Should Duke Recruit One and Done Players?

[Franzez]

Its commonly being done throughout the country but I want to know if you think Duke should begin recruiting guys who are only coming to college for a year then heading off to the NBA.

For example in The 2008 Class:

Recruiting guys like Tyreke Evans and Scotty Hopson who will only do 2 years of college basketball unless they suffer a serious injury.

Just want to know how you'd feel about doing that.

[BlueDevilBaby]

It's fine by me - it's already happened a couple times (which were probably somewhat of a surprise at the time). IMO, Duke should recruit the best young men who meet Coach K's standards on and off the court and Duke's academic standards.

[Bluedawg]

NO! Duke has high standards in academics as well as athletics and part, of that is graduation. Why change? People were up in arms with the idea of any change in academic standards in football when none was proposed. In fact Coach Cut rejected the concept as being wrong for Duke

Should we overlook that for basketball?

Duke should recruit the best young men who meet Coach K's standards on and off the court and Duke's academic standards.

Coach K's standards are that you graduate. Wouldn't knowingly accepting a one-and-done player be changing that?

[CenOhioDukeFan]

Sure. If the kid is a decent student and will go to class, I don't see why we couldn't recruit a player like that every class. Players like Kevin Love would have been HUGE for this team this year, and he's only going to be a one year wonder.

[Cavlaw]

I'm not sure. The biggest difficulty I see is that Duke has historically (in the limited time I've been a fan) built its team each year around the totality of personnel available and the way they play together. Many one-and-done players appear to be "me" players, who expect a team to play around them, rather than being a component of a whole. It takes a pretty special kid to be a superstar on the court and still have the humility to know his role on a team.

Mike Krzyzewski has successfully recruited a lot of players at a high level of talent with a willingness to fit into the program (though there have been a few misses). If he ever decides to recruit a one-and-done, I'm sure it will probably be a good fit, but if he decides to do it, just because he makes that decision doesn't mean one will be available that meets his criteria.

From a personal standpoint I'd also like to see such a player have the commitment to continue working on his degree after leaving. I've really appreciated that about some of our early leavers, while those who have left without looking back I have felt less connected to as a member of the Duke community.

[wumhenry]

If the kid is a decent student and will go to class, I don't see why we couldn't recruit a player like that every class.

Why should it matter whether a one-and-done goes to class? Or meets some unstated standard of academic aptitude?

Knowingly recruiting one-and-dones would undermine Duke's academic reputation, IMO, whether or not such transparent pretences were maintained. I also think it would (subtly) undermine fan loyalty. I vote no.

[Indoor66]

Why should it matter whether a one-and-done goes to class? Or meets some unstated standard of academic aptitude?

Knowingly recruiting one-and-dones would undermine Duke's academic reputation, IMO, whether or not such transparent pretences were maintained. I also think it would (subtly) undermine fan loyalty. I vote no.

I agree with the above post and raise one other question.

How many one and done teams have won the NC?

Carmelo is the only one I remember. This year it might happen again, we don't know yet. I doubt the wisdom of having the one and done when considering what it can do to overall development of players within the program.

[merry]

No, Duke should not recruit players that the staff knows or suspects plan to go pro after one year. I know a lot of other schools are doing it but so what? Sometimes players blossom faster in college than anyone expected or have family circumstances that give them more of an incentive to leave college, and that will continue to happen. But if a player has straight-to-the-league potential and just has to spend a year in college somewhere to qualify age-wise for the NBA, I would hope that we would not recruit them.

[Ignatius07]

Monroe has indicated he very well could be a one-and-done guy. We recruited him, and wanted him badly.

The staff must also have known that, had Livingston shown up, he was also a strong candidate.

[monkey]

No. This is a university basketball team that is supposed to have student athletes. Recruiting someone who is known to be one and done debases the concept. Duke is an elite academic instituion and shouldn't go there.

[SoCalDukeFan]

The One and Done Era really started last year with the NBA age limit rule or whatever it is.

Prior to that, players had an option of going straight to the NBA. You could at least hope that a player who chose pass up the NBA right out of high school and go to college was doing so with the intent of getting more out of it than a one year college experience.

Now players whose only interest is getting to the NBA as soon as possible are almost forced to go to college for a year.

Ohio State did pretty well last year with Greg Oden.

I would like to see Duke recruit student/athletes so I guess I am opposed to known one and dones.

SoCal

[Franzez]

The One and Done Era really started last year with the NBA age limit rule or whatever it is.

Prior to that, players had an option of going straight to the NBA. You could at least hope that a player who chose pass up the NBA right out of high school and go to college was doing so with the intent of getting more out of it than a one year college experience.

Now players whose only interest is getting to the NBA as soon as possible are almost forced to go to college for a year.

Ohio State did pretty well last year with Greg Oden.

I would like to see Duke recruit student/athletes so I guess I am opposed to known one and dones.

SoCal

Actually David Stern recently has said he wants to up the age limit to 20,which would means a player would have to do at least 2 years of college.

It will be voted on but its very likely it will be passed by the 2009 NBA Draft

[merry]

Actually David Stern recently has said he wants to up the age limit to 20,which would means a player would have to do at least 2 years of college.

