[private]It is the time of year for Hoilday Tournaments with the City of Palms Classic and the Chick-fil-A Classic both involving players committed to or being pursued by Duke.
At the City of Palms, John Wall scored 15 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out nine assists as Word of God defeated American Heritage 63-61. Wall also had two blocks and three steals. On Saturday afternoon, Word of God will face off against St. Patrick's and UNC commitment Dexter Strickland.
On Saturday afternoon, at the Chick-fil-A, the much awaited Ravenscroft and Christ School game will take place. Both schools feature a player who has signed with Duke: Ryan Kelly for Ravenscroft and Mason Plumlee for Christ School. The winner of this game has a potential second round game against Miller School which is led by Marshawn Powell and Mychal Parker. Of course, Miller School has to take care of business and win their first game. Here is the tournament bracket.
In other games earlier this week:
On Tuesday night, Christ School scored 31 unanswered points including the last 21 points of the first half in a 96-52 win over Asheville Christian. Mason Plumlee scored 14 points in the game. Plumlee scored 13 points on Thursday as the Greenies defeated Greenville SC High School 88-41. This game featured a 25 point Christ School run including the last 16 points of the first half.
Brandon Knight scored 40 points as Pine Crest defeated North Broward Prep 84-52. Knight made five three point baskets and dished out 10 assists in the game.
Harrison Barnes scored 19 points, all in the first half, as Ames defeated Cedar Falls 77-40.
Josh Smith dropped 30 points on Jefferson as Kentwood won 66-43.
Andre Dawkins scored 17 points as Atlantic Shores pummeled Green Run 78-41.[/private]
[private]Wanted to see if you could you talk a little bit about the role situation you have developing in point guard. You got a guy, a veteran who’s done a lot of great things for you, Paulus, has been kind of banged up and you’ve also got a really talented younger guy, who looks like he’s kind of moved into the starting lineup. Can you kind of talk about the dynamic in what you have going on there?
Well the main thing for us is we hope that it’s a position that of strength for us. We think it can be, especially when both guys are healthy. Greg has been banged up since the end of last season and is getting close to being 100 percent now. He’s had a really rough go at it. Coach K, Copyright BDNPNolan started the season really well and then he got banged up a little bit, continued to play, hurt his back, and I thought yesterday played much better. It should be a position of strength, Nolan would start, he’s really done a good job defensively, and he’s very good offensive player and is also a good outside shooter, but Greg’s experience when he comes in, gives us something that a lot of teams don’t have, and then both of them obviously can play together also, because of Greg’s ability to play off the ball and shoot.
I was wondering if you could comment on the progress of Brian Zoubek?
Yeah, we’re really pleased with Brian. Brian’s been our starting center and it’s been well over a year since he’s been injury free. Last year was the year from hell so to speak, as far as injury goes. He broke his foot twice, and never had an opportunity to develop, play and there was just no continuity. That really lasted until the end of September, when he got the go ahead…not the end of September the end of August, and in September he got the go ahead to play 5 on 5, but for the next about 7 weeks, he had to play with what they call a shank in his shoe, which is kind of playing like with a boot on, and did well, but since he’s gotten that out of his shoe, he’s really shown a lot of progress. I’m really pleased with him, and hopefully he has the opportunity to stay injury free the rest of the season.
On Xavier -
First of all, they have a winning attitude. They’re all together in the pursuit of one goal and that is to play well and win. They play hard, they’re very good defensively, have excellent depth and there’s really not one guy you can stop, because if Anderson doesn’t hurt you, then Raymond will or Brown and Jackson had a great first half scoring against Cincinnati. They’re a top 10 team, they’re a legitimate team, top team, and the attitude that they have is a great one. I think Sean has done a great job of instilling that and he’s taken over a great tradition there. Xavier, when I grew up in Chicago, in a Catholic League, I mean everyone knew about Xavier, they continue to produce really good basketball teams and looks like they have a lot of fun playing.
We are looking forward to it. I’m not saying this just to say it, it’s always an honor to play there, and to play against Xavier. It’s going to be a heck of a basketball game and give ultimate respect for them and their kids. They play the right way.[/private]
[private]You would have played Xavier if the team had advanced past West Virginia this past March ...
Things happen. You're going to have upsets. Xavier is a real good team and we look forward to playing them.
What are your thoughts on the three point shot and the line being moved back?
You don't really notice during the game. If any thing makes a difference, it's you can get a little bit tired and you shoot short on the shot. The shot's not really that much farther back. I like it because it's different and brings a different dynamic to the game.
What do you think of Paulus and Smith at the point guard spot?
They both play hard. If you play hard and win games you earn respect from your teammates.
Did the team take any solace in the fact that they didn't shoot the ball well in the loss to Michigan?
I don't know with a loss like that. We just didn't play very well and Michigan played good enough to win. You get the feel that they wanted it more and this team has to be the one which wants it more.
How do you feel about your play so far this season?
