Tag Archives: Michael Gbinije

Monday Musings – Viva Las Vegas, Duke-Bama, Michael Gbinije

July 19, 2010 Mark Watson

coach-k2-277x300 — It's Viva Las Vegas for Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski and Kyle Singler - BDN Photo

There will be little rest for the Duke staff as this week marks the beginning of a busy time split between the pro's and the nations top prospects. Coach Krzyzewski and Chris Collins will head to Las Vegas to where they'll be joined by Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith. The reason is that Team USA is putting together and entirely new roster made up mainly of up and coming players. With no help from the Dream Team, Krzyzewski will seek to form new bonds of chemistry in his on going effort to aid USA Basketball. But the staff will also be out during the last leg of the recruiting trail where three major tournaments start in Las Vegas this week. BDN's Andrew Slater will be on the scene to bring you tidbits as they happen and his unique style has made him a hit with our members. The following week, it will be down to Orlando for the Showcase and AAU Nationals. Needless to say, it's quite the busy time for the men's hoops staff.

It's no secret that some Alabama fans are purchasing season tickets for just one single game in Wallace Wade Stadium on September 18th. Mark my words that this will be the toughest ticket to get in recent memory and rest assured the scalpers are lying in wait for what could be a big pay day. Speaking of season tickets, the numbers are already better this season which is a testament to keeping big games at home. Earlier discussions had the game possibly being played in Birmingham or Atlanta, but Cutcliffe fought to keep the game in Durham, not only for the program, but for the fans

I will head to Greensboro on Sunday for ACC Operation Football which kicks off the 2010-11 season. I've said for a long time now that the four best teams will be in the Coastal Division and it is no fun trying to pick the order in which they will finish. I could make a case for Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Miami and Georgia Tech. It'll not be easy to place the Tar Heels who are in the midst of an NCAA investigation yet they return more experience than pretty much anybody in the nation.

Congrats to J.J. Redickwho cashed in with the Orlando Magic who met the Chicago Bull's offer. Same goes for Carlos Boozer who will man the paint in the Windy City this season. And to think, those two could have formeda tandem with Luol Deng.

Lots of buzz for Duke's Michael Gbinije, a class of 2011 commitment. Gbinije enjoyed a solid tournament as he led his Team Takeover team to the Nike EYBL Challenge. This kid has constantly improved from the first time I saw him play three years ago. A voice close to the program said he would play right away with Duke and that he did everything well. I concur.

Just a reminder that our N.C. Pro Am coverage will continue this week where games are played on the campus of N.C. Central University in Durham and admission is free.

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Real time coverage of AAU Basketball continues at BDN

July 8, 2010 Mark Watson

RIC_8328 — Michael Gbinije - photo Rick Crank, BDN Photo

Real time updates continue from the King City Classic where Coach K and Chris Collins checked out future Blue Devil Michael Gbinije during the morning session. Catch all the action as it happens with Duke's hot prospects and commitments by joining Blue Devil Nation Premium.

Take advantage of our trial one month offer and see the difference in coverage for yourself. We invite you to join super fans like yourself in discussing all the latest breaking news and happenings not only on the recruiting trail, but team-wise as well.

Tonight we'll have real time reports on the message board from the N.C. Pro Am as well and be sure to sign up to our twitter account for recruiting and teams updates as well.

We have already talked with Shabazz Muhammad, Alex Murphy, Marshall Plumlee, Kaleb Tarczewski during coverage from Adidas Nations and were checking out the LeBron James Skills Academies before that where Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith enhanced their skills. And some new names which could surface in the class of 2010 and detailed interviews are forth coming. And we will be headed to the Peach Jam on Monday where we once again, hit the AAU circuit like no other Duke site.

It's a great time to join BDN Premium!

