Brandon Knight scored 17 points, on Thursday, as Pine Crest dominated Chaminade-Madonna 68-32. On Tuesday, Knight made six three pointers and exploded for 37 points in a 79-48 victory over Coral Springs Charter. Knight will be facing off against Kenny Boynton for the second time this season on January 31st. The Sun-Sentinel has a game preview posted. Knight scored 35 points as Pine Crest defeated American Heritage earlier this season.
Atlantic Shores defeated StoneBridge 78-43 on Saturday night with Andre Dawkins' 24 points leading the way. Dawkins scored 21 points on Thursday in a 68-52 win over Benedictine, and 16 points in a 73-36 defeat of Williamsburg Christ on Tuesday evening.
The Washington Post has an article posted on the Gonzaga - DeMatha game. Tyler Thornton scored 14 points as Gonzaga won 86-76. Of note, Gonzaga was 21/21 from the free throw line with Thornton going 4/4. Thornton scored 18 points and was 9/10 from the free throw line, on Friday night, as Gonzaga defeated Good Counsel 73-56.
Josh Smith scored 29 points on 14-of-19 shooting but #2 Kentwood fell to Kentridge 67-58. The game is the second story in this Seattle Times article. The lead story is about #1 Garfield losing to Foss. Garfield features Tony Wroten Jr. who did not play due to a sprained ankle. Earlier in the week, Smith scored 15 points and 39 points in two Kentwood victories. Smith is averaging 25.5 points per game.
Ryan Kelly followed up his career high 47 point performance by leading Ravenscroft to two victories on Thursday and Friday. Kelly scored 20 points and secured eight rebounds in the first victory, while scoring 21 points with eight rebounds in the second game.
Christ School dropped their second game of the season with a 64-60 loss to Princeton High School of Cincinnati on Saturday. Mason Plumlee scored 12 points. Plumlee scored 20 points and Tony Kimbro added 13 in a 68-66 win over New American of New York on Friday night. Both games were part of the Laurel County Hoop Fest in Kentucky.
Harrison Barnes scored 19 points as Ames defeated Mason City 86-63 on Saturday night. The game was tight early with Mason City having a five point lead in the second quarter before Ames pulled ahead to lead 44-41 at the half. The Ames Tribune has a game recap posted.
In early September, junior guard Tyler Thornton verbally committed to Duke University along with his AAU teammate, Josh Hairston. This past weekend the Gonzaga playmaker headed to the birthplace of basketball, Springfield, Massachusetts, where he led his team to a victory over repeat
Tyler Thornton (front) and future Duke teammate (Josh Hairston)
New England Prep School champions, St. Mark's, which features a pair of elite level big men in 6'10" Erik Murphy (Florida) and 6'8" Nate Lubick (Georgetown). After the hard-fought victory, Tyler spoke with Blue Devil Nation about topics ranging from what the Duke coaches have asked him to work on and a scouting report on Josh Hairston to Kendall Marshall and his mother, the future loudest Cameron Crazy. Enjoy the interview -
Blue Devil Nation: One of the things that your coach Steve Turner has talked about is your leadership. He's mentioned since you walked through the door as a freshman, you've been Gonzaga's leader. Was that a conscious effort on your part to establish that early on or more of a natural aspect of your personality?
Tyler Thornton: It was more of a natural thing. Coming in, before high school, I was always the biggest guy and most likely the best player on my team.
BDN: Setting the tone early?
TT: Yeah, and then after a while, they just understand that's how you play. When I came here my freshman year, it was a natural thing. I would say my first couple of games I was just nervous, but then the guys, you know, the guys they was just picking me up.
BDN: People like Max Kenyii?
TT: Yeah, Max Kenyii who's going to Harvard. They were looking for me to be the vocal leader on the team and run the team. The biggest thing that they trusted me.
BDN: Did you start as a freshman at point guard or off guard?
TT: Freshman year, I started midway through the season as the point guard.
