Tag Archives: Duke Basketball News

Duke Basketball

Countdown to CTC #2 – Austin Rivers

Another day closer to Countdown to Craziness which kicks off the Duke Basketball season.  Today, I would like to talk about the Blue Devils sensational freshman, Austin Rivers.  As many of you know, I am always on the road at AAU events in early spring and summer, so let me share some of what I saw of Rivers during that time.

The first thing you will notice about Rivers is his swagger.  He's got game and he knows it and there's not a single time when he is not willing to take the big shot.  He always had the ball in his hands and now he must learn to play off ball and that will be an adjustment for the talented freshman.  Rivers lit up the circuit at about a 25 ppg clip and he loves to create his shot which you will see shortly.

Rivers will play the off guard spot at Duke, but let's not  make too much of that for the Blue Devils system has no true or traditional positions and there will be times when he handles the rock on clear outs. You probably all know that Austin is the son of Glenn "Doc" Rivers, the Boston Celtics head coach and former Atlanta Hawks player.  Duke has done well with kids that have NBA lineage in the past, such as Michael Dunleavy, Gerald Henderson and even assistant coach Chris Collins.

The only knock I have on Rivers is that his AAU team did not seem to teach good defensive skills, so that is an area he will have to improve upon quickly.  With Coach K at the helm, it's hard to imagine he will not get the vaunted Duke man to man defense down pat.  Coach will also make Rivers a complete player and help him to be better prepared for when he goes to the NBA.

I remember being the first Duke site to interview Rivers during the Boo Williams Invitational when he was a mere 15 years old.  At that time he had committed to Florida, but during the interview I realized that the verbal may not be as solid as some thought it to be.  As it turns out, the Rivers family contacted Coach K and Duke a year and a half down the road he ended up casting his lot with the guys in royal blue.

Even when he was at the ripe age of 15, there was a buzz about him and that buzz would continue to grow as he developed reaching fever pitch in his senior season.  You could always count on a full gym when he was playing and he will now lay in an eternally full joint, sold out place  known as Cameron Indoor Stadium.  Like other prospects along the way, it has been fun to watch Austin grow into the young man he is today.  The only gripe I have is he told me I would get to check out his moms infamous home cooking one day.  Yeah, right.  Of course, he was kidding, but I was all hook line and sinker, nabbing that bait, LOL. Austin is very close to his family and is always seen with his mom and little brother wherever he is playing.

There will be a few growing pains and lessons in store for Rivers, but there will also be nights when his play will have dust falling from the rafters due to the rocking Cameron Crazies getting a dose of AR.  And you know what?  I can deal with missing momma's home cooking for there will be plenty of that in Cameron this season.  Austin Rivers.  Another reason to get excited about Countdown to Craziness.

Duke Basketball

Ryan Kelly talks the China trip, his beard, role and his Panda hat

BDN was on hand for Coach Mike Kyrzyzewski and his press conference to discuss the trip to China.   We had a chance to speak with Ryan Kelly before he arrived with the first two questions being ours.

Kelly opens with a synopsis of his trip to China -

I think it was a great trip for our team and Duke University to be there expanding the Duke name and the Duke brand.  For us to be able to see all those sites is an amazing, once in a lifetime experience.  You don't know if you will ever be back there so you have to experience it.  At the same time you have to focus on winning basketball game while you're over there and have two different mind sets. It was good experience for us to get to do some fun things but when it came time to get on the basketball court, we had to be ready to play and win and I think we did a good job at that.

On his improvement since last season -

I am playing with confidence and I have expanded my game in areas but really it is just taking on a new role and I knew I could do some of these things on the basketball court.  It's taken some time to get my body to where I could do those things but I need and will continue to work for this is just one step in solidifying who I am as a basketball player.  I need to keep making jumps and as I told you this summer, I need to make another jump from my sophomore to junior year and think I have put myself in a position to do that.

On what the journey meant for his team -

It gave us a chance to learn our roles on the basketball court, especially for the freshman on and off the court.  Most teams that win looking back see that we are the closest team.  Both my years both teams have been winning teams and very close on and off the court.  You have to continue to grow in being a good team and the trip was a step in doing that.

His thought on his role for this coming seasons team -

I would like to think I am a leader for my team.  I want to be somebody my teammates can look up to and know I will be there for them.  I need to always be consistent no matter how the games are going.  I want my teammates to look at me and say, he's going to lead by example and his intensity and he is somebody we can count on no matter how bad or well things are going.  I want them to look at me and see the confidence in me.  I now have an expanded role on offense and as a defender.  I know I can score the basketball for the team and me doing so will help our team win as well.

