2012 McDonald's All-American Game Thread

[westwall]

Sulaimon just had another steal and delivered a pass for an easy bucket so he earned an assist.

I was more impressed by that pass than by Suliamon's shooting (which I was lead to expect).

[Ichabod Drain]

Even though the outcome of this game doesn't matter i think it says something that the coach had Sheed in the game toward the end when it got close and that he made plays down the stretch to help his team win. I like this kid a lot, very excited about him, should be interesting how he fits in the rotation of all our guards next year.


Oh yea and GOOO BEEAARRRSSS... Mercer 2012 CIT champs!!!!!

[dukelifer]

Not noteworthy one way or the other. He was willing to get into a nice defensive stance, but he wasn't locking anyone down either. Just not a good environment to judge on-ball defense.

And yes, I'd be thrilled with a Reggie Johnson on our roster. I wasn't too thrilled about him before tonight. He's growing on me. I'm sold on Sulaimon and Muhammad. Jefferson hasn't wowed me. Seems like a guy who'd sit most of the time next year and contribute more as a sophomore/junior/senior.

Nice to see Sulaimon and Muhammad play together. A backcourt of Sulaimon, Curry, Muhammad would look REALLY nice.

Did I mention I'm excited about Sulaimon? Because I am. He looks really good.

Sulaimon looks like a Duke player- Muhammad not so sure. He is a pro - ready to play in the NBA now.

[CDu]

Sulaimon plays every play. Alert O and D, all-around skills, smart smarts, good handle, passer, shooter.

I like Jefferson a lot, maybe because I think we have a slightly better shot at getting him than Muhammad or Parker. Jefferson isn't as unusual as is Kyle Anderson, whom Duke was interested in at one point [and I'd like to know why that faded...]; but Jefferson is also very active, pretty good handle, alert like Sulaimon. Hope he picks Duke.

In terms of guys who could start or make an immediate impact for us, I'd say Muhammad and Sulaimon fit that description. Parker could potentially start, but his stamina is probably going to be an issue. He's got the size, hands, and touch to be an immediate presence. Jefferson has some nice skills, but he's so skinny and not terribly explosive. Seems like a 10-15mpg guy next year. With a bit more strength, he is a very interesting player.

[CDu]

Sulaimon looks like a Duke player- Muhammad not so sure. He is a pro - ready to play in the NBA now.

Muhammad looks like what I want a Duke player to look like. Sulaimon does too. I'm very happy we have Sulaimon. I'd be even happier if we get Muhammad (which I'm not expecting).

[gumbomoop]

Jefferson has some nice skills, but he's so skinny and not terribly explosive. Seems like a 10-15mpg guy next year. With a bit more strength, he is a very interesting player.

My impression of Jefferson is at least marginally more positive than yours. I agree he's not explosive, certainly not at all powerful. He does manage to get to the rim, though.

If Mason leaves and Jefferson is our only additional recruit, that Jefferson might get 10-12 mpg at the 4 would allow Murphy to play some 3, as opposed to almost exclusively at the 4.

To be honest, even though I really like Jefferson, I certainly wouldn't think he'd get 15 mpg his first year. But even 7-10 would help.

[CDu]

My impression of Jefferson is at least marginally more positive than yours. I agree he's not explosive, certainly not at all powerful. He does manage to get to the rim, though.

If Mason leaves and Jefferson is our only additional recruit, that Jefferson might get 10-12 mpg at the 4 would allow Murphy to play some 3, as opposed to almost exclusively at the 4.

To be honest, even though I really like Jefferson, I certainly wouldn't think he'd get 15 mpg his first year. But even 7-10 would help.

I think we are in agreement really. He has a very nice skillset, but he is probably a year away.

It is hard to describe his game. Slithery? Crafty? I will go with slithery.

[DukeWarhead]

I was most impressed with Jay Williams. Can we have him back? Seriously, though.. Jay is turning into a very good analyst - he doesn't reach for commentary and sounds natural.

Rasheed has the "it". Motor, playmaking ability, killer instinct, whatever. He has it.

Makes me think that a Cook, Sulaimon, and Curry backcourt could be very quick and offensively potent. (as opposed to potently offensive.)

[CDu]

I was most impressed with Jay Williams. Can we have him back? Seriously, though.. Jay is turning into a very good analyst - he doesn't reach for commentary and sounds natural.

Rasheed has the "it". Motor, playmaking ability, killer instinct, whatever. He has it.

Makes me think that a Cook, Sulaimon, and Curry backcourt could be very quick and offensively potent. (as opposed to potently offensive.)

I am thinking more toward Sulaimon, Curry, Dawkins/Gbinije/Murphy.