BDN: Do you consider yourself to be a vocal leader, one who leads through actions, or both?
TT: More of a vocal leader You know I always talk on offense and defense making sure everybody's where they're supposed to be at. You know that just makes it a lot easier for us as a team and for the coaches on the sidelines so that they don't have to yell every single thing from the sidelines.
BDN: One of the other attributes that comes up a lot with you is winner. The Assault team won seven large tournaments in a row until Akron then you won the Bob Gibbons, and then you ultimately won the MVP at the big tournament in Vegas at the end of the summer. Gonzaga has been now 49-3 over the past two years with you running the show in the WCAC, arguably one of the toughest conferences in the nation. What do you attribute that to?
TT: You know that's something I can't do on my own. You've got to trust your teammates and they trust you. Guys are building chemistry and you're just loving playing with each other.
BDN: Both teams.
TT: Yeah, that's for both teams. We enjoy playing with each other. You know everybody loves to win so, you know, they're gonna sacrifice and that's what its all about.
BDN: There's nothing more important. At the end of the day, these guys (St. Marks) are walking past us with their heads down.
TT: Exactly, exactly
BDN: What do you consider to be your greatest strength right now?
Tyler Thornton: Right now, defensively, Id like to get in my mans face.
BDN: You're very intense defensively.
TT: Yeah, and I like to play help side defense too. On this team, they look to me for offense, but, as you can see, other guys step up and, if they're on fire, I'm gonna definitely get them the ball. You know, I can score on offense, but, if someone else is on fire, I'm gonna get it to them.
BDN: What would you like to work on before you arrive at Duke?
TT: You know especially now, when I'm working towards college, its my three point shot. That's what Coach K told me he'd like me to be able to knock them down.
BDN: I didn't think I saw you shoot one today.
TT: I didn't.
BDN: But you're working on it.
TT: Yes, yes.
BDN: What, if anything else, has the Duke coaching staff asked you to work on? Either in terms of on the court or with your body.
TT: Besides the three point shot, you know, Coach Collins was telling me you know how there were those lanky guys that were real big and I couldn't really finish around them
BDN: (laughs) I saw you covering (Erik) Murphy on that one possession.
TT:(laughs) Yeah, yeah. You saw around the basket how I tried to use my floater. I didn't hit today, but that was one thing he told me to work on, especially in college cause everyone's big and everybody's getting on the glass so, you know, work on the floater.
BDN: Whats your favorite move right now?
TT: Move? As in offense, I cant tell you. (laughs)
BDN: Alright, alright. Thats' fair. What players do you try to emulate your game after?
TT: You know I just try to take a little bit from everybody. Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, Nolan Smith. I play a similar position as Now.
BDN: You're both D.C. Assault guys.
TT: (laughs) Yeah, Yeah. Just take a little bit from everybody because, you know, everybody has good attributes.
BDN: In the past, you weren't asked to score as much as this year. How did you feel about the added responsibility?
TT: It's not really added, you know, because it was already part of my game. Its just the teams we had before at Gonzaga I wasn't expected to score or I didn't have to. Its different with D.C. Assault, you know, when Coach tells me to score, I score. The offense that were in here we swing the ball around, you know, kick it out. If somebody has an open shot, they're gonna take it, you know, they're not going to swing it.
BDN: You guys have a lot of players with good court vision, even the big guys. Talk about the competition you face in the WCAC, arguably one of the top 5 leagues in the country
TT: I think its number one.
BDN: And how that might prepare you for the ACC better than the average public school kid in America.
TT: Exactly, you know, that's why everybody in our area just wants to play in schools in WCAC because they know that its going to prepare them for the next level, you know, the coaches the players everybody you know, so I'd say its like a mini-ACC. Everybodys trying to win and everybody can knock everybody out.
BDN: Especially in your class There's one match up of yours that Duke fans will be looking to for the next few years. You and Kendall Marshall. Lets talk about it.
TT: Kendall. That's like my best friend . We went to middle school together and played on the same team.
