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devilboomer
10-25-2009, 09:27 PM
Just thought I'd point out that while Duke is exceptionally tall this year, so are our marquee opponents. Seems like a big year in college basketball, overall. Hopefully, the fact that we have guys that are big AND fast will make a huge difference.

It's also interesting that we will face the most talented Bigs in college basketball: Greg Monroe (Georgetown), Craig Brackins (Harrison State), Jerome Jordan (Tulsa), Solomon Alabi, Derrick Favors, Gani Lawal, Al-Farouq Aminu, Trevor Booker, Ed Davis, and John Henson. Almost all of these guys (excepting Lawal and Booker) have been discussed as lottery-type talent. Wow.


DUKE: (from GoDuke)
F Miles Plumlee 6-10/240, Soph.
F Mason Plumlee 6-10/230, Fr.
F Kyle Singler 6-8/230, Jr.
G Nolan Smith 6-2/185, Jr.
G Jon Scheyer 6-5/190, Sr.

UCONN: (projected starters from Rivals)
C Alex Oriakhi, 6-9/240, Fr.
F Gavin Edwards, 6-10/230, Sr.
F Stanley Robinson, 6-9/220, Sr.
G Jerome Dyson, 6-4/190, Sr.
G Kemba Walker, 6-1/172, Soph.

GEORGETOWN: (Rivals)
C Greg Monroe, 6-11/247, Soph.
F Henry Sims, 6-10/220, Soph.
F Hollis Thompson, 6-8/197, Fr.
G Austin Freeman, 6-4/216, Jr.
G Chris Wright, 6-1/205, Jr.

Tulsa: (Rivals)
C Jerome Jordan, 7-0/250, Sr.
F Steven Idlet, 6-10/240, Soph.
F Bishop Wheatley, 6-6/225, Sr.
G Justin Hurtt, 6-4/195, Jr.
G Ben Uzoh, 6-3/205, Sr.

FSU: (Rivals)
C Solomon Alabi, 7-1/251, Soph.
F Xavier Gibson, 6-11/240, Soph.
F Chris Singleton, 6-9/227, Soph.
G Derwin Kitchen, 6-4/204, Jr.
G Michael Snaer, 6-5/200, Fr.

GA TECH: (Rivals)
F Derrick Favors, 6-10/246, Fr.
F Gani Lawal, 6-9/234, Jr.
F Zach Peacock, 6-8/235, Sr.
G Iman Shumpert, 6-5/209, Soph.
G Mfon Udofia, 6-2/187, Fr.

CLEMSON:
F Trevor Booker, 6-7/240, Sr.
F Jerai Grant, 6-8/220, Jr.
F Milton Jennings, 6-9/225, Fr.
G Demontez Stitt, 6-2/175, Jr.
G Tanner Smith, 6-5/220, Soph.

WAKE FOREST (Rivals)
C Chas McFarland, 7-0/235, Sr.
F Al-Farouq Aminu, 6-9/215, Soph.
F Ari Stewart, 6-7/190, Fr.
G Ishmael Smith, 6-0/175, Sr.
G L.D. Williams, 6-4/210, Sr.

UNC:
F Deon Thompson 6-8/245, Sr.
F Ed Davis 6-10/215, So.
F John Henson 6-10/185, Fr.
G Marcus Ginyard 6-5/220, Sr.
G Larry Drew 6-1/180, So.

Welcome2DaSlopes
10-25-2009, 09:29 PM
We are not THAT tall but our guard depth is thin.

NSDukeFan
10-25-2009, 09:40 PM
In looking at team height, it may also be worth remembering that our 4 top reserves are 6'8, 6'4, 7'1 and 6'10, which adds a bit to our being a tall team this year.

El_Diablo
10-25-2009, 09:42 PM
Good point regarding the starters. But our "tallness" also includes the bench, which will rotate the following big guys into the game:

Zoubek 7-1
Kelly 6-10
Thomas 6-8
Czyz 6-7

And Dawkins (at 6-4) has good size for a guard. I'm not sure how many of those other schools also have this kind of height ready to come off the bench. UNC is close close though, with Zeller and the Wears.