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Duke Basketball Recruiting Update – the latest on the red hot AAU trail awaits

July 5, 2010 Mark Watson

RIC_7495 (1) — Shabazz Muhammad rattles the rim during the TOC. The Duke coaches will be out in force to see their major prospects in July and BDN Premium will be there to report firsthand the information you most covet. Our latest recruitng update is finished and you can enjoy it and much more by becoming a members of Blue Devil Nation Premium - Photo credit - BDN Photo and Rick Crank

The Duke Men's Basketball staff is in route to several locations today where they'll evaluate the countries top prospects. Coach Nate James will board a flight to Germany this afternoon where he will follow Team USA. His main focus will be on Quinn Cook, a PG prospect which you have surely heard a lot of lately. Sources say that Krzyzewski likes what he has seen of Cook who has yet to be tendered an official offer but that could change in the coming weeks.

Coach Krzyzewski and Chris Collins are headed to Indianapolis for the Adidas Nations event which starts tomorrow. There, they will focus in on several different prospects in an effort to fine tune their targets list. That list will begin to take shape quickly and probably solidify by the time the AAU National finish up. The pair will then travel to [private] Akron for the LeBron James Skills Academy and be a part of media mania surrounding James and his pending decision. Andre is already reporting a slew of media outlets hanging out which in short, means a circus atmosphere of fun. Well, hopefully, fun.

The reason for the surge in interest with Quinn Cook is that Duke expects a mass exodus in that they feel this is a pretty good team coming this fall. Singler and Smith will obviously go and they are expecting freshman Kyrie Irving to as well. Duke feels Irving could be a lottery pick. Also on the watch list to go pro will be Mason Plumlee.

We hinted to you that our feelings on Marshall Plumlee in past updates . The Duke brothers Plumlee of Mason and Miles were honored in me state for being a part of a national championship team. We will elaborate more once we make the appropriate contacts with concern to Marshall. The Plumlees are scheduled to return to Durham and participate in the NC Pro Am likely making it by Thursday at the latest. We have confirmed that you will see many Duke players at the event starting this week. Back to Marshall, Duke envisions him as a post player or center and with the aforementioned expected exodus of players to the pro's, scholarships should still be available for another player if necessary.

As I have said, Andrew Slater will be on the scene and he will check out Marshall in Indy. For the record,Plumlee was invited to the LeBron James Skills Academy but Adidas needed their best players. Coaches will turn out for the event tomorrow and we have already received reports that Eric Gordon is making the rounds. The coaches can check out the James camp on July the 7th which as we have already mentioned will.

SUB_3726 — Marshall Plumlee set to go in Indy

One of the first names that come forward as being a possibility is none other than Quincy Miller, the outstanding in state prospect who will play alongside Deuce Bello this season. They more than realize Miller will take it down to the last possible day, but they'll stick around for the ride. Miller would simply be the icing on the cake, a luxury, but Duke is in no way tossing all their eggs in Millers basket. Speaking of Deuce Bello, he still lists Duke and we will have a short interview up with him shortly. James is the lead assistant for the ultra athletic Bello who rose in most of the prospect rankings.

Duke will have 10 on scholarship this year and they expect to lose at least 4, so up to 7 scholarships are available. Duke would love to fill a couple of those with Shabazz Muhammad, Alex Murphy and Kaleb Tarczewski from the class of 2012. Duke will continue to recruit and evaluate these kids monitoring them closely.

Okay, everybody is always asking about Austin Rivers and all I can say is little has changed. Rivers is expected to give his pledge soon and ideally before the Duke staff leaves the country in August for Team USA duties. All the signs are pointing to this being done by the time the AAU National roll around where the event would feature Michael Gbinije, Tyler Adams and of course Rivers. Adams recent visit to Duke went very well and he has done everything they've asked of him to date. The staff is also pleased with the progress of Gbinije.

Looking ahead, the AAU Nationals in Orlando will have Michael Gbinije, Rivers, Adams... All likely commits at that time, another hint there minions. Vegas will be loaded with Shabazz Muhammad, Marshall Plumlee, Alex Murphy, Kaleb Tarczewski and many more.

