He Stars for Duke, but He’s Not Detested

[JasonEvans]

Fabulous article on Kyle (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/sports/ncaabasketball/14singler.html?_r=1) in today's NY Times.


Singler is the face of Duke, the No.1 men’s team in the country going into the season. Under ordinary circumstances, that would guarantee him a special vitriol reserved for those rare players who embody a program many fans love to hate.

And yet, at last glance, the “I hate Kyle Singler” Facebook pages have, at most, hundreds of followers. It is not hard to imagine the numbers Christian Laettner or J. J. Redick might have inspired had Facebook been around in their heydays at Duke.

“He’s just too good of a guy,” Coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Singler during a telephone interview. “He’s a guy’s guy. He’s a warrior.

“It’d be very hard to hate him.”

--Jason "I am sure the hate will crank up soon, but it is nice to enjoy the love for now!" Evans

[Gthoma2a]

“I’m not really that cocky a basketball player, but I am very confident,” he said. “I just kind of feel like people get in trouble when they’re not themselves and they don’t act like who they really are as people and even as a basketball player."

Does this not seem like it is the opposite of someone else?

[ice-9]

“I’m not really that cocky a basketball player, but I am very confident,” he said. “I just kind of feel like people get in trouble when they’re not themselves and they don’t act like who they really are as people and even as a basketball player."

Does this not seem like it is the opposite of someone else?

Why do so many things have to relate back to that? :confused:

[Gthoma2a]

Why do so many things have to relate back to that? :confused:

Due to me just finishing commenting on it in another thread and it still being on my mind. Once tonight comes, I will be fine, but right now, I have to comment on other things since I haven't had too much Duke in the last week (exhibitions have been over, and I am just in excited waiting mode).

[CEF1959]

That is a very nice story, and Kyle deserves it.

You can't see it all that well in the online edition, because the photo appears so small, but in that photo Kyle is skying over Jon Scheyer to stuff the ball back into Shelvin Mack's face. That's aggression of the type I think K means when he calls Kyle a "warrior."

[Gthoma2a]

That is a very nice story, and Kyle deserves it.

You can't see it all that well in the online edition, because the photo appears so small, but in that photo Kyle is skying over Jon Scheyer to stuff the ball back into Shelvin Mack's face. That's aggression of the type I think K means when he calls Kyle a "warrior."

Without a doubt, Kyle is beyond an ordinary guy. He plays with an intensity that most players just don't have, he has a shot that is dead on, he is tough enough that you know a minor injury will never take him out, he is a very smart basketball player, and he appears to be an even better person (with artistic ability that rivals his basketball skills).

[mr. synellinden]

A great read on Kyle (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/sports/ncaabasketball/14singler.html?scp=1&sq=kyle%20singler&st=cse) from yesterday's sports section.

I am surprised I didn't see a thread on this (if there is one, sorry, I missed it).

EDIT: Okay, I just went back to the second page and saw that there is already a thread on this. I would delete this if I could.

[JasonEvans]

Okay, I just went back to the second page and saw that there is already a thread on this. I would delete this if I could.

I blame the DBR community for not commenting further on this story therefore keeping the thread alive on the first page of the board ;)

--Jason "it is a wonderful article and I am glad you gave it a BTTT" Evans

[Greg_Newton]

This was interesting, and kind of surprising, to see:
Apparently, Singler does not talk trash or swagger, either. He reserves his commentary for teammates, and indeed he has had to work at becoming more vocal as a leader this season.

Opponents will hear little from Singler during a game.

“He’s not a talker,” guard Nolan Smith, the other returning starter from last season’s championship team, said Friday as the team prepared for Princeton. “He just plays 40 minutes quietly, and he’s going to go at you.

“He’ll definitely be more of a target this year,” Smith continued. “People are saying he’s going to be the player of the year, and he obviously has that capability, so guys are going to go at him a lot harder, and nothing’s going to change with him. He’s going to stay who he is, stay quiet and just continue to kill people.”

I was actually under the impression that Kyle was somewhat of a talker... kind of nice to hear that's not the case, given how reserved and amiable he seems otherwise. I like what he says about being yourself and maintaining your personality, even in how you play basketball.

[SupaDave]

Kyle is a man of few words but his nature is quite loud (like the youtube 'buckets' video). His imprint is all over the team.