2012 SJG Greater NC Pro-Am @ NC Central

[Newton_14]

It's that time of the year again! The Pro-Am or "Da Summer League" as the game announcer refers to it, is my favorite summer event of the year. A great chance to go out and catch our guys hooping it up for free. Some of the games get very competitive, but even those that don't are fun to watch. All games are free, and first come first serve for seating.

This year the league runs from June 28th thru Aug 11th. Team Rosters are supposed to be released tomorrow. I will post the rosters containing Duke players once they are available. The link to the main site is below. If you live local and have never been, I strongly encourage you to take in some games this year.

http://www.ncproam.com/index.html

[ACCBBallFan]

"2012 Rosters Will Be Posted on 6/22/12"

http://www.ncproam.com/rosters.html

[juise]

"2012 Rosters Will Be Posted on 6/22/12"

http://www.ncproam.com/rosters.html


Team Rosters are supposed to be released tomorrow.

As my manager would say, you are in violent agreement.

But just to make sure we're on the same page, I'm going to postulate that the rosters will be released on the third Friday in June.

[gumbomoop]

As my manager would say, you are in violent agreement.

But just to make sure we're on the same page, I'm going to postulate that the rosters will be released on the third Friday in June.

There's a violent disagreement somewhere in here, as tomorrow is the 4th Friday in June.

[DukieTiger]

As my manager would say, you are in violent agreement.

But just to make sure we're on the same page, I'm going to postulate that the rosters will be released on the third Friday in June.

Pretty sure that I heard that they would be released on the third day of Summer. Just wanted to cross-check my facts.

[FerryFor50]

Pretty sure that I heard that they would be released on the third day of Summer. Just wanted to cross-check my facts.

No, it's definitely going to be 8 days before the start of July.

[juise]

There's a violent disagreement somewhere in here, as tomorrow is the 4th Friday in June.

Sorry, I meant my company's fiscal June. I have to work with calendar I have available. :)

[burnspbesq]

There is apparently some sort of problem with the space-time continuum, because it is now 6/23 where I am and the Pro-Am site still says rosters will be posted on 6/22.

I blame the Romulans.

[Kedsy]

The NC Pro-Am rosters are up (http://www.ncproam.com/rosters.html), and every Duke player except Seth Curry is on a roster. But here's the odd part: Andre Dawkins is on a roster. Can that be right?

[Native]

Wow. Two guys that played at my HS are on Kyrie's team. Brandon and Marques Oliver. This ought to be good. Anyone else on the DBR going tomorrow evening?

[MCFinARL]

The NC Pro-Am rosters are up (http://www.ncproam.com/rosters.html), and every Duke player except Seth Curry is on a roster. But here's the odd part: Andre Dawkins is on a roster. Can that be right?

It seems a bit odd but, really, is there any reason it couldn't be right? There is a big difference between playing in the pro-am and playing through a full season for Duke. If Andre is in Durham, hanging out with friends or taking summer classes, he might want to play a little ball. If he plans to come back for his last year of eligibility, surely he will have to play a little ball somewhere, sometimes, over the next year.

Also, Alex Murphy is not on a roster, presumably because he is playing with the Finnish team.

In other pro-am "news" I notice the article linked from the front page lists Josh Hairston as a "former Duke player" who will be playing this summer--news to both him and the coaching staff, I am sure--and Ryan Kelly as both a "current Duke player" and a "former Duke player" (technically true, I suppose, but a bit strange to be both....maybe another problem with the space-time continuum).

[CDu]

It seems a bit odd but, really, is there any reason it couldn't be right? There is a big difference between playing in the pro-am and playing through a full season for Duke. If Andre is in Durham, hanging out with friends or taking summer classes, he might want to play a little ball. If he plans to come back for his last year of eligibility, surely he will have to play a little ball somewhere, sometimes, over the next year.

Also, Alex Murphy is not on a roster, presumably because he is playing with the Finnish team.

In other pro-am "news" I notice the article linked from the front page lists Josh Hairston as a "former Duke player" who will be playing this summer--news to both him and the coaching staff, I am sure--and Ryan Kelly as both a "current Duke player" and a "former Duke player" (technically true, I suppose, but a bit strange to be both....maybe another problem with the space-time continuum).

Yeah, these things are hardly serious basketball affairs. They're just glorified pick-up games. It sounds like he's just taking the season off to not have to devote all that time to practice so that he can focus on getting healthy - not staying from playing any basketball at all.

[Kedsy]

Also, Alex Murphy is not on a roster, presumably because he is playing with the Finnish team.

Yes, of course you're right. I didn't mention him because I assumed everyone knew he was in Scandinavia. I hadn't heard Seth would be anywhere else, so the fact that he's not on a roster seemed noteworthy.

