Brandon Connette has been showing off his versatility early this season and he hopes to build on last weeks success against a tough Stanford team on the road this weekend. BDN will be in Palo Alto for our usual coverage, so check us out all week long as we bring you top-notch Duke Football coverage.
Endzone Elite and Blue Devil Nation will work together all season long to bring you Duke Football Game Highlights, and here is the first edition The Blue Devils came out of the gate strong with a 46-26 victory over Florida International on Saturday night.
Marcus Lee, a rising senior out of Deer Valley (CA), has blasted onto the scene over the last six months, establishing himself as one of the top big men in the class of 2013. Boasting a 7’1.5” wingspan, the wiry 6'9" Lee uses that length well to protect the paint. Driving much of the attention has been Lee's excellent summer on the hardwood.
Marcus never imagined he would receive the attention he has, even as his game has blossomed. He is extremely gracious for all the help his brother Brian has given him in the recruiting process. For Marcus, Brian has been the rock that he has needed to help him navigate the challenging recruiting process.
Lee recently arranged his final official visits, and is expected to make an official visit to Duke on October 27.
The bouncy big man was gracious enough to give BDN some time to discuss his recent trip to UCLA, his impressions of Coach K, and his relationship with his brother, among other topics.
BlueDevilNation: Being a west coast guy, it must be an honor to represent the west side out here in the Elite 24.
Marcus Lee: Oh yeah. It was a great honor once I got the invite. It was just a real add-on to summer. The summer was great.
BDN: Do you feel you had a good summer and played as well as possible?
ML: Yeah, I think I had a real great summer this year, and yeah, I tried as hard as possible and just tried to [private] get it done this year.
BDN: Your recruitment really blew up this summer. Did you ever imagine all of this?
ML: (laughing) Uh, no, I never imagined all of this. It all came as a big surprise once it all started.
BDN: You had a chance to visit UCLA recently. Can you go over that trip?
ML: It was a pretty great visit. The gym that’s about to open will be crazy.
BDN: Pauley Pavilion?
ML: Yeah, yeah.
BDN: There’s a perception about kids leaving the west coast. Do you feel you fall under that at all?
ML: No, not at all. I feel like I’m able, I feel like I’m a chameleon and can adapt to wherever I go.
BDN: As with most recruits, their families hope to be able to watch them when they play. Will it be important for yours to be able to attend the games?
ML: Yeah, it’ll be very important. It’s great to have your family and friends there to support you.
BDN: Do you feel like it’s a deciding factor?
ML: Uh, I don’t know yet. (laughs) We’ll see when we get there.
BDN: You’ve set a bunch of your in-home visits recently. Have you had a chance to set up the Duke one yet?
ML: Umm, I don’t think so.
Brian Lee: No, we haven’t set it yet.
BDN: You were at the Lebron camp this summer and got to see the USA National team practice. Can you describe that experience?
ML: Yeah, it was great. We watched them scrimmage and it wasn’t like high school. They were going after each other like they were playing a real game.
BDN: Going back to Duke, do they have a pitch they’re selling you?
ML: No, they don’t really have a pitch. It’s just us talking together, trying to learn more about each other.
BDN: Were you able to keep in contact with Coach K while he was in London?
ML: Yeah, a little bit. We talked in an out. Probably mostly through text messages because it was harder to call.
BDN: You said recently that he’s really energetic. Could you describe that?
ML: Just in his voice you can hear it. You can hear that he’s excited about basketball, he’s excited about the team. He just has that passion. He’s always excited.
BDN: How would you describe how he approaches you? Is it more like a friend or a teacher, or a coach?
ML: He approaches me as a teacher. I see him as a real great teacher that I can learn from.
BDN: Tell me about your relationship with your brother. Obviously he’s a major influence in your life.
ML: He’s the brain of everything. He gets me here on time, he figures everything out. He’s also my consultant. He’ll talk to me throughout the year and . . .
BDN: Keeps you level-headed?
ML: YES! He does everything.
BDN: What are you hoping to see when you go on your visits?
ML: Something to catch my eye. I don’t really know what it is, but I just know once I see it something will tell me to go here.
BDN: Is family atmosphere important for you?
ML: Yes, family atmosphere is extremely important.
BDN: Will you be staying at Deer Valley this year?
ML: Yeah, I’m staying at Deer Valley.
BDN: OK, just because there had been rumors in the past.