On bartering in the open market in China -

When we were out in the open market, you feel like you are getting a good deal and trying to get the price do.  I can claim the best purchase on the team though.  I don't know if any one of you have seen the picture of my Panda hat, but if you see the pictures you will understand why I go the best purchase.  I payed like a dollar and a half for it.

On the Georgetown incident in China -

We heard about it and crossed paths.  We were going to Beijing and they were coming in at the hotel.  It was an unfortunate situation but tempers will flare.  They are obviously a talented team and it will probably bring them closer as the season goes on.

On his new beard -

I don't know about that. (smiling) but I will keep it as long as I am playing well.  I talked to Brian Zoubek.  He text me that he liked the beard, so ...  Coach said it was alright.  As long as I keep playing well, he's okay with it.

 

 

 

 

Duke Basketball

BDN talks with Quinn Cook about his injury

Duke PG Quinn Cook is on the mend - BDN Photo

Blue Devil Nation Video is red hot!  Here is a one on one interview with Quinn Cook where he discusses the nagging knee injury and the love he has for his teammates and Duke.  Cook is of course upset, but realizes that he needs to make sure the knee is good to go to avoid other injuries due to compensation.  I have followed Cook since his sophomore season.  In fact, BDN was the first Duke site to interview Cook.  He's a great kid, that is loved by his teammates and you can bet that he will return to the court as soon as he can.

Duke Basketball

BDN Video – Alex Murphy checks in

 

Alex Murphy checked in with BDN Video - Photo copyright Rick Crank and BDN

The word out of the Duke Camp is that freshman Alex Murphy has been a pleasant surprise in practice to date.  Murphy had a bit of a growth spurt in the past year and his skill set makes him a serious threat to earn playing time.  BDN Video caught up with Murphy before he heads to China and Dubai with his teammates -

 

Duke Basketball

Michael Gbinije has a loud game

Michael Gbinije - Photo Rick Crank BDN

The North Carolina Pro Am has become a most popular event each summer in Durham and the main reason for that is fans get an early look at incoming freshman.  If you showed up for the event the first night Michael Gbinije played, you may have come away thinking he needed more work.

If you came away from the event after his last game, you would be singing his praises for he dropped 28 points on his opponent.  The problem is that in an All Star like atmosphere he sometimes defers in that Gbinije is the consummate team player.

"I wasn't happy with my performance last time out.  My performance was not up to par, so I came in motivated tonight looking for more opportunities to show off my game," said Gbinije.

Those who've  followed Gbinije on the AAU circuit where he suited up for Team Takeover know that Gbinije does not seek out attention.  He is a quiet kid, hard to read at first but once comfortable he let's go with a warm smile that shows another side of him.

Gbinije has the potential to be a coaches dream in that he is a low maintenance type of player.  That basically means he does not have to be coddled and he shows no signs of a bad attitude and beams in to what he is being told by the staff.

If there was ever a player on an even keel, it is Gbinije.  He is quiet not only on the court but off the court.  In fact, he is downright shy and that is something he is working on but his last outing produced a "loud game."

"The coaches want me to be more vocal out there, so I am working on that," said Gbinije.  Those same sentiments were made by a coach as well during a recent AAU event.

While Gbinije deferred in his first game at the Pro Am, he was more than aggressive the last time out and he showed off what he can do.  Gbinije is a steady player that does everything well and he showed that he can score the ball.

Gbinije is a good position defender as well and fits in nicely when on the court.  He is not a power guy but he is an effective rebounder when he does hit the boards and is comfortable in transition.

The Virginia native said that practice had been intense.  Duke, of course, gets ten full practice before taking off for China and Dubai in August.  A source close to the situation told BDN that Gbinije  was looking good in practice and that he was a quick learner.

Don't expect Gbinije to knock down 28 points in an ACC game this season for the competition is much tougher and the matador defense which is prevalent at the Pro Am will no longer be in effect.  But Duke fans will probably be pleasantly surprised when they see his game this coming season.

"I just wanted to show what I could do," said Gbinije as he warmed to the questions.  Make no mistake, Gbinije has been told to play at Duke, he must be a better communicator on the court.  Master that and the young man from Virginia should earn some valuable minutes as a true freshman.

BDN updates live from the N.C. Pro Am via our @BlueDevilNation twitter site and for members of BDN Premium on the message board.