Alex Murphy Enrolls Early!

[striker219]

Looks like some sort of hybrid of Singler and Dunleavy! I look forward to watching him in Duke blue!

You can count me as being excited about the coming of Myle Dunlingler.

[loldevilz]

Even if Daniels doesn't come, Josh Hairston should be able to guard some of the more ridiculously athletic SF/PF like Derrick Williams.

Count me among those that is really glad that Murphy is coming early. I think that he will be the starting small forward by the end of the year because he can defend the SF spot and stretch the floor with his shooting.

With Ryan Kelly and Alex Murphy on the roster, how 'bout having two Irishmen in the starting lineup!?

[dukeballboy88]

And Alex and Shabazz are good friends and expressed that they would love to play together.

[uh_no]

Even if Daniels doesn't come, Josh Hairston should be able to guard some of the more ridiculously athletic SF/PF like Derrick Williams.

TO play devils advocate, if Josh is so capable at guarding a derrick williams, then why didn't he get the nod/stop him in the game against arizona this year? Now I understand that Josh will get stronger and improve, but he isn't stopping derrick williams at the moment.

I certainly think he can get there though, he has the length...needs to get bigger though.

[loldevilz]

TO play devils advocate, if Josh is so capable at guarding a derrick williams, then why didn't he get the nod/stop him in the game against arizona this year? Now I understand that Josh will get stronger and improve, but he isn't stopping derrick williams at the moment.

I certainly think he can get there though, he has the length...needs to get bigger though.

That seems like a question for Coach K not me. I can't explain his coaching decisions.

All I know is that Josh Hairston will probably be in the big man rotation next year and he will improve. My guess is that he will come off the bench with Miles and could help deal with the derrick williams of the world.

and btw no one stops derrick willaims. that's why he is a top 3 draft pick.

[burns15]

I doubt Dawkins will start because if he did, the backcourt would be: Rivers, Curry and Dawkins. That would be 3 natural SGs on the floor at once. Coach K is not going to do that when he has natural PGs in his arsenal. I think a more realistic backcourt will be Cook, Rivers and Dawkins. Thornton will have to improve tremendously over the summer to get a starting position. Of course this lineup will change depending on the matchup as we may have to go bigger at the SF. In those instances, I say Rivers and Curry get the nod.

K doesnt care about positions. the best 5 playes will play regardless of postion... be it 5 SGs or 5 Cs... Duke has basketball players not PGs and SGs and SFs

[Saratoga2]

I have been a fan of college basketball ever since I found out I wasn't good enough to play. That's better than 50 years ago and I adopted Duke because I liked the clean program and style of play more than 25 years ago. In that time, I can't remember a team that was as deep at all positions as this one is, if not as high in quality as some others.

We will have 2 legitimate starting PG's in Tyler and Quinn, with two more combo guards who are capable of playing the point, in Seth and Austin.

We will have 3 SG's including Seth, Andre and Austin. All would make most other teams and start. Perhaps we wont see a small point and shooting guard on the floor together unless the other team also goes small at these two positions.

We will have 3 SF's in Andre, Michael and Alex. All have a legitimate chance to get playing time and no one talks about them as they might have with some of our incoming players as being a development project offensively. This is before we even consider DeAndre in the picture.

We have a variety of PF's with no true C, but with options at both positions. With Mason staying and Miles we have a starting back line. Ryan is also equally capable of taking one of those positions and Marshall is a slightly taller version of his brothers, but with a little more back to the backet game already developed. Josh shouldn't be overlooked as he will probably be ready for more PT this year and probably Alex will see time as a PF as well next year.

Absolutely the deepest team in memory. We still have to await the decision of DeAndre, which should come soon, Mason who will have to decide in time for the NBA draft mechanics and I suppose there is also an undercurrent of transfers on a very deep team but I have heard nothing to indicate any are imminent. I am ready to enjoy the ride.

[Matches]

We're going to be extremely tall, extremely talented and extremely young next season. There will be flashes of brilliance and flashes of N.C. State-ness.

Just so long as K doesn't gain 100 pounds, shave his head, and start sporting a bright blue blazer...

It'll be interesting to see how K adapts to having a teamwith 10-11 legit rotation players. The last time I really remember that being the case was 1998.

[darjum]

I have been a fan of college basketball ever since I found out I wasn't good enough to play. That's better than 50 years ago and I adopted Duke because I liked the clean program and style of play more than 25 years ago. In that time, I can't remember a team that was as deep at all positions as this one is, if not as high in quality as some others.

We will have 2 legitimate starting PG's in Tyler and Quinn, with two more combo guards who are capable of playing the point, in Seth and Austin.

We will have 3 SG's including Seth, Andre and Austin. All would make most other teams and start. Perhaps we wont see a small point and shooting guard on the floor together unless the other team also goes small at these two positions.

