What Coach K and staff need to fix

in my opinion, is why for the last couple of years Duke is not as good at the end of the season then at the beginning.

If my math is correct this years team started 21-1 and finished 6-5. I now the level of competition was higher but that does not explain it all. We beat Wisconsin by 24 points in December, does anyone think we could do that now.

Last years team lost its last four games.

I do not profess to know the reason. In years gone by I thought we tended to get better and even peak come tournament time. Now we just are not that good. We were deep enough so I don't think its fatigue.

SoCal

Yeah, it used to be a hallmark of Duke basketball that we peaked in March. I disagree that we couldn't have been tired though. We have pretty much cut our bench down alot the past few seasons by the time March rolls around. Players don't play in games unless they earn PT in practice, but it might be a good idea to get some guys in the games even if it's only to have some fuel left in our starters by March. I'd rather lose some games in Jan/Feb if it means winning a few more in March. I mean... we're losing games in February now anyway, huh?

As a lifelong Duke fan it's hard for me to critisize, as I hold Coach K in the highest reverence, but every year, my friends who aren't Duke guys tell me that they think Duke looks tired. I also hear about how great our conditioning programs are, but maybe they're so good that it wears our guys out. When you're missing threes at the end of the season, the obvious explanation is that you're tired. It would be one thing if shortening the bench every year was working, but it hasn't worked well at all. It's only worked to cause guys to transfer... although I'm not sure if Jamal Boykin was good enough to play at Duke in the first place. Yet difficult to say, as I only saw him play about 3 minutes. I did see Taylor King and Nolan Smith put up 20 in 2007... and then they were gone, only to reappear briefly this weekend.

I think earlier in each of the seasons we've overachieved slightly. But, despite that, we are still underachieving in my opinion come March. I think this is due somewhat to the fatigue and wear-and-tear (injuries both large and small) of a long season but mainly to a lack of developing new offensive schemes. We seem to stick with what worked earlier in the season even as it steadily becomes less and less effective. I would like to see some more creativity coming from the sideline instead of the players.

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Originally Posted by Summie444

I think earlier in each of the seasons we've overachieved slightly. But, despite that, we are still underachieving in my opinion come March. I think this is due somewhat to the fatigue and wear-and-tear (injuries both large and small) of a long season but mainly to a lack of developing new offensive schemes. We seem to stick with what worked earlier in the season even as it steadily becomes less and less effective. I would like to see some more creativity coming from the sideline instead of the players.

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Well it seemed like we did the exact opposite this year. In the beginning of the season we really pushed the ball. With no true center Coach K wanted to play a fast tempo game. And it worked great. I actually crunched the numbers and Duke was getting like 15 shots off a game compared to last year.

But I noticed in the tournaments, we really started to grind it out to a half court game. We walked the ball up. Maybe too tired? Maybe sick with the flu? Who knows, but I knew we could not win in a half court game with no big inside presence or a true PG.

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Originally Posted by CatfiveCane

it all starts and ends with recruiting. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I recruit 5 studs and let them play how they want: 9 out of 10 times they will be beat well coached average players.

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My question is why was the team K recruited good enough to beat Wisconsin in December but not nearly that good in March.

Maybe the whole thing is blamed on the flu this year. But why did we lose our last four games last year? Tough to expect guys to play tournament level play when they are sick.

I would like to see us have an assistant who has experience as a big man. I would also like to see an assistant who did NOT come through the Duke program. K is supposed to have learned from his assistants at Team USA or whatever, maybe a little diversity on the staff would be good. I really have nothing personal against Wojo or Collins, just would like some different viewpoint.

Lastly, recruiting is tough. K does not select. I also think K would rather not recruit guys who expect to be 1 and done.

SoCal

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Originally Posted by SoCalDukeFan

My question is why was the team K recruited good enough to beat Wisconsin in December but not nearly that good in March.

Maybe the whole thing is blamed on the flu this year. But why did we lose our last four games last year? Tough to expect guys to play tournament level play when they are sick.

I would like to see us have an assistant who has experience as a big man. I would also like to see an assistant who did NOT come through the Duke program. K is supposed to have learned from his assistants at Team USA or whatever, maybe a little diversity on the staff would be good. I really have nothing personal against Wojo or Collins, just would like some different viewpoint.

Lastly, recruiting is tough. K does not select. I also think K would rather not recruit guys who expect to be 1 and done.

