Countdown to Craziness Reports

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Oklafor is a beast. He can score when he wants to and with ease. He is NBA ready now. He will have better stats than Jabari!
I agree that Justin was very good and he will obviously get lots of minutes. He is a very complete player. Defense, lay ups and threes.
Quinn looked the same.
Agree about Semi but I imagine his role last night was defense and he played it.
Matt did look good. I don't think we saw him score as much for the whole of last season as last night. His catch and release was really quick.
The first half blue team crushed white. I felt terrible for white. That team did have Tysus and Oklafor playing together....
A couple of other things.
The Student section wasn't full.
On the recruiting side I heard that Harry Giles was there but who was the smaller kid that K pulled next to him and had a long chat to in the second half? He looked like he was a point guard.
I think Oklafors Dad really enjoyed himself!!
During practice Ryan's brother was really knocking down the threes. Looks like it's in the family!

White crushed blue in the first game 34-17. Okafor was unstoppable.

[Furniture]

White crushed blue in the first game 34-17. Okafor was unstoppable.

He was and he did it with such ease. I don't think he was even trying too hard!

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

He was and he did it with such ease. I don't think he was even trying too hard!

Yep. When Plumlee laid off, Okafor hit the short jumper. When Plumlee bodied up, Okafor played right thru and around him. And it wasn't bad defense either. I think Okafor's only "bad" play was a spin to the baseline that was an obvious travel (and that the ref called). I think we'll see some of that kind of stuff from him but it's hard to be concerned about a guy with that kind of footwork. We haven't seen this sort of big man in a while. Loved Mason but this is big man play at entirely different level.

[Dukehky]

That banana that Matt gave to the Crazies was probably from the State Fair. What the hell is Matt Jones going to do with a Giant Banana? May as well be funny and give it away.

The hour and a half leading up to the game was the worst thing I've ever witnessed. I just hope to all that is good on this earth that they didn't make the recruits sit out there and watch. I don't think they had to watch the pre game games and skits and dances for very long. It was really awkward to see Jenna and Kalia try and get the crowd jazzed up for women's hoops. Which is sad, but pick your battles, don't stand out there forever making it look worse. I think I have a history on this board of being very into women's basketball and posting regularly on it, so don't take that the wrong way, but that didn't help much.

I thought Tyus impressed me the most. In the first half you didn't even notice he had the ball, but upon further examination, he just effortlessly got the ball into the right positions. Like he would go to the wing, throw a mid-entry pass to Amile at the high post who would then throw a good entry to Jah. That kind of action is going to predominately start with Tyus. He was just so smooth. As a great point guard, you couldn't notice all the really good things he was doing. He handled the pressure by SHeed most of the game, and he got a 5 second call on Quinn, who is no slouch of a guard.

Enough has been said of Okafor, he very well could have one of the most dominant seasons a Duke player has ever had. Marshall may not be the greatest post defender in the world, but he is 7 foot and athletic and Okafor toyed with him most of the night. Foul trouble is his only real enemy because his court vision looked really strong last night as well. As long as the rest of the team doesn't stop and watch, Oak will either get a good shot, score, get fouled, or make the RIGHT pass. He needs to go after defensive rebounds with more gusto, but I think that will come, especially if some 6'8 scrub from southwest miami state out rebounds him one night. He is a competitive guy.

Everyone else looked solid, I think it is going to be Rasheed's lot to be like Jamal Crawford and come off the bench with the sole purpose of scoring, with the added bonus of being able to play defense.

Should be a fun season, can't wait for MSU

[mpj96]

This c2c was not in the same league as 2011, but it was good. The freshmen bring a step change in talent and they seem to play better team ball with Tyus at the helm than last year which seemed to rely on a lot of individual plays. The white team with Amile, Jah, Justise, matt & Tyus had that ability to go on explosive scoring bursts (including defense to offense) that can quickly demoralize a lesser team. They doubled up the blue team hanging 34 on them to the blue's 17.

Justise Winslow looked better than I expected. He is a big kid with a lot of upside. Wasn't trying to force things. Played good d.

Jah looked pretty good. He is not Tim Duncan, but he is good. Out jumped Marshall for tip off. Showed some range, but It remains to be seen whether that is something he can do consistently. Tyus reminded me a little of Syracuse's pg last year. Smooth, finding the open man with few mistakes and capable of punishing you by scoring if you ease off. Height wise very similar to Cook so we may struggle against tall guards but they will have their hands full with him too.

If we could keep this class for a couple of years they could be something really special, but that's not going to happen. We might keep Tyus and Justise, but Jah will be gone for sure.

Grayson was a pleasure to watch. He will infuriate Duke haters. Very confident, persistent and better, much better, than he looks.