[CDu]

Yes, of course you're right. I didn't mention him because I assumed everyone knew he was in Scandinavia. I hadn't heard Seth would be anywhere else, so the fact that he's not on a roster seemed noteworthy.

Interesting that Mason is on a roster. Last week Coach K said he was in Chicago working at an internship. I guess the internship isn't for the entire summer then?

[Native]

Interesting that Mason is on a roster. Last week Coach K said he was in Chicago working at an internship. I guess the internship isn't for the entire summer then?

Yeah, I doubt that the internship lasts all summer. Plus attendance by these guys is sporadic IIRC - sometimes they're all there and sometimes they're not. It's more like pick-up than anything else IMO.

[gwlaw99]

Anyone with ESPN Insider (http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncbrecruiting/national/post?id=2437&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fblo g%2fncbrecruiting%2fnational%2fpost%3fid%3d2437)ac cess want to report on the Bib man Skills camp that Ryan and Mason attended?

[CDu]

Anyone with ESPN Insider (http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncbrecruiting/national/post?id=2437&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fblo g%2fncbrecruiting%2fnational%2fpost%3fid%3d2437)ac cess want to report on the Bib man Skills camp that Ryan and Mason attended?

Did Mason actually attend it? I was under the impression that Kelly was in Vegas. As for the article, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say this, but there was no mention of either player. Only discussed high schoolers as far as I can tell.

[gwlaw99]

Did Mason actually attend it? I was under the impression that Kelly was in Vegas. As for the article, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say this, but there was no mention of either player. Only discussed high schoolers as far as I can tell.

Yes, both (http://www.nikeeyb.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Amare-Stoudemire-College-Roster-Alpha.pdf)were there.

[Greg_Newton]

And thus begins the "Anyone hear who's showing up tonight?" saga of the 2012 Pro-Am.

Haven't heard anything about guys showing up tomorrow. Seems like it's usually the second week when our guys starting showing up, plus Sulaimon will be back by then.

As great as it is that Murphy is off terrorizing Europe, I'm a little disappointed that I won't get to catch him in person this summer (at least for the next month).

Hopefully Kelly shows up regularly; he's really fun to watch in this setting. You get to see a bit more of his flashy, funky, point-forward game.

Amile will also be very interesting to see in person, just to see how he stacks up physically.

[MCFinARL]

Yes, of course you're right. I didn't mention him because I assumed everyone knew he was in Scandinavia. I hadn't heard Seth would be anywhere else, so the fact that he's not on a roster seemed noteworthy.

Nothing so obvious that some nitpicker like me won't assume you overlooked it. ;) As for Seth, I agree it's interesting he is not on a roster. Maybe he is spending the summer somewhere else (given he has already had four years of college he may not need to get credits in summer school)? Could he still be rehabbing late season injuries?

[billy]

Did anyone go last night? Was Nolan the only Duke player in action?

[Greg_Newton]

Did anyone go last night? Was Nolan the only Duke player in action?

Didn't go, but I believe Seth Curry was there too. Sounds like the main "notables" were Nolan, Leslie McDonald, PJ Hairston, Rodney Purvis, CJ Leslie and Tyler Lewis, along with the local freak athletes Dominique Sutton, Will Bunton and Mike Deloach.

It usually takes a couple of weeks for it to really get going and for our guys to start showing up consistently. It appears that they'll take next week off, then restart play on Tuesday, July 10th. I'll probably try and catch that night, as more of our guys should be settled in town and ready to play some ball.

[FerryFor50]

Youtube video from the first day. Nolan gets a highlight!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te9x9LtzPlk

[ChillinDuke]

That was pretty filthy by Nolan.

- Chillin

[Newton_14]

Below is the schedule for tomorrow night with the Duke players and other notables that ARE LISTED ON THE ROSTERs. I can't stress enough that it will take a few nights before we see exactly which guys are playing on which teams. Also, with various activities going on elsewhere, some of the guys are tied up this week. Miles in the NBA summer league, Mason and Ryan in Vegas hanging with the Olympic crew, Murphy playing FIBA ball, etc. Also, rosters often change after they are posted.

There are no guarantees on who will be there, but following Twitter is a good way to find out as our guys tend to tweet when they will be participating. With that, here is the schedule and roster notables for tomorrow night.


Tuesday, July 10 Duke Players & Notables
7:00 PM Sheraton vs Athlete's Feet Andre Dawkins/Miles Plumlee -- Tyler Thorton/Ryan Kelly
8:00 PM Dreamworks vs Team Navy Mason Plumlee/Rasheed Sulaimon/Amile Jefferson --- Nolan Smith
9:00 PM DTLR vs Hendricks of Durhams Team Felton/Jamison/DancinDannyG --- Josh Hairston/Kyrie Irving

Edit: Josh Hairston just tweeted that he is playing tomorrow night, so that is one for sure. I assume he is in the 9pm game playing for Hendricks

[Greg_Newton]

I stopped by tonight for the 8PM game and was pleasantly surprised to see Rasheed Sulaimon, Amile Jefferson, Rodney Hood and Quinn Cook all playing. Tyler, Josh and Seth were also there but didn't play.

