Tag Archives: Zion Williamson

Duke Basketball

A Dozen Feel-Good Takeaways From Duke’s Win

With the exception of an unfortunate injury to Cassius Stanley as he was warming up, yesterday was a total feel-good day for the Duke Blue Devils.

The Return of Zion Williamson

The former Duke standout has taken the world by storm and is now an attraction wherever he turns up. Williamson had participated in the NBA Rising Star game the night before wowing fans with his play. He went out of his way to make it to Duke in time to catch part of the game and when he entered necks were bending. Williamson was also able to see Mike Buckmire collect a late-game basket and it was clear that tickled him. Williamson went to the Duke locker room after the win and hung out with players but he did not address the media, not wanting to take the focus off the team. He spoke with the aforementioned Cassius Stanley who was not able to play in the locker room.

The Return of Tyus "Stones" Jones

A national champion was in Cameron yesterday. Tyus Jones came back to sit with his mom Debbie who is recovering after a health scare. The two were able to see Tre who is having a banner season for the Blue Devils. Tyus spoke with some in the media and it was clear he was there for his brother He also told me they would be able to spend some time together that evening.

D-E-F-E-N-S-E

It is fair to say that Notre Dame guards Rex Pfluger and T,J, Gibbs will not soon forget the Blue Devils defense on them. They were both held scoreless. The Duke defense was stellar in pushing the Irish off the three-point stripe which is their bread and butter strength. In fact, the Irish were held to a season-low made three's. Duke also scored 19 points off forced Notre Dame turnovers and their thing is ball protection.

Matthew Hurt is Playing his Best Ball of Late

At times this season, Matthew Hurt has struggled to adjust to the physicality of the college game. He has turned a corner of late and his 12 points and 9 rebounds were somewhat lost in a game where so many players had success. There was a play in the first half when Irish star John Moody was guarding Hurt and banging on him hard. Hurt backed him down despite the no calls and connected on a mid-range shot. If Hurt continues to hit the boards as he did yesterday and grows his inside game to go with his three-point shot, we will be talking about him a lot moving forward.

Goldwired

The most pleasant surprise this season is the play of Jordan Goldwire. He flat out shut down Irish guards. His offense is getting better and he was working with Duke assistant Chris Carrawell two hours before the game started. The one play where he was relentless on defense, gained a steal and connected on a drive on the other end was a crowd-pleaser. He will be further tested by a guard-heavy Wolfpack team next.

Big Vern Shows Off

Vernon Carey Jr took over in the first half against the Irish. He took it to John Mooney and showed he was at times unstoppable when he gets intense. Carey has been a difference-maker for Duke this season and he is the best big man in the league. Once Duke took a commanding lead, Carey's numbers dropped off, but he made a definite statement in the game,

Tre Jones

Make no mistake, the keys to the machine are owned by Tre Jones. His play continued to be top-notch on both sides of the ball as his brother and mom looked on. His steady play gives Duke two player of the year candidates. Duke is 33-4 when he scores in double-digits.

Duke Won Their 7th Straight Game

The Blue Devils are playing as well as any team in the nation as they won their seventh consecutive game. Duke is likely to move up in the rankings but a very hungry N.C. State team awaits them next. Duke rolled the Irish and never looked back once that started. The smashing of the Irish was a near-perfect performance.

The Win Puts Duke in 1st Place

The Blue Devils moved into sole possession of 1st place in the ACC with their blowout win over Notre Dame. Louisville stumbled at Clemson earlier in the day and that allowed for Duke to take a half-game lead in the standings.

Quinn Cook Return

The Los Angeles Lakers Quinn Cook was the other part of the 2015 National Champion backcourt to return from the NBA All Star break to take in a game. Always popular, the Crazies could not manage to get him to sit with them. He conversed a bit with mentor Nolan Smith on the bench once the game was in control. Cook had to head out shortly after with big Duke win to get back to business.

Everybody Contributed

We have mentioned some of the players which played well for Duke, but yesterday had a lot of good performances. Javin DeLaurier logged good minutes and he is playing well of late. Alex O'Connell had a team-high 4 steals to go with his 12 points for a super effort. Joey Baker scored 8 points in 14 minutes as well. And Justin Robinson and Mike Buckmire scored in late-game minutes.

