Tag Archives: Mason Plumlee

2009-10 Duke Basketball Player Profile – Mason Plumlee

October 2, 2009 Mark Watson

Photo special to BDN from Rick Crank Photography - copyright Visit Pixbryc.org

It wasn't that long ago when Mason Plumlee committed to Duke during his junior season at Christ School Arden. At that time, his brother Miles was slated to go to Stanford but a coaching change allowed him to open his recruitment back up and he too decided Duke was the school for him. The brothers who have played together during their basketball careers will reunite this season in Durham.

Mason quickly became the talk of many a Duke fan and his ranking soared as did his confidence on the hardwood. He teamed with his brother to win the state championship and when Miles entered Duke, Mason still led Christ School to another state title. In following Mason on the AAU circuit it was clear that this blooming big man possessed great skills. He possess a great handle and is way ahead of the curve as a passer, a trait rare for a kid his size.

According to his Father, Perky Plumlee, Mason and his sons are late bloomers physically, but one look at the incoming freshman's legs lets one know that this is going to be a solidly built young man as he develops.

During the summer, Mason participated in the N.C. Pro Am where he went up against the triangle areas best players and several NBA players. Mason was a hit with the crowd for he finished strong around the basket and seemed to mesh with his teammates to make a few showboat plays along the way.

Mason saved his best game for last during the Pro Am where he nailed 28 points to go with 13 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and 4 assists. The young freshman has a good inside out game but he is expected to man the paint in his first season which will allow for Kyle Singler to float out and play his natural position.

Having a center who can do multiple things on the court will certainly give Coach K a lot of options in 2009-10. You can still expect Mason to have the ball in his hands despite his position in that he has a knack for getting the ball to the right player at the right time due to his unselfish play.

His addition should also benefit his brother Miles, in that the two know where one another wants the ball. But the thing which stands out to the casual observer is his tenacity, something that comes natural for Mason.

During last seasons Glaxo Invitational, Plumlee led his team back into one game single handedly as Coach K and his assistants Wojo and Chris Collins watched. One one play, Mason threw the ball of the backboard caught it and dunked all in the same motion. While Krzyzewski will not allow those kind of plays it showed his athletic prowess.

Much is expected from Mason this season and the lofty expectations could be hard to reach, but rest assured that the middle of three Plumlee brothers will be up to the challenge. The one thing Mason will need to watch is his aggressiveness sometimes gets him into foul trouble and it will be important for him to be on the court in critical and or close games.

Despite that minor quibble, Duke has enough depth to protect it's front court players. Duke fans will soon get their first look at Mason and they'll then see what all the talk has been about on this site and in the Duke community.

Like all freshman, Mason will have to learn the Duke system and adjust to the speed of the college game and the rigors of a long season, but in my opinion, Duke got their next front court star and it'll be fun watch his development throughout his career.

BDN Premium Articles

BDN Duke Basketball Premium Update – visits set

September 2, 2009 Mark Watson

Duke has an in home visit scheduled with Brandon Knight

As you know by now Roscoe Smith is slated to visit Duke this coming week. The visit [private] caught Duke off guard because it was not planned until recently. Despite that, Duke is elated to have him visit, especially Nate James one of the lead recruiters with Smith. After his visit to Durham, Smith will head to Oak Hill Academy where he will ready for the start of the school year. Our understanding is that Duke will set up an in home visit with Smith in the near future. Smith still has a standing offer but nobody expects him to pull the trigger soon.

Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston's official in home visits will take place September the 20th. Hairston, of course, transferred to Montrosse Christian Academy. Duke is ironing out last minute details on "Countdown to Craziness," an event that will take place on October the 16th. The event will kick off the fast approaching season and should be a lot of fun. The aforementioned Hairston and Thornton will attend the event. There are other visitors in the works for that day as well, more on that later.

While Brandon Knight expands his list of schools, it may interest you to know that Duke is working on an in home visit in September. One must remember that Duke has kept their name in there for a good while now. While they would like be happy with Kyrie Irving pulling the trigger quickly, they are covering the bases. In fact, Duke seems to still have some type of back-up plans should Irving and Barnes suddenly sour. Speaking of Kyrie Irving, Duke will be in-home with Kyrie on September the 9th. Harrison Barnes is slated for October the 5th. Please check past updates for the official visit dates. Duke is waiting for the Rivers camp to solidify a visit, but they are not pushing for it, instead allowing them to do on their time. Austin Rivers is still expected to visit in September. There is word that the visit will coincide with one to UNC as well.

Mason Plumlee will room with Ryan Kelly this season. Both players continue to work hard in the weight room under Williams Stephenson. Miles Plumlee has the highest measured vertical leap on the team. When standing side by side with Mason, their hands raised, Miles has about a four-inch reach advantage. Lance Thomas is the team's strongest player in the weight room.

