I'll try not to get too involved but you also named several of the all time Duke greats including a #1 overall pick in the NBA draft and top recruiting talent. Add on the fact that several of those guys started more out of necessity like who would you rather have played than Singler or Scheyer? I guess I should have put on a few clarifications but Cook came on to a loaded roster and unlike AR, his offense wasn't good enough to negate his defense so K went with the experience something he didn't really have in some of your examples.
So you are looking at a #1 pick and ROY award winner, along with 3 guys who have their jerseys retired. I don't think anyone expects Cook to be in that category. I'm not saying K never looks at younger guys b/c in the college game not starting freshmen especially in today's game is just asking for trouble but when given the chance, K seems to give the edge to the upperclassmen for better or worse.
I don't mean to argue with you about this, but it's just not true that Coach K doesn't play freshmen, and so I wouldn't make a blanket statement about that. For example, Battier and Brand started over Roshown McLeod, who did play in the NBA for a while, so he wasn't a slouch. As you say, it depends on who's on the roster and how talented (and ready) the freshman is. Laettner started over Abdelnaby, who also played in the NBA.
But you keep bringing up legendary talent of which I don't think anyone puts Quinn Cook in that discussion. You just brought up a #1 pick, #3 pick and #6 pick in the draft. What about players like Kelly or Mason Plumlee who seemed underutilized their freshmen year albeit some will say they won a title that year. Or how it took so long for Elliot Williams to get extended playing time. And time will only tell how much Cook and Gbinije could have contributed but I'll qualify my statement apart from lottery picks or top 10 recruits, K rarely relies on his freshmen.
Well, thanks to sagegrouse, we now know that 25% of his recruits have started a majority of the games in their freshman seasons.
http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/...arters-at-Duke
If I was a talented high school player, that would be enough for me.
I really like Quinn too, and hope he can improve enough to take over as our leader at the point this year. But I don't think 6.5 assists per game is likely at all. In the history of Duke basketball, that has been done only six times, and four of them were by Bobby Hurley, who had a Duke record of 8.2 apg in his senior year. He holds down the #1, 2, 4, and 5 positions on the list, with Dick Groat and Jason Williams filling out the top 6 -- Jason just getting to 6.5 apg in his freshman year. I'd be thrilled to be wrong, but I would not expect Quinn to be handing out assists at that rate this year.
I don't think Coach K has ever been accused of not playing freshmen. I remember the media making a big deal out of it in 2001 when Duhon became the first freshman under Coach K to win Conference Frosh of the Year (if I'm wrong on that, I'm sure someone will correct me). The reporting, as I recall, was tinged with equal parts "that's how good Duhon is" and "that's an indication of Coach K not giving freshmen great responsibility historically". But the freshman start/not start thing has never been an issue with Coach K.
"I don't like them when they are eating my azaleas or rhododendrons or pansies." - Coach K
Mike Krzyzewski has indeed been accused of not playing freshmen. He's also been accused of not being able to win the big one, not being able to develop big men, not being able to produce NBA players,, not knowing how to use his bench, an over-reliance on stall ball, not being able to recognize the talents of the 10th guy buried on the bench and being primarily responsible for the collapse of Mayan civilization.
Yet, somehow, he carries on.
This last page should be it's own thread of freshmen playing time as it has little specifically to do with '13 recruiting.