[private]The Blue Devils close out 2008 in style by defeating Loyola, Maryland 92-51 to raise their record to 11-1. There was little sign of lay off blues, save the fact that Duke hit just one three point field goal in route to 92 points.
Despite being cold from beyond the stripe, Duke was on target in all other phases of the game. Kyle Singler led the Dukies with 20 points.
Brian Zoubek had one of his best games of the season scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Gerald Henderson continued his stellar play of late, tallying 19 points. "G" as he is known by his teammates and staff was pretty much all over the court making several outstanding plays.
Hendersons play prompted Krzyzewski to say, “I think G now has put three really good games together. We need him, we need him badly – he and Jon and Kyle, really are the three guys that have to be there every day for us at a really high level.”
There will be no more breaks the rest of the season as ACC play begins in earnest. Duke will host Virginia Tech this Sunday and getting off to a good start against what has proved to be a tough match up will be vital.
“We’re excited to get going. Hopefully some of the students are back Sunday night to create a really good atmosphere in here. Virginia Tech has played a very difficult schedule. In Vassallo, they have one of the top scorers in the league. They’re a veteran team – I think they’re a really good basketball team. Once you start ACC play, everything is kind of even. That’s why you start 0-0 again,” said Krzyzewski.
Today's win was the Blue Devils 66th straight home victory ove an out of conference opponent. Check back in with the Blue Devil Nation this Friday for player quotes going into ACC play.
[private]In the long history of the Glaxo Smith Kline Holiday Invitational, last evenings contest between Christ School Arden and Word of God Raleigh could well be the most memorable game.
Christ School came from 17 points down to defeat Word of God 76-73 with every
Christ School Arden - 2008 Glaxo Invitational Holiday Tournaments Champions
possession being critical down the stretch and big plays were made time and time again.
Before a standing room only crowd at Raleigh Broughton High School, the two teams put on a most entertaining and competitive contest. In fact, it was one of those games where if you sneezed, you missed a great play, especially during a furious second half.
The game had it all -player and game intensity, a rocking crowd, steals and slams, multiple blocks by players in one sequence, great passing, You Tube instant classics ... well, you get the picture.
It was sort of like this - John Wall made the steal goes coast to coast in like two seconds and throws down a one handed sweeping dunk, Lakeem Jackson answers with a three point shot while blanketed with defense. Word of God got the ball up
Wall slahes to the rim with former AAU D-One teammate Mason Plumlee trying to alter his shot
quickly and found C.J. Leslie flashing along the baseline only to catch it and throw down a dunk. Not to be outdone Mason Plumlee throws the ball off glass, catches it in the same motion and throws down a thunderous dunk which is one of many spectacular plays that brought the crowd to their feet.
Word of God jumped out of the gates quickly with a break neck pressing defense and took a 23-11 lead after one quarter of play, knock the undefeated Greenies back on their heels.
"The first ten minutes or so, I was very upset with our lack of composure. I was more frustrated than upset, but we knew we weren't going to quit. We had to go out their and fight fire with fire," said Greenies Coach Gaines.
It seemed as if the gliding Wall was all over the place in that quarter, making several crowd pleasing plays. Wall took that play into the second quarter as well with the Rams continuing to stretch out their lead before the Greenies caught their breath.
Christ School Coach David Gaines said, "John (Wall) is the best north-south guy I have ever seen. You see it coming and we're pretty athletic, but even with two or
John Wall was named Most Outstanding Player - copyright BDNP
three guys on him or back, still I would often want to turn and look the other way because he is such a great finisher."
That was when Mason Plumlee got a scowl on his face just underneath where this writer was perched. Plumlee wasn't that productive early, but he wasn't about to disappoint those who had come to see him play.
Coach Krzyzewski, Wojo and Nate James were their having just watched Duke commitment Ryan Kelly. But a bit later his brother Miles Plumlee, Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Elliot Williams entered the arena and sat just behind their coaches while adoring fans began to sneak over for glimpses and autographs.
Of course, K and company are one of the schools highly interested in John Wall and hoping to secure a visit with him. Sydney Lowe and N.C. State assistants, sat just below the Duke staff on the floor as well. They were their to see Wall and C.J. Leslie.