BDN: He's with Boo Williams.
TT: Yeah, I'm D.C. Assault
BDN: You beat him three out of four times last year and outscored him 25-17 in front of Coach K in December.
TT: Yeah, but they won that night.
BDN: Alright, well, I didn't want to bring that up. (laughs)
TT: That's okay.(laughs). Its alright. He's my man. I'm looking forward to playing against him for the next, what, six years.
BDN: Maybe beyond
TT: (laughs) Yeah, hopefully
Blue Devil Nation: How do you match up against him? What do you better and what does he do better at this point?
Tyler Thornton: Kendall, you know, he's a great point guard with great court vision and a nice touch. Hes got an all-around game. Kendall's a great player.
BDN: Talk about the differences in what you're asked to do at Gonzaga as compared to D.C. Assault.
TT: In AAU, there are teams that are stacked and teams that are not as good. In high school, we have more of a set type offense. We run like a Princeton style offense and in AAU we just, like, run and gun.
BDN: You, Eric Atkins, Hairston
TT: Yeah, you know, maybe, a secondary break-drive it to the middle, kick it out, pick-and-roll. Its a different style of offense, but the intensity is still there. Were still trying to win.
BDN: Could you give a scouting report on Josh Hairston and tell the audience about him as a person?
TT: I'd say basically a mix between KG and Tim Duncan.
BDN: Wow, that's something to look forward to for the fans.
TT: (laughs) Of course, you know, he finishes great around the basket.
BDN: He's developing a nice little hook.
TT: Yeah, he can step out, face up, take his man off of the dribble or shoot the jumper. Hes great on defense, you know, blocking shots -- rebounding. He's got an all around game.
BDN :He talked about what a major step up his game took when he joined the Assault. He felt it really helped his game a lot.
TT: Yeah, you know, when he came, I think he was a little nervous at first, but he seen that we trusted him. The first time he came he really wasn't looking to score or doing what we know he could do.
BDN: He was just trying to fit in.
TT: Yeah, so we was like, man, just play. You're gonna miss shots, but everybody here gonna misses shots. So if you shoot the ball, that's better for us, its a better chance for us to get buckets.
BDN: Sure, you're simply closer.
TT: Yeah, so me and Eric the other guards we don't have problems with keep dumping it down. It helps everything out for us because we keep scoring.
Blue Devil Nation: What kind of advantage do you think you'll have by knowing where he likes the ball and his tendencies by the time you arrive at Duke?
Tyler Thornton: I think it'll tremendously help our chemistry on the court if we end up being on the court at the same time or even in practice going against the older guys. I think it'll help us a lot. I know where he likes the ball and know where he likes to put the ball. Its always good to have somebody that you know that you enjoy playing with going through the system with you together.
BDN: Have you visited the Hall of Fame yet on this trip? Is this your first trip? If so, what were your impressions?
TT: Yeah, we went yesterday. It was my first time going. There was a lot of good stuff in there. Last night there was a dunk contest, two ball, three point shooting
BDN: Was everybody there?
TT: Yeah, all the teams.
BDN: Whats your current height and weight?
TT: I'd say 6-1 and three quarters and ...
BDN: (laughs) Alright, alright ...
TT: (laughs) and maybe 185...190
Blue Devil Nation: Okay, what would you like to be by the time you get to Duke?
Tyler Thornton: You know Coach. Coach K has told me that my body weight is fine. He actually wants me to lose a couple pounds so that, you know, Id still be strong, but Id be even a little quicker.
BDN: Do you have a weight room at school?
TT: Yes, and actually our trainer was here today. He works us out in the off seasons. He comes in and tells us what to do during the season too.
Blue Devil Nation: Have you had a chance to watch Duke much this year on TV? What is your take on this years team?
Tyler Thornton: Yeah, after practice, I try to catch all their games.
BDN: So you caught the Georgetown game?
TT: Yeah, that was a big game for me.
