Duke to play in China, Dubai Summer 2011

[CLW]

As previously speculated here but was "officially" just announced. Duke will play in China (and Dubai) in the Summer of 2011

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=205098336&DB_OEM_ID=4200

[UrinalCake]

I think this will be a great experience. We'll have a really young team, at least from a leadership standpoint, with Smith and Singler gone, so the opportunity to bond and to get in some early games will be invaluable. It will be interesting to see who takes the role of showing the freshmen the ropes, as Nolan has done so well this year.

[gam7]

I believe that the exposure Kyrie would get on a trip like this may change the long-term financial calculations on the leave/stay equation.

[BD80]

As previously speculated here but was "officially" just announced. Duke will play in China (and Dubai) in the Summer of 2011

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=205098336&DB_OEM_ID=4200

Could this be a factor convincing Kyrie to stay? That would be a really cool experience to share with friends and teammates.

Is this the reason that "Alex Robocop" Murphy wants to start early? Although if his highschool is resisting letting him take the courses he needs to leave, it sounds like summer school is needed to exit high school and Alex wouldn't be able to enroll at Duke during the summer, which the freshmen willl have to do to go on the trip. Sounds like MP3, Cook, Gbinje and Rivers would all qualify.

This kind of trip really sets the Duke program apart from the others which go to places like, say the Bahamas, to "bond." Also pretty cool that the team's trip is being driven by the business school.

[gumbomoop]

A couple of weeks back, on his Sat morn [FSS/FSN 9:30 a.m.] tv show, K and Pres Brodhead talked a bit about Duke establishing itself - the buzz word these days is "brand" - in China. Reference to the broadcast of one game in Mandarin. K said, both humorously and seriously, "Shane is big in China; billboards of Shane in China." Perhaps it's Shane's connection to Yao Ming.

But if by some chance Kyrie makes this trip, there'll be billboards of Kyrie in China by Chinese New Year. BBall fanatics in China will be talking not about the Year of the Dragon, but the Year of Kyrie. And Austin. Possibly the whole team.

Big billboards of Duke team in China. Something to think about, seriously.

[camion]

Would Alex Murphy like to be on board for the trip? It is, you know, a once in a lifetime thing. This is so cool I would consider coming out of retirement for the trip. I was a 5' 7" point forward in my day.


And it's a totally unfair to UNC, UK, UMd, etc to let us start practice that early. More gravy. :)

Plus, China probably has some big kids, 7' 3" center types, that could profit from some time at Duke. :) :)

[BD80]

A couple of weeks back, on his Sat morn [FSS/FSN 9:30 a.m.] tv show, K and Pres Brodhead talked a bit about Duke establishing itself - the buzz word these days is "brand" - in China. Reference to the broadcast of one game in Mandarin. K said, both humorously and seriously, "Shane is big in China; billboards of Shane in China." Perhaps it's Shane's connection to Yao Ming.

But if by some chance Kyrie makes this trip, there'll be billboards of Kyrie in China by Chinese New Year. BBall fanatics in China will be talking not about the Year of the Dragon, but the Year of Kyrie. And Austin. Possibly the whole team.

Big billboards of Duke team in China. Something to think about, seriously.

It's not like they sell many basketball shoes in China though ... :rolleyes:

[Lord Ash]

Plus, China probably has some big kids, 7' 3" center types, that could profit from some time at Duke. :) :)

You know, I hadn't thought of this, but this is actually a GREAT point. China has THOUSANDS of kids who are 7 foot +... I remember reading about it, and how they almost churn out huge centers at a rate the rest of the world hasn't yet understood... I wonder if that could have an impact?

[Bluedog]

You know, I hadn't thought of this, but this is actually a GREAT point. China has THOUSANDS of kids who are 7 foot +... I remember reading about it, and how they almost churn out huge centers at a rate the rest of the world hasn't yet understood... I wonder if that could have an impact?

Maybe China has a lot of 7 footers simply because 1.5 billion people live there, but they certainly don't churn them out at a larger rate on a per capita basis than the rest of the world. China is definitely on the shorter side of of average height in the world. The average adult male in China is 5' 6.7". By contrast, the average in the U.S. is 5' 10.2". The Nilotic peoples of Sudan average 6 ft 3. Only two "countries" in the survey average above 6 feet for males - Dinaric Alps and the Netherlands. (Not sure how Dinaric Alps qualifies as a "country"...)

http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/height-chart.shtml

In any event, sounds like a great trip!

