Welcome to Duke, Luke Kennard!

[Troublemaker]

Quick clip of the announcement from Scarberry Media

Thanks. A couple loud boos in there when he first announced for Duke, but then mostly polite applause afterwards.

[Cameron]

There was a lot of talk just a month ago, when UK looked like it may land him, that Kennard was a strong candidate to reclassify to 2014-15. Even though nothing of this sort was mentioned during the announcement, is there any chance of this still potentially happening?

My guess is no, but I am so stoked for the kid's arrival that I wanted to ask.

Note: It's possible that I confusing Kennard with Charles Matthews on this, but I do remember the possibility arising several times.

[Troublemaker]

Yeah it was Charles Matthews that was rumored to be reclassifying -- but he's not, either.

[Cameron]

Ah. Thanks. Damn. My ADD getting the best of me again. A year and half is a long wait.

[Troublemaker]

Indeed. We'll still have some players to launch some three-bombs for you next season, Cameron.

Tyus Jones seems to have deep range to me, and he'll get a lot of minutes, whether starting or off the bench.

[jb75]

for the old timers, Luke's video reminds me of Jack Marin.

[Henderson]

Somewhere in Lexington there is a dark mind thinking, "He hasn't signed a Letter of Intent yet. I'm going to keep him -- and his parents -- on my speed dial."

[LobstersPinchPinch]

Indeed. We'll still have some players to launch some three-bombs for you next season, Cameron.

Tyus Jones seems to have deep range to me, and he'll get a lot of minutes, whether starting or off the bench.

I don't think his shooting is as highly regarded as his handle and passing. But I'll wager any amount he's starting from day 1.

[LobstersPinchPinch]

Somewhere in Lexington there is a dark mind thinking, "He hasn't signed a Letter of Intent yet. I'm going to keep him -- and his parents -- on my speed dial."

Ha, and I'm called a pessimist?! Nah, he sounds solid. Much to Devin Booker's relief.

[El_Diablo]

Thanks; was that his mom on his right? Sorry for being so shallow, but she's in the Sonya Curry neighborhood

That's his sister. If she comes to any games, I am sure Brent Musburger would be a fan.

[TruBlu]

That's his sister. If she comes to any games, I am sure Brent Musburger would be a fan.

If she wants to go to any game in Cameron, I will have an extra ticket. (Apologies to my son who normally sits next to me, but there are priorities in life.)

[CameronBornAndBred]

Ah. Thanks. Damn. My ADD getting the best of me again. A year and half is a long wait.

It is, but we have a loaded class coming in as it is. Add another and I would be starting to check for transfer news. Although, as I type that, I started thinking "would coming in early be such a bad thing if you redshirted?" That could be a delicious scenario. Either way we have to wait a year and a half, but by the time Kennard (or whoever the scenario fits) plays, they have a season of Duke practice under their belt.
In a way, that is what happened with both Murphy and MP3, but neither of those two came in knowing they would not see the court in their first season, which could affect a player psychologically. I don't think Marshall was let down by it, but I am not so sure about Alex.
So if we get a player that can graduate and come in early, which would you rather see? That guy playing a season full of games in HS, or a season on our bench and in practice every day? Toss up for me, but I do like the idea of him involved in our system for a year. Works well for most of the football freshmen.

[DukeFanSince1990]

I have just started to watch highlights it looks like left hand, right hand, it doesn't matter. He is amphibious.

[gumbomoop]

He is a very good quarterback and throws with his right hand, thus explaining his strong ability to finish with either hand.

On amphibious, this earlier post from Dukehky tells us a lot. A lot.

[mr. synellinden]

Apparently Luke is playing well at EYBL.
https://twitter.com/evandaniels/stat...10261601693696

[Gargoyle]

Here is an evaluation of Kennard from OTRHoopsReport along with a highlight tape.

http://ontheradarhoops.com/otrhoopsr...tober-29-2014/

[flyingdutchdevil]

Here is an evaluation of Kennard from OTRHoopsReport along with a highlight tape.

http://ontheradarhoops.com/otrhoopsr...tober-29-2014/

I love watching high school highlights. They are so, incredibly meaningless. Kennard is good, but out there he looks like Lebron: driving at will, shooting effectively, taking contact. Most of his competition are <180 pounds and <6'1". Kennard is clearly a man amongst boys out there.

That said, I am really intrigued by Kennard. The dude can clearly shoot, and I love his get-to-the-rim mentality. Should be an interesting player to follow next year.

[duke4life32182]

Those weren't boo's, they were Luke's.

[Ichabod Drain]

I love watching high school highlights. They are so, incredibly meaningless. Kennard is good, but out there he looks like Lebron: driving at will, shooting effectively, taking contact. Most of his competition are <180 pounds and <6'1". Kennard is clearly a man amongst boys out there.

That said, I am really intrigued by Kennard. The dude can clearly shoot, and I love his get-to-the-rim mentality. Should be an interesting player to follow next year.

Actually I looked up their roster, all those kids are 6'6"+ and at least 210. Luke is just a monster.

[yancem]

Here is an evaluation of Kennard from OTRHoopsReport along with a highlight tape.

http://ontheradarhoops.com/otrhoopsr...tober-29-2014/

So did he actually take (and make) 20+ free throws that game or did they just show a handful over and over again? I think that he is going to be a solid player for Duke but I'm not sure about the level of competition in that video. They guys guarding him seemed to all be 2-4 inches shorter and none seemed to have very good defensive postures.