Cassius Stanley Will Be Fine

I have no idea how a manager scratched Cassius Stanley's eye in the pre-game warm-ups. I do know he hated missing the game with former players back. As I said in opening this was one of the few negative moments. But the silver lining is he will be ready to go when Duke travels to N.C. State and that is good news and a way to close the feel-good dozen.

Duke Basketball

Zion Williamson Shines at ESPY’s

Zion Williamson

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Former Duke men’s basketball standout Zion Williamson added another trophy to his collection Wednesday evening, winning the ESPY as the 2019 College Athlete of the Year.

Williamson becomes the first Duke men’s basketball player to win an ESPY, and just the fourth nominated. In 2002, both Shane Battier and Jason Williams were nominated for the College Athlete of the Year, while J.J. Redick was nominated in 2006.

“I want to thank Duke University and Coach K for letting me perform on the highest platform,” said Williamson during his acceptance speech. “And a shout out to The Brotherhood -- I wish they could have been here with me. I love Duke, and wish I could have stayed a second year.”

The No. 1 overall pick by the New Orleans Pelicans in last month’s 2019 NBA Draft, Williamson was the consensus National Player of the Year and a consensus first-team All-America selection. He became the first freshman in ACC history to be named both ACC Player of the Year and ACC Tournament MVP in the same season.

The other 2019 nominees for the College Athlete of the Year were Kyler Murray (Oklahoma football), Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon women’s basketball) and Rachel Garcia (UCLA softball).

https://youtu.be/Uba2WkXyt1g

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Zion Williamson Wins the Naismith POY

COLUMBIA, SC - MARCH 22: North Dakota State v Duke

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Duke freshman Zion Williamson was named the 2019 winner of the Citizen Naismith Trophy that was handed out Sunday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the men’s college basketball most outstanding player.

Williamson becomes just the third to win the award as a freshman, joining Kentucky’s Anthony Davis (2012) and Texas’ Kevin Durant (2007). The Spartanburg, S.C., native edged out three other finalists for this year’s trophy -- juniors Rui Hachimura (Gonzaga) and Grant Williams (Tennessee) and sophomore Ja Morant (Murray State).

The announcement and presentation of the Citizen Naismith Trophy -- named after the inventor of basketball, Dr. James Naismith – was made at the Naismith Awards Brunch at the Nicollet Island Pavilion in downtown Minneapolis.

“I want to thank the Citizen Naismith committee for selecting me as the Player of the Year,” said Williamson. “It is truly an honor to receive this, and join such an elite list of former Blue Devils to have also won the award. There were so many great players who could have won this award this year. I can’t thank my teammates, coaches and family enough for helping me. This is a team award, and it’s an honor for me to accept this on behalf of my brothers.”

Williamson is the eighth Blue Devil to claim the top honor, giving Duke the most trophy wins by any program. J.J. Redick (2006) was the school’s most recent honoree, with the list of Blue Devils also including Jason Williams (2002), Shane Battier (2001), Elton Brand (1999), Christian Laettner(1992), Danny Ferry (1989) and Johnny Dawkins (1986).

Laettner, Virginia’s Ralph Sampson and UCLA’s Bill Walton were among the former Naismith winners on hand Sunday to help present Williamson his trophy.

“Zion is absolutely deserving of this year’s Citizen Naismith Trophy,” said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “He handled himself with such class and humility this season, especially given what he accomplished, both individually and with his team. Zion is a great representative of the game, and is a pleasure to coach. Duke has a long history of Naismith winners, and Zion certainly belongs in that elite company.”

A consensus first-team All-American and the AP, USBWA and NABC Player of the Year, the ACC Player of the Year and the ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player, Williamson was a force on both ends of the floor. He finishing tied for the ACC lead in scoring with 22.6 ppg, third in rebounding (8.9 rpg), second in steals (2.1) and fifth in blocks (1.8). His .680 field goal percentage led the ACC and is second nationally.

In leading Duke to the program’s 21st ACC Championship and 22nd Elite Eight appearance, the freshman averaged 26.4 points and 9.1 rebounds in seven postseason games.

Duke Basketball

Duke vs Michigan State – The Last Minute List

Can Tre Jones put together another great game? Or will the Spartans defense send him and his teammates home? A lot of questions will be answered tomorrow.

The Duke Blue Devils will take on the Michigan State Spartans with a trip to the Final Four on the line.  With the game just hours away, let's take a look at the matchup.

