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houstondukie
06-20-2007, 05:28 PM
Fill in the blank and explain why.

My choice is Brian Zoubek. I think next year's team will be loaded with guards and athletic wings, but Brian is our best option for a low post scorer and rebounder. He has a lot of improvement to make, but I think the potential is there. Without him being close to a double-double guy, I don't think Duke will be a Final Four team next year.

Chard
06-20-2007, 05:34 PM
Hmmm. I agree with you on some levels but I think Greg Paulus may play a bigger part in the overall success. This is his team. Demarcus will also claim some ownership but I have a feeling all the pressure will be on Greg's shoulders to lead the team.

johnb
06-20-2007, 05:42 PM
I'd say what we need is for one guy to become one of the 10 or 15 guys in the country by being a reasonably unstoppable force on offense. That might be Paulus as a point or one of our many very good wings, but my hunch would be Singler.

rtnorthrup
06-20-2007, 05:43 PM
Our season next year does not hinge on one person. We have so much talent that the real key will be how well the team comes together. Certainly Zoubek showed flashes last year of being an offensive threat in the post. If he can improve his footwork he should be a good one.

But at the same time, we really need Lance to play up to his potential;

And we need Demarcus to cut down on his turnovers and be stronger with his dribble;

We need Greg to stay healthy;

We need Scheyer to become a legit 3 point threat consistantly.

Again, im not trying to be obvious, just trying to stop this thing where too much pressure is placed on one of our players.

hurleyfor3
06-20-2007, 05:56 PM
Duke will be as good as whomever we play in the Sweet 16 allows us to be

Classof06
06-20-2007, 06:39 PM
I want to say Greg Paulus so so bad because nobody on this roster has more to prove this coming season. To me, at least.

But it's not Paulus, because we actually have someone (Nolan) to replace him, should he struggle again. Last year, broken foot or not, Paulus was the only primary ball-handler. If Paulus has another year like he had last year (the whole body of work, not just the last 15 games), he will not be starting by the end of this season. And I don't believe that would necessarily kill our season, either. This is why I can't say Paulus.

With that, I have to go with Singler. Zoubek is important, but if our chances hinged on him taking drastic strides over one off-season, then we'd be screwed and I don't believe that we are. With or without Thomas, I consider our 5 spot a bit of a question mark; if Singler falters, our 4 is now a question mark as well and that's trouble. Lack of frontcourt depth makes Singler that much more important. We need Singler to score consistently. I don't care how good he looked in HS, that's a lot to ask a freshman to do, especially in the ACC. I believe Singler is more than capable, but if he struggles, then we need to have better-than-expected seasons from 1-2 other players or we're probably no better than last year. And when I say "better than expected seasons," remember that we're already expecting our returning players to come back improved to begin with.

VaDukie
06-20-2007, 07:02 PM
To me this question can be seen two ways. There are guys like Greg and DeMarcus who we need to play well to get us to a certain level, then there are other guys we need to play well to take us to the elite level.

For me, the two guys we take in question #2 are Singler and Henderson. If Henderson gets healthy and has his athletic asthma worked out, he could be scary good next year. Anyone else remember his play in the last two games of the regular season? He carried us against Maryland and UNC. We don't need Singler to be dominant to be good next year (maybe even very good), but if he comes in and scores 15 per game we will be very tough to beat.

DevilAlumna
06-20-2007, 07:11 PM
My thought:

Duke will be as good as ITS CAPTAINS will allow them to be.


Coach K has built a system that relies on its players to provide leadership, on and off the court. I think each of the tri-captains last year were too young and had too many other, personal struggles, to focus on the concept of, and needs of, the team.