Recruiting analysis - With Barnes now saying he will take until spring to make a decision, Duke is covering the bases with Smith, a player who has shown a decent amount of interest in Duke. Duke was obviously hoping Barnes would decide in October. The same holds true with Kyrie Irving, who Duke will be all over this month. Duke feels really good about their chances with both kids, but they need one of them to go ahead and verbal no later than October so they can move on with plans for 2011 and 2012. Other prospects holding offers are Quincy Miller, Marshall Plumlee and J.P. Tokoto.

We'll add an addendum to this post a bit later. Thanks for your patience while I took a mini break and sorry for the run-on post in that I am suddenly having format issues.[/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

N.C. Pro Am Report – Duke freshman Mason Plumlee leads team to semi finals

August 8, 2009 Mark Watson

Plumlee defens Singler in an earlier Pro Am game - Rick Crank Photo

The North Carolina Pro Am is winding down and Mason Plumlee and Team Duhon take to the court today at 3:00 in the semi finals. While Plumlee is the last Dukie standing on a winning team, his teammates are likely to be added to rosters which is common practice in this event.

Team Duhon won last evenings nightcap 69-60 over to advance to today's semi final. Mason Plumlee led all scorers with 20 points to go with a bushel of rebounds. He was aided by South Carolina bound Lakeem Jackson who tallied 15. Jackson was his teammate at Christ School in Arden, North Carolina.

Rising high school senior and UNC bound Reggie Bullock had perhaps his best games (played twice) on Friday. Bullock looked smooth and added 14 points for the winner.

Brian Zoubek scored 16 points for the losers and his teammate Olek Czyz went for 3 points. Zoubek is averaging 15.5 in his two games played.

Miles Plumlee has gained some weight in the off season and he scored 12 points to go with 9 rebounds. His team lost and Miles had several points missed where he didn't finish or the ball rimmed out. He finished 6 of 15 from the field.

Team Navy took out Team Starkey 71-67 where a comeback effort sparked by Reggie Bullock [19 points] fell short. Duke freshman to be Ryan Kelly added 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting from the field and 4 rebounds. Jerry Stackhouse added just 6 points in the loss.

On the other side, John Wall added 15 points and looked really good coming off a sensational effort the evening before. Wall looks to be an inch taller and has put on significant muscle or added size since I last saw him play.

We'll break down the players overall play in the tournament on out message board on Monday. Also, we'll have a very nice photo gallery in the coming week. All photos of Duke players may be purchased from Rick Crank.

Duke Basketball

NC Pro AM Report – Duke Basketball Players Take to the Court

July 23, 2009 Mark Watson

Plumlee drives on his way to 17 points, 4 dunks and 4 blocked shots - Photo, Rick Crank

The North Carolina Pro Am is rolling along and once again a bevy of Dukies took the court to play some hoops in the dog days of summer. Team Duhon bounced back tonight crushing their opponent 97-47 behind Mason Plumlee's 17 points. Plumlee, who struggled from the field the night before, threw down three early slams on his way to 11 first half points.

The incoming freshman seemed to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder and that led to 17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 assists, 2 steals despite sitting out eight and a half minutes of the lopsided game. The PA announcer was pretty creative when Mason scored saying, "on the flipper," "Mason Plumlee with authority," or "Get out of the way, Mason Plumlee with the slam."

Plumlee's teammate Jon Scheyer started the game slow, mainly due to him not seeing the ball from fellow guards. Nevermind he is the starting PG at Duke. Anyhow, Scheyer adjusted and drained 3 three pointers, had 16 points and dished around 5 assists. It was clear to me that Scheyer will have no trouble picking up where he left off running the show for Duke this coming season.

In the evening's first game, freshman to be Ryan Kelly scored 15 points but his team fell short 74-59 after their win over the aforementioned Team Duhon the night before. Kelly finished well around the bucket and like the Plumlees has a good handle. The big problem for Ryan was getting the ball in his hand. I joked to one guy that getting a pass was like finding a polar bear in the tropics for some of the Duke players.

The nightcap feature the return of Kyle Singler and he didn't disappoint with his play. Singler scored 20 points on his usual variety of moves and showed that he is ready to go this season. Singler has lost some weight in an effort to play a different role for Duke this season, but he is still effective on the glass.

Casey Peters will join the Devils as a walk on this season - exclusive to BDN from Rick Crank Photography

His teammate, rising soph Miles Plumlee ended the game with 8 points, but the PA announcer raved about his ball handling skills and a sweet reverse dunk. Unfortunately, their team came up short losing 72-64 down the stretch in a game that was nip and tuck throughout. Some questionable calls and balls falling off the rim late sealed their fate and they look to bounce back in the next go round.

There was another Blue Devil on the floor, but he played for the victors. Walk on Casey Peters played some significant minutes and hustled throughout the game on his way to 6 points. Peters was responsible to leading the Duke managers in a win over the UNC crew last season and was added to the team for the coming year.