BDN: (laughs) I know it was a big game for you. I wasn't sure about bringing it up, but.. (Georgetown recruited Tyler)
TT: (laughs) Yeah, definitely, definitely. Yeah, but hopefully I get a chance to go down there and watch them play.
Blue Devil Nation: What would you like fans to know about Tyler Thornton, both as a person and as a player?
Tyler Thornton: You know I don't consider myself to be a big star or nothing so
BDN: Oh, come on! You're the reason I'm here at this thing (laughs)
TT:(laughs) I'm just a laid back kid. I like to have fun and just chill. I just like to laugh and have fun, you know, so.
BDN: What about on the court? What do you want people to remember you as?
TT: Someone who played hard and left it all out on the court. He fought until the last minute.
BDN: A winner too.
TT: Yeah, you know I just hate to lose. If were down five with five seconds left, Im still thinking in my mind that were gonna win this game.
Blue Devil Nation: You won the title last year and now your team has a couple of early losses to O'Connell and that team in Ohio, but you seem to be hitting your stride now.
Tyler Thornton: This year everybody around our area sees all of the players that we sent to college last year and they think the new guys won't fill the void for them. But it's not about those guys trying to do what they did. It's about guys playing a role and, if they play their roles right, we can win. You see today the height advantage they had was tremendous.
BDN: Yeah, I know, I thought My God, this is the one game I'm gonna have to interview you after.
TT:( laughs) Yeah, the height advantage was a tremendous difference, but our coach told us to box out. He told the guards we have to rebound and get out and run the floor.
BDN: Yeah, you pushed it, spread the floor, and wound up getting their guys in foul trouble.
TT: Exactly, exactly
Blue Devil Nation: Are you going to the inauguration?
Tyler Thornton: Unfortunately not, we've got practice. We've got school the next day. I'll go to practice, stay off of my feet a little bit, and just watch it on TV.
BDN: Who's the toughest guard you ever faced?
TT: Oh, about two years ago we faced Joe Jackson down at Bob Gibbons. He just killed us (laughs) He gave us about thirty. You know Kendall and Josh Selby and Markel. They're always great competitors.
BDN: Well, I mean it's help you to face them each once or twice a season ...
TT: Yeah, it helps everybody on my team, not just me. It helps everyone in our area. Our area is so great. The competition is so hard.
Blue Devil Nation: Lastly, your mother! I know that's gotta be your mother.
Tyler Thornton: (laughs) Yeah, yeah, yeah.
BDN: I said that has got to be your mother. I've seen her at the D.C. Assault games with the other mothers, but they're much louder there. They've got the cheers and everything. I never mention mothers, but they're so impressively loud and into the games. Shes got to be coming down to Duke when you start up. (laughs)
TT: (Laughs) Oh, of course. She's gonna be one of the Cameron Crazies.
Blue Devil Nation: Oh, when you and Josh signed, I thought to myself, I hope that woman is one of your mothers cause she is the one woman who is louder than the Cameron Crazies.
Tyler Thornton:(laughs) I know. I know. With the D.C. Assault, that's a great boost to have.
BDN: It is. It definitely is.
TT: Not only my mother, but everybody elses mother too.
BDN: Yeah, I love it when she goes (imitating Tyler Thornton's mother) Deeeefense, boyyyyyys, defense( laughs)
TT: (laughs, clapping his hands together ) Yeah, that's it! Yeah. Especially, if we're down, they start and it up and it gives us a boost. Its great to have a mother that's into the game like that.
BDN: Sure, absolutely. I also noticed that shes got the same look around the eyes too.
TT: Yeah, yeah, that's my mother.
BDN: Well, Tyler, it was very nice to meet you.
TT: It was a pleasure to meet you too.
The Blue Devil Nation welcomes aboard, Andrew Slater. Andrew is one of the more knowledgeble folks I know when it comes to AAU ball, prospects and recruiting. He brings with him a uniques and detailed style which is sure to please our members.
