Tag Archives: Zion Williamson

Duke Basketball

Zion Williamson Likely to Miss UNC Game

After a close win over Wake Forest, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski said that Zion Williamson would likely miss the game at North Carolina.

"This afternoon, Zion actually did some basketball stuff.  Good.  Good.  He is getting more confidence.  I don't think he will be ready on Saturday.  I have to be careful in pushing him and give him a chance to get in game shape.  But I would be surprised if he wasn't ready by the ACC tournament," said Mike Krzyzewski.

Williamson missed his fou8rth consecutive game against Wake Forest.   Krzyzewski said he could know more on Zion Williamson on Friday.

When question again on Williamson, Krzyzewski said we are going to have him back, so it is just a matter of when.

Duke Basketball

Duke is Set to Take on ACC Schedule

After a long break, the Duke men's basketball team returns to the court this Saturday evening to take on Clemson in both teams ACC opener.  Duke will do so ranked as the number one team in America after going 11-1 during the non-conference portion of the schedule.

During the seasons opening stretch, the Blue Devils won a memorable game over Kentucky in dominant fashion in.  They would be humbled against Gonzaga but also gathered wins over solid teams in Auburn, Indiana and Texas Tech.

The Blue Devils have also become must-see basketball where they dominate the likes of the ESPN airwaves with the teams' exploits.  While R.J. Barrett is the teams alpha player, it is Zion Williamson that has set the world on fire.

Williamson has made it clear that no analysts can properly describe his game to date,  The young phenoms game is more than powerful dunks.  He has shown an uncanny potential to flourish in any on the court situation and his every move is watched.

Duke has also developed quite nicely around their two high scoring stars.  Tre Jones has run the point guard position effectively and his defense often starts the machine and its roll.

Cam Reddish has struggled at times, but his potential points to more consistent play and aggressiveness during ACC play.  But when the four freshmen play together, they are at times unbeatable.

In the preseason, most analysts felt Javin DeLaurier and Marques Bolden would share the fifth starting spot.  Both of these players have shown flashes of solid play.  An injury set DeLaurier back a bit and Bolden has had some moments.

The most surprising contributor to date has been Jack White.  In fact, he is currently the fifth man due to his ability to fit in seamlessly.  White is flourishing in his captain's role on and off the court.

Duke has also been able to develop more depth in the way of Alex O'Connell.  A timely three-pointer here and there but more importantly being better on defense has made him an option.

The team will now face the gauntlet known as the ACC schedule.  And the league is good.  Florida State, North Carolina, N.C. State, Virginia, Virginia Tech are all off to solid starts and each is ranked.

The Duke staff will now have to prepare the team in a short time between games until the NCAA Tournament ends.

By all accounts, the time off has been beneficial for the players before the ACC slate,  It is the last time they can really catch their breath and reflect on how things have gone to date.   Those lessons learned can help prepare them for the stretch run.

From this point forward, the games and lessons come quickly.  In a sense, Duke is ahead of the curve with concern to chemistry,  This seasons teams core was set early on and there is little to no controversy to date.

It will be important for the collective team to learn in the coming battles, who takes shots and when in close contests.   When it is time to leak out into the passing lanes instead of leaving others open and so and much more.  Those are the lessons which will help guide them to their goal of getting to the Final Four.

One thing we know for certain.  That being that the hype will not go away.  During ACC play, Duke will have to learn to deal with expectations and how hard it is to bring your A game every night.  In short, they will get every teams best shot.

While this team has yet to achieve anything in the way of championships, they surely have the potential to be special.  This team has the air of those special teams past but it will take continued work and some luck for the ultimate success.

It will surely be fun for the Duke fan base to watch as the season unfolds with what has become one of the more likable teams in memory.  And that is saying a lot for Duke fans love all their teams.

Strap yourself in for what is now the greatest show in college basketball.  But there will be some bumps along the way and how the team deals with them will ultimately decide if they become truly special in the way of title memories.

 

 

Duke Basketball

The Duke Basketball Season is Upon Us

Well, the Duke Basketball season is upon us and what a way to open things up.  The Blue Devils will face off with the Kentucky Wildcats tomorrow evening in Indianapolis, IN in a matchup of college hoops heavyweights.  So, what are my thoughts going into the game?

Win or lose, it will be a learning experience

Mike Krzyzewski has one of the youngest teams he's ever coached.  While this group is immensely talented, they still start four new freshmen,  This game will be a measuring stick for the program for Krzyzewski has in no way implemented his full hand yet with concern to how this team will look in March.  This is by no means a must-win game for either team.  It is instead, a game for college basketball fans around the world to celebrate the tip-off to another season.  And, yes, the winner will stay atop the polls for sure, but the loser will not fall too far in the rankings.

What are the potential weaknesses for Duke this season?