My hope this year is that whoever ultimately gets the nod for captains (my votes would be for McClure and Nelson, leaving Paulus out solely because I think three captains is one too many) is able to help mold the team into a cohesive unit (difficult, because there are so many interchangeable pieces), lead without worrying so much about self-performance, and take some pressure off of the younger guys (Scheyer, Henderson, Zoubs, plus the incoming frosh) still trying to find their A-games in the Duke system.

delfrio
06-20-2007, 07:23 PM
There is no way Paulus is not a captain in the fall.

Pistonsfan13
06-20-2007, 07:36 PM
Duke will be as good as their teamworkwill allow them to be

ive seen this too much, where there is major hype about a team and their recruits, and when season comes, they are too self centered about making them selves look good, that they become a team of individuals. now if they can get a type of chemistry if you will, and mesh together as one, than they will be pretty much unstoppable with all their raw talent that they have.

VaDukie
06-20-2007, 07:40 PM
Duke will be as good as their teamworkwill allow them to be

ive seen this too much, where there is major hype about a team and their recruits, and when season comes, they are too self centered about making them selves look good, that they become a team of individuals. now if they can get a type of chemistry if you will, and mesh together as one, than they will be pretty much unstoppable with all their raw talent that they have.

Probably the most logical answer; but why say teamwork when we can endlessly argue which player will (hopefully) lead us to the promised land? :D

Pistonsfan13
06-20-2007, 07:41 PM
Probably the most logical answer; but why say teamwork when we can endlessly argue which player will (hopefully) lead us to the promised land? :D

hey i just stated what i thought, you guys can feel free to argue about who will lead you to this "Promised Land: :D

Clipsfan
06-20-2007, 08:08 PM
My thought:

Duke will be as good as ITS CAPTAINS will allow them to be.


Coach K has built a system that relies on its players to provide leadership, on and off the court. I think each of the tri-captains last year were too young and had too many other, personal struggles, to focus on the concept of, and needs of, the team.

My hope this year is that whoever ultimately gets the nod for captains (my votes would be for McClure and Nelson, leaving Paulus out solely because I think three captains is one too many) is able to help mold the team into a cohesive unit (difficult, because there are so many interchangeable pieces), lead without worrying so much about self-performance, and take some pressure off of the younger guys (Scheyer, Henderson, Zoubs, plus the incoming frosh) still trying to find their A-games in the Duke system.

I don't see any way that Paulus is not one of the captains this coming year. Not only was he a captain last year (and did nothing to convince me that he shouldn't be one again) but he is also going to be the focus of our offense. He has the will to win that this team needs and the hard-nosed attitude necessary to help get us there. He and Nelson should both be captains again

DevilAlumna
06-20-2007, 08:12 PM
I don't see any way that Paulus is not one of the captains this coming year.

Oh, I totally agree with you; I'd eat my hat if he's not voted a captain.

But like I said, *I'm* only giving two votes. I think Tri-Captains is just silly; defeats the purpose of having a captain, IMO.

Clipsfan
06-20-2007, 08:18 PM
Oh, I totally agree with you; I'd eat my hat if he's not voted a captain.

But like I said, *I'm* only giving two votes. I think Tri-Captains is just silly; defeats the purpose of having a captain, IMO.

I guess the only place we differ is that he'd be either my first or second choice to be captain next year (Nelson has seniority, which counts for a lot in K's eyes)

DevilAlumna
06-20-2007, 08:33 PM
I guess the only place we differ is that he'd be either my first or second choice to be captain next year (Nelson has seniority, which counts for a lot in K's eyes)

Well, since we're explaining our votes (and with the understanding that this is all pure outsider speculation):

I think McClure would make a great 6th Man captain, in the role of Marty Clark (who only started 3 games his senior, captain season.) He's been through a lot, has some perspective/history of the team, and might provide some good, elder-statesman-type 'glue' for a young team.

I give DeMarcus the nod over Paulus for three reasons:

1) Nelson's a senior. Seniors are traditionally Captains. I'm a sucker for tradition.

2) Paulus needs to focus on getting his own game back, not worrying about the other Captain worries. His team needs him more as an on-court playmaker (assists, smart passes, etc.) than as a Captain. I don't think he can do both well at the same time.

