utilized pressure defense to spark their running game and opened the game up in the third quarter.

In the semifinals, Gonzaga faced Calvert Hall (Baltimore) and came away with a 66 – 51 victory. Tyler Thornton scored 16 points and Gonzaga once again used a blistering defense to lead from start to finish.

The Championship Game featured Gonzaga versus Mater Dei. Tyler Thornton scored 18 points and earned MVP honors as Gonzaga used an 11 – 0 run in the fourth quarter to come from behind and win the championship 62 – 59. Thornton turned a critical steal into a coast to coast basket to improve Gonzaga’s lead to 61 - 57.

Josh Hairston scored 10 points and Montrose Christian cruised to a 74 – 25 victory over Liberty. On Saturday, Hairston scored 17 points as Montrose defeated St. Mary’s Ryken 74 – 59.

Quincy Miller scored 25 points in the opening game of the Best of the Midwest Shootout to lead Quality Education Academy to an 87 – 82 victory over Brehm Prep.

Roscoe Smith recorded a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds as Oak Hill Academy defeated Carolina Forest 100 – 52. Coach Krzyzewski was in attendance.

Winter Park High School is ranked # 3 in the Orlando Sentinel's Super 16. The Orlando Sentinel has another Austin Rivers feature article posted. On Saturday, Rivers led all scorers with 18 points as Winter Park defeated Montverde Academy 55 -52 in the Hoops with a Heart Classic. Monteverde was ranked # 1 in the Super 16.

Christ School trounced Asheville HS 70 – 35. Marshall Plumlee scored seven points for the Greenies.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a Greater Metro Conference preview article posted. This is the conference which includes J.P. Tokoto and Menomonee Falls HS. In Friday night action, Tokoto scored 14 points as Menomonee Falls defeated West Allis Hale 72 – 47.

Trey Zeigler scored 21 points and pulled in eight rebounds, but Mt Pleasant was routed, 65 – 38, by Saginaw Arthur Hill.

Looking at the week ahead, Gonzaga and Montrose Christian will be in Honolulu for the Iolani Classic starting on Thursday. On Friday, Christ School will be participating in the Chick-fil-A Classic and Winter Park will be at the City of Palms. [/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

High School Hoops 2010 Edition No. 4

Austin RiversBlue Devil Nation continues its season long coverage of high school basketball with updates on Austin Rivers, Josh Hairston, Tyler Thornton, J.P. Tokoto, Trey Zeigler, and Marshall Plumlee. The High School Hoops articles will be a weekly feature at Blue Devil Nation as they were the past two years; Edition No. 4 is being posted just four days after Edition No. 3 due to a significant volume of activity taking place on the hardwood these past few nights. Blue Devil Nation encourages everyone to check back late Sunday evening for High School Hoops 2010 Edition No. 5. [private]

Austin Rivers earned MVP honors at the Rotary Tip-Off Classic as Winter Park HS won the championship. Rivers scored 20 points, in the championship game, as Winter Park defeated Winter Springs 59 – 32. In the semi-finals, Winter Park defeated Oak Ridge 71 – 57. The Orlando Sentinel has a video recap posted. Rivers scored 28 points and drained seven 3-point shots in a 70 – 43 opening round victory over Lake Brantley.

In his next game, on Tuesday (Dec 8), Rivers scored 21 points in a 75 – 34 victory over Colonial.

Josh Hairston played his debut game at Montrose Christian in the Caron Butler Invitational in Washington D.C. Hairston scored 26 points as Montrose defeated Theodore Roosevelt HS 63 – 47. Theodore Roosevelt was 2 – 0 coming into the game. Montrose Christian and Hairston’s next game is on Friday night.

Tyler Thornton drew an offensive foul with 28 seconds remaining to seal Gonzaga's 64 - 59 victory over Carroll High. Thornton scored 16 points, including going 6-6 from the charity stripe, and delivered four assists in the game. He is shooting 90.9 percent from the free throw line through three games. Gonzaga and Thornton will be back in action on Thursday evening.

J.P. Tokoto scored 19 points as Menomonee Falls defeated Milwaukee Marquette 56 – 36. Menomonee Falls and Tokoto will be back in action on Friday night.

Trey Zeigler was the leader in scoring and rebounding with 30 and 13 as Mt Pleasant defeated Midland 69 – 46. He also dished out seven assists. In this article, from The Morning Sun, Mt Pleasant Coach Sam Taylor states, “Trey was solid. But it won’t be his best game of the season I can tell you that.” Duke University representatives attended the game to scout Zeigler (I heard through the grapevine it was Nate James, but I cannot confirm who was in attendance). Here is another recap of the action.

Marshall Plumlee grabbed nine rebounds to go along with four points as Christ School opened conference play with an 80 – 67 win over Rabun Gap. Plumlee is averaging 7.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game through the first nine games of his junior season.

