MBB: Duke 80, Yale 61 Post-Game Thread

[Olympic Fan]

students are on break.

Maybe -- and the ends of the student section were filled with ordinary fans. But there were plenty of students. The bulk of the student section behind press row were packed with a large student turnout ... they did a good job of harassing Jack Montague (why they picked on him, I don't know), but never had anything for the Whiffenpoof guy.

[gumbomoop]

I'm going to hope one of the Yale-Harvard games will be televised. Maybe FoxSports 1 or 2?

I'd watch that game. More interesting, better basketball, than a whole lot of ACC stuff.

Well, SEC stuff, anyway.

[jimsumner]

"Whiffen en poof

Sit with us.

Whiffen en poof

Sit with us."

Might have worked.

But yes, these holiday games are always a bit weird. A blend of students and non-students, many of the latter making their first trip to Cameron.

No cheer leaders, no Devil, a pep band that seemed to have students, alums, maybe some community folks.

So, you're not going to get the full experience the night before Thanksgiving. Just not going to happen.

[superdave]

Tough game after a tough week. Team continues to respond in the second half. There are flashes but it is still not a cohesive unit out there. I am really beginning to like what I see from Jeter. He does a lot of good things in the limited minutes he plays. He has very good instincts and seems to understand his strengths and weaknesses. Ingram was a bit more aggressive. He clearly plays well against less athletic teams but he needs to figure it out once the ACC seasons starts up. This team is taking baby steps toward getting better. Not sure they are ready to compete in the ACC day in and day out right now. It is good that they have a little more time to work out the kinks.

Does Jeter remind you of Ryan Kelly? Mobile, skilled big guy. Knows the game well. Jeter is more athletic though, so he could have a bigger upside.

[jimsumner]

Does Jeter remind you of Ryan Kelly? Mobile, skilled big guy. Knows the game well. Jeter is more athletic though, so he could have a bigger upside.

I tend to be cautious with comparisons because it's too easy to turn a-reminds-me-of b into a-is-as-good as-b.

But Kelly was a stretch 4, with perimeter skills that Jeter just doesn't have. But Jeter does remind me a bit of a young Alaa Abdelnaby, hopefully with more maturity than the young Alaa Abdelnaby.

But that's the closest Duke analog I can come up with.

[jv001]

I tend to be cautious with comparisons because it's too easy to turn a-reminds-me-of b into a-is-as-good as-b.

But Kelly was a stretch 4, with perimeter skills that Jeter just doesn't have. But Jeter does remind me a bit of a young Alaa Abdelnaby, hopefully with more maturity than the young Alaa Abdelnaby.

But that's the closest Duke analog I can come up with.

Jim, that's a good comparison and one that I hope comes to be true. At least a mature Alaa. He was an underrated player in my opinion. Just like Randy
Denton. GoDuke!

[Furniture]

The old man had his floater working! Matt was great on the drive last night.

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it but Matt has developed a very nice fake shot and looks more and more confident in using it too.

[OldPhiKap]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it but Matt has developed a very nice fake shot and looks more and more confident in using it too.

Agreed. Matt has made up his mind that he is not just a defensive specialist -- he is an all-around leader on this team. Go get 'em!

[NSDukeFan]

Jim, that's a good comparison and one that I hope comes to be true. At least a mature Alaa. He was an underrated player in my opinion. Just like Randy
Denton. GoDuke!

I really liked Alaa's game as a senior. He was a beast inside with great moves.

[Saratoga2]

Good to see Brandon and Luke get into double figures. Both do well defensively and handle the ball fairly well so when they get points as well, the team is much tougher to defend. Brandon can get his outside shot off anytime he wishes. To date, his accuracy has been missing but his form is not terrible so perhaps he can come along with that. Luke also has room to grow. His shot looks better but hasn't been going down as often as I expect he is capable of.

Amile played a very good second half and is a smart player who boxes his man out well and has gotten stronger which results in more rebounds. I just wish he would go back to putting more arc on his FT attempts. He will get enough opportunities to get a couple points more per game with a better free throw stroke.

Matt is very steady, hitting a high percentage of his threes and if he can get to the basket also against the better teams he will give the team an edge that perhaps wasn't expected. Great to see him play so well.

[Henderson]

I really liked Alaa's game as a senior. He was a beast inside with great moves.

It did take him some time to develop. And he had a solid NBA career too. A friend of mine who used to be a beat writer for the Portland Oregonian when Alaa played there said Abdelnaby was always the smartest interview on the team.

I hope we get to see Jeter's game as a senior. Unless he blasts off into greatness early, in which case we'd be happy anyway. But Alaa seems like a reasonable comparator both in terms of skill level and trajectory.

[sagegrouse]

It did take him some time to develop. And he had a solid NBA career too. A friend of mine who used to be a beat writer for the Portland Oregonian when Alaa played there said Abdelnaby was always the smartest interview on the team.

I hope we get to see Jeter's game as a senior. Unless he blasts off into greatness early, in which case we'd be happy anyway. But Alaa seems like a reasonable comparator both in terms of skill level and trajectory.

Some points:

Alaa was the co-announcer on the big screen at the Final Four in Indy this year -- pre-game, between-game and halftime stuff. He was really good. He also is the color commentator for the Sixers (employed by Comcast). Since he also did Arab-language broadcasts of the NBA at one time, does this make him the only bilingual sports announcer?

I am not sure everyone remembers Alaa's background -- his dad was a PhD physicist at Bell Labs.

[Henderson]

Since he also did Arab-language broadcasts of the NBA at one time, does this make him the only bilingual sports announcer?

I think there are lots of bilingual sports announcers in almost any sport. But Alaa was likely the most cunning. Being a Duke guy and all.

[duke09hms]

I think there are lots of bilingual sports announcers in almost any sport. But Alaa was likely the most cunning. Being a Duke guy and all.

Hahaha nice one.