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Devils Rock
05-15-2009, 04:27 PM
Not sure if this has been posted elsewhere, but I noticed the new Rivals Rankings for 2010. AD @ #20, JH at #31 and TT at #125. I don't recall the earlier Rivals rankings exactly, but if memory serves, Andre and Joshua are roughly the same as prior and Tyler has moved down significantly, as he has in the new Scout rankings (noted elsewhere). I realize that rankings are subjective and not the end all be all, but having said that, I have three comments:

1) TT is probably not the answer we are looking for in a starting point guard. I have not seen him play, but historically speaking, someone who is ranked below 100 and is also moving downward and not upward is not a likley candidate as a starting PG at Duke. Let's hope we get either Kyrie or Brandon so that TT has time to develop his game his first year or two without the additional pressure of starting.

2) For all of those who have said that 2010 is going to be the greatest class ever, it's time to take off the rose-colored glasses and get some historical perspective. I think a more accurate statement would be that this could be one of the greatest classes ever if we land Barnes and either Irving or Knight. Based on the current rankings, this class currently pales even next to the GH/JS/LT/BZ class which many here are quick to dismiss because the team hasn't been to a final four with those players leading the charge. Let alone a class like Battier's class or JWill's class, both of which featured at least three top-15 prospects.

3) I have read so many posts from people who claim to know better than the "experts" about how good a prospect really is. I realize that many of the "experts" are winging it and probably did not watch a prospect as much as they should have before they comment etc. However, when the various "experts" start to all say similar things, I tend to think there may be some truth there, even if I take it with a grain of salt. This isn't a comment on any one player so much as a comment on the nature of people to think that their knowledege and wisdom are somewhow elevated.

Regardless of rankings, I will be rooting for all three of these kids, even if no one joins them in the class. As much a I think we need guys like JWill to win championships, I also love guys like Dave Mclure, who came in ranked low by Duke standards but worked his tail off and played smart as heck and provided valuable plays day in and day out. I am sure that K had a good reason to recruit a kid like TT and I think he also has a good reason to be recruiting kids like KI and BK in the same class.

houstondukie
05-15-2009, 08:36 PM
Not sure if this has been posted elsewhere, but I noticed the new Rivals Rankings for 2010. AD @ #20, JH at #31 and TT at #125. I don't recall the earlier Rivals rankings exactly, but if memory serves, Andre and Joshua are roughly the same as prior and Tyler has moved down significantly, as he has in the new Scout rankings (noted elsewhere). I realize that rankings are subjective and not the end all be all, but having said that, I have three comments:

1) TT is probably not the answer we are looking for in a starting point guard. I have not seen him play, but historically speaking, someone who is ranked below 100 and is also moving downward and not upward is not a likley candidate as a starting PG at Duke. Let's hope we get either Kyrie or Brandon so that TT has time to develop his game his first year or two without the additional pressure of starting.

2) For all of those who have said that 2010 is going to be the greatest class ever, it's time to take off the rose-colored glasses and get some historical perspective. I think a more accurate statement would be that this could be one of the greatest classes ever if we land Barnes and either Irving or Knight. Based on the current rankings, this class currently pales even next to the GH/JS/LT/BZ class which many here are quick to dismiss because the team hasn't been to a final four with those players leading the charge. Let alone a class like Battier's class or JWill's class, both of which featured at least three top-15 prospects.

3) I have read so many posts from people who claim to know better than the "experts" about how good a prospect really is. I realize that many of the "experts" are winging it and probably did not watch a prospect as much as they should have before they comment etc. However, when the various "experts" start to all say similar things, I tend to think there may be some truth there, even if I take it with a grain of salt. This isn't a comment on any one player so much as a comment on the nature of people to think that their knowledege and wisdom are somewhow elevated.

Regardless of rankings, I will be rooting for all three of these kids, even if no one joins them in the class. As much a I think we need guys like JWill to win championships, I also love guys like Dave Mclure, who came in ranked low by Duke standards but worked his tail off and played smart as heck and provided valuable plays day in and day out. I am sure that K had a good reason to recruit a kid like TT and I think he also has a good reason to be recruiting kids like KI and BK in the same class.