[CBDUKE]

I could be wrong, but I don't think incoming freshmen are allowed to go on these trips. I have been wrong before.

[Bluedog]

I could be wrong, but I don't think incoming freshmen are allowed to go on these trips. I have been wrong before.

The NCAA changed the rules recently. Here was UNC's situation:


And thanks to a change in the NCAA's regulations on preseason trips, the entire squad - including incoming freshmen Harrison Barnes, Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall - can make the trip. Effective Aug. 1, the NCAA is allowing incoming freshmen to play in an international summer tournament as long as they have earned at least three hours of academic credit during the college's summer session.

Read more: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/06/25/550652/unc-will-make-trip-to-bahamas.html#ixzz1EKgsUKab


Duke doesn't have "hours" though...I'd think 3 hours is similar to 1 Duke credit though. So, as long as they enroll in summer school at Duke, they should be good to go.

[UrinalCake]

I believe that the exposure Kyrie would get on a trip like this may change the long-term financial calculations on the leave/stay equation.

That's an excellent point! I remember a few years ago someone asked Shaq about Yao Ming being voted the All-star starter even though he hadn't played that well and his response was something like "There are 800 billion people in China" (he was joking).

As for the abundance of 7-footers in China who can play ball, I wouldn't count on finding very many. Yao was not just a genetic fluke. He was literally bred by the Chinese government to produce a basketball star to compete with the Western powers.

http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/501051114/story.html

[blazindw]

It's about potential. Say, for example, there are 10,000 people in the U.S. out of 308 million that were 7+ feet. If China had the same percentage of 7-footers, they would have more than 42,000! That's the potential people are talking about.

This is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity for our players. I just signed up to go to China in May through Duke's Young Alumni Passage...maybe we can have them move the trip so we're there when the players are! ;)

[wilson]

You know, I hadn't thought of this, but this is actually a GREAT point. China has THOUSANDS of kids who are 7 foot +... I remember reading about it, and how they almost churn out huge centers at a rate the rest of the world hasn't yet understood... I wonder if that could have an impact?Yeah, but why would they wanna come all this way just to set screens for 3-point shooters? ;)

[cato]

China is definitely on the shorter side of of average height in the world. The average adult male in China is 5' 6.7". By contrast, the average in the U.S. is 5' 10.2".

I'm not sure if "average adult male" is the proper comparison here. Due to the rapid changes in China over the last 50+ years, I believe that there are significant differences in height between younger and older people.

So, I would guess that you will have many, many more 7' people per capita in China in the current generation of kids than you would have had in the groups born in the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc.

[CBDUKE]

The NCAA changed the rules recently. Here was UNC's situation:



Duke doesn't have "hours" though...I'd think 3 hours is similar to 1 Duke credit though. So, as long as they enroll in summer school at Duke, they should be good to go.

Thank you for that information.

[OldPhiKap]

"Wouldn't you hate to live in China? Even if you were a 'one-in-a-million' kind of person, there'd be a thousand of you."

-- A. Whitney Brown

[billyj]

That's an excellent point! I remember a few years ago someone asked Shaq about Yao Ming being voted the All-star starter even though he hadn't played that well and his response was something like "There are 800 billion people in China" (he was joking).

As for the abundance of 7-footers in China who can play ball, I wouldn't count on finding very many. Yao was not just a genetic fluke. He was literally bred by the Chinese government to produce a basketball star to compete with the Western powers.

http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/501051114/story.html

Explain to me how is he "bred of the government"?

That's ridiculous. Their parents are married (and still are today) and have a kids. That's bred by the government? He may be forced to play basketball at young age, but your accusation is way out of line.

[Deslok]

Selfishly, this may be great for me... now I just need to figure out if I can hop over to Beijing or Shanghai for one of the games and how to get tickets. Was saddened this year was the first in a loon time I hadn't been able to catch a Duke game because I'm always in the NYC area for Christmas, but the Butler game was just too far before Christmas for me to be there for it. So instead, Coach K is dropping by my neck of the woods. So kind of him, since he did it 7 years ago when I was off in London. And a fantastic trip for the team.

[Bluedog]

That's an excellent point! I remember a few years ago someone asked Shaq about Yao Ming being voted the All-star starter even though he hadn't played that well and his response was something like "There are 800 billion people in China" (he was joking).