I've pretty much mentioned Duke's recruiting priorities but again, this list could change and you know the names we've mentioned here before which could rise to the top. The Duke staff will be at all of the major events and there schedule for the latter part of July will become clear as duties with Team USA are worked out. All in all it's an exciting time for basketball recruiting and we think you will see why you joined BDN Premium when comparing our coverage in the coming months. Discuss this article on the premium message board where more tidbits await you including some updates from Andrew on the recruiting trail. If you are a member having trouble accessing the board, e-mail me at watzonebdp@gmail.com. Please only e-mail me if you have a problem with the message board at this address. Remember, copy and pasting or sharing this via emails and other premiums boards PM system is a violation of membership agreement and those not honoring that will be banned. I know moist of you are not a part of that but please recognize that pilfering information is in effect stealing.[/private]

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Michael Gbinije’s shows off his improved game at the NBAPA Camp

June 21, 2010 Mark Watson

CHARLOTTESVILLE - One player that showed off his skills at the NBAPA Camp was future Duke player Michael Gbinije. The first thing I noticed was how much better his on ball defense was but more importantly he didn't have those little quiet stretches he had been previously known for. The words "stay aggressive," have been pounded into the rising senior by the Duke coach staff and Gbinije is adhering to their advice. Gbinije is a silent killer, not particularly flashy but brilliantly effective while on the court. In fact, he finished as the camps 6th leading scorer and he did that playing withing his teams system and his coached concepts. This is the first of two chats with Gbinije that we are bringing premium members and you are sure to love his comments on Kyrie Irving, his development and his maturity due to a frenetic summer.

How has the camp gone for you thus far?

I missed yesterday due to the Team USA Trials but this morning has gone great. There has been a lot of good drills and coaching by previous NBA players.

What did you take away from the USA tryouts?

I experienced different things like maturity. A lot of the players were already in college, so seeing where I fit in and knowing what I need to work on as far as my individual game helps me prepare.

You looked good in transition in your first game, can you speak to that?

The half court sets are pretty much a slow and developed for the bigs but for the guards you're supposed to run out. That's like the best thing we can do in getting the bigs away from the game and pretty much like put the pressure on the defense which is very important.

Can you talk a bit about the USA tryouts?

It was a three day tryout and[private] on the third day we had a practice in the morning and after that they pretty much picked the team. It was like 21 people trying out and they kept like 14.

Were you disappointed with not making the squad?

Yeah, I was disappointed but it's alright.

Why did you choose Duke and how do you feel like you'll fit in there?

I think I'm a good fit because they are perimeter oriented and they use a whole bunch of guards and versatile players where Coach K gives them a lot of freedom on the court. Another reason is becaue of Coach K. I just think he's the best coach now and he knows how to put players in a situation to win.

Have you talked to anyone from the Duke staff of late?

I talked to Coach K on the phone before going out to San Antonio. He told me just to play hard and play my best.

What are your goals the rest of the way at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp?

Try not to lose anymore games but at the same time play aggressive and my best.

You played with future Duke players Kyrie Irving and Josh Hairston. What was that like?

Kyrie is going to be one of the best point guards and he knows how to get everybody involved and he can do it for his size to.

That was a broad smile when you spoke of Irving.

Yeah. I can't forget about Josh. He knows the game and sets a lot of screens, his IQ is very good.

What do you like about Irving?

There is nothing like an unselfish point guard. He knows where you're going to be when he drives and can kick out to create easy buckets for people.

We will have another Q & A session coming with Gbinije. [/private]

Duke Basketball

NBAPA Top 100 Camp Day Two – Gbinije is the camps 6th leading scorer

June 19, 2010 Mark Watson

CHARLOTTESVILLE - One of the coaches and mentors at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp is former Blue Devil Chris Duhon. We chatted with Duhon and you'll hear what he had to say early next week. If you think he was taking it easy on the kids in drills think again. He stuffed one camper as he went up for a jump shot to challenge the free agent.