Back to Mason - it's as if he wouldn't be denied and his play along with some inspired minutes from his younger brother Mashall (5 points, 5 rebounds) helped the Greenies close the gap to 42-35 at the half.
"At halftime there weren't a lot of X's and O's, we made a couple of adjustments, but the challenge was that you've got to come out and meet that physicality with the same," said Gaines."
Mason Plumlee told BDN after the game, "We knew we were the better team and we got ourselves in a hole early. During a timeout we decided we were going to be aggressive and take control."
As the second half started, Word of God picked up where they had left off and Christ
MAson Plumlee was named the tournament MVP - copyright BDNP
School found themselves behind double digits midway through the third quarter, but that's when the Greenies dug in and adjusted to the pace.
Part of the reason for the comeback was the Greenies front court, one which started to assert itself as the game went on. C.J. Leslie had been a beast for WOG early on, but the young star was held to just 7 points in the second half.
Another boost came from Reggie King who scored 11 second half points, many key baskets during the comeback. Tony Kimbrough also added 9 points.
Word of God refused to go away until the very end in this game and they were led by the countries top unsigned prospect in John Wall and he gave the fans quite a performance, scoring 28 points, grabbing 6 boards to go with 3 assists and 2 steals.
"We came out and played our game, but in the end we just didn't finish it off. I was able to penetrate and find lanes in their defense and that helped me to make some plays and get teammates the ball where they could finish. We'll just have to learn from this experience and move on," said Wall after the game.
N.C. State commitment, C.J. Leslie chipped in with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Leslie was later named to the All Tournament team.
"I told our guys we played well for 99% of the game. Our game plan was to keep
When Coach K attends events, he watches the games intensely, but he took time for some autographs from fans
them off the boards and we did a pretty good job of that," said Word of God Coach Beckwith after the contest. He continued by saying, "This team has made some tremendous strides in how they play together as a team."
Christ School had a more balanced attack putting four players in double figures. Reggie King had 13, Lucas Troutman 11 and another All Tournament team selection, Lakeem Jackson had 10.
After the game, the awards ceremony took place and Mason Plumlee was named the tournaments MVP while John Wall garnered the Most Outstanding Player. This was Christ Schools second Glaxo Championship.
"I'm running out superlatives. This guy (Mason Plumlee) was the catalyst to getting us back in it. Without saying anything and just through his actions he basically said we're getting back in this if I have to take over run the point, go down low or whatever. He's a winner and he competes like the dickins," said Coach Gaines with concerns to the future Blue Devil.
BDN asked Mason if he was trying to be emphatic with his dunks and he stated, "Yeah (smiling). There were a lot where I should have dunked, but went up soft and had them blocked. When I did get the opportunity I wanted to go strong."
Then I put him on the spot asking of the off the glass, catch and slam. I joked with Mason asking him if his Dad taught him that with his proud Father, Perky standing nearby. "You see a lot of stuff like that on You Tube. I saw Tracy McGrady do it in All Star games ... it's not something you practice it just worked out for me."
During the press conference Coach Gaines had said Mason took a couple of shots he wasn't sure about, but he couldn't help but glow a little bit with that statement. And while it may not have been a move his future college coach would suggest, it was surely a crowd pleasing move on a night where both teams left those in attendance with some memories.
Mason Plumlee, Coach David Gaines and Lakeem Jackson hold up the Glaxo Championship trophy[/private]
[private]Christ School advanced to the Glaxo Smith Kline Invitational Shavlik Randolph Foundation Championship by defeating Kinston 76-59. They will face Word of God tonight just after 9:00 in what should be an exciting match up. Ravenscroft will also take place in the championship game of the Summit Hospitality bracket against Centennial.
"Our half time adjustments were great and our defense confused them a little bit. It's hard to keep these guys up for five games in a row. Jackson and Plumlee ... I can't say enough about what they do for this team and we just have to get up for tomorrow night," said the Greenies Coach Gaines.