It's really all about the team. I think we've been good, not great up to his point in the season. We want to define ourselves as a team so we still have things to work on and get better doing.[/private]
[private]Duke rode double figure scoring from six different players and a season high 22
Kyle Singler had another productive night for the Blue Devils
assists in route to a 99-56 drubbing of UNC-Asheville. The win was the 65th straight versus non conference foes in Cameron.
The win pushed Duke to 9-1 for the season and allowed them to get a taste of victory after an eleven day lay off, coming off a road loss to Michigan. Duke started slowly, but as the exam break blues wore off the Devils got better.
Duke started the game with their starters on the bench, partly being a message to said starters, but just as likely to extend the experience of their depth.
Kyle Singler led the way with 15 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 block as eleven players played significant minutes. Henderson tied him for the scoring lead with 14 and Jon Scheyer after a slow start, tallied 13 points.
The other three players scoring in double figures were Greg Paulus, Brian Zoubek and Nolan Smith with 12 points apiece.
Paulus showed significant improvement in his overall floor game and his numbers were almost exactly the same as Smith, save one block he made in the second half. Paulus also scored all of his points with four.
Duke was also solid from the three point hitting 11 of 27 for 40.5% another season high. They also connected on the majority of their free throw opportunities going 16 of 19 for 84.2%.
The 99 points Duke put up was also a season high. Of those 99, 50 points were in the paint and 36 came off turnovers. Krzyzewski stated that he thought his team not only improved as the game went on but in general. Duke will next travel to New Jersey where they will take on seventh ranked Xavier on Saturday.
Here is the latest recruiting update which covers pretty much every prospect on the radar. Rest assured that the information our premium members receive is accurate and ahead of the curve.
Let's start this update by saying that Duke had a chance to look at many prospects during the eleven day lay off. They, of course, visited Harrison Barnes, [private] well, Wojo did due to K's automobile accident. Barnes remains a top priority.
Chris Collins watched Ryan Kelly early in the month. Nate James took in a Ray McCallum practice. You'll read about two 2010 kids that have caught the staffs eyes in
Brandon Knight remains on the Duke radar, but there are others
the aforementioned Ray McCallum and Kyrie Irving. The staff was able to see both of these youngsters during the break. Chris Collins was able to attend Irvings practice and you will learn why he didn't take in a game as you read Irvings capsule.
The staff was unable to see John Wall but they stay in touch with him. They will check him out at the Glaxo Smith KlineTournament along with Mason and Ryan. In breaking news it has now been learned that Nate James will visit the City ofPalm Classic where he will go head to head with Kenny Boynton. Wall has not had many local games of late and of course, Duke has not had many home games for kids to come to.
Coach James will stay in Florida and check out Brandon Knight this coming Monday and Tuesday.
They are planning on getting some kids to home games, but the lists are a work in progress and will not be finalized until a week or so before each game.
Holiday tournaments start in force this week. Brandon Knight, who is coming off a 40 point effort will play in the 26 team Krurel Classic in Florida. Just north will be the big event in Fort Meyers with a bevy talented teams and players. Among those of interest for Duke are John Wall,Tyler Thornton and Kyrie Irving's team minus him.
Then there is the Chic-Fil-A Invitational where both Duke 2010 commitments Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly go head to head as Ravenscroft takes on Christ School in their only match up in the regular season on Saturday evening. Coach K and Chris Collins will visit this event on Monday and take in Kelly and Plumlee. This tournament also features Daniel Orton and no Duke is not recruiting him.
I'm currently compiling a new chart of prospects and commitments much like we had at the old site. Here is skinny on two kids which are being evaluated. One of the names I will cover later is Jason Morris.
Since none of the corporate sites have listed these kids, especially one, I would appreciate it if the names stayed here. The second you drop a hint or teaser out there it magically appears there. In fact, I have held the names back despite knowing about them for awhile now to see if they would appear elsewhere first.
Ray McCallum - Class of 2010 ( 6-1, 195) Detroit Country Day (Strong evaluation, no offer yet - Duke visited McCallum recently and they like what they saw. The Blue Devils have been evaluating the 2010 prospect since last summer. He played with Mason Plumlee for Indian Elite in AAU ball. His Dad was an assistant coach with Indiana and is now the head man at Detroit. He is refered to as "Little Ray". He attended high school in Indiana but left for Country Day when his Father got the Detroit job. Country Day, of course, produced Shane Battier. Detroit Country Day features seven high to mid major prospects and is one of the top teams in the nation. He tallied ten points in their only game this season but the buzz is that he is the missing piece to the puzzle at the PG spot.
In a recent brief conversation with the budding star, he said he was in no hurry and will go through the recruiting process. He also stated that the calls and letters had picked up significantly.
Among the schools hot on him of late are Duke, LSU, Syracuse, Oklahoma and Kansas. All of them recently viewed him in an open gym. Of those schools, Kansas has been very aggressive and according to McCallum the most active in the process of late. In fact he visited the Kansas midnight madness or late night at the Phog as he called it.