As for the abundance of 7-footers in China who can play ball, I wouldn't count on finding very many. Yao was not just a genetic fluke. He was literally bred by the Chinese government to produce a basketball star to compete with the Western powers.

http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/501051114/story.html


Explain to me how is he "bred of the government"?

That's ridiculous. Their parents are married (and still are today) and have a kids. That's bred by the government? He may be forced to play basketball at young age, but your accusation is way out of line.

I don't want to make this a PPB issue, but the article cited at least supports that theory:


When Chinese athletes reach the end of their playing days, they are never truly released from their obligation to the state...[T]hey were expected to pass along something even more fundamental: their genes.


Indeed, when Shanghai sports officials finally let Da Fang retire, they suggested that she produce a champion


The responsibility for arranging marriages among the most gifted retired athletes often fell to the coaches...Before Da Fang even started to look for a husband, Shanghai officials had identified a suitable partner for her: Yao Zhiyuan...But it was up to a team leader named Liu Shiyu to make the match. He spoke with the players separately and convinced them that they could "make do" with each other—adding that they had the Communist Party's stamp of approval to do so.

According to that article, Chinese athletes are not allowed to marry before age 28 or they're retired (whichever comes first). If they get pregnant, they must abort the child or get kicked off the team and re-assigned to a less desirable unit.

[Faison1]

Wow! They're going to play in both China and the Maui Tournament. That is a lot of travel!

Do they charter a plane for those types of trips, or how does that work? If they are flying coach, I feel sorry for them.....

[UrinalCake]

It's a really long article, so to summarize... Yao's parents were both stars on their respective National basketball teams. They were forced to marry because the government wanted to produce a basketball star. I won't get into the political reasons for this, but essentially the government felt threatened by some of the cultural influences coming from the West and wanted to be able to compete. So the top men's and women's players were forced into an arranged marriage and their child essentially belonged to the National Team. Yao talked of not really liking basketball as a child, but that didn't matter because he was obligated to play.

Even now as a professional in the NBA, I believe a pretty hefty portion of his salary (like maybe 50%) gets sent back to the Chinese National Team.

[Indoor66]

Wow! They're going to play in both China and the Maui Tournament. That is a lot of travel!

Do they charter a plane for those types of trips, or how does that work? If they are flying coach, I feel sorry for them.....

I believe they charter for all of their trips.

[-jk]

I believe they charter for all of their trips.

They might fly commercial for this one - it's not an easy charter. Especially with the stopover in Dubai.

-jk

[arydolphin]

A couple of weeks back, on his Sat morn [FSS/FSN 9:30 a.m.] tv show, K and Pres Brodhead talked a bit about Duke establishing itself - the buzz word these days is "brand" - in China. Reference to the broadcast of one game in Mandarin. K said, both humorously and seriously, "Shane is big in China; billboards of Shane in China." Perhaps it's Shane's connection to Yao Ming.

But if by some chance Kyrie makes this trip, there'll be billboards of Kyrie in China by Chinese New Year. BBall fanatics in China will be talking not about the Year of the Dragon, but the Year of Kyrie. And Austin. Possibly the whole team.

Big billboards of Duke team in China. Something to think about, seriously.

Shane does have a shoe deal with a Chinese company, and it's all because of Yao Ming being on the same team as him. Multiple Rockets players are sponsored by Chinese companies for this reason. Also, when I went to see the Celtics play the Rockets, there were ads on the side of the court in Chinese characters, which were obviously bought only for that game because it was airing in China.

Also, pump the brakes on the billboard talk. The NBA is huge in China, I doubt that college basketball is on that level, and I don't think one trip by Duke will change that.

[texas]

sounds like a great trip. how is this okay with NCAA rules regarding "off-season" practices and workouts? (obviously it is but just wondering how this fits)

[-bdbd]

While the trip sounds like an awesome, once-in-a-lifetime deal for the kids, I think the "big deal" for Duke BB is that this will enable a fairly young team an extra 3+ weeks of practicing and playing together before even Midnight Madness kicks off the official start of practice for almost all other teams around Oct. 15. This practice time and 'feeling each other out' is VERY valuable, especially to the freshmen, and even to the coaches trying to blend a new group going into the 2011-2012 season. It yoields the opportunity to experimentwith strategies against live competition over two months earlier than almost all other schools. It really is a HUGE advantage, and I recall other coaches having a small hissy about it as "an unfair advantage" when Duke was one of the first to do this a number of years ago (playing in London in August).