SoCal

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My simple answer is: teams improved... we didn't. We have a great set of skilled basketball players. They already have the fundamentals down. So in the early season we are good. But as the season progress, other teams progress. We don't. We already hit our wall.

For all the talk about Coach K learning from his USA basketball... I didn't really see it. We played zone for maybe 2-3 plays in the ACC Tournament. That's it. Our offense looked the same... and then we started to grind it out to a half court set.

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Originally Posted by CatfiveCane

it all starts and ends with recruiting. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I recruit 5 studs and let them play how they want: 9 out of 10 times they will be beat well coached average players.

Coach K needs to rethink things. He needs to overhaul his recruiting style like he did after the 1995 season. If we see this I will be happy. If not, Coach K might have lost his spark. Now I don't think we should fire Coach K or anything, but he is getting PAID a lot of money to WIN at Duke. Roy Williams showed that you can come in a "storied" program and win after a legend. IF (a big IF) Coach K was to be replaced and young Coach would be given the keys to a sports car.

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Here's my problem with this, I like K, I like what he displays through his players, I am entertained and impressed with how his teams present, so I don't want K to step aside because he only won 28 games this year. I really don't.

Besides, what would the sports writers for the Times have to write about if you had your way? Three of them wrote articles about Duke-WVa and none said anything meaningful about WVa's program or how they played. Three sports writers for the Times and they came up with nada, yilch, to say good about WVa. So I say, Catman, think of the writers; they have their beemers to pay for too, you know.

As for me, I thought that McClure, at least in the first half, was spectacular. He not only shut the guy with the mouth down, but rebounded the ball terrifically. So, I think that he should stay around; I love his game, think it is in the great tradition of defense-first stoppers begun in the K era with Billy.

Lance was in a tough spot this year. Playing in an offense in which the ball rocked, and inside out play was created by lateral penetration from the wings by three stellar players. Hard to find a spot to contribute in that. But, in the first Carolina game, K decided to hurt Carolina off the penetrating pass and Lance did not disappoint. Twenty years from now, when this Duke team gets together, they'll have many great memories, none brighter than that evening in Chappel Hill. Lance more than earned his spot.

In the end, do I wonder what might have been if PP had chosen Duke over Kentucky, as everyone in the Western world had expected he would. Not nearly as much as he does, Catman, not nearly as much as him.

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Originally Posted by greybeard

Here's my problem with this, I like K, I like what he displays through his players, I am entertained and impressed with how his teams present, so I don't want K to step aside because he only won 28 games this year. I really don't.

Besides, what would the sports writers for the Times have to write about if you had your way? Three of them wrote articles about Duke-WVa and none said anything meaningful about WVa's program or how they played. Three sports writers for the Times and they came up with nada, yilch, to say good about WVa. So I say, Catman, think of the writers; they have their beemers to pay for too, you know.

As for me, I thought that McClure, at least in the first half, was spectacular. He not only shut the guy with the mouth down, but rebounded the ball terrifically. So, I think that he should stay around; I love his game, think it is in the great tradition of defense-first stoppers begun in the K era with Billy.

Lance was in a tough spot this year. Playing in an offense in which the ball rocked, and inside out play was created by lateral penetration from the wings by three stellar players. Hard to find a spot to contribute in that. But, in the first Carolina game, K decided to hurt Carolina off the penetrating pass and Lance did not disappoint. Twenty years from now, when this Duke team gets together, they'll have many great memories, none brighter than that evening in Chappel Hill. Lance more than earned his spot.

In the end, do I wonder what might have been if PP had chosen Duke over Kentucky, as everyone in the Western world had expected he would. Not nearly as much as he does, Catman, not nearly as much as him.

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Several things:

1) I in no way want Coach K to stop coaching at Duke. But I think some changes are needed. He brings a lot to Duke... not just on the basketball court.

2)Sorry but I disagree with McClure. McClure is like your 3rd option to the prom. He's decent enough, but nothing spectacular. He lacks the size to really defend the big guys and he's not quick enough to defend the small guys. He's also very gun shy. I mean he's a redshirt junior right? If he hasn't developed a decent 18" shot by now... he never will. People say he's a smart player. What does that really mean? It's like the joke when we say a girl as a "nice personality..."

3) Lance Thomas is not the answer to our problems.

4) Patterson was NEVER coming to Duke. He played us. Even after UK FIRED their head Coach he still committed there. Huh?? You really think he was leaning to Duke?

CatfiveCane has ruined this thread and has been banned. Sorry, folks. Some people still refuse to get the message. His worst post was deleted.