Amile looked very confident -- the team leader -- and had some great sneaky plays. Rasheed got hot in the second game, channeling Nolan Smith and scoring 16. One of his buckets was a spin-around 3. Quin looked good too hitting from outside. When Tyus didn't move to cover Quin in the 2nd match that left Matt trying to pick between covering Quin or Grayson behind the 3. Didn't feel bad for matt much last night, but did then. We'll be deep this year.

[devildeac]

It was Matt. Was trying to figure out if he lost a bet. Or was taking a shot at the holes for their banana costumes from a few years ago. Or was just being goofy.

At least K didn't get out there with a wand and try to dance either.

[devildeac]

Yep. When Plumlee laid off, Okafor hit the short jumper. When Plumlee bodied up, Okafor played right thru and around him. And it wasn't bad defense either. I think Okafor's only "bad" play was a spin to the baseline that was an obvious travel (and that the ref called). I think we'll see some of that kind of stuff from him but it's hard to be concerned about a guy with that kind of footwork. We haven't seen this sort of big man in a while. Loved Mason but this is big man play at entirely different level.

The other thing that will be very interesting to observe will be the double teams I'd bet he sees frequently and whether he can make his move/s and score before the 2nd defender arrives or if can quickly pass out of it to a cutter or a wide open shooter for a 3.

[uh_no]

The hour and a half leading up to the game was the worst thing I've ever witnessed. I just hope to all that is good on this earth that they didn't make the recruits sit out there and watch. I don't think they had to watch the pre game games and skits and dances for very long. It was really awkward to see Jenna and Kalia try and get the crowd jazzed up for women's hoops. Which is sad, but pick your battles, don't stand out there forever making it look worse. I think I have a history on this board of being very into women's basketball and posting regularly on it, so don't take that the wrong way, but that didn't help much.

that's kind of depressing...can you give a rundown on the kind of things they did?

and on women's hoops, what went so wrong last night?

Either way, i never thing going out and trying to rally support is a great thing to do...at least do something! I know at uconn they have a scrimmage with players from both teams, which is kinda fun, since they get to play together, and one team is coached by geno, and the other by ollie. I highly doubt that K would go for something like that, and it wouldn't work here where the women's team isn't nearly as popular...but the point is, how can you get the team involved? a game of knockout? a skills competition? a 3v3 match against a team of students? I'd get excited to watch that stuff...much less so someone going "sports...YEAH"

[6th Man]

that's kind of depressing...can you give a rundown on the kind of things they did?

and on women's hoops, what went so wrong last night?

Either way, i never thing going out and trying to rally support is a great thing to do...at least do something! I know at uconn they have a scrimmage with players from both teams, which is kinda fun, since they get to play together, and one team is coached by geno, and the other by ollie. I highly doubt that K would go for something like that, and it wouldn't work here where the women's team isn't nearly as popular...but the point is, how can you get the team involved? a game of knockout? a skills competition? a 3v3 match against a team of students? I'd get excited to watch that stuff...much less so someone going "sports...YEAH"

I've made it to every C2C since they started and the entertainment leading up to the player intros and game are definitely on the downhill slide. I realize the only reason we go is to see the team scrimmage, but it is such a LONG wait before the team comes out. The first few C2C's I found to be pretty entertaining. Lots of cool videos mixed in with the entertainment. This year we had to watch cup flipping on a table, arranging potato chip bags into bowls, and putting t-shirts on with various moon phases in the correct order. The entertainment was good enough in years past to sit through the entire event, but this year made me want to either not go next year or show up an hour and a half later. Pretty disappointing production this year leading up to the intros and game.

Obviously Okafor was dominant, but I came away really impressed with Tyus Jones. Tyus really knows how to control the flow of the game and he made some amazing passes that set up some easy baskets. Of all the great PG's we've had, his style reminds me more of Hurley's than anyone else. He's not explosive like Irving and J-Will, but seems to be in absolute command from the PG position. Tyus switched teams at the half and it was a close game. Okafor was the dominant force, but Jones made things easier for the other side to make a better second half match. I think having a great PG and big man are key to tournament runs and we definitely have it this year. If Sheed can play the season the way he played in the second half last night, it should be a GREAT year.

[OldPhiKap]

Blue Devil Network has highlights up. In the bits they showed:

1. Sheed was very aggressive, really good to see.

2. Jalil not only has game at the rim, he had a nice 10-15 foot shot it seemed. If true, he will be awfully hard to stop. Hope he can pass out of the double.

[Gthoma2a]

Better right now than last year's team was at Countdown to Craziness? Or better right now than last year's team was ever? If the former, great, but not that big a deal, given how last season played out. If the latter, I too am giddy.