Soon to be Blue Devil Tyler Adams again challenged all comers on the glass, grabbing 10 rebounds in one of the days games. Adams was sporting a wrist support by tonight's game and he told BDN he sprained the wrist during the morning session. The injury happened earlier this AAU season. Adams intimidated [private] a couple of players into turnovers, but he needs work on his help defense. One thing I loved was that it was Adams, the man in the middle talking to his teammates directing them to men on the defensive end. In short, he knew where to be on the court. Bottom line is that the Celtics only consistent player is Adams who went for 11 and 15 points on Friday.

Will the real Rodney Hood please stand up! If you are a member of BDN Premium you may remember that Duke was once looking at the Mississippi native. Hood seemingly regressed dropping in the rankings, but if his play during the NBAPA Camp is something he can repeat on a regular basis, then he is back and once again moving up in the rankings. Hood told BDN that his list of schools were firm at around nine, but he said if the right team came in he'd open the door. For what it's worth, Hood's dream school growing up was, you got it, Duke.

We checked out Rodney Purvis and secured an interview and I must say the 2013 prospect is as advertised.

And then there is Deuce Bello. Wow! This guy is good. The first year I saw him he was but an athlete but he is know turning into a smarter basketball player that has a really solid handle and blow by speed. Easily one of the tournaments best and most consistent players. Bello is averaging 12.0 ppg.

A big guy that was calling for the ball today was named Marshall Plumlee. The Duke prospect was more aggressive today and he once again drew several fouls. Unlike last evening, he nailed his free throws today. As we noted Plumlee will visit Virginia after the event where he will meet with Coach Bennett. However, a good meeting took place with Coach K and Wojo recently and considering his brothers are at Duke, I kind of think he will opt that way in due time. Plumlees scoring numbers from today were 6 and 2.

After a great start in the event, Amile Jefferson's game tailed off significantly on the offense in the early game

Man was I happy to see J.P. Tokoto get a few points in. Tokoto started the game with two air balls and they were some kind of ugly ten to fifteen foot shots. He finally got an easy one and then nailed one from the outside. That means he is averaging a whopping 1.0 ppg good for 103rd in scoring. He's a good player for sure but needs serious work on the offensive end of the court, especially with his outside game. I really think he needs to play for his AAU teams 17 U team to get better. Despite the rumors of a Carolina lean which may be true for him, his stepfather will not let him rush into a decision and this one will go on for a bit.

Then there is Kaleb Tarczewskiwho seems warm when talking of Duke. Coach K gave him a call not long ago and Chris Collins started the ball rolling. This 2012 kid is going to be a good center in college and he is not afraid to mix it up. He blocked Cody Zellers shot so hard that he hit the floor. He threw down two moster slams as well, but Zeller had his best game of the tournament scoring 20. It was Tarczewski's teams first loss.

Then there was Michael Gbinije, the silent assassin who tossed in 16 and 15 points making him the camps 6th leading scorer. [/private]

Duke Basketball

BDN on the scene in Akron – Miller tosses in 25 and Gbinije has a solid game

April 24, 2010 Mark Watson

quicny miller — BDN's Andrew Slater is on the scene in Akron, Ohio where he is sending back results as they happen this weekend. Another reason to join Blue Devil Nation Premium where we are more than a little active on the recruiting trail. Join and talk about the results from the weekend with other members in our private forums.

AKRON - The Blue Devil Nation's Andrew Slater is on hand for the LeBron James "King James" camp in Akron ,Ohio.

Just this morning Michael Gbinije's numbers were 10 of 13 (0 for 1 3pt FG), 2 for 3 FT totaling 22 points, 2 assists, 6 rebounds ( 2 off), 2 steals, 1 block. Quincy Miller followed with a 25 point effort and if you are or were a premium subscriber these are the kind of updates you would get as it happens. So, why not join the hottest premium Duke site on the web and get what we feel is the best overall information in the business.

Some of BDN Premium's benefits are -

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