Hairston was a 5 star and ranked #14, IIRC.
Dawkins was a 4 star and in the late 20s, so he has moved up to 5 star status.
Thornton dropped big from #55 to #125 (4 star to 3 star)

geraldsneighbor
05-15-2009, 09:00 PM
Hairston was a 5 star and ranked #14, IIRC.
Dawkins was a 4 star and in the late 20s, so he has moved up to 5 star status.
Thornton dropped big from #55 to #125 (4 star to 3 star)

Was Thornton dropping a big surprise? I haven't seen him play.

BlueintheFace
05-15-2009, 09:17 PM
Was Thornton dropping a big surprise? I haven't seen him play.

He's not an impact player that will drop 40 on you. He's a facilitator. It's not like he had a bad season, but not much of a surprise here.

Newton_14
05-15-2009, 09:26 PM
I think most people feel that the 2010 Freshman Class has the "Potential" to be one of the best classes in a long time. I have not seen anyone on here state it already is or definitely will be.

It is a good class now (Dawkins/Hairston/Thornton), especially given that Curry will begin play with that group. To make it to 'Great Class" we have to get Barnes and either 1 of Knight, Irving, or McCallum. Secure those guys and throw in a Josh Smith... could be a great one. Or we could miss on all of them...time will tell..

I am not overly worried about Thornton dropping. The staff thought enough of the kid to offer him a scholarship. I tend to put more faith in them than self-proclaimed "experts".....

NYC Duke Fan
05-16-2009, 06:22 AM
I think most people feel that the 2010 Freshman Class has the "Potential" to be one of the best classes in a long time. I have not seen anyone on here state it already is or definitely will be.

It is a good class now (Dawkins/Hairston/Thornton), especially given that Curry will begin play with that group. To make it to 'Great Class" we have to get Barnes and either 1 of Knight, Irving, or McCallum. Secure those guys and throw in a Josh Smith... could be a great one. Or we could miss on all of them...time will tell..

I am not overly worried about Thornton dropping. The staff thought enough of the kid to offer him a scholarship. I tend to put more faith in them than self-proclaimed "experts".....

Not to stir up the pot, but the ,"staff" thought that that Paulus, one of my all time favorite Duke players I may add, was the answer at PG for Duke.

roywhite
05-16-2009, 07:26 AM
Rivals for football, Scout for basketball. (And the Duke coaching staff ahead of both).

In Scout rankings:
Dawkins 18
Hairston 38
Thornton 65

Also recruiting
Harrison Barnes 1
Brandon Knight 3
Josh Smith 7
Kyrie Irving 8

I've watched video clips and read accounts of our three commitments so far, and am very pleased that they will be coming to Duke. It's a very good class now, and should get better.

COYS
05-16-2009, 01:06 PM
Not to stir up the pot, but the ,"staff" thought that that Paulus, one of my all time favorite Duke players I may add, was the answer at PG for Duke.

. . . as did all of the rankings bureaus at the time who had Paulus as the number 1 pg.

The fact that the staff is recruiting Irving and Knight indicates very clearly that the staff is still in the market for an immediate impact type of point guard. There's no reason to worry about the staff failing to target the top players.

Newton_14
05-16-2009, 09:34 PM
Not to stir up the pot, but the ,"staff" thought that that Paulus, one of my all time favorite Duke players I may add, was the answer at PG for Duke.

And like Paulus, we will not know how well Thornton can perform at the collegiate level until he starts playing college ball. I am just saying there is no need to stress because Thornton's so called "ranking" dropped. From everything I read about him, he had a very solid junior year in high school and like I said before he still has another year to improve. We know we will have Curry, and there is a good chance the staff adds another PG to this class as well, so Thornton should get even more time to develop and will not be asked to be great from day one.

All that said, my main point was trusting the staff over recruiting sites. And it was those same recruiting sites that had Paulus labeled as the number 1 PG in his Class....

Duke #33
05-16-2009, 09:47 PM
Was Thornton dropping a big surprise? I haven't seen him play.

I am not totally familar with Thorton, but a lot of times the reason a player drops in rankings is because of other players(meaning they improved more during that period than he did).