McCallum holds offers from the likes of Detroit, Kansas, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Texas and UCLA. His current ranking is sure to soar and his early play in his high school season has been solid.
He hopes to lead his team to the state title and wants to see how things develop before narrowing his choices down after the AAU season. Until that time, he has become a hot commodity and is a name to keep an eye on.
Kyrie Irving (6-1, 168) PG St.Patrick HS, New Jersey -(Evaluation started, strong interest no offer) - Irving caught the eye of evaluators and Duke is paying attention. They have started the process and Coach K will take a look at the young man come Spring. Irving spent his first two seasons at Motnclair Kimberly Academy. He helped lead that team to the New Jersey Prep "B" title.
The talented prospect put up some serious numbers which included averaging 26 PPG, 10 RPG and 4 APG. He had a career high 48 points and is a serious threat on the offensive end of the court. He will play for St. Patrick, New Jersey this season.
Yes, that is the same traditionally strong St. Patrick team which features Dominic Cheek, UNC bound Dexter Strickland and Michael Gilchrist. The "Roadrunners," as they are called may be the best team in the country.
Despite the talent jam, Irving is expected to continue to make a name for himself. This however will not happen until the tenth game of the season due to his transfer.
Duke will gauge his interest over the next couple of months where they will join a crowded field of suitors that include rival UNC, Florida, Memphis, Villanova, Rutgers and Indiana where he recently visited. Expect that list to grow as coaches see him play with a talented cast.
One interesting note is that his Coach Boyle compares him favorably to Jason Williams for his ability to score and distribute. Like Williams, he can play the one or two in college. Also like Williams, he doesn't shy away from taking the big shot when a game is on the line.
We will likely update or add to this update in the next 24 hours. I will also be going down to Columbia with a premium member where I will be able to tell you about the Kelly-Plumlee battle firsthand. [/private]
[private]The buzzer sounded in Cameron as the Duke Women upset the third rated Stanford Cardinal 56-52. As one might expect several of the victorious Blue Devils ran about the court in glee, but not Coach McCallie.
After Stanford coach Tara Vanderveer gave McCallie a cold fish hand shake, the second year Blue Devil coach calmly walked off the court, glancing back at her players as if to say we have to get on a flight to Los Angeles tomorrow to take on Southern Cal and Sienna in back to back games.
It was one of McCallies three most impressive wins as a coach at Duke. The other two, Maryland and Rutgers came last season and she obviously has hopes that there are more big wins to be had as the season progresses.
During the press conference McCallie, known to most as Coach P acted as if she expected to win over one of the countries better programs. She certainly praised her teams defensive effort which included a suffocating array of pressing defenses which resulted in 23 Cardinal turnovers.
McCallie also praised her teams effort on the boards where they completely dominated the glass after being dominated on them in the first half. She mentioned the effort of both teams in what was a physical match up. In fact, Stanford Coach VanDerveer more or less whined about bodies hitting the floor just minutes before.
What McCallie didn't do was respond to any questions concerning the losing coaches comments, nor did she seemingly act any different with this victory than proceeding ones this season. She instead kept the focus on her team and she once again prefaced her opening comments with "We can do a whole lot of things better.""
While McCallie may not have tipped her hand with a broad smile after the victory, she had to be elated with the victory. it was a big step towards her goal of continuing to prepare for a deeper run in March. She was clearly already thinking of the next game and while I don't know this for certain, the message to the team may have been we are supposed to do this, we are going to win like this and lets act like it.
So in a night where the ESPN camera crew asked her to come back out for an interview in front of a nationwide audience, McCallie served notice that her "smack you in the mouth" defense is a new, firm and solid staple for the program and that Duke can succeed with that style.
More importantly her team has developed depth, confidence and is playing together. The Dukies seem poised to turn another corner but to do so they must put this big win behind them and be ready for a quick turnaround, flying cross country to take on USC.
Judging from last nights performance and comments, Coach P recognizes this and hopefully her team realizes that consistency and two wins out West, will move them up the ladder one step closer to the top.
Duke climbed to 8-1 on the season and won their 26th game versus a non conferences opponent out of the last 27 home games. McCallie holds a 3-0 record versus Stanford Coach VanDerveer and won her third contest against a top five ranked team in under two seasons at Duke.
One of the stats which stood out was the fact that Duke outscored a tall Stanford team 12-1 on second chance points.
Duke came up big at the free throw stripe as well going 17-22. Duke also won the battle of the boards 40-39 after trailing 22-11 at the half.
The Games MVP - Sophomore Karima Christmas had a career high of 14 points and a career high of 9 rebounds as well. She hit here first three pointer of her career and ended up 2 for 2 betond the stripe.
Duke next plays at Southern Cal on 12-19 in a game televised on FSNW.[/private]
It is the time of year for Hoilday Tournaments with the City of Palms Classic and the Chick-fil-A Classic both involving players committed to or being pursued by Duke.
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