Overall, it was a rough night for our young guys, as they kind of played like you'd expect teenagers playing in a summer pickup game to play. They were down 20 at halftime, then came back to tie it with a Rodney Hood three with a minute left. NCSU's Alex Johnson won the game 71-68 on a three with 1.9 seconds left (iso'd on a non-Duke player). As for some limited impressions:

-Cook looked really good. Did whatever he wanted on offense; got to the rim, hit threes, showed great vision, etc. Couldn't tell much about defense, of course, but he seemed to have more explosion (threw down a legit DUNK in warmups!). Also seemed to have great natural chemistry with Hood, with was nice to see. 19 points and what should have been ~10 assists if people had made open shots.

-Hood was a bit out of sync, as expected, given that half of the week he's lived in Durham so far was spent in Vegas, and made a few mistakes. However, he's a very exciting prospect. He looks more like Amile Jefferson/CJ Leslie than any guard when he's standing around, but he's so quick (both vertically and agile). Defended and went after boards better than I expected for a Pro-Am game. Sort of a quiet 13 points, but he did a lot of good little things and always seemed to score when he decided he was going to try to.

-Sulaimon couldn't hit a thing from outside 10 feet today. I've maintained that he's more of a good overall player with a streaky-hot shot than "a shooter", and I still think that's right. However, aside from his scoring and a few bad-bounce type mistakes, he looked great. Great handle, great speed/explosion, great/sneaky defender, and did a terrific job rebounding from the guard spot. Only had 9 points due to missing every jump shot he took, but mixed in a bunch of rebounds, assists and steals.

-Amile sort of floated around amiably en route to a quiet 8 points. I'm not even going to try to take anything meaningful from it, except that he has extremely long arms and good/quick hands. I do hope that the tendency towards wing play was just Pro-Am fun, because he does not, IMO, have the skills to play SF at this level, but has terrific potential as a post scorer. I didn't see anything to change my thinking that he's still a year away, but then again, I imagine he'll be an entirely different player in a faster, more organized game.

[Greg_Newton]

A less reading-intensive version of that post, for anyone interested:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgq5J_FrWKA

[DukieTiger]

I like what I saw out of Quinn. I have no doubt he will be able to bring some scoring, ball distribution and leadership to the table this year. Also liked seeing the length that Sulaimon, Hood and Jefferson will bring to the table over the next couple years. Thanks for sharing!

[roywhite]

I like what I saw out of Quinn. I have no doubt he will be able to bring some scoring, ball distribution and leadership to the table this year. Also liked seeing the length that Sulaimon, Hood and Jefferson will bring to the table over the next couple years. Thanks for sharing!

Agree; thanks, Greg Newton for the observations and the video.

My quick takes were that Quinn looks more explosive than he did last year (let's hope he has an injury-free year to develop his PG talent) and that Rodney Hood looks like a potential pro in terms of length, quickness, jumping ability, and ability to get a shot off.

[watzone]

http://bluedevilnation.net/2012/07/amile-jefferson-talks-hoops-from-n-c-pro-am/ Here is a video clip I put up this morning with Amile Jefferson. The young Dukies were down 20 plus early and a rally fell short, losing by a bucket.

[watzone]

Here is a brief clip with Quinn Cook from the N.C. Pro Am last evening.


http://youtu.be/NP4Ta-1_kIo

[magjayran]

Anyone know who might be playing Thursday? I'm thinking about rolling out there and checking it out.

[magjayran]

So I went last night and have a few notes.

The first game featured a squad with Josh Hairston and Seth Curry against a team with Tyler Thornton and Alex Johnson from last year's State team.

Alex Johnson has crazy range. Tyler didn't do much save for a couple of flashes of pesky defense. He basically stayed out of the way most of the time. I'm not taking too much from this, he just didn't get very involved. He got baited into fouling Seth on a three and the Duke guys had a chuckle about it. This team lost and mostly didn't play well together. Johnson and this Ratliff guy from Missouri were their best players.

Seth looked really good. He basically let Mike DeLoach control most of the game (in my experience that's what Deloach does) but he did take over at stretches. He looked like the Seth we all know and the jumper was looking good. Josh didn't do too much but it's hard for post players to do a lot in the guard dominated pro am. That 17 footer that we would all like to see him hit wasn't falling.