Blue Devils were in the stands as well on Wednesday. Nolan Smith was there to cheer on his teammates and socialize in the environment and Plumlee's mom, Leslie was their supporting her boys. There was another future Devil going unnoticed as well, in Seth Curry. The youthful looking Curry will sit out this coming season after transferring from Liberty University.

The action continues this evening and admission is free. Check the NC Pro Am site for schedules and rosters. Keep in mind that as the event goes on, there will be some no shows by the players. For past reports, scan the archives or go to the Duke Basketball drop down menu on the top left of the main page.

Duke Basketball

It’s Blue Devils versus Blue Devils at the NC Pro Am

July 22, 2009 Mark Watson

Ryan Kelly had 16 points - Rick Crank Photography

Four Duke Blue Devils took to the floor in McDougald Gym on the campus of NC Central during the continuing NC Pro Am event. Interestingly, the Dukies went head to head, two each playing for WR Starkey and Team Duhon. Coming into the game Team Duhon was a the top of the standings led by Mason Plumlee and the sharp shooting Jon Scheyer.

On this night Team Starkey would claw their way to a 69-60 victory behind Lance Thomas and Ryan Kelly. Kelly paced his squad with team high 10 first half points showing a soft touch from the outside. Oddly, Ryan did not play for a good nine minutes in the second half despite his effectiveness. Kelly would end the game with 16 points and had a couple of dunks at the start of the game.

His teammate Lance Thomas tallied 8 points and as usual was active on the floor. Thomas even drained 1 of 2 three point shots, the first, a misss looking as if he was uncomfortable with the shot. Still, Thomas was putting more arch on the ball than I had seen during his career at Duke.

Mason Plumlee has had some good showings, but his shots were dropping off the rim early where he started 0-6 from the field. He came out in the second half and nailed a three point shot, finishing with 7 points. It is worth noting that he had some early foul problems as well.

Jon Scheyer hit four three point shots and missed maybe two shots the entire game. He scored a team high 18 points and had several open looks where teammates took the ball one on one. But that is the nature of the game in this event where all of the players want to shine.

Plumlee and Thomas go head to head in last nights action

The action continues this evening and admission is free, so stop in if you are in the area. All photos from this event are provided by Rick Crank Photography. Crank will continue to be a part of Blue Devil Nation and other ventures.

Wednesday, July 22

6 pm KG vs Lucky 7
7 pm WR Starkey vs Navy
8 pm God Bless My Success vs Team Duhon
9 pm Hendricks vs E-Net

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

NC Pro Am Report – Mason Plumlee tallies 17, Scheyer 16 to earn a victory

July 10, 2009 Mark Watson

Miles ready to dunk - copyright Rick Crank

Five Duke Blue Devils were in action this past Thursday evening during the North Carolina Pro Am event on the campus of North Carolina Central. Mason Plumlee and Jon Scheyer took the court first and the two Dukies teamed very well together. In fact, that teamwork is a big part of Team Duhon's 3-0 record.

Mason would finish the game with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 assists. Mason is impressive in that he has a good handle for a big man and can make the good pass. While the majority of his points came in the paint or dunks, Mason drained his only three point attempt.

The crowd came to their feet when Mason tried a windmill dunk where he extended his long arm, but a foul stopped the show. Still, Mason a good free throw shooter, drained both shots.

Meanwhile, Scheyer knocked down two threes early and wound up with 16 points on the evening helping his team win 68-58. Scheyer had three assists and several blown ones on my watch, but I could have missed a few.

Lance Thomas made his first appearance where he joined teammate Ryan Kelly and rival Ed Davis (UNC) to form a pretty good front line. Davis scored 21 points after hitting just 6 earlier in the week. He was aided by some Kelly passes. Speaking of Ryan, he would go on to score 12 points himself. Thomas added 12 points as their team won easily.

Jon Scheyer - c/r Rick Crank Photography - special to BDN

In the nightcap, Miles Plumlee had the unenviable task of holding down UNC's John Henson, Leslie McDonald and Justin Watts. His team was without Kyle Singler who attended the LeBron James Skills Academy.

Henson threw down three effortless dunks and has really quick hops. He rejected Miles one time, but there was payback. Henson is the real deal and ended up with 14 points making some showboat plays, but Plumlee got his licks in, once getting beat but recovering to make a nice block. To round out the play, he recovered the blocked ball, dribbled the length of the court and dished out an assist. One block was called goal tending as well and there was one of the worst charge calls I had ever seen on Miles.

Justin Watts lit up the nets for 21 points and McDonald added 12, but their team blew a 12 point lead and wound up losing 54-53. Plumlee hit two big free throws to put his team up a single digit with 1:33 left and they held on for an impressive win.

The action continues next Tuesday and admission to the event is free.