[CameronCrazy06]

Glad to see I'm not the only one who's super-excited about Sheed. Not just from this game, but from everything I've seen and heard about the kid, I've been nothing but impressed. I think he's going to make an impact from the day he steps onto campus, and I'd honestly be surprised if he wasn't in our starting lineup at some point next season.

[Chris Randolph]

Didn't get a chance to watch the game. Dave Telep tweeted that Sulaimon's stock went up all week long. So sounds like the kid is turning more heads which means good things for him and Duke

[OZ]

Information so far doesnt sound good on any of the three recruits.

Not clear what you meant by this or from where your information came.

[Greg_Newton]

I am thinking more toward Sulaimon, Curry, Dawkins/Gbinije/Murphy.

Yeah, I don't know how it'll shake out, but I'll be extremely disappointed if we stick Sulaimon at SF like we did Rivers this year. Both guys are perfect combo guards with all the tools to have advantages over their opponents at either guard spot, but you negate that by making them guard/rebound against SFs.

Loved Sulaimon's speed and on-ball defense tonight (the play where he got low and stopped a full speed Purvis in his track is probably not something any of our current guards could have done), and how fast he gets down the court on fast breaks. I wonder what his +/- was, it had to be something insane. Also liked how well he and Shabazz were playing together...

Felt kinda bad for Amile. He was posting up all game with great position, and the guards just looked right past him. He looked frustrated with Tyler Lewis once when he tossed up a 3 instead of giving him the wide-open post entry pass, which I loved. He's far from a finished product, but he'll be a great back-to-basket scorer at the next level. Size and power isn't the only way to score around the rim.

And Poythress... man. He absolutely locked down Bazz on defense when he set his mind to it. He's like a less-offensively-cerebral, more physically gifted MKG (which is saying something) to me. Incredible all-around athlete. Gonna hate watching him at UK.

[dukedoc]

Information so far doesnt sound good on any of the three recruits.

Are you referring to Telep's courtside blurbs during the game? I wouldn't put too much stock into the fact that he didn't list us on Tony's list and put us in third place for Shabazz. The latter may be true, and that's fine, but we are definitely in the thick of it on Tony. Telep never looks comfortable on TV and my guess is he had a mind lapse or two. We are definitely around the top of the list for Tony, in the mix with 2 others for Shabazz, and also right near the top with Amile. My guess is we get Amile, half of Tony, and a transfer.

[Bob Green]

I was more impressed by that pass than by Suliamon's shooting (which I was lead to expect).

Sulaimon scored 18 points and was 4-8 on 3-pointers so his shooting was pretty good:

http://blogs2.citizen-times.com/hshuddle/

The East trailed by as many as 24 with 12:03 left, but it mounted an impressive comeback. Amile Jefferson had a dunk to make it 93-88 with 3:42 left, but Sulaimon answered with a 3. Rodney Purvis’ three-point play got the East within four with 1:19 left, but Sulaimon answered with a three-point play of his own.

[CDu]

Yeah, I don't know how it'll shake out, but I'll be extremely disappointed if we stick Sulaimon at SF like we did Rivers this year. Both guys are perfect combo guards with all the tools to have advantages over their opponents at either guard spot, but you negate that by making them guard/rebound against SFs.

Yeah, Sulaimon looks a lot like Nolan Smith, which leads me to wonder about the 6'4" height. He certainly looked shorter than that and didn't "play big" if that makes sense. He played like an explosive small guard. Playing him at SF with Cook at PG creates a lot of the same issues as last year in terms of height and rebounding.

That's why I'm intrigued by the idea of a Curry/Sulaimon guard tandem. They're both decent size for guards, and while neither is a true PG both have enough skills to handle it and set up others. Sulaimon has the quickness to defend the PG spot for sure. And it frees up the SF spot for whomever of Dawkins/Gbinije/Murphy or anyone new that wants time there and can defend SF.

I'm not saying that's what I expect to happen. It's just that the skills Sulaimon put on display last night introduced that as a possibility that I hadn't really considered before.

Loved Sulaimon's speed and on-ball defense tonight (the play where he got low and stopped a full speed Purvis in his track is probably not something any of our current guards could have done), and how fast he gets down the court on fast breaks. I wonder what his +/- was, it had to be something insane. Also liked how well he and Shabazz were playing together...

Yeah, it was nice that later in the game Muhammad got paired up with Sulaimon. For much of the game, the rotations (which were generally 5 for 5) paired Sulaimon with Goodwin. Goodwin never looked to pass. But Sulaimon and Muhammad really played well together down the stretch. Dare to dream. I don't think it'll happen, but dare to dream.

