Roscoe Smith

[Duke4life92]

So, have we offered Roscoe? I've seen where he has a scholly offer and seen where he doesn't.... Does anyone know definitely?

Don't know definitively but I've also seen site's listing roscoe as being offered by duke and that he say's he has decided amongst the 3 teams he had narrowed his list down to,but was waiting for some things to sort out before he commited to that team.Well i hope hb's decision is what he was waiting on

[miramar]

i read in one of these threads that roscoe doesnt like barnes!!!

I hate to take things personally, but I can't say that I blame him.

[ChicagoCrazy84]

I don't have a subscription, but Devils Den has reported that the coaching staff was in fact in contact with Roscoe Smith today. Good move. This kid has serious game, especially on the defensive end and even though he wasn't our top priority, he should be now and we should all make him feel that he is no consolation prize if/when he comes for an official visit.

[Devilsfan]

Hope they're right because all these ramdom thoughts are going through my mind right now and I don't like them but I HATE losing...
Bobby Bowden, Joe Pa, Notre Dame football, taking your eye off the ball to focus on the olympics, getting beat in recruiting by a good old boy wanna-be, and a not so pure Memphis/KY coach... OUCH!!!

[Devilsfan]

I hope Coach K gets really mad at losing to the "bumpkin from the hill" and it reflects in future recruiting and coaching and we finally get past the sweet 16 again.

[RockyMtDevil]

We need a stick it in your grill defender. Welcome Roscoe, looking forward to sticking to Harrison Barnes!

[Kewlswim]

Why do Barnes and Smith not get along?

Thanks

GO DUKE!

[cbnaylor]

I as well believe that Roscoe Smith will be a Dukie within the next couple weeks. He said after Irving becoming a Dukie that he had already made his mind up but was waiting to see how things played out. What he was waiting on was if Barnes was going to Duke or not. Simple, If he went to Duke, Smith goes to Georgetown. If Barnes goes elsewhere, then he comes to Duke. Even though I was A LITTLE UPSET YESTERDAY, I feel that we will still be ok and Smith is by no means a bad player at all. Maybe just maybe Smith will be motivated to show to Duke that they made the right choice and he will prove that he's better than Barnes.

Lets go Duke.

[diveonthefloor]

Folks in Baltimore say Roscoe is a top notch player and an exceptional defender. Can anyone comfirm the defensive statement?

[FireOgilvie]

Folks in Baltimore say Roscoe is a top notch player and an exceptional defender. Can anyone comfirm the defensive statement?

Yes.

Roscoe is also just as good of an athlete or better as far as leaping ability as Barnes. Barnes is better at probably almost everything else, except maybe shot-blocking, but Roscoe is very good. I think he's underrated. He would definitely be an important addition to our team. I think he'd play a bigger role than both Hairston and Thornton in their freshman year.

[Newton_14]

Yes.

Roscoe is also just as good of an athlete or better as far as leaping ability as Barnes. Barnes is better at probably almost everything else, except maybe shot-blocking, but Roscoe is very good. I think he's underrated. He would definitely be an important addition to our team. I think he'd play a bigger role than both Hairston and Thornton in their freshman year.

Given that Hairston is ranked ahead of Smith, why is it that everyone thinks Smith is the better player? I don't get it. I have never seen either play other than U-Tube highlights, but I just find it odd that so many toss Josh and Tyler under the bus for players we do not have..

Is there a clear difference between Hairston and Smith or is this just speculation by the masses?

[El_Diablo]

Simple, If he went to Duke, Smith goes to Georgetown. If Barnes goes elsewhere, then he comes to Duke.

What about UConn...why are you throwing them out?

Why do you think Roscoe has settled on Duke, despite not having an official visit yet?

[Blueequalslife23]

Given that Hairston is ranked ahead of Smith, why is it that everyone thinks Smith is the better player? I don't get it. I have never seen either play other than U-Tube highlights, but I just find it odd that so many toss Josh and Tyler under the bus for players we do not have..

Is there a clear difference between Hairston and Smith or is this just speculation by the masses?

I'm not agreeing. But on film sometimes players look better than other. And Smith is ranked higher than Hairston on multiple recruiting sites. And at one time Smith was a 5 Star player.