Seemed better than last year's team, period. We have more to offer, a post presence, and we have more toughness than we had last year. This team doesn't look like it will fall apart/lose focus as easily. That, and we have several players who can really defend. Amile, Jahlil, Justise, Matt and Rasheed can all defend at a high level (Jahlil has both the reach to block shots and quick enough feet to get positioning). Tyus and Marshall are good defenders. Quinn will still be the guy who will go into the stands for a deflection, taking himself out of the play, overplaying, but with these guys around him, that is more acceptable than last year. Grayson seems like he is an okay defender who will be able to do little things to get under an opponent's skin. Semi is a work in progress (we knew that; he did attack the basket last night on offense, though, so he is much better).

Really, last year, we were a soft team that usually needed a big enough lead to make up for the 10 minutes of a game where we just didn't play well or smart. We watched a lot of teams play offense without anyone going out of their way to impede them. This team seems more engaged, and into the game. The freshmen we have this year have a huge chemistry improvement over last year, and they change the personality of the team. They seem to have a lot of fight (Justise throwing Quinn into the stands to prevent a layup, and Okafor ripping the ball away with one hand from Matt Jones on a defensive rebound). I will be honest and say that I never liked the personality of last year's team (not any one player, but the way we all seemed to react to things). The team just seemed to be lacking grit. Can't say that this year. Justise cramped up and got a rebound to seal the second game on the very next play.

[Gthoma2a]

A lie Devil Netwoek has highlights up. In the bits they showed:

1. Sheed was very aggressive, really good to see.

2. Jalil not only has game at the rim, he had a nice 10-15 foot shot it seemed. If true, he will be awfully hard to stop. Hope he can pass out of the double.

On point number one, he needs to learn to channel it. He didn't get in trouble last night (I hope it means he has changed something that I can't see), but he still drives a little too far at times and goes into the air without a plan. Pulling up a little shorter would bring his contribution/rating up significantly. For now, he still worries me that we will see Jekyll and Hyde. A talented player making bad decisions half of the time.

[uh_no]

I've made it to every C2C since they started and the entertainment leading up to the player intros and game are definitely on the downhill slide. I realize the only reason we go is to see the team scrimmage, but it is such a LONG wait before the team comes out. The first few C2C's I found to be pretty entertaining. Lots of cool videos mixed in with the entertainment. This year we had to watch cup flipping on a table, arranging potato chip bags into bowls, and putting t-shirts on with various moon phases in the correct order. The entertainment was good enough in years past to sit through the entire event, but this year made me want to either not go next year or show up an hour and a half later. Pretty disappointing production this year leading up to the intros and game.

Express that to the athletics department. obviously the whole event has been commercialized since when it used to just be the game, but if we're going down a path where people don't actually want to come sit through it, that's good feedback.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

that's kind of depressing...can you give a rundown on the kind of things they did?

and on women's hoops, what went so wrong last night?

Either way, i never thing going out and trying to rally support is a great thing to do...at least do something! I know at uconn they have a scrimmage with players from both teams, which is kinda fun, since they get to play together, and one team is coached by geno, and the other by ollie. I highly doubt that K would go for something like that, and it wouldn't work here where the women's team isn't nearly as popular...but the point is, how can you get the team involved? a game of knockout? a skills competition? a 3v3 match against a team of students? I'd get excited to watch that stuff...much less so someone going "sports...YEAH"

It was dumb commercially sponsored competition after dumb commercially sponsored competition. Sort these shirts with phases of the moon and put them on in correct order. Sort these potato chip bags by type. Human horseback and wheelbarrow races. It was painful. They did get the women's team involved in a few shooting related contests with students. But even those were sort of lame. There was an excess of dancing routines. They should have gotten all the routines together as one mash up of dancing and cool music. They should have done more hoops related contests instead of the lame efforts where everyone just stared waiting for the next awful thing. The women's intros were kinda lame too. The crowd was just not into it. It would have been cooler to see the women do a short scrimmage to show their skills. Instead, the just stood out there telling everyone how tall, fast and strong they were and almost begging people to come see them play... That they will put on a good show. They could have put more effort into a skit or something to get the crowd into it. When they finally got down to business wth the light show and intros for the men, it was cool and the crowd was into it. But almost everything else felt like an afterthought... Time fillers... Even the dunk contest was kinda lame. No energy. Very quick. Sort of "check the box, we did it." I will say that the piece with the little girl with sickle cell was well done and got the crowd behind it big time. +1 for that.