The second game was terrible and featured Tracy Smith who had a nice dunk. Snoozefest. Folks were playing Angry Birds instead of watching it.

The third game was probably the best game of the night. Quinn Cook and Marshall Plumlee were on a team with JP Tokoto and they went against a team with CJ Leslie and Alex Johnson in his second game of the night.

Quinn wasn't really scoring but he did a really nice job of setting up the offense and getting assists. His defense was good for the Pro Am.

Marshall had 12 points and some nice dunks but once again this is not the friendliest environment for post players. I was impressed with the job he did guarding CJ Leslie for most of the game. Leslie really wasn't getting past Marshall and was settling for jumpers. We don't want Marshall guarding on the perimeter too much but I was happy to see that he can hold his own if he gets switched off onto a player like that. Marshall finishes every dunk with is head at the rim. I wonder if he might actually have the most hops of the three Plumlees.

JP Tokoto was an absolute highlight machine. Throwing down Vince Carter style dunks and finishing nicely around the rim in general. A lot of guys don't wanna get dunked on at the Pro Am so he wasn't getting challenged around the rim too much but on one memorable play CJ Leslie challenged Tokoto on the break. Tokoto too the contact and was able to lay it in from above the rim. I hear that Tokoto is not the strongest shooter but he might be a problem for everyone next year. He knows what he wants to do with the ball and that's go directly to the hoop. He makes quick, decisive moves and has enough of a handle to give weaker defenders fits. Tokoto did tweak his ankle in the second half and went straight to the exit. Didn't look serious. This team won going away in the second half.

CJ Leslie looked good. He had some impressive finishes but couldn't take Marshall of the dribble. Still he's looking good and might be a frontrunner for ACC POY. Alex Johnson almost shot his team back into the game but they fell short.

[gwlaw99]

Sorry if this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgq5J_FrWKA)has been posted. I like what I see from all the guys, but especially from Cook and Sulaimon.

[gwlaw99]

Amile Jefferson Scores "nearly 30 points (http://www.slamonline.com/online/college-hs/college/2012/07/nc-pro-am-day-2-recap/)".

[Greg_Newton]

Amile Jefferson Scores "nearly 30 points (http://www.slamonline.com/online/college-hs/college/2012/07/nc-pro-am-day-2-recap/)".

Whoa. Did this actually happen? What day are they even talking about?

[juise]

Whoa. Did this actually happen? What day are they even talking about?

The description of Alex Johnson's performance matches up with the description you posted on 7/11 (game-winning triple with 2 seconds left), so I'm guessing the game was the 7/10 game you attended. It looks like they added ~20 points to the total that you had for Amile in that game. Odd.

[Jderf]

The description of Alex Johnson's performance matches up with the description you posted on 7/11 (game-winning triple with 2 seconds left), so I'm guessing the game was the 7/10 game you attended. It looks like they added ~20 points to the total that you had for Amile in that game. Odd.

Not odd at all, actually. In the same sense, I averaged nearly 20 points for my entire Duke basketball career.

[CDu]

The description of Alex Johnson's performance matches up with the description you posted on 7/11 (game-winning triple with 2 seconds left), so I'm guessing the game was the 7/10 game you attended. It looks like they added ~20 points to the total that you had for Amile in that game. Odd.

Yeah, it was Day 2 of the league. And I was going to note that the article was pretty poorly written. It lists Hood as 6'8", then says he's around 6'9". No problem so far. But aren't he and Jefferson on the same squad? Jefferson is listed at 6'9" in the article. Again, maybe no problem. But it said Hood was the tallest player on his team. Questionable.

I suspect there was some lazy effort by this writer.

[Greg_Newton]

Apparently it was just a very prescient article, as Amile scored 29 tonight. Mostly from cherry-picking and open finishes against bad competition, so don't take too much from it, but he showed a few nice moves, was aggressive around the rim on defense, and showed some solid court awareness on offense (you can tell he can the pick and roll well).

Quinn really put on the show again, though. Not much in the way of competition besides Alex Johnson (they went up 14-0 and cruised from there), but he did whatever he wanted on offense and forced a few TOs in the backcourt. Had 20 at halftime. Not sure what he ended up with as the coach played the backups a lot in the blowout.

Hood started with them after playing in the previous game, but looked tired and sat out most of the game after leaving his first few shots well short.

Most importantly, I now have video evidence that Quinn Cook can dunk.

(stats thanks to watzone's @bluedevilnation twitter)

[Newton_14]

Apparently it was just a very prescient article, as Amile scored 29 tonight. Mostly from cherry-picking and open finishes against bad competition, so don't take too much from it, but he showed a few nice moves, was aggressive around the rim on defense, and showed some solid court awareness on offense (you can tell he can the pick and roll well).

