Good Article On Andre Dawkins

[Newton_14]

I found this on ESPN while reading the cheerleading article SilkyJ posted. Nice article here on Andre. He talks about the highs and lows of last year and dealing with the death of his sister. He emphasizes that at Duke you are not just a ball player but a member of a family with coaches who serve as father figures through the tough times.

The article here:
http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2010/09/20/andre-dawkins-prepares-to-leap-forward-after-tragic-freshman-yea/

Good quote here:

Through all the ups and downs, Dawkins never considered either staying away from the team for good or transferring closer to his Chesapeake, Va., home to be near his parents and three younger siblings.

"I would never do that,'' he said. "Even when things were going bad, I felt, 'I'm not gonna quit.' I'd be quitting on my coaches and my teammates. They're like my brothers. So I felt like they're too close to me for me to give up on them or walk away from them. I love them with all my heart.''

[OldPhiKap]

I found this on ESPN while reading the cheerleading article SilkyJ posted. Nice article here on Andre. He talks about the highs and lows of last year and dealing with the death of his sister. He emphasizes that at Duke you are not just a ball player but a member of a family with coaches who serve as father figures through the tough times.

The article here:
http://ncaabasketball.fanhouse.com/2010/09/20/andre-dawkins-prepares-to-leap-forward-after-tragic-freshman-yea/

Good quote here:


Nice find, Boozer. Dawkins will continue to play a special part in our story.

[Duke: A Dynasty]

Yes i loved it. I was already a huge fan of Dawkins but this makes it even more so. I think by his senior year at Duke he will be unstopable.

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=204997829

also a great interview with freshmen Tyler Thornton

[hq2]

I think by his senior year at Duke he will be unstopable.


..... and maybe before that. I'm really forward to seeing the development of the Andre we saw last December. With those hops, and that sweet textbook jumper, you're gonna see him have some big games this year. Mark my words.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I don't think I was more excited for any recruit than Andre Dawkins (even more so than McRoberts, KI, Singler, etc). He reminded me of the perfect blend between a silky shooter (Redick) and athleticism (Henderson). I don't know why I thought that and, in retrospect, I was probably being too optimistic, but, hey, that's what I thought. I thought that Dawkins would be Duke's savior after a few "less-than-impressive seasons."

After his freshman year, I still think that Dawkins can be that perfect combination of GH and Redick. This year, I'm reasonably optimistic. However, I do think that Dawkins will begin to shine and receive national attention starting his junior year. First, our backcourt is incredibly stacked right now and, IMO, Dawkins is the 4th option in the backcourt alone. Second, Duke shooting guards seem to explode their junior years (Redick, GH). Third, Dawkins will be asked to carry a much heavier load his junior season, and I know he will deliver.

I'm not saying that Dawkins will not be important this year or that he will not progress; on the contrary, I think he will. But I do not think Dawkins will receive national, or even much ACC attention, this year.

[BD80]

I don't think I was more excited for any recruit than Andre Dawkins (even more so than McRoberts, KI, Singler, etc). He reminded me of the perfect blend between a silky shooter (Redick) and athleticism (Henderson). I don't know why I thought that and, in retrospect, I was probably being too optimistic, but, hey, that's what I thought. I thought that Dawkins would be Duke's savior after a few "less-than-impressive seasons."

After his freshman year, I still think that Dawkins can be that perfect combination of GH and Redick. This year, I'm reasonably optimistic. However, I do think that Dawkins will begin to shine and receive national attention starting his junior year. First, our backcourt is incredibly stacked right now and, IMO, Dawkins is the 4th option in the backcourt alone. Second, Duke shooting guards seem to explode their junior years (Redick, GH). Third, Dawkins will be asked to carry a much heavier load his junior season, and I know he will deliver.

I'm not saying that Dawkins will not be important this year or that he will not progress; on the contrary, I think he will. But I do not think Dawkins will receive national, or even much ACC attention, this year.

This year will be Dre's chance to prove himself as a defensive stopper. Hopefully he will take a cue from Tyler and dedicate himself to defense to earn minutes. He and Tyler will be running the "Blue" team in practice, and will be defending Kyrie, Nolan and Seth, and their defensive skills will really be tested an a daily basis. I know this has been beaten to death, but teams tend to go small in game-end situations, and Dre could earn minutes in those critical moments if he is best option in defending the "3." If he improves he ball-handling, free-throw shooting and decsion making a bit, he could also be on the floor on offense if we are trying to protect a lead at game end.

I also see Coach K throwing Tyler, Dre, Ryan and Josh in for some pressure defense in the middle of games - to reward the guys for pushing the first team in practice as well as to wear down the opposing team while giving our guys a breather.

I think defense is going to be such a key for this team, and guys like Dre and Ryan (and Josh?) can steal minutes from the "first teamers" who don't play (or concentrate) as hard on the defensive end as on the offensive end (hear that Mason?).

[hq2]

Yes, Andre really needs to work on his small forward skills if he wants to play; that's where we need him. If he can show that he is strong enough to defend other 3s, then I think he'll get considerable minutes precisely because he would be the only quick defensive player on the front line. Also, since he doesn't usually handle the ball that much, he'd work well on offense at 3 as a spot up shooter and driver in a semi-3 guard offense, especially in a double low post set. Mark my words, he'll get his chances to play. Hopefully, he'll show he deserves the minutes.

[ACCBBallFan]

Yes, Andre really needs to work on his small forward skills if he wants to play; that's where we need him. If he can show that he is strong enough to defend other 3s, then I think he'll get considerable minutes precisely because he would be the only quick defensive player on the front line. Also, since he doesn't usually handle the ball that much, he'd work well on offense at 3 as a spot up shooter and driver in a semi-3 guard offense, especially in a double low post set. Mark my words, he'll get his chances to play. Hopefully, he'll show he deserves the minutes.

Agreed, besides his two big 3's vs Baylor, the one time he faked and drove for a slam was something Dre needs to do more. He can be an effective small SF like Demarcus or Gerald if he defends and does more offense than mere long ball.

Interesting side link from that link" "Summer Session: No time off for ACC"

"The NCAA granted Miami's Adrian Thomas an unusual sixth year of eligibility in August, so the 6-foot-9 forward (and league's leading 3-point shooter at 42.1 percent) will be back for Frank Haith's team. Thomas lost both the 2007 and 2008 seasons to injury after playing just four games. Thomas' career will now span from the fall of 2005 to the spring of 2011, which means he'll spend more years in college by himself than an entire Kentucky recruiting class."