Christ School shot 61.7% from the field over a pesky Kinston team. The Greenies were led by South Carolina commitment Lakeem Jackson who tallied 18 points and 4 rebounds. He spent much of the night guarding UNC commitment Reggie Bullock who scored 17 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.
"For two years Lakeem has guarded the other guy's stars. We told him you have to guard Reggie Bullock. He (Jackson) takes such pride in his defense. Reggie made some great shots in the first half, but by in large Lakeem did a great job on him," said Gaines.
Duke bound Mason Plumlee was a force in the paint where he scored 15 points to go with 13 rebounds. Plumlee known for his uncanny passing skills for a big man dished out 7 assists.
"If this kid is not an All American, you've got to be kidding me. It's not going to be because he scores 25 points a night. Tonight we had him for 8 assists. He just produces in the big games for us. I would like to see him post up a little more and part of my barking at him was to get him to do that. But again, the kids a superstar," said Gaines when asked of Plumlee.
Plumlee was 7 of 10 from the field, two of those misses were three point shots. Plumlee is a shoo-in for the all tournament team and his field goal percentage has to be among the best at the event.
When asked of his passing ability for a big man, Plumlee told the Blue Devil Nation, "When you have good shooters like we do, you want to get them the ball. I've been watching the game since I was younger and a lot of my favorite players were great passers.
The Greenies pulled away late in the game after throwing a variety of defenses at Kinston. They must now prepare for Word of God, an athletic team which will press and push the ball.
Word of God of course, is led by the nation's top uncommitted prospect in John Wall. While their game wasn't pretty on the eyes due to numerous turnovers, they held St. Raymond to 30% shooting in a decisive 63-43 win.
"I think the biggest thing for us tonight was our defense. We gave up 10 points in the first quarter and 6 in the second. We had a little bit of a let down in the third, but came back strong in the fourth," said Word of God Coach Levi Beckwith.
Wall showed off his ability to get from end to end faster than any player in the high school ranks. He scored 14 points on 40% shooting from the field. He was 6 of 7 from the free throw stripe and dished out 4 assists.
"I'm just trying to be the leader I'm supposed to be and prepare for college," Wall told the Blue Devil Nation in a post game interview.
Another impressive stat line for Wall was his 9 rebounds which is a testament to his active feet. But his top stat was his 5 blocks, where two were on the same possession where he also started the break for an easy basket.
"We've watched them (Christ School) play the last two nights and Coach will give us our game plan. If we follow his game plan we win, if we do something outside his game plan we struggle to win. We will go home and rest tonight and we'll go over the game plan. It's going to be a tough game but we might come out with the win," stated Wall on his next opponent.
Coach Beckwith added, "We are going to need to make sure we did the same thing we did down low tonight which is number one make sure we're down there. Obviously we want to use our speed, but they have speed as well. We are going to do what we do just like they do. Their coach is probably sitting back when we are going to trap them half court - we are doing the same thing."
Ryan Kelly will lead Ravenscroft against Centennial in the first game this evening. Centennial is led by N.C. State commitment Lorenzo Brown. Another Pack commitment of interest is C.J. Leslie who plays for Word of God.
Once again, Broughton High School was filled to capacity and people were turned away in droves outside the venue. Duke Assistant Coach Nate James took in the action for the Blue Devils.
Blue Devil Nation Premium our subscription service has an exclusive one on one interview with John Wall and much more from last evening alone. Why not check out the hardest working premium site around and judge for yourself where you get the best basketball coverage to add to your fan experience. If you are a member of another site, once you check us out, you'll likely see the difference.[/private]
[private]Ravenscroft won their third consecutive game by disposing of Panther Creek 77-53. The Ravens put on a shooting clinic for much of the game ending up 73.5% from the field and a whopping 77.8% from the three point stripe.
The Ravens lost their first two games of the season during the Chic-Fil-A Invitational before winning their final contest of the event. Those losses did not settle with Coach Billerman and his
Kelly thunders to the hole against Panther Creek - copyright BDN Premium
team and thus far they've played with a chip on their shoulder in the continuing Glaxo Invitational in Raleigh, North Carolina.