It will be voted on but its very likely it will be passed by the 2009 NBA Draft

Age 20 as of when? Plenty of kids these days are 19 before they ever get to college.

[miramar]

While you can't stop it from happening, as we saw with Luol Deng, I certainly hope that Duke doesn't go down the one and done path. Maybe I'm naive, but I think we're better than that. Or at least we should strive to be.

Much of the concern has been because of the late season problems the last two years, but I really don't believe that will be a long-term concern. Remember that we only had one senior this year and none last year, and I think things should be different from now on.

While things have changed a lot since Al McGuire's announcing days, towards the end of close games he would always say, "Get dah ball in the dah hands of your seenioh, get the ball ta yuh seenioh." I don't want to make Duke seem like a mid major, but most players develop so much from one year to the next that this general rule still applies (although nowadays he would probably include juniors as well).

[Turk]

I'd hate it if Duke chased the best players that were clearly looking for someplace to play some ball, stay warm, and get good TV exposure until they were NBA-eligible... (and yes, I'm exaggerating a little to help make the point...)

The trick is how to adapt to the changing landscape. Supposing the NBA keeps the age limit where it is, I'd want to say, "Here's all the good reasons for you to play for Duke for at least two years. We'll help you decide what's best for you and your family and no one has more NBA contacts than we do... If you've already made up your mind to declare for the NBA after one year no matter what happens, this isn't the place for you...)

So let's pretend Coach K wanted to go after such a "one-and-done" kid, what would the living-room pitch be? Why is Duke a better one-year school than some "Big State U"? I don't think that's our strong suit.

Coach K has adapted in so many ways with the players he's getting over the years. Sure it would have been nice to beat WVU last weekend, but that doesn't mean Duke needs to start chasing longshots. I'm happy with the recruiting approach.

Turk

[mgtr]

If we recruit one and dones, how are we better than Memphis? Sorry, I am not interested in rooting for another Memphis -- I think Duke has higher standards than that.

[weezie]

If we recruit one and dones, how are we better than Memphis? Sorry, I am not interested in rooting for another Memphis -- I think Duke has higher standards than that.

Yeah, I just don't see the admissions office going along with the gangsta' baller quota.

[geraldsneighbor]

lives near me and is involved in a murder investigation in his home town of Chester. He drove a car last November when his cousin shot and killed a man in a drive-by. The basketball academy Evans' attends didn't suspen him in fact they put a body guard on the bench for all games the rest of the season. These are the guys we don't want at Duke. Even a guy like Beasley with his ties to Nolan Smith had a colorful past after he was booted from Oak Hill following his Junior season. Guys like Deng didn't set the program back, but it certainly helps having some seniors. Hopefully Gerald will stick around his senior year as I assume he will.

[Classof06]

Guys like Deng didn't set the program back, but it certainly helps having some seniors.

While Luol is a good guy and really left Duke out of necessity, I would argue that his departure certainly set Duke back, no doubt about it. Combine that with Livingston going straight to pros and, IMO, you're talking about a situation that Duke only recently recovered from, if at all. Some might argue we still haven't recovered based on the way the last two seasons have gone.

I clearly have no proof of it but I believe Luol's departure cost Duke a national title. When I say "cost," that implies that Luol did something wrong. He didn't. I knew him personally and he was a phenomenal kid, pure class act. But you mean to tell me we wouldn't have gotten by Michigan State in the '05 Elite Eight with Luol? We would've been every bit as good as UNC that year. In fact, Luol's only year at Duke was the last time we swept UNC. Think about it...

[CDu]

While Luol is a good guy and really left Duke out of necessity, I would argue that his departure certainly set Duke back, no doubt about it. Combine that with Livingston going straight to pros and, IMO, you're talking about a situation that Duke only recently recovered from, if at all. Some might argue we still haven't recovered based on the way the last two seasons have gone.

I clearly have no proof of it but I believe Luol's departure cost Duke a national title. When I say "cost," that implies that Luol did something wrong. He didn't. I knew him personally and he was a phenomenal kid, pure class act. But you mean to tell me we wouldn't have gotten by Michigan State in the '05 Elite Eight with Luol? We would've been every bit as good as UNC that year. In fact, Luol's only year at Duke was the last time we swept UNC. Think about it...

I don't know that we would have won the title in 2005 (we did lose our senior PG/leader and UNC added a stellar freshman to a very talented and veteran team), but I agree that the loss of Deng set the team back. How could it not?

I agree as well that the loss of Deng and Livingston really hurt the 2005 team, and maybe the 2006 team. But anything beyond that falls to the following recruiting classes. Livingston was widely considered a one- or two-year commitment, and Deng should have been expected to go the JWill route and graduate in three years. They'd have been gone by 2006, and if Coach K wasn't recruiting as such, then I'd say he wasn't doing his job.

The "struggles" of 2007 and 2008 are founded more on some of our elite recruits not reaching their elite status potential at the college level and maybe some transfers, not on the early departures (or non-arrivals) of Deng, Humphries, and Livingston.