Josh Smith had a big week on the hardwood out West as he led Kentwood to three victories scoring 19, 33, and 25 points in the games. Smith continues to be the leading scorer in the South Puget Sound League 4A Conference at 24.9 points-per-game.
On Saturday evening, Smith scored 25 points as Kentwood defeated Federal Way 52 - 50. On Thursday, Smith scored 33 points as Kentwood defeated Kent Meridian 57 - 53, and on Tuesday, Smith scored 19 points in a 60 - 29 blowout of Tahoma. Kentwood opened the game with an 18 - 0 run and never looked back.
Moving to the Midwest, Harrison Barnes scored 13 and 26 points in two Ames victories. Barnes' 13 points came in a 70 - 35 rout, while his 26 points came in a 22 point 81 - 59 victory on Friday night. Ames is now 10 - 0 on the season.
Andre Dawkins scored 26 points with 15 coming in the second quater as Atlantic Shores defeated Norfolk Collegiate 71 - 55. Dawkins made four three pointers in the contest.
The holiday season is over and high schools across the nation are resuming their regular basketball
Tyler Thornton, copyright BDNP
schedules. This edition of High School Hoops starts out in our nation's capital with Gonzaga High School and moves around the country with updates on Duke's future players and recruiting targets.
Tyler Thornton has demonstrated an ability to get to the free throw line in recent games. He has taken advantage of the opportunities by connecting on 35 of 43 attempts over his last four games. His 81.4% success rate during these four games is a 11.7% improvement over the 69.7% (23 of 33) he shot during the first nine games. As a point guard who handles the ball for major minutes, it is important for Thornton to punish opposing teams by capitalizing on scoring opportunities from the free throw line.
By comparison, marquee Duke point guards Tommy Amaker, Bobby Hurley, Steve Wojciekowski, and Quinn Snyder had career free throw percentages of 79.1%, 77.6%, 73.2%, and 70% respectively. Comparing a four game streak in high school to career performances at the collegiate level is quite a stretch but the objective is to point out that Thornton is demonstrating a skill set that could pay huge dividends at the next level.
Thornton scored 25, 20, 21, and 13 points in the four games with 44 percent of those points coming via free throws. He is averaging 16.3 points per game over the first 13 games. Gonzaga is currently 11 - 2 and riding a four game winning streak.
Moving on to Norfolk, Andre Dawkins has opened up 2009 with three solid scoring performances. On January 3, he dropped in 24 points as Atlantic Shores defeated Trinity Episcopal 93 - 43. In a 86 - 34 victory over Hampton Christian, on January 6, Dawkins scored 20 points. And on Friday night, January 9, he scored 21 points as Atlantic Shores knocked off Portsmouth Christian 86 - 51.
Out in Iowa, Harrison Barnes scored 18 points including 12 in the first quarter as Ames defeated West Des Moines Valley 89 - 31 on Tuesday evening. Barnes was 5 - 7 from the charity stripe and knocked down one three pointer in the game. Ames High School won their first seven games by an average of 30 points, on Friday night the Little Cyclones continued their dominating ways by defeating Marshalltown 69 - 40 and improving to 8 - 0. Barnes scored 22 points in the victory. Marshalltown defeated Ames in the state playoffs last year.
On to Seattle and Josh Smith who scored 16 points as Kentwood defeated Auburn 64 - 43 on Tuesday night. On Friday night, Kentwood defeated Kentlake 62 - 47. Smith exploded for 36 points in the game. Josh Smith is the leading scorer in the South Puget Sound League 4A at 24.6 points per game.
In Raleigh, Ryan Kelly scored 23 points on Wednesday evening as Ravenscroft defeated Word of God 68 - 59. John Wall had 17 points in a losing effort while future N.C. State player C.J. Leslie chipped in 20. In an overtime game, on Friday night, Forsyth Country day defeated Ravenscroft 53 - 51. Ryan Kelly scored a season low 11 points and missed a three point attempt with one second left. Ravenscroft is back in action against Cardinal Gibbons on Saturday at 8 pm.