3) Nelson's role next year on the court is still undefined; I think he can be a key player in any role, but the best role might be as the leader who just does the stuff that needs to get done (a la Nate or Shane or C-well.) That's worthy of a Captain's spot. (Though, I think this is the biggest question mark -- can he actually step up and do it right?)

Buckeye Devil
06-20-2007, 08:58 PM
If it has to be limited to one person, I would say that it is Gerald Henderson. He showed flashes of brilliance and seems like he has the potential to take a game over with talent and pure athleticism.

Clipsfan
06-20-2007, 09:24 PM
Well, since we're explaining our votes (and with the understanding that this is all pure outsider speculation):

I think McClure would make a great 6th Man captain, in the role of Marty Clark (who only started 3 games his senior, captain season.) He's been through a lot, has some perspective/history of the team, and might provide some good, elder-statesman-type 'glue' for a young team.

I give DeMarcus the nod over Paulus for three reasons:

1) Nelson's a senior. Seniors are traditionally Captains. I'm a sucker for tradition.

2) Paulus needs to focus on getting his own game back, not worrying about the other Captain worries. His team needs him more as an on-court playmaker (assists, smart passes, etc.) than as a Captain. I don't think he can do both well at the same time.

3) Nelson's role next year on the court is still undefined; I think he can be a key player in any role, but the best role might be as the leader who just does the stuff that needs to get done (a la Nate or Shane or C-well.) That's worthy of a Captain's spot. (Though, I think this is the biggest question mark -- can he actually step up and do it right?)

As I tried to say, I can see Nelson being the solo captain ahead of Paulus, although I can see the argument for Paulus ahead of Nelson as well. Given that we will have at least 2 captains next season, I think the argument is moot. What I don't agree with is your argument that McClure should be captain ahead of Paulus. As much as I like him and think that he brings some great things to the team, I don't see any way that K demotes Paulus and promotes McClure, especially given that I think that Paulus is more deserving irrespective of which one was a captain last year.

VaDukie
06-20-2007, 09:45 PM
hey i just stated what i thought, you guys can feel free to argue about who will lead you to this "Promised Land: :D

I was saying that your answer was the right one; we have enough talent that it's not going to be one player, but how well we play as a team. But what's the fun in that when we can endlessly speculate which player will be the most important?

Richard Berg
06-20-2007, 09:57 PM
____ = team defense. Last year proved that.

mapei
06-20-2007, 10:08 PM
It IS fun to debate whose play is most important, even if we know that the team's fate won't really rest solely on one set of shoulders.

For me, it's Paulus. He's the X factor. If he is Mr. Turnover, Mr. Half-Step-Too-Slow, or Mr. Matador Defense, we won't be any better than we were last year and might even be worse. We will definitely be in that predicament if he is injured again, since we don't really have a true backup. But if he is the guy with sharp game instincts, pinpoint passes, beautifully timed, rainmaking 3-pointers, and refuse-to-lose heart, we might surprise some people.

dukerev
06-20-2007, 10:18 PM
The talent is there and it is deep. This will be a far different team than the JJ/Shelden teams (two A-A's surrounded by a supporting cast) which seemed almost NBA-like in comparison. The chemistry on AND off the court will drive this Devil team...just like every other one.

Bob Green
06-21-2007, 02:17 AM
It IS fun to debate whose play is most important, even if we know that the team's fate won't really rest solely on one set of shoulders.

For me, it's Paulus. He's the X factor. If he is Mr. Turnover, Mr. Half-Step-Too-Slow, or Mr. Matador Defense, we won't be any better than we were last year and might even be worse. We will definitely be in that predicament if he is injured again, since we don't really have a true backup. But if he is the guy with sharp game instincts, pinpoint passes, beautifully timed, rainmaking 3-pointers, and refuse-to-lose heart, we might surprise some people.