"This is the type of basketball I think we can play. We started the game against their trapping defense hitting some wide open shots. We held them to four offensive rebounds and if we can do that every day, we'll be hard to beat," said Billerman shortly after the contest. The Ravenscroft Coach continued, "In my nine years it may have been the best game Ravenscroft has played."
Part of the resurgence can be attributed to their go-to player, Ryan Kelly. The Duke commitment scored a game high 30 points going 11 of 14 from the field to go with his 5 rebounds and two assists.
Kelly was 11 of 11 before missing a three point shot to break the streak.
"We got good shots early on and the whole team was knocking them down," said Kelly. "We were pushing the ball real well today and shooting as good as we did from three is pretty amazing."
Luke Davis also asserted himself with 20 points, while Panther Creek was led by Auburn commitment Earnest Ross with 29 points. "We are a good passing team when Luke has his energy. A lot of people don't know that he has been really sick. At Chic-Fil-A in South Carolina he wasn't himself but I thought you saw a pretty complete player today who was able to penetrate past their guards and allow others to score," said Billerman.
Ravenscroft now has a chance to win their bracket championship on Tuesday evening and carry that momentum into the rest of the season. "It means a lot to Ravenscroft. Playing for a Glaxo Championship is something we'll talk about over the break and we'll give our hardest effort in order to do that."
Kelly later told BDN, "We wanted to come in here and show some people something. It's important because a huge chunk of the City of Raleigh is coming out to watch these games and they want to see a championship game between two good teams and we are happy to be one of them."
The Ravens will play the winner of the Centennial-Knightdale game which will be played at 5:40 today. The championship game will start at 7:20 on Tuesday. In the other bracket, tonight's Christ School-Kinston winner plays in the nightcap versus the winner of Word of God or St. Raymonds.
For an in depth one on one interview with Ryan Kelly, join Blue Devil Nation Premium and get complete inside access. There are already premium articles and interviews up with Plumlee and John Wall. Members also have access to our message board where we will be blogging live from the event. For some of the best recruiting and inside new available, join today and see what you are missing.[/private]
The following is a question and answer session with Duke commitment Mason Plumlee which took place after his teams victory. Plumlee discusses his match up with Ryan Kelly, his brother Miles and
Plumlee slams one of two consecutive dunks down - copyright BDN Premium Photos
Marshall, his teams play, his spectacular dunks in his first Glaxo game, what the Duke coaches have him working on, his love for the Triangle area and much more in this exclusive one on one interview.
Let's back up to the Chic-Fil-A tournament where your team faced Ravenscroft. A lot of people wanted to make that game out to be Mason Plumlee vs Ryan Kelly, both of you Duke commitments. Were you more pumped up for that game than normal?
I was more-so because Ravenscroft was a team ... they were undefeated, we were undefeated and we just wanted to make our mark as a team. Of course people try to hype up individual stuff. We talked about it as a team ad decided we are going into every game as a team. It's not us against them. We had a game where one team had a kid that was going to a school that didn't offer Reggie, but we still attacked them as a team and not individual match ups. [private]
What's it like to have Duke Assistant Coaches Wojo and Collins watching you?
It feels good just to see them at the game. It makes you want to play well, that for sure (smiling). It's good to have them here.
I see that your parents are here and your younger brother plays along with you. Are you finding a little time to relax with them during this time?
Yeah. I've been with Miles the last couple of days. We're getting to know Durham a little bit. I like it down here.
What has Miles told you about his freshman season at Duke?
He just said it was a lot of work. He's glad he went to Christ School because it's prepared him for college as best it could be. But he said college is a whole other animal in terms of his studies. He's in Engineering
That's biting off a lot as a freshman ...
Yeah, he just says it's tough to balance school and basketball. He loves it at Duke. That's never been questioned.
You seem to have added more to your game. What was going through your head when you threw down that reverse dunk?
(laughing) Maybe not in this game but when you play against so many athletes and stuff where people try to block your dunk from behind, if you go under the rim you still get the dunk in. I probably didn't need to do it, but whats wrong with something different?
The crowd loved it ...