[miramar]

Are you referring to Telep's courtside blurbs during the game? I wouldn't put too much stock into the fact that he didn't list us on Tony's list and put us in third place for Shabazz. The latter may be true, and that's fine, but we are definitely in the thick of it on Tony. Telep never looks comfortable on TV and my guess is he had a mind lapse or two. We are definitely around the top of the list for Tony, in the mix with 2 others for Shabazz, and also right near the top with Amile. My guess is we get Amile, half of Tony, and a transfer.

so where does Telep expect the three of them to go? Or does everyone simply pick Kentucky nowadays"

[dukedoc]

so where does Telep expect the three of them to go? Or does everyone simply pick Kentucky nowadays"

He said that, among the three in the hunt for Shabazz, Duke was probably #3. He didn't pick a favorite between KY and UCLA.

For Tony, he rattled off like 8 schools that are involved, although in recent days Tony has indicated that Duke, Kansas, and UCLA "stand out". Incidentally, Telep didn't include Duke in his long list, which makes he think he had a bit of a lapse.

I didn't see the part when he commented on Amile.

[dukelifer]

Yeah, Sulaimon looks a lot like Nolan Smith, which leads me to wonder about the 6'4" height. He certainly looked shorter than that and didn't "play big" if that makes sense. He played like an explosive small guard. Playing him at SF with Cook at PG creates a lot of the same issues as last year in terms of height and rebounding.

That's why I'm intrigued by the idea of a Curry/Sulaimon guard tandem. They're both decent size for guards, and while neither is a true PG both have enough skills to handle it and set up others. Sulaimon has the quickness to defend the PG spot for sure. And it frees up the SF spot for whomever of Dawkins/Gbinije/Murphy or anyone new that wants time there and can defend SF.

I'm not saying that's what I expect to happen. It's just that the skills Sulaimon put on display last night introduced that as a possibility that I hadn't really considered before.



Yeah, it was nice that later in the game Muhammad got paired up with Sulaimon. For much of the game, the rotations (which were generally 5 for 5) paired Sulaimon with Goodwin. Goodwin never looked to pass. But Sulaimon and Muhammad really played well together down the stretch. Dare to dream. I don't think it'll happen, but dare to dream.

I agree. Sulaimon is not 6' 4". I would guess 6' 1.5" - like Nolan. Again it is w shoes and w/o shoes. He is longer than Curry and Thornton but certainly not tall. He is a very smooth player. Muhammad may only be 6' 4" or 6' 5". At the end of the game, Sulaimon wanted the ball and showed the ability to hit a shot with significant contact. He also looked for Muhammad and vice versa. I think they both respect the other's game.

[CDu]

I agree. Sulaimon is not 6' 4". I would guess 6' 1.5" - like Nolan. Again it is w shoes and w/o shoes. He is longer than Curry and Thornton but certainly not tall. He is a very smooth player. Muhammad may only be 6' 4" or 6' 5". At the end of the game, Sulaimon wanted the ball and showed the ability to hit a shot with significant contact. He also looked for Muhammad and vice versa. I think they both respect the other's game.

To those who didn't see the game, if they show a replay of the game, I recommend watching it. In all of these games you can just tell the impact players from the guys who are maybe a few years away or less versatile. Last year, Rivers was an impact player. Cook was a fringe player (perhaps due to injuries). Gbinije was very quiet and didn't make a lot happen. Sulaimon made an unmistakeable impression in that game. He showed great shooting range, great quickness and speed, the ability to get to the rim, and a general willingness to play on both ends. His ballhandling was better than I had expected, and though he's not a PG he could be a lead guard.

But he's not big. He's not going to play SF, so a backcourt of Cook/Thornton, Curry, and Sulaimon would play even smaller than the Thornton, Curry, and Rivers backcourt. I just don't see that happening.

There were a handful of players that stood out to me:
Muhammad (beast at SF)
Sulaimon (see my gushing throughout the thread)
Ferrell (lightning bug of a PG - small but clearly the quickest player on the court)
Purvis (will start from Day 1 for NC State and has a lot of Lorenzo Brown in him)
Parker (definite space eater and rebounder, good soft hands and touch around the basket, needs to get in shape)
Bennett (a big man with all sorts of skills)
Poythress (very long, strong, and athletic, could play SF or PF)
Anderson (slow mo is a good nickname for him and not in a bad way, terrific passer for his size)
Goodwin (he's a shoot 1st/2nd/3rd guy who passes only if necessary, but he sure can get to the rim)

Other guys:
Jefferson (probably a year away because of a slight frame, but a very interesting offensive skillset (outside in player with good ballhandling skills for a PF)
Lewis (will be a backup next year but is a definite upgrade over Alex Johnson and may eventually be a solid starter in a couple of years)
Paige (he'll have no problems running Williams' offense, but he didn't really stand out to me, not on the Felton/Lawson athlete level and doesn't have Marshall's court vision)