If you watched the ESPN special eight-part series on Duke Basketball, you will see Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski addressing his team.  One of the things thee things he mentioned was that players needed to be better three-point shooters via their approach.  Duke does not have a lot of known three-point artists on this years team, so many of the players are getting accustomed to adding the shot to their resume,  This, in turn, will reflect on two other areas of play in rebounding the ball and knocking down free throws.  Duke is not as big up front and could go small, so that means all players will need to hit the boards and they could struggle against teams like Kentucky which have big, fully grown men in their frontcourt.  As for free throw shooting, Duke should get to the line often, so struggling in any of the three aforementioned areas could haunt them at some point of the season,

What are the potential strengths

The defense will be improved where Krzyzewski has shown he will go man to man much more often.  Duke is long and athletic and can get in passing lanes while pressuring the ball.   This team will run.  When the breaks are there, Duke will be off and running.  Duke will also benefit from knowing their roles and or chemistry this season.   asked veteran players in the locker room about this and they said this team is together on and off the court.  I suppose we have to mention how ridiculously good the freshman class is as well.  R.J. Barrett is an alpha dogs, alpha dog.  Zion Williamson is a pleasure to watch skywalk, Cam Reddish knocking down threes is nice too.  And all three can pass the ball as can true PG Tre Jones.  Duke will benefit greatly from having a more traditional point this season in their positionless scheme.

How can Duke beat Kentucky

It will not be easy for Duke to beat Kentucky in that the Wildcats are a solid nine players deep and they have some grown men in their lineup.  You just cannot concentrate on any one player for there is a danger at each position on the court.   One thing which Duke needs to do is stay out of foul trouble early and the whole game for that matter.  Duke loses a lot of talent when they go to their bench, but there are players capable of quality minutes there and they need to step up against the Cats.  If those two things happen, Duke will be tight their in what should be a tense and close game before the final buzzer sounds.

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Early season test will prepare Duke for the ACC and March

Duke has a very challenging early season schedule which includes tomorrow evenings opener against Kentucky.  The Blue Devils will face stiff competition in Hawaii for the Maui Invitational where they can run into highly ranked Auburn and Gonzaga, not to mention Arizona.  Even the opener against San Diego State is tough.  Duke will take on one of the most underrated teams in the nation when they face Indiana in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge and mark my words, the Hoosiers will have move up the polls by then.  These games along with a brutal ACC schedule and a late-season contest with St. Johns, where Mike Cragg now resides as the AD will have them a seasoned bunch before March Madness.

Who do I think will be good in the ACC this season?

The league is loaded.  I voted for Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, and Syracuse in no particular order in the top four and have Virginia Tech, Florida State close behind.  N.C. State will be better than some think, never sleep on Miami.  Clemson will be solid and Notre Dame has an interesting roster.    I went a little outside the box and voted Tyus Battle preseason ACC POY and R.J. Barrett as the top freshman.  I also place both Barrett and Zion Williamson on the first team.  It is a safe bet that Duke will have no less than three newcomers on the ACC All-Freshman team at seasons end.

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What is Al Featherstons take?

Al thinks this years team can reach the Final Four but that a lot has to go right.  He felt Marques Bolden contributing solid minutes is a major key to success as is bench development of the seventh man in crunch time.  I watched all of the games in Canada with Al before he passed on this morning and he was excited to see what the team would look like with Cam Reddish and Tre Jones in the lineup.  He scanned over the last exhibitions games box score fervently before saying, they're going to be pretty damn good.  I will miss talking Duke history with Al and was honored he valued my opinion.  I had hoped he'd make it through what may be a special season.

BDN Premium Special Still Available

We are still offering a special rate for new or former Blue Devil Nation premium subscribers of 60 bucks for one year.  I will be talking recruiting happenings later this week while offering up behind the scenes tidbits.

 

Duke Basketball

Duke Basketball Press Conference Tidbits

Duke Basketball tidbits - Reddish will not play in Canada.

Here are some highlights from Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and players Marques Bolden, Javin DeLaurier and R.J. Barret before the teams trip to Canada.

Quick hits -

  • Marques Bolden said that the freshman are fundamentally sound and know how to do the little things already.
  • Bolden was asked about the transfer rumors a season ago and said it was never a true option for him.
  • Bolden said that much of his offseason work concentrated on his motor and eating habits.
  • Javin DeLaurier worked out with teammate Justin Robinson and his Dad David in the offseason where he took kickboxing lessons and also yoga while in San Antonio.
  • DeLaurier said his role was to lead as an upperclassman and that he joked with Bolden that they were the older guys now.  He joked that the freshman came up and asked if there were practices on Saturdays in which they laughed.
  • The freshman are especially close and work hard and are ready to listen according to DeLaurier.
  • R.J. Barrett said he was excited to return home with Duke and see his friends.
  • Barrett said he had worked on his outside game and hoped people backed off him in games.
  • Barrett said that a big part of his game was to make plays and that he could run the point if needed.
  • Barrett said he has achieved good things while in Canada and grew up watching Andrew Wiggins and that the younger generation now looks up to him.
  • Barrett said Javin was one of the hardest workers he has seen.
  • Barrett said that Krzyzewski just allows him to play and he was one of the funniest guys he knows.
  • Krzyzewski said he just wanted his players to play to their strengths without position worries.
  • Krzyzewski glowed when he talked about Zion Williamson calling him a great player and young man on and off the court.  He said his weight was proportioned to his body type and that he had good lateral quickness.

