Duke Basketball Recruiting getting hot-Goodman, Jefferson

[watzone]

Sometime next week Coach K and Chris Collins will return, hopefully with the Gold and both will jump right into recruiting. The in home visits will soon be set as the period will get hot through the November where some kids could pull the trigger.

I'm looking forward to watching what Austin Rivers does as the season nears and I can tell you that lots of things are in the works already.

Here is a little tip for you recruitniks - Duke will visit Amile Jefferson and Savon Goodman tomorrow and there is more but I have to save some of that as you well know.

It's going to be a busy few months ahead and what a great time of year it is with basketball season starting and football in mid stream.

How do you guys think the future unfolds? I am starting to get a good idea but there is some serious evaluations to come and they will make or break some kids chances of being recruited by the defending national champions.

[superdave]

Sometime next week Coach K and Chris Collins will return, hopefully with the Gold and both will jump right into recruiting.

Watzone
Has most of the recruiting work during the World Championships been done by Nate James?
Thanks for the heads up on these targets.

[Class of '94]

I'm looking forward to watching what Austin Rivers does as the season nears and I can tell you that lots of things are in the works already.



Watzone, without subverting your work on BDN, what are your thoughts on the chances of Austin choosing Duke to play for?

[watzone]

Watzone
Has most of the recruiting work during the World Championships been done by Nate James?
Thanks for the heads up on these targets.

Nate is at the forefront while Wojo is handling the fort, but make no mistake occasional calls to stateside were made.

[watzone]

I'm looking forward to watching what Austin Rivers does as the season nears and I can tell you that lots of things are in the works already.




Watzone, without subverting your work on BDN, what are your thoughts on the chances of Austin choosing Duke to play for?

We go into that in our latest update [members] but I can say that Duke is in a pretty good place and that I like where Duke is at this time and have for over a year now. As a site, we talked with AR very early, interviewing him when he was a pup or freshman at Boo Williams. Last July it started to come out he was going to re-open his recruitment and it wasn't a surprise to a rare few. Pay attention to the fact that the Rivers camp has been quiet and that none of his visits are etched in stone. I think when K and Collins get back you'll see some movement in the process soon thereafter.

[Newton_14]

How do you guys think the future unfolds? I am starting to get a good idea but there is some serious evaluations to come and they will make or break some kids chances of being recruited by the defending national champions.

Thanks for the update and nuggets Wats. Us poor folk appreciate a little free info every once in awhile. :)

As to your question, I feel good about Austin joining the family. He is a great talent, but is it sad that we are still in great shape at SG should he decide to play elsewhere? I certainly want him, don't misunderstand, but unlike years past it is nice to not have seemingly everything hinge on one kid's decision. I am leery of ol roy and his full court press of course, but I have a feeling Austin will not be so easily swayed hearing that spill. Time will tell.

I really like the Murphy kid also. Would love to see him sign on and give us another player in the mold of Dunleavy and Singler. Murphy seems to have a mix of those 2 Blue Devils in his game. The kid looks really good. I definitely want to see him wearing the correct shade of blue.

[superdave]

Goodman and Jefferson both appear to be wings who are not far from having the same skill set as Gbinije who is already on board (and Quincy who we are still chasing for that matter).

Is that an accurate statement? Or do we need a Nate James/Chris Carrawell corrollary where you cant have too many great wing athletes? In general, what do our efforts with these two recruits mean about our standing with others - specifically Murphy, Muhammad and Tokoto (UNC guy maybe?)?

[sagegrouse]

Goodman and Jefferson both appear to be wings who are not far from having the same skill set as Gbinije who is already on board (and Quincy who we are still chasing for that matter).

Is that an accurate statement? Or do we need a Nate James/Chris Carrawell corrollary where you cant have too many great wing athletes? In general, what do our efforts with these two recruits mean about our standing with others - specifically Murphy, Muhammad and Tokoto (UNC guy maybe?)?