I agree. A healthy Paulus playing to the level he was hyped when being recruited will be the key.

There are several more factors (I can't limit myself to one):

1. Zoubek and Thomas being productive in the post.
2. Nelson and Scheyer improving as shooters.
3. The combo of Singler, Smith, and King replacing the production provided by McRoberts last year.

Bob Green
Yokosuka, Japan

madscavenger
06-21-2007, 04:12 AM
Duke will be as good as ITS DEFENSE will allow them to be.

This doesn't really need much explanation. There's no way the offense could carry this team by itself. However, if the defense can be dominant (a reasonably big if, but possibile if they play as a team and have excellent help defense), a low turnover efficient offense could yield surprisingly good results given healthy personel, and be competitive with most anyone. Not much room anywhere for a shortfall though, if this is to happen.

Dukerati
06-21-2007, 08:31 AM
Duke will be as good as its CRUNCH TIME SCORER will allow them to be.

Did anyone else find the ends of games last year agonizing? We would have won a lot more games (including the VCU one) if we had someone who could step up and be a consistent offensive performer at the end of games. To this end, my vote is for Paulus. Please, please let it be Paulus.

Patrick Yates
06-21-2007, 09:01 AM
and it may even be a three pronged question. If Zoubek and Thomas aren't at least capable players in the post this year, we could be in trouble. I think the results from the upcomming year would equal last year's, with maybe 1 win in the NCAA tourney. I think BZ and LT are more than capaple next year, especially by the end of the season.

That said, Paulus and Nelson are the keys to us being a good team. If they D up, cut down on turnovers, shoot well, and stay healthy, Duke is a sweet sixteen team, a result I would be OK with next year.

As far as the promised land, which for next year's team is realistically the sweet sixteen or elite eight, then Henderson is the key to that happening. If he is really ready to be a stud next year, Duke can be very good. I think all Duke will be lacking next year is that one, go-to scorer. Henderson seemed to really get it at the end of last season. IF, and that may be a huge if, because I haven't seen anything even hinting that his asthma is close being under control, his asthma IS under control, he could have a huge year. He definitely has the ability to be a 20 ppg scorer. If he is, he would be a huge release valve for the entire team, and would help every player score more. When you have a dynamic scorer like GH could be, Defenses have to key on him.

He could be a dynamic, athletic scorer in a mold Duke hasn't really had since JWill left. As good as JJ was, he did a lot of his damage by being a great shooter and capable penetrator. I think GH will have a better chance of "making things happen" off the dribble than JJ, if only because GH will have better offensive options on the wing than JJ had his last two years (when JJ finally became a threat to drive). Let's face it, by JJ's sr year when he could drive more effectively, there weren't really a lot of options. GH will have more options on the perimeter, and when GH drives the opposing post will HAVE to rotate over or he is going to be on the losing end of a poster. This will up the scoring averages of Singler, LT and BZ.

Now, this is assuming that GH is bordering on Great next year. If he is merely very good, then Duke will max out in the Sweet 16 or elite 8 next year. If he is great, then we could be a dark horse FF team, if the other players can control turnovers and hit outside shots.

As for Singler, we may be putting too much pressure on the kid. I see him essentially where Battier was as a freshman. Battier was more a little more athletic, but Singler is probably a little more skilled. Both are ranked in approximately the same place. Based on what I have heard, KS seems to have a high drive, much like Shane did. Now, I am not trying to compare KS to one of Duke's all time greats, but just temper expectations. Shane was a very good player his freshman year, but he was not a world beater. Shane had better talent arround him, so he did not need to score as much, so KS should have better numbers, if only because we need him to score, but KS may have more of an adjusting period than want to think he will.

I think KS will be good next year, but it could be the year after when he approaches very good to great. So I do not think he will be the Man for Duke next year.

