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View Full Version : Austin Rivers Video Interview



watzone
07-24-2011, 02:39 PM
http://bluedevilnation.net/2011/07/austin-rivers-interview-from-n-c-pro-am/ Not sure where this belongs. AR's family was there, you can see his mom when scan to Jay Williams and Kyrie Irving. He loved the breaking ankles question and in no way avoided it.

licc85
07-24-2011, 05:30 PM
You know, having followed Austin on twitter for some time, I've gotta wonder whether he talks himself up out of pure confidence or whether it's because he for some reason feels like he needs to prove himself to everyone. This interview wasn't indicative of that, but just the way he responded to the ankle breaking question is kind of what I'm talking about. I just get the feeling he's going to have the Laettner effect on Duke, (meaning he's going to make a lot of people HATE Duke more.)

I obviously care more about his ability on the court, but I feel like he's done a lot of bragging without playing a single college game, and that sense of entitlement somewhat worries me. It's not entirely his fault . . . guys like Jay Williams are constantly feeding his ego with lavish praise, but I kind of wish he could just be a tad more humble. He could be setting himself up for a long, hard fall . . . but probably not, he's too good.

roywhite
07-24-2011, 05:57 PM
You know, having followed Austin on twitter for some time, I've gotta wonder whether he talks himself up out of pure confidence or whether it's because he for some reason feels like he needs to prove himself to everyone. This interview wasn't indicative of that, but just the way he responded to the ankle breaking question is kind of what I'm talking about. I just get the feeling he's going to have the Laettner effect on Duke, (meaning he's going to make a lot of people HATE Duke more.)

I obviously care more about his ability on the court, but I feel like he's done a lot of bragging without playing a single college game, and that sense of entitlement somewhat worries me. It's not entirely his fault . . . guys like Jay Williams are constantly feeding his ego with lavish praise, but I kind of wish he could just be a tad more humble. He could be setting himself up for a long, hard fall . . . but probably not, he's too good.

Just my take, but I don't see a "sense of entitlement". Nor do I think Jay Willams is or would be "constantly feeding his ego with lavish praise". Jay is likely very good counsel to him, and probably talks about maturity and continuing to improve.

He's a confident player, no doubt, but I think that's mostly driven by his competitive nature and desire to excel. If some of his personality presents a problem to the Duke team concept, I can think of no one better than Coach K to help Austin channel his nature.

licc85
07-24-2011, 06:08 PM
Just my take, but I don't see a "sense of entitlement". Nor do I think Jay Willams is or would be "constantly feeding his ego with lavish praise". Jay is likely very good counsel to him, and probably talks about maturity and continuing to improve.

He's a confident player, no doubt, but I think that's mostly driven by his competitive nature and desire to excel. If some of his personality presents a problem to the Duke team concept, I can think of no one better than Coach K to help Austin channel his nature.

Okay, maybe not Jay himself, but just recruiting experts and other media people have all hyped him up a lot, there's no denying that. I think it's been awhile since a freshman stepped on our campus with as much hype and expectation surrounding him, but I guess that's just what comes with being the #1 player in your class for most of your high school career. I don't think it'll be a problem on the court or in the locker room, I'm just saying that guy is going to feed the Duke haters. If I hated Duke, this guy would really get on my nerves. He's too easy to root against. For example, every single all star game he played in, even if he wasn't the best player in the game, nobody was more talked about, more praised, and given more media coverage. I wonder how the Maryland fans will receive him in College Park . . haha.

Andy7207
07-24-2011, 06:56 PM
This interview wasn't bad at all -- textbook answers. He didn't shy away from the ankle question, but answered with "That's why I like coming here -- I get to show my moves, and it's real fun to come out here and play," which I wouldn't call an overly arrogant answer. Not sure how many different ways he can say "Its fun to play here, I am always trying to improve, Duke has a lot of great players."

On court, I think he has probably outgrown his days of saying "I WILL DROP 40 TONIGHT GUARANTEED." Regardless, this season is going to be awesome.

Greg_Newton
07-24-2011, 07:58 PM
Just my take, but I don't see a "sense of entitlement". Nor do I think Jay Willams is or would be "constantly feeding his ego with lavish praise". Jay is likely very good counsel to him, and probably talks about maturity and continuing to improve.

He's a confident player, no doubt, but I think that's mostly driven by his competitive nature and desire to excel. If some of his personality presents a problem to the Duke team concept, I can think of no one better than Coach K to help Austin channel his nature.

Agreed, I think he's matured a lot over the last few months, even. I don't think it's arrogance as much as pure competitiveness; while most of us would kind of chuckle and use self-deprecating humor to respond to that kind of question, that's kind of the easy way out. Austin just doesn't seem scared of anything and believes he should dominate anyone in front of him (and rightly so), and it seems likes that's just a natural part of his personality (like it was of Laettner's). Very excited to watch him grow under K.

moonpie23
07-24-2011, 09:42 PM
i'm prolly stepping out on a limb here, but i'd be willing to bet that just practicing with the duke team has tempered any "over-confidence" problems he may have.

he's in the pit now, and i gar-on-tee that wojo, collins and K are showing him the line between "in" and "out"......and the effort it takes to be "in"......


it's all fun and games till you have to step on the court with the level of talent you're going to be facing in real games.....