ML: (laughs) No, I’m repping Deer Valley until I die.
BDN: Do you feel like you have to be more vocal or is that something that comes naturally to you?
ML: I don’t believe I can get any more vocal than I already am. I don’t think anybody can get more vocal than me. It’s just the way I am. It just happens naturally. I don’t know where it comes from.
BDN: Do you feel there`s a difference between your role in AAU and high school?
ML: There really isn’t a difference. It’s just that in high school I have to make sure everybody is on the same page, whereas on AAU, I already know for sure they’re on the same page.
BDN: Thanks a lot, Marcus.
ML: All right. Thank you. [/private]
Blue Devil Nation caught up to Duke offensive lineman Dave Harding after a recent practice and got his thoughts on this seasons front going into season opener againsts Florida International.
Team BDN is in place in California where we are covering the Elite 24 for Premium members. Get all the latest updates from today's practice and Saturday's game by joining today! Several key Duke prospects are playing in the prestigious event, including Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow, Julius Randle, Marcus Lee and Austin Nichols, so you do not want to miss the action! Join BDN Premium today and discuss the latest happenings with fellow members on the BDN Premium Message Board.
Mark your calendars for October 19th and 20th, for that will be a heck of a weekend for Duke Athletics. On Friday, October 19th the always popular Countdown to Craziness event kicks off the basketball season, and the following day Duke hosts arch rival North Carolina in football. While schools can kick off the basketball season a week earlier with Midnight Madness-type events, Duke is not doing that this year, so CTC was moved back a week in Durham. Regardless, there will be little sleep for the BDN staff as we cover all the events, as we have in seasons past.
The Meet the Blue Devils football event went down this past weekend, as 1500 Duke fans turned out to meet this season's team. Fans got a chance to mingle with players and coaches while seeing the positive changes in the football facilities. Duke unveiled its team posters (ripe for autographs for the youngsters) along with the new helmets and new season ticket plans.
Duke Women's Soccer is hot and ranked #2 in the nation. The team crushed Elon this past weekend, and they next take to the field in the UNC Nike Classic on August 24th at Fetzer Field in Chapel Hill.
Be sure to check out our BDN Open Group Facebook Page where we load a lot of photos in an environment that more or less acts as our free message board. Of course, BDN's only true message board is reserved for premium members, who have full site access where they get all the latest inside tidbits and nuggets on the program, as well as a place to discuss recruiting with other members. Here is a link to the Facebook site, where you can see photos from the latest scrimmage and Meet the Devils Day. BDN Facebook Group
Speaking of photos, BDN has long used our own photographers, and we do not mind others using our pictures -- provided proper credit is given. All of our photos are copyrighted, and we enjoy bringing you up close and personal with Duke Athletics through the medium. But far too many other sites are now using photos without permission and without crediting the original source. If you want to use our photos, please contact us beforehand. Most recently, we had to remove two photos from a gambling site whose operators felt it was their right to swipe them and tag them as their own. It's not.
On a related subject, it's becoming more apparent to me that on today's web, it can be hard to tell the difference between opinions offered without benefit of real on-scene access and reporting, and opinions offered by those who do have the benefit of firsthand views of a program. The BDN staff regularly attends all Duke athletic functions and media events. Our team is in the trenches doing the work, enabling us to present an "eyes on" view of the subject matter. Why am I mentioning this? There is a growing trend out there of "reporters" and self-styled "insiders" offering what I'll generously term "borrowed information." A recent blog post came to our attention that consisted of BDN reports being simply copied verbatim, with a few minor word changes, and being passed off as the blogger's own work. The bottom line is that you can trust what you read here as being original in every way. We like what we do, and we make the effort to get out there to cover Duke athletics in a comprehensive, professional, and honest way.
Back to the on-the-field stuff: The September 1 home opener against Florida International looms, and it should be a good one. For those unfamiliar with the Panthers, they return 18 starters from a season ago, when they were a bowl team. The problem with playing an upstart program is that many fans underestimate teams they haven't heard that much about, setting themselves up for surprise and disappointment when they realize these guys can play. I can tell you firsthand that Duke will have to bring their "A" game to beat this team. Adding to the pressure is that, given the difficult schedule the Blue Devils face this year, many are already coining this a "must win." I think Duke will be ready but they'll need the 12th man, meaning a fired-up home crowd, to come out of the gates strong this year and get a win against a quality opponent.
Have a good Monday folks.
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