As for Paulus, I see his health as the main concern. He has been injured his entire career so far. Maybe he has been unlucky, or maybe his injuries were nagging concerns from his HS days that are finally fixed.

But, maybe his injuries are the result of over training. I may question his athleticism, but I will never question his heart or desire to win. This drive may push him to over train in order to overcome his athletic shortcommings, whatever they may be. If this is the case, then this training could be at the root of his problems. We all heard about how hard he worked last summer, and how he was in great shape. Then his body broke down. You cannot get 110% from your body, no matter how much you train. The body will break down, especially under the stress of playing 30+ mpg at the pg slot.

That said, if you read the DeCourcey article on the front page, you can see that the staff beleives that they finally have an option B in place. Even though Nolan Smith never played PG in HS, I think this was more a result of playing along side the 1 pg in the class for the last 2 years of his career. I think that NS would be a great PG by his Jr or Sr year if he worked on that exclusively. He would be capable at the pg this year, good next year, and great thereafter. Hopefully GP can handle it. But, if not, it is clear that at least the staff now has an option.

Patrick Yates

6th Man
06-21-2007, 10:26 AM
Duke will be as good as THE BIG MAN COACH (WOJO) allows us to be. I think our only weakness is on the inside.

kydevil
06-21-2007, 10:56 AM
IMO Duke will be as good as Coach K allows us to be. That is in no way a negative comment toward's Coach K. We have a lot of talented players this year as well all know, and he will have the fun job of getting a solid rotation together. That being said if our fate is in K's hands then im excited!

Now if you have to choose a player Im gonna go with Gerald. He showed at times last year he could take over and he has the capability to do so when needed. If he can be a big time go to scorer then we will be set.
I know a lot of people are saying Paulus which is a great answer, but Paulus showed me through the 2nd half of last year he can be a leader.

BlueDevilBaby
06-21-2007, 11:01 AM
The talent is there and it is deep. This will be a far different team than the JJ/Shelden teams (two A-A's surrounded by a supporting cast) which seemed almost NBA-like in comparison. The chemistry on AND off the court will drive this Devil team...just like every other one.

I'm with you. It will be interesting to see how all this new talent will mesh with Greg, DeMarcus and the super sophs whom I see as getting the PT.

Truth
06-21-2007, 11:06 AM
hey i just stated what i thought, you guys can feel free to argue about who will lead you to this "Promised Land: :D

"Oh, I'm gonna lead. The only question is can you boys follow?"

Any chance Paulus has found himself uttering the above?

Classof06
06-21-2007, 12:42 PM
Duke will be as good as its CRUNCH TIME SCORER will allow them to be.

Did anyone else find the ends of games last year agonizing? We would have won a lot more games (including the VCU one) if we had someone who could step up and be a consistent offensive performer at the end of games. To this end, my vote is for Paulus. Please, please let it be Paulus.

BINGO. This is why I said Singler, because I predict that he'll probably be the go-to scorer. A go-to scorer was the difference between 6 or 7 losses and the 11 losses we actually ended up with.

To everyone saying team defense, take a step back for a second. Duke played ridiculously good team defense last year, especially given the fact that they were so young. According to Pomeroy, we were 9th in the nation in defensive efficiency.

The glaring problem with us was that we couldn't put up enough points. Anyone who watched Duke last year saw times when the offense was downright painful to watch. I mean, we averaged 70.4 points a game.....I'll say that one more time, we averaged 70.4 points a game! When was the last time you saw a Duke team average 70 points a game? That leaves your defense with such a small margin for error, that there's no surprise we lost 11 games last year. Defense has rarely ever been Duke's problem and last year wasn't one of those years where it was..

Clipsfan
06-21-2007, 12:50 PM
"Oh, I'm gonna lead. The only question is can you boys follow?"

Any chance Paulus has found himself uttering the above?