[uh_no]

It was dumb commercially sponsored competition after dumb commercially sponsored competition. Sort these shirts with phases of the moon and put them on in correct order. Sort these potato chip bags by type. Human horseback and wheelbarrow races. It was painful. They did get the women's team involved in a few shooting related contests with students. But even those were sort of lame. There was an excess of dancing routines. They should have gotten all the routines together as one mash up of dancing and cool music. They should have done more hoops related contests instead of the lame efforts where everyone just stared waiting for the next awful thing. The women's intros were kinda lame too. The crowd was just not into it. It would have been cooler to see the women do a short scrimmage to show their skills. Instead, the just stood out there telling everyone how tall, fast and strong they were and almost begging people to come see them play... That they will put on a good show. They could have put more effort into a skit or something to get the crowd into it. When they finally got down to business wth the light show and intros for the men, it was cool and the crowd was into it. But almost everything else felt like an afterthought... Time fillers... Even the dunk contest was kinda lame. No energy. Very quick. Sort of "check the box, we did it." I will say that the piece with the little girl with sickle cell was well done and got the crowd behind it big time. +1 for that.

that sounds terrible.

[Acymetric]

It was dumb commercially sponsored competition after dumb commercially sponsored competition. Sort these shirts with phases of the moon and put them on in correct order. Sort these potato chip bags by type. Human horseback and wheelbarrow races. It was painful. They did get the women's team involved in a few shooting related contests with students. But even those were sort of lame. There was an excess of dancing routines. They should have gotten all the routines together as one mash up of dancing and cool music. They should have done more hoops related contests instead of the lame efforts where everyone just stared waiting for the next awful thing. The women's intros were kinda lame too. The crowd was just not into it. It would have been cooler to see the women do a short scrimmage to show their skills. Instead, the just stood out there telling everyone how tall, fast and strong they were and almost begging people to come see them play... That they will put on a good show. They could have put more effort into a skit or something to get the crowd into it. When they finally got down to business wth the light show and intros for the men, it was cool and the crowd was into it. But almost everything else felt like an afterthought... Time fillers... Even the dunk contest was kinda lame. No energy. Very quick. Sort of "check the box, we did it." I will say that the piece with the little girl with sickle cell was well done and got the crowd behind it big time. +1 for that.

The women's team does that every year, I thought it was fine. All the pregame "festivities" were pretty much the same as they've been for years now as well, with a few additions. I don't care for most of them, but it was no different than previous years. The real loss was that in the past there have been some really good videos, both interviews and comedy skits involving basketball players and students, this year the videos weren't all that good. Think it is great to give various student groups an opportunity to be seen, but there should probably be a little more actual entertainment, especially if you're going to stop admitting people almost an hour before the scrimmage starts (although they did appear to be a little lenient with that rule).

Overall the pregame stuff does kind of drag on (although I did enjoy a few things, including the Indian dance group which I thought was pretty fun to watch) but still a ton of fun to see the players having fun with intros and seeing Okafor was worth the price of admission.

[Bob Green]

It was dumb commercially sponsored competition after dumb commercially sponsored competition.

It sounds like typical between innings activities at a AAA baseball game.

[Kedsy]

In past years, incoming transfers have played in this game, right? Has anybody heard why Sean Obi didn't play at all?

[Newton_14]

The women's team does that every year, I thought it was fine. All the pregame "festivities" were pretty much the same as they've been for years now as well, with a few additions. I don't care for most of them, but it was no different than previous years. The real loss was that in the past there have been some really good videos, both interviews and comedy skits involving basketball players and students, this year the videos weren't all that good. Think it is great to give various student groups an opportunity to be seen, but there should probably be a little more actual entertainment, especially if you're going to stop admitting people almost an hour before the scrimmage starts (although they did appear to be a little lenient with that rule).
.

Wow. I had no idea that was the plan last night. I went late on purpose because all I wanted to see was the player intro's and the Blue/White game, so I got there about 7:30ish. I would have been spittin irate and mad had they refused to let me in.

In past years, incoming transfers have played in this game, right? Has anybody heard why Sean Obi didn't play at all?

Obi did go through warm ups and did not look injured or anything, and I have not seen an explanation. I took it as K wanting to see all 10 scholarship kids that are eligible to play, as much as possible. The only disappointing part was not getting to see Quinn and Tyus on the same team to see how they looked together. Plus that would have put them up against a big backcourt of Rasheed and Matt and we could have gauged their defense as backcourt mates.

All in all, a very good night like I said in my first post. Lots of potential with this group.

[uh_no]

Wow. I had no idea that was the plan last night. I went late on purpose because all I wanted to see was the player intro's and the Blue/White game, so I got there about 7:30ish. I would have been spittin irate and mad had they refused to let me in.


Obi did go through warm ups and did not look injured or anything, and I have not seen an explanation. I took it as K wanting to see all 10 scholarship kids that are eligible to play, as much as possible. The only disappointing part was not getting to see Quinn and Tyus on the same team to see how they looked together. Plus that would have put them up against a big backcourt of Rasheed and Matt and we could have gauged their defense as backcourt mates.

All in all, a very good night like I said in my first post. Lots of potential with this group.

because the blue/white game has so much predictive power:

I wonder if this is an indivation that K doesn't intend to use them much together...using quinn mainly as the second PG