Quinn really put on the show again, though. Not much in the way of competition besides Alex Johnson (they went up 14-0 and cruised from there), but he did whatever he wanted on offense and forced a few TOs in the backcourt. Had 20 at halftime. Not sure what he ended up with as the coach played the backups a lot in the blowout.

Hood started with them after playing in the previous game, but looked tired and sat out most of the game after leaving his first few shots well short.

Most importantly, I now have video evidence that Quinn Cook can dunk.

(stats thanks to watzone's @bluedevilnation twitter)

Thanks Greg! I will joint you out there next week buddy. Will pm you my cell number so we can hook up. Thanks for the reports on our guys. Any idea if Mason and Ryan will make appearances? I believe they were in Vegas last week hanging out with Team USA, but suppose they are back in Durham by now and could possibly play this week or next?

If anybody knows for sure on those two please share? Thanks ahead of time.

Loving the reports on Quinn and Amile, competition factored in. Still good to hear they are putting the ball in the hole, and more importantly, that Quinn seems to be healthy.

[watzone]

Here is a post game interview with Amile http://bluedevilnation.net/2012/07/amile-jefferson-drops-29-points-at-the-nc-pro-am/ who scored 29 points on six dunks and a lot of mid range action. Cook did a great job getting him going.

[Greg_Newton]

Sounds good man - I have no idea about Mason and Ryan, my strategy this year has just been to show up early in the week for the "Dreamworks" game and hoping a few of our guys come out, which they have so far. Depending on distance, I think that's the way to go rather than showing up early and stay for 2-3 games. We can discuss over PM though.

But first things first, proof that Quinn can dunk! :D


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4821MYTX0Y&feature=youtu.be

[Greg_Newton]

Quinn and Amile tonight:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzH1aPHHitE

[COYS]

Quinn and Amile tonight:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzH1aPHHitE

Usual caveats about summer league play aside, I love seeing Quinn's nifty left hand finishes. I look forward to seeing a quicker, stronger, healthy Quinn this year.

Amile really is a unique type of player. I have no idea if his length and defense will translate into minutes right away or if he'll need time to get stronger. Either way, he is going to be fun to watch.

[ChillinDuke]

Usual caveats about summer league play aside, I love seeing Quinn's nifty left hand finishes. I look forward to seeing a quicker, stronger, healthy Quinn this year.

Amile really is a unique type of player. I have no idea if his length and defense will translate into minutes right away or if he'll need time to get stronger. Either way, he is going to be fun to watch.

Couldn't agree more with both statements.

Quinn looks more comfortable out there. His handle and moves seem crisper, and it looks like the game has slowed down for him a bit.

Unique is the right word to describe Amile. I have no idea on him either. He looks mobile out there, that's for sure. Some of his moves/shots appeared to be "high school-esque" - taking advantage of less able players. But he seems to have good awareness and good quickness. To my eye (disclaimer: I have a poor track record as a talent evaluator) he looks like the type of player with a very high ceiling that could be a dominant college player down the road.

- Chillin

[Greg_Newton]

Per @waynebumpass, Amile had 27 and Sheed 26 tonight. Cook with a bunch of assists.

[cbarry]

Per @waynebumpass, Amile had 27 and Sheed 26 tonight. Cook with a bunch of assists.

Cook, Jefferson, and Sulaimon all looked really good tonight. I really like Quinn's vision and confidence. Sulaimon is a player who will make an immediate impact. Very confident and great shot, plus very athletic. I see him starting. I liked what I saw from Jefferson, also. He is like Lance Thomas, but with a deeper range and better handles. I see Jefferson as #1 or 2 off the bench. I was very pleased with what I saw tonight at the NC Pro-Am. If you are local, I encourage you to go. Free parking and admission, and open seating. The players are accessible. I got to give PJ Hairston grief tonight about his poor shooting performance. He took it well.

www.ncproam.com

[Kedsy]

Sulaimon is a player who will make an immediate impact. Very confident and great shot, plus very athletic. I see him starting.

At what position do you think he'll start?



I liked what I saw from Jefferson, also. He is like Lance Thomas, but with a deeper range and better handles. I see Jefferson as #1 or 2 off the bench.

Quinn Cook
Tyler Thornton
Seth Curry
Rasheed Sulaimon
Alex Murphy
Ryan Kelly
Mason Plumlee

Which one or two do you think will come off the bench behind Amile?

[NovaScotian]

someone was wearing a #1 jersey and duke shorts during yesterday's first game - does anyone know who?

[luvdahops]

At what position do you think he'll start?




Quinn Cook
Tyler Thornton
Seth Curry
Rasheed Sulaimon
Alex Murphy
Ryan Kelly
Mason Plumlee

Which one or two do you think will come off the bench behind Amile?