Staying in North Carolina, Mason Plumlee had another big game recording a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds as Christ School defeated Cannon School 82 - 60. This road victory improves Christ School's record to 19 - 0.
This edition wraps up by checking in on Brandon Knight down in Florida. On Wednesday evening he scored 36 points as Pine Crest School defeated Benjamin 88 - 69. Knight recorded eight assists and made five three point shots in the game. Knight and Pine Crest will be back in action on Saturday evening at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Classic.
[private]This week's theme is marquee match-ups: Ravenscroft versus Greensboro Day, Pine Crest versus American Heritage, and Gonzaga versus Bishop O'Connell. These games involved Duke commits Ryan Kelly and Tyler Thornton, and Duke recruiting target Brandon Knight; plus Florida commit Kenny Boynton and Carolina commit Kendall Marshall.
Ryan Kelly helped Ravenscroft improve to 8 – 0 with a 29 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, four blocked shots, and four steals performance against Greensboro Day. Ravenscroft won 56 - 42 and is headed toward a showdown with Christ School on December 20, 2008, in Columbia, SC. It will be exciting to see Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee go head-to-head.
Brandon Knight out dueled Kenny Boynton once again and Pine Crest defeated American Heritage 74 - 72 on Friday night. Knight outscored Boynton 35 - 32 in the individual match-up. Knight and Pine Crest have defeated Boynton and American Heritage in four of their last five meetings.
Tyler Thornton scored 23 points in the game but his Gonzaga team came up short, 65 – 60, against Kendall Marshall and Bishop O’Connell. Marshall scored 15 points for O’Connell. In his latest game, on Friday night, Thornton scored 16 points in a 66 - 55 Gonzaga victory over Mount St. Joseph.
Mason Plumlee was the leading scorer in three Christ School victories this week. He scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked four shots, and tallied four assists, on Monday as Christ School defeated Carolina Day 77 – 41. On Tuesday, Mason scored 18 points in a 90 – 35 rout of Shannon Forest. The Greenies are now 9 – 0 on the season. On Saturday, he scored 21 points in a 81 - 30 blowout of Providence Day.
Andre Dawkins continues to be impressive for Atlantic Shores Christian School. Last Saturday, in the ASCS Tip-Off Championship Game, Dawkins and Steven Pledger executed a pick and roll that resulted in Dawkins draining an 18 foot buzzer beating jump shot giving Atlantic Shores a 56 – 54 victory over Miller School. Miller School was paced by Marshawn Powell and Mychal Parker who both scored 19 points. Steven Pledger, who has signed a Letter of Intent to play for Coach Jeff Capel at Oklahoma, scored 34 points and was named the tournament MVP. Dawkins finished the game with 15 points and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Josh Smith scored 21 points on Thursday as Kentwood went on the road and defeated Auburn Riverside 65 – 62 to improve to 2 – 1 on the year. Earlier in the week, Kentwood lost to Federal Way, the number one ranked team in Washington State, 61 – 53. Josh Smith scored 19 points in the loss. The 6’9” 280 Junior is averaging 24 points per game so far this season. Smith is the third leading scorer in the South Puget Sound League 4A Conference.[/private]
Blue Devil Nation Premium caught up with Tyler Thornton who updated us on his high school basketball season and much more. The Duke commitment will lead his team into his schools own Gonzaga D.C. Classic this weekend with a very strong field assembled. Tyler talks of Coach K and Wojo visiting his teams game, future teammate Josh Hairston and the rigors of playing in a tough conference. We hope you enjoy what we feel is an informative and interesting interview -
Tell me a how your high school season is going. I know you had a big game versus Bishop O'Connell that was a tough loss.
We started off the season 2-0 but then had a tough game against O'Connell and Kendal Marshall (UNC commitment). Last year we beat them four times, but they came in our house ready to play. It was a tough game which came down to the end. We made plays, but didn't make enough. Right there at the end we had our chances after being down and coming back to tie the game. We just didn't make the shots. So, it was a tough loss but a wake up call for our team. We're young and learning at the beginning of the season. We have time to get everything straight.