Double DD
10-25-2009, 09:56 PM
Duke is actually ridiculously tall this year. The team's average height is 79.7 inches. That would have ranked #1 in the country each of the past 3 years. Florida State was the tallest last year at 78.9 inches and we're almost a full inch taller on average.

devilboomer
10-25-2009, 10:08 PM
Duke is actually ridiculously tall this year. The team's average height is 79.7 inches. That would have ranked #1 in the country each of the past 3 years. Florida State was the tallest last year at 78.9 inches and we're almost a full inch taller on average.

Riiiight, so I guess I was asking more a rhetorical question rather than "omg are Miles and Mason actually 6'10 and is Kyle Singler actually 6'8"?!?!"

What i'm saying is, look at our marquee opponents this year. They all have good size at the 3 through 5 positions, and they match up well against our bigs. It doesn't mean much to me if the average team height is a few inches taller than the other guys. What matters more are the actual matchups.

Food for thought.

Lord Ash
10-25-2009, 10:13 PM
Of the 30someodd games Duke will play this year, we have the height advantage overall in all of them. When you start a thread with a the title "Is Duke really that tall this year?" you'll get a lot of people pointing that out.

Now, if you wanted to start a thread called "While Duke is tall this year, will that height have a dramatic impact on our games against our top competition?" I am sure you would get difference responses:)

Double DD
10-25-2009, 10:19 PM
Riiiight, so I guess I was asking more a rhetorical question rather than "omg are Miles and Mason actually 6'10 and is Kyle Singler actually 6'8"?!?!"

What i'm saying is, look at our marquee opponents this year. They all have good size at the 3 through 5 positions, and they match up well against our bigs. It doesn't mean much to me if the average team height is a few inches taller than the other guys. What matters more are the actual matchups.

Food for thought.

Sure, and I was just pointing out that other teams might have size as well in their lineup, but it seems likely that they'll all still be smaller, especially when you add in the bench. I agree with your point that the effect of that height advantage will vary based on the opponent, but when you're taking an overall look at what could potentially happen to the team this season, being the tallest team in the nation will obviously be an advantage.

Plus, I just wanted to put the actual numbers out there, in case no one had mentioned it yet.

DukieBoy
10-25-2009, 10:50 PM
I think something else is how well we use this height. I know that we still don't have great post players, but, IMO, i think we need to run an offense to utilize the height we do have.

We've seen from other ACC teams in previous years that, despite having the height advantage, that doesn't automatically translate into wins. I have full faith in Coach K to do that, and I'm anxious to see some of the different line-ups we could have this year with Kyle possibly at the 2 and the Plumlees and Z/Czyz/Kelly in the game

El_Diablo
10-25-2009, 11:30 PM
I think something else is how well we use this height.

It's not the size that matters. It's how you use it.

Welcome2DaSlopes
10-26-2009, 12:28 AM
That sound's a little inapporiate:D but in the basketball way i agree.

Double DD
10-26-2009, 12:57 AM
That sound's a little inapporiate:D but in the basketball way i agree.

There was nothing little about it. :eek: (Sorry, had to be done.)

natedog4ever
10-26-2009, 05:42 AM
There was nothing little about it.

That's what she said.

oldnavy
10-26-2009, 07:49 AM
All right boys, gym class is over let's try to focus...

allenmurray
10-26-2009, 07:52 AM
All right boys, gym class is over let's try to focus...

Apparantly the board has been taken over by seventh grade students.

JasonEvans
10-26-2009, 12:09 PM
The two noteworthy and somewhat unique things about Duke's height this year are 1) the depth of the height and 2) the fact that we will likely use our size in ways other schools do not.

#1 is pretty obvious and others have already made mention of it. Having Zoubek, Thomas, Kelly, and others to come off the bench at 6-8 to 7-1 really gives us phenomenal tall depth.

But I think it is #2 that makes us really different. It is possible, nay even probable, that we will see Kyle Singler playing some SG this year standard caveat about positions at Duke). Imagine how big we will be with:

PG- Scheyer: 6-5, a couple inches taller than most PGs
SG- Singler: 6-9, a half a foot or more taller than most SGs
SF- Thomas or Kelley: 6-8 or 6-10, at least a couple inches taller than most SFs
PF & C: Mason, Miles, or Zoub: all slightly taller than most players at their position.