My guess is that Rasheed and Amile both play big minutes (20+/-) off the bench. Starters Mason, Ryan, Alex, Seth and Quinn. Tyler as a defensive sparkplug / energy guy getting 10-15 mpg. Lots of potential combinations with the top 7, who starts may not matter that much. Wouldn't be shocked to see Rasheed and/or Amile become starters though.

I haven't seen any of the Pro-Am games myself, but a non-Duke fan friend who has said he is extremely impressed with Quinn, Rasheed and Amile, and went on to say that the Antawn Jamison comparisons for Amile are legit - won't wow you with crazy athleticism, but has great quickness, anticipation, tenacity and touch around the hoop (specifically mentioned his ability to finish smoothly with both hands).

[luvdahops]

someone was wearing a #1 jersey and duke shorts during yesterday's first game - does anyone know who?

Believe that is Rodney Hood

[cbarry]

At what position do you think he'll start?
Quinn Cook
Tyler Thornton
Seth Curry
Rasheed Sulaimon
Alex Murphy
Ryan Kelly
Mason Plumlee

Which one or two do you think will come off the bench behind Amile?

I think Rasheed will start in place of Seth. It may not happen right off the bat, and I really like Seth, but I think Rasheed has more potential. He is quicker and a better creator and finisher than Seth. At the Pro-Am games, it's hard to get a feel for defense, of course. I've never been big on Tyler. K seems to really like his leadership, but he's not nearly as good a passer or shooter as Quinn, and his shooting is not as good.

I think we will see Amile play more minutes than Alex, Marshall, and Tyler.

[gumbomoop]

My guess is that Rasheed and Amile both play big minutes (20+/-) off the bench.

I haven't seen any of the Pro-Am games myself, but a non-Duke fan friend has said... the Antawn Jamison comparisons for Amile are legit.

During the spring recruiting threads, I posted, several times, enthusiastically re Amile. But I will be very surprised - pleasantly so, to be sure - if he gets 18+ mpg. And I will be shocked - far more pleasantly so - if his frosh year is anything like Jamison's, who as a frosh averaged 33 mpg and nearly a double-double [15.1/9.7].

Maybe the friend meant their initials are a legit comparison.

[mo.st.dukie]

but I think Rasheed has more potential. He is quicker and a better creator and finisher than Seth.

I agree with this and it is definitely true. However, Seth Curry is a senior going into his 5th college season after being our second leading scorer last year with 13 ppg. And just because a player isn't a starter does not mean that he can't play big minutes or won't have a big impact. Remember Scheyer's sophomore year? He was the 6th man but got starter's minutes and had great production off the bench. It's kind of nice for a team to have the experience of Seth to start games off, it could be a little nerve wracking for a freshman to step into a hostile environment and be expected to play the way he is capable of from the get-go. A senior has already had to deal with starting while playing in a hostile environment and understands how to handle it. And it's also nice to have some defense and scoring punch off the bench. I see Rasheed as a super-sub this year, he's going to have to play multiple positions coming off the bench. There may be games he subs in for Seth or Quinn or even Alex.

[luvdahops]

During the spring recruiting threads, I posted, several times, enthusiastically re Amile. But I will be very surprised - pleasantly so, to be sure - if he gets 18+ mpg. And I will be shocked - far more pleasantly so - if his frosh year is anything like Jamison's, who as a frosh averaged 33 mpg and nearly a double-double [15.1/9.7].

Maybe the friend meant their initials are a legit comparison.

He wasn't suggesting the same sort of instant impact, just the similarities in their games. 20 mpg is probably a realistic ceiling for Amile, but a likely floor for Rasheed. Both bring things to the mix that we otherwise don't have, though.

[sagegrouse]

He wasn't suggesting the same sort of instant impact, just the similarities in their games. 20 mpg is probably a realistic ceiling for Amile, but a likely floor for Rasheed. Both bring things to the mix that we otherwise don't have, though.

Do you think, he could get better mileage if he got a hybrid?

Actually, I enjoy reading the preseason speculation about lineups and playing time. I think there will be a "November surprise" from the coaching staff -- really from the players.

I remember ten years ago we were sure that JJ was just a shooter and would take some time to develop his other basketball skills. He would be in the rotation behind Ewing and Duhon. But he started 30 games.

sagegrouse

[gumbomoop]

He wasn't suggesting the same sort of instant impact, just the similarities in their games. 20 mpg is probably a realistic ceiling for Amile, but a likely floor for Rasheed. Both bring things to the mix that we otherwise don't have, though.

Yes, the similarity to Jamison's game might work. To be honest, because I don't watch NBA, I've forgotten how Jamison plays, though I do remember how quickly he got his shot almost as soon as he received the ball. Definitely hope Amile hones that skill. I will hope Amile develops some of Jamison's power-forward-ness. And Amile's slinky groove may be Jamison-like, yes.