We will have 3 SF's in Andre, Michael and Alex. All have a legitimate chance to get playing time and no one talks about them as they might have with some of our incoming players as being a development project offensively. This is before we even consider DeAndre in the picture.

We have a variety of PF's with no true C, but with options at both positions. With Mason staying and Miles we have a starting back line. Ryan is also equally capable of taking one of those positions and Marshall is a slightly taller version of his brothers, but with a little more back to the backet game already developed. Josh shouldn't be overlooked as he will probably be ready for more PT this year and probably Alex will see time as a PF as well next year.

Absolutely the deepest team in memory. We still have to await the decision of DeAndre, which should come soon, Mason who will have to decide in time for the NBA draft mechanics and I suppose there is also an undercurrent of transfers on a very deep team but I have heard nothing to indicate any are imminent. I am ready to enjoy the ride.

I'm not sure how you feel about the group, but as they are so young it's quite possible that like UNC in the 2010-11 season, Duke may come out of the gate slowly. But by ACC tournament play and closer to the end of the season they will be a scary prospect, full of offensive mismatches and defensive flexibility.

It's a wonderful mix of player types over the roster and it's certainly an athletically gifted Duke team. Should be a fun season and it's great that Alex will be a part of all of it.

As is discussed in the captains thread, leadership will be what differentiates this teams overall potential. We have been so lucky over the past two years to have identified, strong leadership on the court.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Just so long as K doesn't gain 100 pounds, shave his head, and start sporting a bright blue blazer...

Post of the day!

[Sgt. Dingleberry]

I'm not sure how you feel about the group, but as they are so young it's quite possible that like UNC in the 2010-11 season, Duke may come out of the gate slowly. But by ACC tournament play and closer to the end of the season they will be a scary prospect, full of offensive mismatches and defensive flexibility.

Totally agree. I think we will see a lot of inconsistencies early on, but when the freshman effectively become sophomores at the end of the year, nobody will want to play us.

I am really excited to see K's plan with all of this talent. My favorite thing about K is how we adapt our style of play to capitalize on the type of talent we possess. That sounds simple, but other programs tend to recruit talent to fit their style, where K seems to recruit good kids and then create a style based on their abilities. Will we be down to a 7 man rotation by the end of the year? Will we be trying to run other teams down and play 10 or 11 kids and pressure the heck out of them?

I have zero expectations for next year, the possibilities of directions the season can go are endless. It is wide open. It is going to be a really fun year.

[CDu]

Just so long as K doesn't gain 100 pounds, shave his head, and start sporting a bright blue blazer...

It'll be interesting to see how K adapts to having a teamwith 10-11 legit rotation players. The last time I really remember that being the case was 1998.

Of course, by season's end, Coach K had trimmed the rotation down to 8 or 9 players too.

We will likely have a greater number of talented, recruited players on the roster than we've had at any point in the last 20 years. But having a lot of solid players may be less important than having plenty of top-end talent players. That 1998 team had Langdon, Brand, Battier, McLeod and Avery (all of whom were first-round picks) and Carrawell and Wojo (who were All-ACC caliber players). Heck, Ricky Price was a 1,000 point scorer and All-ACC for Duke and he wound up barely cracking the rotation.

Next year's team could have that kind of talent, but it remains to be seen. There will be a lot of players needing to step into roles that they haven't played before. And Coach K has shown a willingness in the past to not play you if you aren't ready.

[darjum]

Next year's team could have that kind of talent, but it remains to be seen. There will be a lot of players needing to step into roles that they haven't played before. And Coach K has shown a willingness in the past to not play you if you aren't ready.

Can you name one player on the 2011-12 roster that you are 99.99% certain will be a sure thing? My closest bet would be MP2 or AR, but one may still yet go to the NBA and the other is a freshman. Still, should be fun to find out.

[_Gary]

And Coach K has shown a willingness in the past to not play you if you aren't ready.

I submit to you the understatement of the year.

All in all, I agree with your sentiments. I'm not saying we won't be deep, but I've been around the block a bit too many times to automatically assume 10 or 11 guys are all going to play in each and every game. Historical precedent is not on the side of that assumption when it comes to Duke. The most important thing is having a strong core of players that are/become truly elite players that can carry the day both offensively and defensively. A bunch of really good players often isn't enough. You generally need a few truly magnificent players if you want to make a bid for a National Championship. Hopefully we have/find that combination of players next year. Just saying...

[ChicagoHeel]

Of course, by season's end, Coach K had trimmed the rotation down to 8 or 9 players too.

We will likely have a greater number of talented, recruited players on the roster than we've had at any point in the last 20 years. But having a lot of solid players may be less important than having plenty of top-end talent players. That 1998 team had Langdon, Brand, Battier, McLeod and Avery (all of whom were first-round picks) and Carrawell and Wojo (who were All-ACC caliber players). Heck, Ricky Price was a 1,000 point scorer and All-ACC for Duke and he wound up barely cracking the rotation.