I liked the article on the front page about Paulus, and it suggests that the answer is yes. Collins is quoted as saying that Paulus wants to be a leader, and is doing what he can to be a leader. Let's hope that he's doing a good job (I think that he can).

dyedwab
06-21-2007, 01:06 PM
Duke will be as good as our sophmores' improvement allows us to be.

All of our sophmores each showed flashes of the players they could become. Scheyer's shooting, ball handling and defense, Zoubek aggresiveness, Lance's defense, and Gerald's ability to create his own shot all showed at various points during the season, but none were consistently there.

Hopefully, after a summer of getting stronger (for me, the key reason why out freshman weren't consistent last year was that they weren't strong enough), and a year in the Duke system, these players can really step up going into next season.

EarlJam
06-21-2007, 01:10 PM
For me, it's Paulus. He's the X factor. If he is Mr. Turnover, Mr. Half-Step-Too-Slow, or Mr. Matador Defense, we won't be any better than we were last year and might even be worse. We will definitely be in that predicament if he is injured again, since we don't really have a true backup. But if he is the guy with sharp game instincts, pinpoint passes, beautifully timed, rainmaking 3-pointers, and refuse-to-lose heart, we might surprise some people.

I was going to post but read this and it perfectly echoed my thoughts. Paulus will be the "floor general." For the most part, as he goes, so will Duke. Well, I reckon I done went and posted anyway!

-EarlJam

johnb
06-21-2007, 01:32 PM
Team defense and chemistry are important, but, given what I've read and seen of our players, we will be fine in those departments. Paulus will, I think, not be a drag on the overall success, but I'd be (pleasantly) suprised if he becomes all acc. For me, the key to being a top tier, top 5 or 10 team, will be for one player becoming scary good on offense. Singler and Henderson seem to have the most potential for this role, though Scheyer could morph into JJ, and DeMarcus could become a star if he finished more efficiently.

4decadedukie
06-21-2007, 02:58 PM
I am not trying to be unsophisticated, but the answer is THE TEAM

I understand the question and I appreciate the wisdom of many of the replies, but Duke/K basketball is the essential TEAM effort, emphasizing leadership and selflessness more than individual talents.

Chard
06-21-2007, 04:18 PM
Well, I feel vindicated since DeCourcy kinda agrees with me. He lists Paulus as # 1 on their list of pivotal players for 07' -08'. See the article linked on the main page.:D

Richard Berg
06-21-2007, 05:00 PM
To everyone saying team defense, take a step back for a second. Duke played ridiculously good team defense last year, especially given the fact that they were so young. According to Pomeroy, we were 9th in the nation in defensive efficiency.
Not consistently. That was the problem. The team defense in February & March unraveled several times. Not coincidentally, we lost a lot of games. (The competition was tougher, of course, but I'll bet a statistical analysis would show that our defensive efficiency did in fact decline.)

Classof06
06-21-2007, 05:13 PM
Not consistently. That was the problem. The team defense in February & March unraveled several times. Not coincidentally, we lost a lot of games. (The competition was tougher, of course, but I'll bet a statistical analysis would show that our defensive efficiency did in fact decline.)

You're right, I'd be crazy to say our defense didn't take a step back towards the end of the year. I think as a whole, our team unravelled towards the end of the year.

But if I had to pick the critical, underlying factor behind Duke's 11 losses, it would be our inability to put points on the board, especially in crunch time; another way of saying lack of a go-to scorer. No question about it...

elvis14
06-21-2007, 05:21 PM
I'm going to ASSUME the intent is to pick a single most pivotal player. As such, I'm not going to give obvious answers like "out teamwork", "our defense", "our coaching staff", "our bigs". If I'm going to pick a player that will make the difference between duke being good or really good, it's Henderson. It's not even a tough decision. He's the X-factor. He's the guy the defense fears! He's the guy who should have the ball with the clock winding down. He's going to be THE MAN this year. If you look at the end of last year, he was THE MAN in some of the late games last year. There's not another player on our team that the other team will fear the way Henderson will scare the living he1l out of guys. Who wants to guard a guy who can hit the 3, drive by you and dunk with mad hops or pull up for the mid-range jumper? Nobody! It's Henderson that will be the guy that makes Duke great this season.