But, wow, can you just imagine being 18 or 19 and getting to travel (and not sleeping on cots or at hostels) to places like Dubai and China??! Just amazing. :eek: :)

[mgtr]

Say, you don't suppose they need an assistant equipment manager do they?

[hurleyfor3]

They might fly commercial for this one - it's not an easy charter. Especially with the stopover in Dubai.


Easiest way would probably be on Star Alliance flights, mostly United. They could do RDU-ORD-PVG-DXB-IAD-RDU with everything but PVG-DXB on UA; I'm guessing Air China flies it. Delta would probably require more stops (they don't do ATL-PVG or SFO-PVG and I'm not sure what they run to Dubai).

19,000+ miles for the whole trip, assuming the 500-mile minimum on IAD-RDU. Map here (http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=rdu-ord-pvg-dxb-iad-rdu).

[MCFinARL]

sounds like a great trip. how is this okay with NCAA rules regarding "off-season" practices and workouts? (obviously it is but just wondering how this fits)

Apparently teams are allowed to do a summer trip like this once every four years, and they are allowed to practice as needed to prepare for the games on the trip. It's kind of a nice thing, really, because in addition to providing extra practice time and a team bonding experience, it gives a lot of players a chance to have a cultural experience they might otherwise never be able to have.

[proelitedota]

But, wow, can you just imagine being 18 or 19 and getting to travel (and not sleeping on cots or at hostels) to places like Dubai and China??! Just amazing. :eek: :)

Most 18 / 19 year olds have the ability to travel to Dubai and China, whether by their own or with a school program. Traveling with your team, participating in basketball events organized for you and your teammates, playing against national teams, and getting preferential treatment and exclusive access is once in a life time opportunity for one in a million. Even the son of a billionaire, president etc can't simulate this experience. Plenty of 18 / 19 can travel to Dubai and China, just not in this fashion. All the NBA money in the world can't buy you an experience like this.

[BD80]

... It's kind of a nice thing, really, because ... it gives a lot of players a chance to have a cultural experience they might otherwise never be able to have.

Ummmm. UK went to Windsor Canada (basically a southern suburb of Detroit) and UNC went to the Bahamas. Not all schools stress the educational experience. I would suggest Duke is toward the leading edge in that regard. While that may be unimportant to the majority of high school basketball players, it is important to the kind of kids Duke wants.

Of course, I would not be surprised if Nike were picking up much of the cost to send their walking advertisements to the world's largest market.

[BD80]

Guess I shouldn't have been so harsh on UK and Windsor. Windsor does have culture for college kids to soak up - drinking age of 19, totally nude strip clubs for 19 and older, and gambling.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Remember that Duke is opening a "branch office" somewhere in China in the next year or two and that it has broadcast games in Mandarin this year.

The team will get 10 days of practice before they depart for the trip. It will fall sometime in late August, between the end of the last summer session and the beginning of fall classes. The opponents and dates are not yet set, but they will be quality teams, perhaps some of those National Teams looking to qualify for the 2012 Olympics later in the fall. Incoming freshmen that have completed classes in summer school are eligible to go on the trip. Travel arrangements have not been made yet; virtually all other travel is done by charter. It is possible that Iron Dukes will be invited to accompany the team on the trip, like they are on Maui and Alaska trips - speculation at this point in time.

Shane is HUGE in China. The endorsement potential is only going to grow, and not just for sneakers. Basketball is a national craze. There are several hundred million kids playing basketball there now. Yes, the future recruiting potential of the country has been noticed ,,,

[camion]

It should be apparent to anyone that this is just a ploy by the evil coach K to entice/coerce Irving into coming back for another year when he should obviously go pro. The man has absolutely no conscience.


Oops, I was channeling IC there for a second. I feel so dirty... and stupid.

[MCFinARL]

Ummmm. UK went to Windsor Canada (basically a southern suburb of Detroit) and UNC went to the Bahamas. Not all schools stress the educational experience. I would suggest Duke is toward the leading edge in that regard. While that may be unimportant to the majority of high school basketball players, it is important to the kind of kids Duke wants.