Yep, I don't think K believes you can have too many long, lean, skilled and versatile players. I believe K's druthers would be to have a team where he had five guys like Grant Hill on the floor at the same time.

sagegrouse

[Lord Ash]

Yep, I don't think K believes you can have too many long, lean, skilled and versatile players. I believe K's druthers would be to have a team where he had five guys like Grant Hill on the floor at the same time.

sagegrouse

Funny, I feel the same way!




As do most people, probably:)

[MChambers]

Yep, I don't think K believes you can have too many long, lean, skilled and versatile players. I believe K's druthers would be to have a team where he had five guys like Grant Hill on the floor at the same time.

sagegrouse

I felt that way, until last year. . .

Never thought Duke could be a top team without a bunch of 6'5" to 6'8" guys who could play extended pressure defense. Shows how little I know.

[roywhite]

I felt that way, until last year. . .

Never thought Duke could be a top team without a bunch of 6'5" to 6'8" guys who could play extended pressure defense. Shows how little I know.

Well, Jon Schyer, Lance Thomas, and Kyle Singler are all in that size range and played good defense last year. You're certainly right that it was not the extended pressure type of defense we're used to seeing. Coach K finds a way to make the defense effective.

To this year's team, I think the construction of the defense wil be just as interesting as the changes in offense. We really won't have many of the mid-size guys, more of a collection of guards and big men.

[watzone]

Goodman and Jefferson both appear to be wings who are not far from having the same skill set as Gbinije who is already on board (and Quincy who we are still chasing for that matter).

Is that an accurate statement? Or do we need a Nate James/Chris Carrawell corrollary where you cant have too many great wing athletes? In general, what do our efforts with these two recruits mean about our standing with others - specifically Murphy, Muhammad and Tokoto (UNC guy maybe?)?

It's a case of Duke covering all the bases. QM is a long shot at this point but still somewhat in the mix.

[MChambers]

Well, Jon Schyer, Lance Thomas, and Kyle Singler are all in that size range and played good defense last year. You're certainly right that it was not the extended pressure type of defense we're used to seeing. Coach K finds a way to make the defense effective.

To this year's team, I think the construction of the defense wil be just as interesting as the changes in offense. We really won't have many of the mid-size guys, more of a collection of guards and big men.
Scheyer is a relatively small 6'5", as I recall, and not particularly athletic. There, I said it. Certainly not the same as having GHill, THill, Davis, and Lang.

I'd say that only Kyle and Lance fit that profile last year.

I agree with you about this year. Switching on screens will lead to lots of mismatches.

[DevilHorns]

Scheyer is a relatively small 6'5", as I recall, and not particularly athletic. There, I said it. Certainly not the same as having GHill, THill, Davis, and Lang.

I'd say that only Kyle and Lance fit that profile last year.

I agree with you about this year. Switching on screens will lead to lots of mismatches.

I would say Jon is not particularly quick, but that doesn't mean he's not athletic. Jon had an incredible acrobatic sneaky quality to his offensive attack game, and for me, that qualifies as athletic. If you mean raw jumping and quickness, ya, I agree with you there. Jon was not really incredible in that way. Just playing DevilHornsAdvocate. :p

[sagegrouse]

Scheyer is a relatively small 6'5", as I recall, and not particularly athletic. There, I said it. Certainly not the same as having GHill, THill, Davis, and Lang.

.

Au contraire, Jon was measured (http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/) at 6-4.75 in his stocking feet and 6-6 with shoes. Most 6-5 guys were actually 6-3.5. Jon's wingspan of 6-3.25, however, won him the JJ Redick Flipper Award from Sage Grouse.

sagegrouse

[Reddevil]

I would say Jon is not particularly quick, but that doesn't mean he's not athletic. Jon had an incredible acrobatic sneaky quality to his offensive attack game, and for me, that qualifies as athletic. If you mean raw jumping and quickness, ya, I agree with you there. Jon was not really incredible in that way. Just playing DevilHornsAdvocate. :p

Yep, and you don't have to be too quick if you are already in position. Jon was as savvy a player as we've seen. His anticipation and ability to read the floor was special. He was athletic enough, but his awareness made up for any shortcomings. It was a pleasure watching his version of the beautiful game. I think it rubbed off a bit on Nolan too. He seemed more relaxed in his efforts while letting the game come to him more towards the end of the season.