Elvis14

ohioguy2
06-21-2007, 08:29 PM
We will be as good as our perimeter players ability to stop penetration allows. Certainly at times last year our defense was very good, however as the season went on and the competition improved, we had a great deal of difficulty containing quick guards--rotation then became another problem. As an aside, defensive stats can be (along with other stats) very misleading.

If I was instead to pick one player, I would be hard pressed to choose between Nelson and Paulus.

mepanchin
06-23-2007, 01:54 AM
You're right, I'd be crazy to say our defense didn't take a step back towards the end of the year. I think as a whole, our team unravelled towards the end of the year.

But if I had to pick the critical, underlying factor behind Duke's 11 losses, it would be our inability to put points on the board, especially in crunch time; another way of saying lack of a go-to scorer. No question about it...

Our last 4 games were our 4 worst defensive performances (by far) for the season. Something definitely happened to our D in those games.

But in general, offense was a greater problem. Specifically, shot selection and turnovers. Shooting poorly from the FT line didn't help either.

I also cannot pick a single element. This team more than ever will be dependent on the team without a single star or two to lead us. We will have a balanced team, which is exciting. I think an essential part of improving our shot selection and reducing turnovers is just a much greater feel for our identity offensively. I think having everyone healthy in the pre-season will really do wonders for that.

Saratoga2
06-23-2007, 09:02 AM
The team will be loaded with high potential players and coach K needs to find ways of using them in effective combinations to have a successful year. Coach K has a long history of getting things right so I am enthusiastic going into the coming season.

While there are reasons for optimism, there are also problems that coach K has to deal with that require his best work. He and his staff can do this by putting his best combinations on the floor together and to use his depth effectively.

The problems I see for Duke involve limitations of key players:

1. Nelson's deficiencies in ball handling, foul shooting and tendency to drive into a crowd rather than passing the ball. (Don't expect much improvement)

2. Paulus's defensive limitations. (Expect improvement due to his foot operation)

3. Scheyer's lack of confidence to take the available open shot and his slowness to get his shot off. (Expect increased strength and confidence as he will be more experienced)

4. Thomas's overly aggressive play and frequency of committing fouls. (Expect a big improvement in the foul area and also in his offensive moves around the basket)

5. Zoubek's unfortunate tendency to turn the ball over in the post. (He may take a while to blossom as he had so little playing time last year)

Given those comment, we have a solid and probably fully healthy David McClure coming back. (Hope he has worked on his offense in the off season). We have Henderson who may have licked the exercise induced asthma. He is the most explosive player to the basket we currently have and may well be a starter during the year. Lots of upside to him and an area of major improvement for the team if he plays to full potential. We also have a capable play in Pocius returning. (Is this the year he really blossoms into a reliable player?)

They we have the unknowns of three really good freshman prospects. Singler can be a very effective player and possibly a starter from very early on. Freshmen rarely fully live up to their billing so we shouldn't expect a Carmello here but he is likely to be a very solid player. Smith looks like a capable substitute either for Paulus of for Nelson. He has decent size, quickness and ball handling and is both a slasher and shooter and also appears to be good defensively. Maybe he will wind up as a starter late in the year. Finally there is King who prefers to play the perimeter but may wind up playing more inside on this team cue to lack of depth. He is a little slow for the perimiter and is a decent rebounder and has the size needed to compete inside.

We have discussed endlessly how to mix these players and a lot will depend on which ones have made improvements and how the coaches see the best mixes and how the style is adjusted for the depth of the team. So I view no one player as being the answer, rather the team effort and the cleverness of the coaches as being the key.

hondoheel
06-23-2007, 11:56 PM
Duke will be as good as John Clougherty allows us to be . ;)