Yeah (smiling)
Has the staff told you to work on anything in particular? What have they said to you?
Coach K saw me in my final game of the Chic-Fil-A and he wants me to play with my back to the basket and get a better feel down there. "Get my behind on the block," he says, so (smiling)
Are you having a good time in high school or are you anxious to get to the next level ...
I'm loving every second of it in high school. I love my team, I love my coaches and I want to enjoy every second. I'm looking forward to Duke, but I just want to live in the moment.
Tell me a little bit about Marshall. Whats going on with him these days?
He's trying to live the day, but he's been working hard. He hasn't come into his own completely which is obvious. But he always plays hard getting rebounds and blocking some shots. He'll just keep getting better.
Do you guys ever work out together? What routines are you going through to build yourself up?
There are a couple of people on the team who are always working on their game. It's obvious who wants to get better and we work hard in high school. We go hard in practice, but outside of that we are always in the weight room or doing skills stuff.
Coach Gaines admitted to me that you guys were looking ahead to that Oak Hill game a little bit. What are your thoughts on that?
I was upset after the game last year because we lost by three. If I remember right I missed three free throws in the second half. So, it's just one of those games ... we only had two losses last year and that's one of those games we shouldn't have lost.
So, how are your parents liking the area?
They like it. They moved down for the week. Where we are from ... it's kind of boring. I'm trying to talk them into moving down here, but only if they can. I love it here. We did some last minute Christmas shopping ... it's a nice area.
Are you looking forward to the challenge against Kinston and UNC commitment Reggie Bullock?
It's going to be a good challenge and we are looking forwad to competing and hopefully winning this tournament. That's our goal.
[private]The Glaxo Smith Kline Invitational has afforded Duke fans their first opportunity to see 2009 commitment Mason Plumlee play in the Triangle since last seasons State Championships. Plumlee didn't disappoint, prompting one recruiting guru to exclaim, "Mason is the real deal, Duke has got a good one in him. He can do it all."
Plumlee is the younger brother of current Duke player Miles Plumlee, yet he was the first to cast his lot to wear the royal blue. He plays for Christ School of Arden, the defending state champion and a team that is now a traditional North Carolina power.
Plumlee pretty much had his way in his teams 70-45 win over Apex Middle Creek during their tournament opener. Plumlee tallied 18 points going 9 of 11 from the field. He added 7 rebounds and 2 blocks to his total as well.
"He continues to do what he should. He plays like a high school All American should play," said Christ School Coach David Gaines.
Plumlee showed off his ball handling ability and was a force on the boards while altering shots. He threw down a reverse slam dunk as the first half ended and had two consecutive dunks prior to that.
"We just did what we needed to do. I think it all starts with our rebounding. We have great defenders and when they can put that much pressure on the perimeter and we get some easy baskets offensively, it makes things come together much quicker," said Plumlee when talking of his teams win.
Plumlees numbers may seem a bit low to some, but one must consider that his team features seven Division I prospects or commitments and they can go very deep. How deep? Well, they played ten players in the first half against Middle Creek.
"He is a little too unselfish for me. I would like to see him dominate more, but I think Mason has a feel for the game and wants to get others involved maybe a little bit too much," said Gaines. He then touched on the aforementioned depth. "Mason Lakeems' (Jackson, South Carolina commitment)statistics are misleading. They are averaging about 16 points a game, but both would rather pass it than shoot it."
Plumlees team will face Rocky Mount led by UNC commitment Reggie Bullock on Monday evening as the Glaxo Invitational continues in Raleigh. "Kinston is going to be the most disciplined well coached team that we've played. "Reggie Bullock is a tremendous player and they do things the way we do things. That's (game) is going to be more of a chess match," said Gaines when asked of Rocky Mount.
Blue Devil Nation Premium subscribers can get a more detailed scouting analysis and a one on one question and answer session with Mason Plumlee Members also have access to the premium only message boards, where we blog live from the event. Next up is a Ryan Kelly game story in our free section and a Ryan Kelly interview for members.[/private]
their record to 11-1. There was little sign of lay off blues, save the fact that Duke hit just one three point field goal in route to 92 points.
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