[Reddevil]

From all accounts, Roscoe is an athletic, defensive minded player that can block shots, rebound, and make steals. He can both start and finish a break. He seems to fit the team dynamic very well. Both he and Hairston can play at the same time. I relish the thought, always have - even before the Barnes decision. Roscoe Smith is highly rated regarless of whether we've seen him at 20 or 35, or whatever. He is the type of guy that can make plays and make people forget about rankings once he is on the team. It's easy to say now, but I wish he was offered and in the fold without Barnes being a factor. Just like I would like to see Beal get offered before waiting to see what Rivers does, but what do I know?

[jimsumner]

According to the RSCI consensus rankings Hairston is one spot above Smith.

My understanding is that Smith is a very good, maybe exceptional athlete, with a good skill set. But he hasn't quite figured out how to translate that into on-court dominance. Call it focus.

And yes, Duke is on Smith.

[FireOgilvie]

Given that Hairston is ranked ahead of Smith, why is it that everyone thinks Smith is the better player? I don't get it. I have never seen either play other than U-Tube highlights, but I just find it odd that so many toss Josh and Tyler under the bus for players we do not have..

Is there a clear difference between Hairston and Smith or is this just speculation by the masses?

I actually have seen Roscoe in 2 games and I was very impressed by him in those. He also played very well in the Nike Global Challenge with Kyrie Irving on the East team, where they won a championship. He proved himself to be a very solid rebounder and shot-blocker in those games and had 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks in the championship game against Canada.

I have never seen Hairston play a live game, but I have heard a lot about him from people on this board and others. Also, yes, I have seen his highlight videos. From what I have seen and heard, Roscoe is a quicker and more explosive athlete than Hairston. Roscoe also has a much better perimeter game and 3 point shot.

The reason I said Roscoe would play a more important role than Hairston is because we will need a 3/wing forward next year, especially if Singler leaves, while I don't think that Hairston will be able to make as much of an impact at the 4/PF because of our depth at that position for next year. IMO, Roscoe will be quick enough and a good enough defender to step into the role of "glue guy" that McClure and Lance Thomas have taken. But, I also think that Roscoe will be much better on offense than both of them.

As far as why they are ranked similarly in RSCI, we can thank Bob Gibbons for that. He has Hairston at 7, and Roscoe at 60, which is completely out of line with every other service, and honestly, with reality. If we throw out that outlier, Roscoe is several places ahead of Hairston. Also, Roscoe has been moving up the rankings lately, while Hairston has dropped steadily. I also believe that Roscoe is still underrated at this point. He has a very high ceiling due to his athletic ability and quickness; he just needs to put it all together. I still believe that Hairston will be a very solid player for Duke, but I just believe that Roscoe has the chance to step in and play a more important role from the beginning.

[mlove3]

can anyone confirm or deny the fact that smith and barnes don't like each other too much? i even heard there was an altercation once?

[houstondukie]

As far as why they are ranked similarly in RSCI, we can thank Bob Gibbons for that. He has Hairston at 7, and Roscoe at 60, which is completely out of line with every other service, and honestly, with reality. If we throw out that outlier, Roscoe is several places ahead of Hairston. Also, Roscoe has been moving up the rankings lately, while Hairston has dropped steadily. I also believe that Roscoe is still underrated at this point. He has a very high ceiling due to his athletic ability and quickness; he just needs to put it all together. I still believe that Hairston will be a very solid player for Duke, but I just believe that Roscoe has the chance to step in and play a more important role from the beginning.

Not true. Both Hairston and Smith have seen a drop in the rankings over the summer. Not long ago, both Hairston and Smith were top 15 recruits according to rivals and scout.

I think they are both underrated, however.

[mickeysgotagun]

Not true. Both Hairston and Smith have seen a drop in the rankings over the summer. Not long ago, both Hairston and Smith were top 15 recruits according to rivals and scout.

I think they are both underrated, however.

From what I understand Hairston is a team first player who does not draw attention to himself. Let's hope him and Smith let their true talent shine at Duke.

[Newton_14]

Fair enough. Just seems like everyone was higher on what we don't have than what we do have. Thanks for the insight on Roscoe.

Hopefully Roscoe wants to be a Duke kid and commits soon. That would go along way in helping this board get over yesterday. I really wish the mods would delete the threads about what happened yesterday and force us to move on. Time to let it go. The team played well last night and there are games on Monday and Tuesday so there is plenty to discuss imo.