In case any of our faithful readers have not already seen this article with two embedded videos, here is a Kyrie Irving preview from MassLive.com. [/private]

Duke Basketball Recruiting News

High School Hoops 2010 Edition No. 2

marshal1-300x235This edition is a bit of a preview edition as many high schools tipped off their first games in early December and newspapers across the country kicked off their high school basketball coverage with season previews and articles focused upon key players. [private]

Christ School improved to 5 - 0 on the season with back to back wins at the Christ School Tip-Off Tournament. The Greenies defeated Greenville High School 89 - 60 and Greenfield School 89 - 70. Junior Marshall Plumlee (7'0" 200) recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds in the first game and added 9 points and 8 rebounds in the championship game.

Sophomore J.P. Tokoto was in foul trouble and held to 10 points as Menomonee Falls fell to Milwaukee King 65 -62 in overtime. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a game recap posted as well as a detailed preview on Tokoto. By the way, J.P. stands for Jean Pierre.

Tyler Thornton and Gonzaga College High School are looking to win the WCAC Championship this season.  Here is a seven minute video preview of the team.

Austin Rivers is ready to start his junior season at Winter Park High School and the Wildcats are considered one of the favorites to win the Class 6A State Championship. The Orlando Sentinel has an article posted on Rivers as well as a video interview in which Rivers discusses his team’s loss in the state semi-finals last season. Winter Park will be hosting the Rotary Tip-Off tournament Dec. 2-5.

Trey Zeigler is a 6’-5” shooting guard at Mt Pleasant High School in Michigan whose name has been mentioned in connection with Duke. There is some speculation Duke will pursue him if things do not pan out with Roscoe Smith. Zeigler is ranked as the # 35 player in the Class of 2010 and his father is the coach at Central Michigan University. This article from the Morning Sun discusses Zeigler and his focus on team play.

Quality Education Academy lost to Findlay Prep, 69 – 63, at the Tournament of Champions in Peoria, IL.

And Bradley Beal, ranked number seven in the Class of 2011, according to Scout, has given a verbal commitment to play his college ball at the University of Florida. The St Louis Today has a nice article on Beal’s commitment.

Prep sports coverage in online newspapers across the nation is still focused upon football, but basketball coverage will pick up as football seasons come to an end. As the coverage increases, Blue Devil Nation will keep you posted on game results for Duke recruits and recruiting targets with links to articles and box scores from across the country. [/private]

Duke Basketball Recruiting News

High School Hoops 2010 Edition No. 1

Q. Miller photoBlue Devil Nation will once again be covering High School Hoops during the 2010 season. As we've done the past couple of seasons, we will scour the Internet in order to provide the Duke faithful with player updates, game results, links to articles and box scores, along with our critical analysis and commentary on high school action for players committed to Duke as well as recruiting targets. This season our High School Hoops articles will be posted as premium content so we invite all visitors to join Blue Devil Nation, kick back and allow us to do the heavy lifting, so you, our faithful readers can enjoy this one stop site for Duke related high school basketball coverage.

This coming season, we will be keeping tabs on the following committed Duke players: Josh Hairston (Montrose Christian), Kyrie Irving (St. Patrick), and Tyler Thornton (Gonzaga College HS). Additionally, we will closely follow recruiting targets Roscoe Smith (Oak Hill Academy), Brad Beal (Chaminade College Prep), Quincy Miller (Quality Education Academy), Marshall Plumlee (Christ School), Austin Rivers (Winter Park HS), and J.P. Tokota (Menomonee Falls HS).

In early season action, Marshall Plumlee and Quincy Miller’s teams went head to head [private] with Christ School defeating Quality Education Academy 95 – 79. Quincy Miller scored 26 points for QEA, while Christ School was led by University of South Carolina recruit Eric Smith with 21 points. Marshall Plumlee contributed 8 points and 8 rebounds for the Greenies. Coach David Gaines stated the Greenies would be adopting an uptempo offense focused on taking a lot of three-point shots. It will be interesting to see how 7’-0” Marshall Plumlee fits into the new offensive scheme.

The Greenies improved to 2 – 0 by defeating Veritas Christian Academy, 79 – 59, on Thursday evening. Marshall Plumlee scored 8 points and grabbed 8 rebounds for the second game in a row.

Oak Hill Academy kicked their season off on 31 October with a 100 – 55 win over Central Carolina Academy. Roscoe Smith was the leading scorer with 24 points. In a 105 – 76 defeat of Flora McDonald Academy, Roscoe Smith scored 28 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Flora McDonald features N.C. State recruit Luke Cothran.

Looking ahead, there will be multiple players from our Watch List participating in various Holiday Tournaments this year. Winter Park HS, featuring Austin Rivers, will play in the City of Palms Classic December 18 - 23. Gonzaga College HS and Montrose Christian Academy will both travel to Honolulu, Hawaii to participate in the Iolani Classic December 17 – 22. Those schools feature Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston respectively. The Chick-fil-A Classic December 18 – 22 will include Christ School and Marshall Plumlee.

Following up on one of the players we tracked last season, Josh Smith (6’-9” 280) from Kentwood HS in Covington, WA has committed to play his college basketball with the UCLA Bruins. Blue Devil Nation wishes Josh the best of luck in Westwood. [/private]