Of course, I would not be surprised if Nike were picking up much of the cost to send their walking advertisements to the world's largest market.

Fair enough--not saying it's always about a cultural experience, but it can be. The George Mason team (where I teach) went to Italy last summer, and based on write-ups I've seen they took the opportunity to see a lot beyond basketball courts, and got a lot out of it. Based on their performance so far, it didn't hurt their basketball, either.

proelitedota--

You may be right that "most 18/19 year olds" these days could take such a trip, though I'd be willing to bet that a lot of players with college basketball scholarships could not--many come from pretty tough financial circumstances. Either way, though, you are right that this is a way of traveling that can't be duplicated.

[BD80]

It should be apparent to anyone that this is just a ploy by the evil coach K to entice/coerce Irving into coming back for another year when he should obviously go pro. The man has absolutely no conscience.


Oops, I was channeling IC there for a second. I feel so dirty... and stupid.

What does the IC say about Coach K's Nike-financed recruiting trip to China?

This could really be a big story in August (particularly if we repeat!) - a great time for recruits to see the Duke team in the news.

Then in August of 2012, Coach K will be dominating the news with the Olympic team,

It is good to be a Dukie!

[blazindw]

Iron Dukes should have received an email about the travel package for this trip. The trip is...pricey, to say the least. Pricey to the tune of $12K! I would have loved to go on this trip, but can't take out a mortgage for it. :( I wonder if there will be chances for people to purchase tickets for individual games. I'd love to travel to Dubai.

[SuperTurkey]

Iron Dukes should have received an email about the travel package for this trip. The trip is...pricey, to say the least. Pricey to the tune of $12K! I would have loved to go on this trip, but can't take out a mortgage for it. :( I wonder if there will be chances for people to purchase tickets for individual games. I'd love to travel to Dubai.

12k for business or first isn't bad at all. But I'm guessing that's for coach.

[stals]

Iron Dukes should have received an email about the travel package for this trip. The trip is...pricey, to say the least. Pricey to the tune of $12K! I would have loved to go on this trip, but can't take out a mortgage for it. :( I wonder if there will be chances for people to purchase tickets for individual games. I'd love to travel to Dubai.



I believe the Iron Duke China/Dubai flights are charters.

[billyj]

Iron Dukes should have received an email about the travel package for this trip. The trip is...pricey, to say the least. Pricey to the tune of $12K! I would have loved to go on this trip, but can't take out a mortgage for it. :( I wonder if there will be chances for people to purchase tickets for individual games. I'd love to travel to Dubai.



I believe the Iron Duke China/Dubai flights are charters.

Ticket to China is around $700 right now round trip, in the summer it can go up to $1400. Lets just say there is no way you can spend more than $3000 for food and hotel in a week. So I don't see why buy the 12K package. If you give me $6k I will buy you ticket/hotel/food all inclusive and be your personal guide for 3 days. :cool:

[SuperTurkey]

Ticket to China is around $700 right now round trip, in the summer it can go up to $1400. Lets just say there is no way you can spend more than $3000 for food and hotel in a week. So I don't see why buy the 12K package. If you give me $6k I will buy you ticket/hotel/food all inclusive and be your personal guide for 3 days. :cool:

Being on a chartered flight rather than flying commercial coach is worth at least $6k. If you're on the same chartered flight with the team, I'd say it's worth at least $10k.

[Exiled_Devil]

Most 18 / 19 year olds have the ability to travel to Dubai and China, whether by their own or with a school program.

Wow. I want to be your kid.

I hate to be a wet towel, but most 18/19 year olds do not have the ability to travel to Dubai and China. In fact, most 19 year olds don't even have passports. (63% of all Americans don't even have passports).

It's a great opportunity, even without the team aspect.

[Exiled_Devil]

Being on a chartered flight rather than flying commercial coach is worth at least $6k. If you're on the same chartered flight with the team, I'd say it's worth at least $10k.


Also, domestic flights between 3 Chinese cities. All flights charter, which means you won't miss a connection and miss a game. And I am guessing the charter flight will offer some decent room, even in coach, as they won't be filling up a big plane and you can't really fly that small of a plane trans-pacific.

Still, $12,000 is some big money.

[Duke Mom]

From today's Chronicle:

http://www.dukechronicle.com/article/cameron-crazies-go-abroad


Fascinating travel and Duke basketball, too. Sounds like a fabulous trip!