[MChambers]

I would say Jon is not particularly quick, but that doesn't mean he's not athletic. Jon had an incredible acrobatic sneaky quality to his offensive attack game, and for me, that qualifies as athletic. If you mean raw jumping and quickness, ya, I agree with you there. Jon was not really incredible in that way. Just playing DevilHornsAdvocate. :p
Hey, I think Jon is a great player, but not in an "athletic" sort of way. I'm not trying to defend the stereotypical use of the term, but was just trying to use it as shorthand. Jon Scheyer can be on my team any day, but he doesn't fit the profile of an athletic, long wing. (And he wasn't a wing last year, at least not on offense.)

[JasonEvans]

Hey, I think Jon is a great player, but not in an "athletic" sort of way. I'm not trying to defend the stereotypical use of the term, but was just trying to use it as shorthand. Jon Scheyer can be on my team any day, but he doesn't fit the profile of an athletic, long wing. (And he wasn't a wing last year, at least not on offense.)

Come on, man... just say it!

He is "alarmingly unathletic."

;) :)

--Jason "of course, that should be amended to read 'alarmingly unathletic national champion'" Evans

[watzone]

Coach James dropped in on burly prospect Tony Parker this past Thursday and Parker told BDN he would attend Countdown to Craziness.

[JasonEvans]

Coach James dropped in on burly prospect Tony Parker this past Thursday and Parker told BDN he would attend Countdown to Craziness.

Interesting. I would see Parker as being pretty darn similar to Tyler Adams. Hey, 'Zone, can you describe the difference in their games?

--Jason "Adams is a 6-8, 260 C while Parker is 6-7, 240 C -- both are top 50-75 prospects in the 2011 and 2012 classes" Evans

[roywhite]

Come on, man... just say it!

He is "alarmingly unathletic."

;) :)

--Jason "of course, that should be amended to read 'alarmingly unathletic national champion'" Evans

After watching Russell Westbrook the past few weeks, he has become my new standard of "athletic" as the term is generally applied to basketball players (fairly or not, it usually involves quickness, speed, leaping ability, and explosiveness).

Though I'm not a huge NBA fan, I think I'll try to catch Oklahoma City games when they're on...Westbrook and Durant are plain fun to watch.

It may not be easy to meaure for sure, but the World Championship experience and the style of play that Coach K employed has got to be a positive for Duke recruiting. Looking forward to developments in the Class of 2011 and beyond.

[sagegrouse]

It may not be easy to meaure for sure, but the World Championship experience and the style of play that Coach K employed has got to be a positive for Duke recruiting. Looking forward to developments in the Class of 2011 and beyond.

Who do you think K is visiting today? Probably more than one prospect.

To the first one, he can truthfully say, "You're the first player I wanted to see after winning the world championship." To the others he can say, "I couldn't wait to see you after I got back from Istanbul."

Gotta be impressive to a recruit, not to mention casual references to "Kevin Durant," "Lamar," "Russell," "Iggy, and "Derrick."

sagegrouse

[rotogod00]

Interesting. I would see Parker as being pretty darn similar to Tyler Adams. Hey, 'Zone, can you describe the difference in their games?

--Jason "Adams is a 6-8, 260 C while Parker is 6-7, 240 C -- both are top 50-75 prospects in the 2011 and 2012 classes" Evans

Take ESPN's rankings for what they're worth, but they have Parker as a 5-star player and 15th overall in the 2012 class.

Much higher rating than Adams, who's not even in their top 100 (just outside if I remember correctly)

[watzone]

Maybe I missed a thread on Amile Jefferson, but I thought it was interesting that this one in the archives shows that we were indeed involved in ealry 2010. Jefferson is a slender by skilled forward who is silky smooth. He has a good basketball IQ and no major weakness in his skill set. Jefferson has now been offered by Duke after a chat with Coach K and Duke is very much in this race, one which may or may not go on for a bit. Anyhow, Jefferson and his length can help Duke and the ofer was made for there are no similar sized players on the roster past next season. I have seen him play several times and like him a lot. He is not a physical banger, but is a very good player.