It is when we move that 6-9 guy to the SG position that we look really, really imposing. The nice part is that we all know Kyle has the ballhandling and shooting skills to play that position too. And if anyone goes worrying about defensive matchups, we can easily switch Thomas onto a particularly quick SG on defense.

So, to answer the question-- YES, Duke really is all that tall this year. even compared to other big teams around the nation.

--Jason "Singler's versatility is a major weapon for us!" Evans

CameronCrazy'11
10-26-2009, 12:26 PM
According to Ken Pomeroy, it's the average height of your two tallest players on the court that matters. For Duke that height should be in the neighborhood of 6'10".

Also keep in mind that many schools play perimeter-oriented guys who are around 6'4" at the three spot. Singler should be able to use his height to his advantage by backing them down inside.

sagegrouse
10-26-2009, 12:51 PM
The two noteworthy and somewhat unique things about Duke's height this year are 1) the depth of the height and 2) the fact that we will likely use our size in ways other schools do not.

--Jason "Singler's versatility is a major weapon for us!" Evans

Re: "Depth of the height." Very good, Jason. When does your creative writing class meet?

sagegrouse
'Someone needs to create a rite about the right way to write an English paragraph.'

Indoor66
10-26-2009, 12:58 PM
1) the depth of the height

Is this element affected if one plays at, say, Vanderbilt, where the court is elevated?

HaveFunExpectToWin
10-26-2009, 05:00 PM
Also, aren't we all forgetting about length, aka wingspan?

This thread is getting silly.

CEF1959
10-26-2009, 07:16 PM
There should be a Height-Skill matrix, whereby very tall and very skilled players are counted as "taller" than the merely tall. Anyone else remember 7-5 Chuck Nevitt from NC State? Not a good player, but very tall. Rumor had it that his car had the driver's seat removed so he could drive from the back seat. I wouldn't mind playing five of him night in and night out.

Though he did play 9 seasons in the NBA... But that's a whole other story.

Tappan Zee Devil
10-26-2009, 07:20 PM
There should be a Height-Skill matrix, whereby very tall and very skilled players are counted as "taller" than the merely tall. Anyone else remember 7-5 Chuck Nevitt from NC State? Not a good player, but very tall. Rumor had it that his car had the driver's seat removed so he could drive from the back seat. I wouldn't mind playing five of him night in and night out.

Though he did play 9 seasons in the NBA... But that's a whole other story.

You can't teach height :D

tele
10-26-2009, 07:32 PM
I read somewhere Coach K said this is his tallest team in 30 years at Duke. Also read that other than the three guards, all players on the team are6'8" or taller. So I wondered if this is the tallest Duke team ever? Just looking at starting front line 78-79 team would have to be right there too wouldn't it?

CEF1959
10-26-2009, 07:50 PM
Starting 5 from 78-79:

Mike Gminski 6-11
Gene Banks 6-7
Kenny Dennard 6-8
Jim Spanarkel 6-5
Bob Bender 6-2

So the starters are close, but the reserves on that team (Suddath, Harrell, Vince Taylor) weren't close to what this team has coming off the bench.

Speaking of Spanarkel, Jon Scheyer reminds me a lot of him in terms of height, position, and all around smarts. Still, I think JS is more talented. And Spanarkel had a reasonably decent NBA career, whereas JS is viewed as a "maybe late second round" guy. That may say something about how much the NBA has changed.

Indoor66
10-26-2009, 07:51 PM
I read somewhere Coach K said this is his tallest team in 30 years at Duke. Also read that other than the three guards, all players on the team are6'8" or taller. So I wondered if this is the tallest Duke team ever? Just looking at starting front line 78-79 team would have to be right there too wouldn't it?

77-78 was 6'11 (G-man), 6'8 (Dennard), 6'7 (Banks), 6'5 (Spanarkle) & 6'0 (Harrell)

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/images/team/team-1977-78.jpg Note small number of staff.

CEF1959
10-26-2009, 08:10 PM
Notice also what the short shorts required the photographer to say to them: "Either put your legs together or your hands like this in front of your crotch. We don't want any surprises when this gets developed." Dennard, Suddath, and Bender all have the exact same hand positions.