Tag Archives: Ryan Kelly

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]

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, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

N.C. Pro Am Report – Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee

August 5, 2009 Mark Watson

Ryan Kelly dunks - Special to BDN - C/R Rick Crank Photo

Two Duke freshman took to the court at NC Central University to participate in the N.C. Pro Am on Tuesday evening. Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee were very efficient on the offensive end going for a combined 10 of 13 from the floor.

Mason Plumlee's Team Duhon came into the game undefeated, but were without the service of Jon Scheyer, a key contributor. After getting out to a 12 point lead, they wilted down the stretch losing their first game 68-64 to Team Navy. In the end it was guard play which brought about their first loss.

A timely Plumlee steal and assist brought his team within one point, but a free throw and an uncontested lay in on the other end sealed their fate. But the skill set which stood out tonight for Plumlee was his passing ability.

Plumlee had 3 assists in the first quarter alone on his way to 5 total for the game. He continued to show off his versatility and made some strong finishes down low. When the dust cleared, Plumlee shot an effective 5 of 7 from the field for 13 points. He was 0-2 from the free throw line but had a game high 8 rebounds to go with 4 blocked shots and 4 turnovers.

His teammate, Ryan Kelly helped his team to a blowout win. Kelly, who came into the game off a 26 point performance last Thursday missed a single shot going 5 of 6 from the field. Kelly also drained all three of his free throws to end the evening with 14 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

Plumee finishes - special to BDN - Rick Crank Photo

Kelly deferred to C.J. Leslie (20 points) on the scoring end, but probably had his best performances while Roy Williams came to see Leslie the preceding week. He showed good spacing and unlike many others in the event, set picks for his teammates. Kellys team will now go into Friday's playoffs which begin on Friday and end on Sunday of this week. Team Duhon has a Thursday evening game before the end of their regular play.

Duke walk on Casey Peters played in the following game and had 4 points, all from the line in the first quarter of his game. A conflicting schedule did not allow us to see any more action beyond that time.

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

Kelly, Scheyer and Plumlee help their teams to a win at the N.C. Pro Am

July 8, 2009 Mark Watson

Special to Blue Devil Nation from Rick Crank Photography

Day two is in the books for the 2009 N.C. Pro AM and once again it was another entertaining night of basketball at N.C. Central University. Three Blue Devils played this evening, the incoming freshman Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly and Jon Scheyer.

Kelly wound up with 15 points and 7 rebounds and 1 blocked shot. His team was down double digits throughout the contest but staged a late comeback to win the game. During that stretch, Kelly hit two free throws with 1:38 left to give his team a one point lead.

On of Kelly's teammates was UNC's Ed Davis. The two teamed well on the front line and Kelly looked for Davis when he had the ball, but the normally solid Davis struggled with just 6 points on the evening, looking frustrated at times.

Kelly also went up against David Best (10 points), a strong and aggressive player during the majority of the game. Best blocked Kelly's first shot of the game and dunked on the other end the next time down, but Kelly settled in nicely to lead his team in scoring after that. In fact, Ryan had 7 of his teams first 8 points as they struggled offensively to open the game.

Like Kelly, Scheyer and Plumlee helped lead their team to a comeback victory after being down 13 points in the first half. Scheyer started the game 0-3 where the ball just seemed to rim out for him. One of those plays still brought oohs and ahs as Plumlee missed a dunk and Jon jumped up and almost flushed it home on the tip, but it caromed out as the basket gave way.

Scheyer played a good floor game, showing he can run the point as he did last season, despite playing in a three guard offense. After missing his first free throw, he connected on the second and went 4 of 5 from the stripe in the game. One the next possession he connected on a three pointer and missed just one shot the rest of the way in route to 12 points. Scheyer also dished 4 assists and at least 4 blown assists.

Scheyers best offensive move was on the baseline where he weaved through and faked out three defenders to hit a shot at the first half buzzer capping off a comeback and giving Team Duhon momentum the rest of the way.

Mason Plumlee was saddled with early foul trouble but had two dunks early in the game and was 4 of 4 from the free throw stripe. He altered a few shots and grabbed around 6 boards. His Team Duhon won the game going away in the end 76-69. Plumlee was credited with 8 points, but their was one tip which seemed as if it were credited to another player.

On a couple of side notes, BDN ran into Robert Brickey who has accepted an assistant coaching position at North Carolina Central. Kyle Singler was not in the house for he's attending the LeBron James Skills Academy, a huge Nike event that BDN's Andrew Slater is covering for our subscribers. Slater has an interview coming with Singler where our

members sent in the questions which will run in our free section. He has secured interviews and scouted some of Duke's main prospects as well. Among the players mentioned are Roscoe Smith, Harrison Barnes, Andre Dawkins. Coach K, Wojo and Nate James are watching the Nike event as I type. For more the latest breaking information, join Blue Devil Nation Premium.

Thursday NC Prom Am Schedule at NCCU, admission is free -

6 pm Navy vs KG
7 pm Lucky 7 vs Team Duhon (M. Plumlee, Jon Scheyer, C. Du)
8 pm WR Starkey (L. Thomas, Kelly, Curry) vs Team PJ Tucker
9 pm Dreamworks vs E-Net (Singler, Miles Plumlee)

Not all players participate each evening