UhOhMaggetteOs
07-25-2011, 07:52 AM
You know, having followed Austin on twitter for some time, I've gotta wonder whether he talks himself up out of pure confidence or whether it's because he for some reason feels like he needs to prove himself to everyone. This interview wasn't indicative of that, but just the way he responded to the ankle breaking question is kind of what I'm talking about. I just get the feeling he's going to have the Laettner effect on Duke, (meaning he's going to make a lot of people HATE Duke more.)

I obviously care more about his ability on the court, but I feel like he's done a lot of bragging without playing a single college game, and that sense of entitlement somewhat worries me. It's not entirely his fault . . . guys like Jay Williams are constantly feeding his ego with lavish praise, but I kind of wish he could just be a tad more humble. He could be setting himself up for a long, hard fall . . . but probably not, he's too good.


Dude, did you hear how that question was asked? It's tongue in cheek, in jest. Rivers even cracked a grin. "I get to show my moves and it's fun to come out and play?" I mean what? You are reaching hard. That's what the Pro-AM is anyway, it's about those guys putting on individual shows.

Some of our own fans need to lighten up on this kid

licc85
07-25-2011, 11:51 AM
Dude, did you hear how that question was asked? It's tongue in cheek, in jest. Rivers even cracked a grin. "I get to show my moves and it's fun to come out and play?" I mean what? You are reaching hard. That's what the Pro-AM is anyway, it's about those guys putting on individual shows.

Some of our own fans need to lighten up on this kid

Dude, I think you are the one who needs to lighten up. You're taking this way too seriously. I'm just talking about the vibe I get from him, he's gonna make people hate Duke again, and so does just about every other standout player who plays for Duke, with very few exceptions. I guess the only reason I'm caught up on that, is because our previous face of the franchise, Nolan, was actually a genuinely likable guy, and did an excellent job of making Duke semi-likeable to some people, but really, I'm realizing I don't care if people hate us, it just makes it more fun when we beat the crap out of them.

I don't think Austin is out there to make friends, he wants to win, and he's super duper cocky, so he'll probably interact quite a bit with opposing fans. I see a lot JJ in him. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna love him for it. I freakin worshipped JJ. I'm not "reaching" to put him down, I'm just telling it like I see it.

Greg_Newton
07-25-2011, 02:33 PM
I don't think it's a "fact" that Austin is going to make Duke more hated like you're implying. Not sure if you've noticed, but that generally tends to happen with our non-jumping white players, even if they're not stars (Laettner, Hurley, Redick, Paulus, Singler to an extent).

I would say guys like Grant Hill, Elton Brand, Jason Williams and Kyrie Irving more popular to the masses; they were fun to watch, accessible enough, but also "cool" and somewhat intimidating due to how physically dominant they were. And while Austin has more of Laettner's personality than Williams', I think he's athletic and scary enough that people are going respect/be intimidated by him. He is NOT a guy you want to see across from you on the court.

Guys like JJ and Paulus caught so much flak because while "Duke stars", they weren't athletic, and looked like average guys; everyone wanted a shot at them, they looked like someone you could beat in a pickup game. AR, on the other hand, is terrifying! I think he'll see as many hushed silences and raised-eyebrowed glances ("Wow... okay, that was impressive...") than vicious taunting on the road.

Plus, he's just so fun to watch that I think we'll pick up a few casual, bandwagon fans. Neutral fans tend to go with a) the underdog, or b) the more exciting team to watch.

watzone
07-25-2011, 03:45 PM
Good gosh! How can people that have never seen Austin that much make such assertions? He is a confident kid for a reason and that reason is that he is very, very good. It is part of his makeup. Off the court, he's great to deal with and he is accustomed to the spotlight through his Dad and such. He is again, more confident than cocky. He is also learning to play without the ball in his hands and in practice? They are treating him just like any other player.

Jarhead
07-25-2011, 04:48 PM
Good gosh! How can people that have never seen Austin that much make such assertions? He is a confident kid for a reason and that reason is that he is very, very good. It is part of his makeup. Off the court, he's great to deal with and he is accustomed to the spotlight through his Dad and such. He is again, more confident than cocky. He is also learning to play without the ball in his hands and in practice? They are treating him just like any other player.

It's all okay. What do we think would have happened if the media were to stick a mike in front of Kenny and Tinkerbell back in the seventies? Actually I'd love to see some of that, myself. Any of it in the archives? To paraphrase Dizzie Dean's mantra, "If you can do it, it ain't bragging," if you can bring, it ain't cocky. Actually, that would apply to a whole slew of Duke guys that we have watched over the years. Austin Rivers fits the Duke mold as well as any of them.

licc85
07-25-2011, 06:08 PM
Good gosh! How can people that have never seen Austin that much make such assertions? He is a confident kid for a reason and that reason is that he is very, very good. It is part of his makeup. Off the court, he's great to deal with and he is accustomed to the spotlight through his Dad and such. He is again, more confident than cocky. He is also learning to play without the ball in his hands and in practice? They are treating him just like any other player.

twitter.


I don't think it's a "fact" that Austin is going to make Duke more hated like you're implying. Not sure if you've noticed, but that generally tends to happen with our non-jumping white players, even if they're not stars (Laettner, Hurley, Redick, Paulus, Singler to an extent).

Hm, you could be right, sir. You even covered your bases, since Austin IS 1/2 white, but he CAN jump . . . :)

I think people left Singler alone though, because he is such a reserved personality, he's not the type of in-your-face dude like JJ or Laettner. Paulus just got hated on because it was REALLY obvious how nonathletic he was compared to the competition, but I feel like he was a very charismatic and fun guy. I think your analysis is dead on, you may be on to something here.