I agree about the good, different stuff both Rasheed and Amile bring. As to Amile's 20 mpg ceiling, that still strikes me as high. I see him as backup - not a starter - to Alex at the 3, and maybe backup also to Ryan at 4. But he's competing, I think, with Rasheed for some of those backup minutes to Alex, and with Josh for some of the backup minutes to Ryan. So, unless K plays virtually no 3-guard lineups [meaning Rasheed plays only 1/2], and unless frosh Amile picks up D-schemes immediately, and unless Amile is not only just more advanced than Alex, but more advanced than Alex as a wing/SF, and unless Amile pushes Josh out of even spot minutes, I'm hard-pressed to see how Amile gets more than - i.e., his ceiling - 15 mpg.

It's all guesswork now, and your and others' guesstimations may well be more plausible than mine.

[CDu]

Quinn Cook
Tyler Thornton
Seth Curry
Rasheed Sulaimon
Alex Murphy
Ryan Kelly
Mason Plumlee

Which one or two do you think will come off the bench behind Amile?

I would anticipate Jefferson being either the 1st or second big off the bench. So he'd be the 7th, 8th, or 9th man. I would guess Thornton is the guy he'd top for minutes assuming he beats out Hairston and Cook edges Thornton.

[cato]

Do you think, he could get better mileage if he got a hybrid?

Actually, I enjoy reading the preseason speculation about lineups and playing time. I think there will be a "November surprise" from the coaching staff -- really from the players.

I remember ten years ago we were sure that JJ was just a shooter and would take some time to develop his other basketball skills. He would be in the rotation behind Ewing and Duhon. But he started 30 games.

sagegrouse

I also recall a well respected recruiting guru (I can't remember which one, but one of the old school talent scouts) saying that Redick was the best player he had seen in a long time, and that if any of his classmates were as good, Duke would win multiple championships.

Of course, he was right about Redick, but sadly, none of his classmates were as good. (And Deng was obligated to go pro after only one year).

[CDu]

I also recall a well respected recruiting guru (I can't remember which one, but one of the old school talent scouts) saying that Redick was the best player he had seen in a long time, and that if any of his classmates were as good, Duke would win multiple championships.

Of course, he was right about Redick, but sadly, none of his classmates were as good. (And Deng was obligated to go pro after only one year).

Well, Williams was close. But, yeah, Dockery, Randolph, and Thompson weren't remotely as good. And neither was Melchionni, though he wasn't nearly as heralded as the others.

It's crazy. Duke landed 5 of the top-30 recruits in an EXTREMELY good and deep recruiting class. But unfortunately we whiffed with Thompson, Dockery never found his game, and Randolph struggled with injuries and the speed of the college game. Sadly, what could have been...

[Kedsy]

I think Rasheed will start in place of Seth. It may not happen right off the bat, and I really like Seth, but I think Rasheed has more potential. He is quicker and a better creator and finisher than Seth. At the Pro-Am games, it's hard to get a feel for defense, of course. I've never been big on Tyler. K seems to really like his leadership, but he's not nearly as good a passer or shooter as Quinn, and his shooting is not as good.

I'm looking forward to Rasheed playing a lot of minutes for us this season. We need his defense (assuming he lives up to his defensive billing) and he appears to be a fine all-around talent. However, I will be shocked if Rasheed starts ahead of Seth, who Coach K has said he expects to be our biggest scoring threat. I'd be less shocked if Rasheed ends up starting ahead of Quinn, but it appears from summer league action that Quinn has drastically improved, so that probably isn't likely either. Nothing wrong with being a high-powered sixth man, though.


I think we will see Amile play more minutes than Alex, Marshall, and Tyler.

Amile getting more run than Alex would also surprise me. Based on reports and on K's comments, Alex seems likely to be a 25+ minute per game starter.


My guess is that Rasheed and Amile both play big minutes (20+/-) off the bench. Starters Mason, Ryan, Alex, Seth and Quinn. Tyler as a defensive sparkplug / energy guy getting 10-15 mpg. Lots of potential combinations with the top 7, who starts may not matter that much. Wouldn't be shocked to see Rasheed and/or Amile become starters though.

I think Tyler would shine in this sort of role and that it would be best for him and the team. Though how Coach K feels about Tyler's minutes is one of the biggest mysteries of the coming season. That said, even if Tyler is in the 10 to 15 mpg range, the only way Amile averages 20+ minutes is if either Alex isn't ready to play more than 10 to 15 mpg or if both Josh and Marshall don't get any run at all, like not even mop up duty. Which could happen, I suppose, but would not appear to be particularly likely.