Forget the Past

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has a gaudy record against Michigan State and Tom Izzo.  Duke leads the series 12-2 and has a 4-1 mark in the NCAA Tournament, but forget about it for that means nothing when the ball is tipped tomorrow.  These two teams have only one thing in common with the past and that is their uniforms and being two top-notch programs.  The record book means nothing.

Forty Minutes and maybe more

Duke must come out willing to play consistently.  The Blue Devils squandered some mild leads to hang on against Central Florida and Virginia Tech with lapses.  Whichever team is prepared to bring it end to end and the one with the best focus will enjoy a trip to the Final Four.  A season ago, the basketball Gods were unkind to a Grayson Allen tip in that rimmed out.  If you take care of your business it may not come down to that,

Respect your opponent

I doubt the Duke staff lets the team be overconfident.  If this does not happen, the team returns to Durham and some of the talented freshmen will soon be gone.  Teams must live in the moment and make the safe plays at times over the crowd-pleasing ones for the margin of error shrinks in tournament games, especially the Elite Eight.

Will Cam play?

Sure, Cam Reddish can knock down the three ball, but his defense is underrated.  His presence allows Duke to play the passing lanes in a more active manner and his long arms take up a lot of space.  Reddish is a game-time decision, but the team will need him.

The Spartans are Red Hot

Sparty is 10-1 in their last eleven games and they swept Michigan who most thought should be flip-flopped in their regions.  Obviously, the one and two seeds made it to the final in the East to nobody's surprise.  Duke is hot too after winning the ACC Tournament but they have looked quite mortal of late.  This game means the world to the Spartans fan base, but the same holds true for Duke and this is one of Mike Krzyzewski's best shots to make it back to the Final Four since 2015.

Duke Must Be Strong with the Ball

Michigan State plays stellar half-court defense where it seems like hands are everywhere.  When Duke is in its half-court offense they need to pay attention to having strong hands for if not, the turnovers will come.  In a game with this meaning, making safe plays outweighs the showtime style.

The Word is Out

In my preseason preview, I mentioned four possible weaknesses.  The first, of course, was injuries in that Duke is not especially deep with players ready for prime time.  The second was that they could struggle from the three-point stripe and third, free throw shooting would be important.  The fourth thing I listed was that teams with good guards and physical wings would give Duke trouble, especially if they hit the three ball.  Well, Michigan State fits the bill.  Duke must push them off the stripe and make them drive.

May the Stars be Stars

Zion Williamson has had an amazing season and he should touch the ball in every half court possession.  Good things happen when he gets the ball.  The same goes for RJ Barrett who is a flat out stat stuffer.  Michigan State has a lot of capable defenders to guard him, so his vision will play a key role.  Making the safe passes will make Duke more efficient and tougher to beat.

Board the Offensive Glass

Duke has not been especially good on the offensive glass of late and Michigan State is a solid rebounding team.  And they board from many positions with their activity.  Duke needs to block out and hustle for the loose balls in this contest.

Of course,  it will be tense...

This is a matchup of college basketball heavyweights.  The Big 10 Champ against the ACC Champ and that means there will be plenty of tense moments.  Duke has won their last two games by 2 points and they may have another game that comes down to the final buzzer.  Hey, whatever it takes, right?

How Fresh?

Mike Krzyzewski mentioned that his team was fresh coming into the D.C. regional or fresher was his exact term.  Does that still hold true after the late game where the team got little rest?  It will probably depend on how the staff handles this evening before the 5:05 start.

What will happen?

Who knows, but it will be a battle of styles.  Duke will try to get out and press some while Michigan State will lean heavily on the three ball while hitting the board with their usual reckless abandon.  Can Duke get back to more dominating performances?  Will Michigan State play lights out ball to end the pain of their past against Duke?  It will come down to heart and soul and playing a good forty minutes of basketball.

X-Factor

The X-Factor could be an unexpected player stepping up and whether Duke is with or without Cam Reddish, their whole roster needs to play well.  The problem with the X-Factor is that it can work both ways and players who step up become heroes.

The Last Word

Do not look ahead.  Be in the moment and you may cut down the nets as the Eastern Regional Champs.  Texas Tech upset Gonzaga and awaits the winner, but that is to be discussed once the business at hand is accomplished.