I understand you had a pretty good game on the offensive end ...
Yeah, I had 23 points and around 6 assists. [private]
So, you're breaking in a lot of new guys. Are you pretty much running the point for your team?
Oh yeah. I'm at the top a lot. We run two guards at the top and I'm one of the two.
I understand that Coach K and Wojo came up to see you play. Were they at the game?
Yes, they came up. It was exciting. The whole day at school the kids were talking about Coach K and Wojo coming in, so there was a lot of excitement. After I got through warming up, I was looking around to see if I could find them. They ended up being right there behind the bench which gave me an extra boost. I wish we could have won. They left right after the game, but Coach K called me.
Can you tell me a little bit about that without getting into the personal stuff?
He said he enjoyed watching the teams play and that he wished we had come out with the victory. He said he enjoyed the atmosphere and that he wanted me to come down to a game at Duke. I plan on going down to see a game, but I'm not sure which game I will be at because my schedule sometimes conflicts. I will most definitely come down to see a game though.
What games do you have coming up? Are you in any kind of Holiday tournaments?
My school has the Gonzaga D.C. Classic this weekend. Then we have another league game next Friday after exams. Then the day after Christmas, we go down to Miami for the Tournament of All Stars.
In our tournament we play Mount St. Josephs in Baltimore Friday (tonight). There is a solid of field of teams coming down like Coolidge from D.C. and Archbishop Mitty to name a few.
Are there any games or match ups you are especially looking forward to this season?
I always look forward to playing against DeMatha and St, Josephs and of course St. Johns and O'Connell. Those are the games I always get up for. Bishop McNamara is playing good as well, so that will be a big game in deciding the season in our conference.
Needless to say you play in a tough conference ... what's it like to play on the road in the league? Is it tough or are their big home court advantages?
The atmosphere ... every game we go to no matter who it is, even the worst team in the league. the atmosphere is there. The fans really get into it and the atmosphere is great. It's great playing in our league.
Have you been able to keep up with Josh Hairston of late?
No, I haven't been able to keep up with him. But I did talk to him last week to see how he was playing and he said he was going to come up and watch our tournament this weekend. So, I should see him this weekend, but that's about it.
It's a busy time of year for you. How is school going? Is it a lot different now that you have committed to Duke University?
It's lifted a lot of pressure off my back in trying to balance everything like school, recruiting and playing. That was one thing I was glad to get off my back after committing. Now I am able to focus more on my school work and energies in class.
In ending, let me ask you if you have set any personal goals for the season?
One goal I have is ... last year we had such a great team, I want to follow up and win another championship (State Champs last season). If everything goes like it's suppose to, I think we can. That's the main goal, to win another championship.
Okay! Thanks for your time and good luck with the rest of your season.
Thank you.
This is but a small idea of the interviews Blue Devil Nation Premium brings to it's members. Why not join today and gain access to accurate, timely and reliable recruiting information, behind the scenes tips, current player and coach interviews and some of the most unique coverage on Duke Athletics around. You'll find no speculation here unless stated - we have the facts from some of the best sources available. I've been around the Duke Athletic programs for forty years and I know the subject matter, the trends and what to look for. So, come on in and discuss the latest Ryan Kelly interview with other members on the BDN Premium (members) only message board and be there as we continue to bring you the very latest information well ahead of the curve.
Brandon Knight scored 17 points, on Thursday, as Pine Crest dominated Chaminade-Madonna 68-32. On Tuesday, Knight made six three pointers and exploded for 37 points in a 79-48 victory over Coral Springs Charter. Knight will be facing off against Kenny Boynton for the second time this season on January 31st. The Sun-Sentinel has a game preview posted. Knight scored 35 points as Pine Crest defeated American Heritage earlier this season.
You must be logged in to post a comment.