Next year's team could have that kind of talent, but it remains to be seen. There will be a lot of players needing to step into roles that they haven't played before. And Coach K has shown a willingness in the past to not play you if you aren't ready.

I agree with this. It's really one of the more interesting years in recent memory for Duke- lots of talent and just as much uncertainty. The roster is deep, but largely unproven. It is not clear how returning players will do now that they are no longer role players, how quickly the freshman will adjust to the college game, or how well the team will gel as a unit. I can imagine a team that struggles to find its bearings and struggles (especially early on); but I also see one that kills you with outside shooting and defensive mismatches. It will be interesting to see how K works with this team.

[ChicagoHeel]

A bunch of really good players often isn't enough

Yes. See UNC, 2009-10 for a recent example. A bunch of good players, none of whom were ready (or able) to step up and be an elite player, made for a tough season. Throw in some injuries and some mistakes by the coaching staff and you have a full-blown NIT disaster. Don't think Duke is heading that direction, but one can always hope for the best.

[Saratoga2]

I submit to you the understatement of the year.

All in all, I agree with your sentiments. I'm not saying we won't be deep, but I've been around the block a bit too many times to automatically assume 10 or 11 guys are all going to play in each and every game. Historical precedent is not on the side of that assumption when it comes to Duke. The most important thing is having a strong core of players that are/become truly elite players that can carry the day both offensively and defensively. A bunch of really good players often isn't enough. You generally need a few truly magnificent players if you want to make a bid for a National Championship. Hopefully we have/find that combination of players next year. Just saying...

I'm not sure we had a magnificent player in o9-10, yet we won it all. We had very good players in Scheyer, Smith and Singler and Zoubek did magnifcent things at the end and Lance was very good. We also had the Plumlees in roles and Kelly. Not sure it fits the idea of a team with magnificent players. Sometimes being lucky to nnot having other magnificent teams is enough. This year was one of those, but we slipped up.

[ChillinDuke]

I'm not sure we had a magnificent player in o9-10, yet we won it all. We had very good players in Scheyer, Smith and Singler and Zoubek did magnifcent things at the end and Lance was very good. We also had the Plumlees in roles and Kelly. Not sure it fits the idea of a team with magnificent players. Sometimes being lucky to nnot having other magnificent teams is enough. This year was one of those, but we slipped up.

I agree with this. And to add to it, I'm not even sure Butler had a "magnificent" player on that 09-10 team. Yet we were both in the finals.

I also raise Butler 10-11 (runner-up) and Michigan State 09-10 (FF) as examples of teams with many good players but no true magnificent players who made runs for titles. And that's just in the past two years.

Just sayin...it doesn't take magnificent to make a run at a title, IMHO.

[BD80]

Totally agree. I think we will see a lot of inconsistencies early on, ...

We are bringing a bucket of freshmen (6?), we have 2 rising sophs who have little game experience, we lose our 2 senior AA leaders, we have 4 rising juniors who are still searching for their roles on the team and to become impact players and leaders, our sole rising senior has been wildly inconsistent.

Boy, I wish there was some way the staff could get the team a little bit of extra time together, for on the court and off-court work and bonding.

Seems like Coach K is always a step ahead. Maybe its that West Point logistics and leadership training. Preseason trips generally give teams an advantage, but Duke seems to get the absolute maximum out of the trips. China will be so useful for this group, as well as a boon for the Duke brand (and the business school). Kudos again to Coach K and his staff.

Welcome Alex! Great choice in coming early to be a part of this next wave. Enjoy the ride!

[ChicagoHeel]

I agree with this. And to add to it, I'm not even sure Butler had a "magnificent" player on that 09-10 team. Yet we were both in the finals.

I also raise Butler 10-11 (runner-up) and Michigan State 09-10 (FF) as examples of teams with many good players but no true magnificent players who made runs for titles. And that's just in the past two years.

Just sayin...it doesn't take magnificent to make a run at a title, IMHO.

Certainly there are any number of teams that have made a title run without a true star/ magnificent player. Of course, defining a "magnificent" player can be difficult a priori because it is often the fact that a player was in the Final Four that makes us remember him as an elite college player- plus it usually bumps up his draft status which factors into our definition of elite. But just thinking back to the National Champions over the last decade or so, they usually have either a truly elite player (Melo/ Syracuse) or a couple of top first round draft picks. Duke last year (and maybe Maryland) were the exceptions that overcame the absence of an elite star by having lots of very solid, experienced talent and a true sense of team. And, really, Singler last year wasn't that far outside the elite category. In any case, none of this rules out Duke next year- Rivers may really shine and there is clearly enough talent around him to make a run.