 

Duke Basketball

Coach K Talks Practices to Date

Coach K

The first Mike Krzyzewski coached Duke team to take an offseason foreign trip was the 1983 group to France.  Freshman at that time could not make the journey per NCAA rules, but that has now changed.

Thank goodness for said changes, in that Duke will rely heavily on freshman this season and two of them in Tre Jones and Cam Reddish will be sidelined for their upcoming Canadian trip.

It was announced earlier today, that Cam Reddish is hobbled by a groin injury and that Tre Jones had yet to recover fully from an issue with his hip.  While both players will be ready to go for the season and are participating in some drills, Krzyzewski will err on the side of caution and sit his prized freshman but did call the injuries minor.

Duke has completed seven of ten allowed practices to date.  "So far, I couldn't be more pleased with the chemistry that has developed and these guys have been really fun to coach," said Krzyzewski.

Krzyzewski also said they have not been pushing conditioning as of yet, stating that his team was in decent shape but the staff did not want to push them too early. "For this trip, it is impossible to put in your entire system, so we are trying to keep it simple and see how our guys play."

As for the veterans, Krzyzewski said that Javin DeLaurier has played great and not just good.  And that Marques Bolden was healthy and adjusting to a new position and how he will be used.

Other notes from his press conference were that Jack White has lost ten pounds and is shooting the ball better per Krzyzewski and Alex O'Connell has been playing well.

The Duke coach also said the team would run a different offense this season with five men out and more motion.  And there was a strong hint that the team would get back to playing some man to man defense.

Before Kryzewsski came out for the media, R.J. Barrett took to the podium.  He was asked if there were instances where he could run the point as a lead ball handler in which he said yes.  Krzyzewski would later say that as well, "Having those two guys (Jones, Reddish) out will hurt our ball handling for the trip and there will be more emphasis with R.J. being out there.  Alex O'Connell will help and Zion (Williamson)  will be all over the place "

Krzyzewski also said this years group would be good defensively and that they would do a lot of things differently than a season ago on offense where he expects the players to have the freedom to create.

Duke will leave for the Toronto area on Sunday where they will play three games in six days.

GAME SCHEDULE
August 15, 2018, 7 p.m. ET Game 1 vs. Ryerson University Hershey Centre 
August 17, 2018, 6 p.m. ET Game 2 vs. University of Toronto Hershey Centre 
August 19, 2018, 3 p.m. ET Game 3 vs. McGill University Place Bell

 

Duke Basketball

Duke Basketball Sunday Happenings

The Duke men's basketball staff has been busy of late on the recruiting trail.  Today, Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff are visiting Vernon Carey Jr. in Florida.  The 2019 Power Forward is s sure thing prospect.  For more on who Duke has visited lately and some other interesting information on Carey, join Blue Devil Nation Premium during our two for one membership special.

Two future Blue Devils will also be on display today during the Jordan Brand Classic which tips off at 5:00 on ESPN.  Tre Jones and Cam Reddish will suit up for the moe squad in today's contest.  Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett were scheduled to play on the same squad but will sit out the event.  Williamson has his thumb in a cast for three weeks after injuring it at the McDonald's All American game.  Barrett has had an extraordinarily busy schedule and will sit out the event.  All of the current Duke signees have been select to play in the Nike Hoop Summit which starts  next week.  Blue Devil Nation expects Williamson to sit out that event as well but it is likely Barrett will play.

Duke lost Gary Trent Jr. to the NBA yesterday.  We dreamed of a rekindled backcourt of Tre Jones and Trent whom played together on the AAU circuit and in high school.  But Trent is a hard worker who is mature beyond his years and ready for the challenge.  Duke will miss his three-point accuracy and mental toughness.  He joins Marvin Bagely III and Trevon Duval as Blue Devils who will enter the draft.  We should hear news from Wendell Carter Jr. soon.  Carter is a projected lottery pick.  All of these players gave their hearts and soul to Duke which fell just short of the Final Four as Grayson Allen's shot rimmed out.  As for Allen, he is currently speaking with agents as are others.

The off-season is a busy time for Duke Basketball.  All Star games are winding down while recruiting is still going on.  Duke will soon start their exit interviews with players after class completes for the semester.  More on that and much else on the Blue Devil Nation message board.

In short, Duke Basketball never stops.