I would anticipate Jefferson being either the 1st or second big off the bench. So he'd be the 7th, 8th, or 9th man. I would guess Thornton is the guy he'd top for minutes assuming he beats out Hairston and Cook edges Thornton.

I completely agree with this. I would add that if Amile is ready to contribute as the 1st big off the bench, and also capable defensively to fill in spot minutes at SF, it makes us an even more versatile and better team than I've been expecting, and I've been expecting we're going to be really, really good.

[cbarry]

Agree with your points, Kedsy. We have many players able to play 2 or 3 positions. This will make us flexible when the inevitable injuries occur (knock on wood and hope they don't, but they almost always do at this elite level of play). I'm liking this 2012-3 team a lot already!

[CDu]

I think Tyler would shine in this sort of role and that it would be best for him and the team. Though how Coach K feels about Tyler's minutes is one of the biggest mysteries of the coming season. That said, even if Tyler is in the 10 to 15 mpg range, the only way Amile averages 20+ minutes is if either Alex isn't ready to play more than 10 to 15 mpg or if both Josh and Marshall don't get any run at all, like not even mop up duty. Which could happen, I suppose, but would not appear to be particularly likely.

Actually, I could see a few scenarios where this plays out:
1. Cook isn't ready to play major PG minutes, so he and Thornton split the role at 15mpg each (or Thornton gets starter's minutes) with Curry/Sulaimon getting the leftover PG minutes. Jefferson plays the backup SF and PF minutes. Either Hairston or Marshall fight for the 10-15 minutes at backup C.
2. Murphy is only ready to play 20mpg and Sulaimon doesn't play major SF minutes. Then, Jefferson would get 15-20 mpg at SF and maybe 5+ mpg at PF. Then, there's 15-20mpg for Marshall and Hairston to fight over.
3. Sulaimon just isn't ready. Then Curry, Thornton, and Cook would take the guard minutes. Jefferson would get all of the backup SF minutes and probably a share of the backup PF minutes. And Hairston and Marshall would still have about 15-20mpg to fight over.
4. Injury to one of Cook, Sulaimon, Curry, or Kelly (let's hope #4 is moot).

Now, I'm not saying any of these are necessarily likely (I rated them roughly in the order of probability, though you could argue that 1 and 2 could swap and 3 and 4 could swap). But I think it's just as likely that Jefferson doesn't get 20+ mpg or one of your scenarios plays out.


I completely agree with this. I would add that if Amile is ready to contribute as the 1st big off the bench, and also capable defensively to fill in spot minutes at SF, it makes us an even more versatile and better team than I've been expecting, and I've been expecting we're going to be really, really good.

Yes, having Jefferson able to be a flexible 3/4 off the bench would give us so much more flexibility. I'm really hoping he can do it.

[Kedsy]

Actually, I could see a few scenarios where this plays out:
1. Cook isn't ready to play major PG minutes, so he and Thornton split the role at 15mpg each (or Thornton gets starter's minutes) with Curry/Sulaimon getting the leftover PG minutes. Jefferson plays the backup SF and PF minutes. Either Hairston or Marshall fight for the 10-15 minutes at backup C.
2. Murphy is only ready to play 20mpg and Sulaimon doesn't play major SF minutes. Then, Jefferson would get 15-20 mpg at SF and maybe 5+ mpg at PF. Then, there's 15-20mpg for Marshall and Hairston to fight over.
3. Sulaimon just isn't ready. Then Curry, Thornton, and Cook would take the guard minutes. Jefferson would get all of the backup SF minutes and probably a share of the backup PF minutes. And Hairston and Marshall would still have about 15-20mpg to fight over.
4. Injury to one of Cook, Sulaimon, Curry, or Kelly (let's hope #4 is moot).

Now, I'm not saying any of these are necessarily likely (I rated them roughly in the order of probability, though you could argue that 1 and 2 could swap and 3 and 4 could swap). But I think it's just as likely that Jefferson doesn't get 20+ mpg or one of your scenarios plays out.


Obviously this is all speculation, but putting injury aside I don't think your #1 or #2 would likely lead to Amile getting 20+ minutes.

With #1, if Tyler and Quinn combine for 35 or so minutes (no matter who gets the majority), and Seth gets 35 or so minutes at SG, Then Rasheed gets at least 10 mpg at SF (probably closer to 15) unless he's just not ready (which is your scenario #3). In #2, if Alex plays only 20 minutes then, similarly, Rasheed almost has to play 10 or 15 SF minutes, unless (again) he's just not ready. As far as the likelihood of Rasheed not ready to play 20+ minutes but Amile being ready to run with those minutes (your #3), it's possible but seems remote based on our needs (we absolutely need a defensive minded perimeter player) and their respective RSCI rankings (Rasheed is #12 and Amile is #21).

Having said all that, I'll be quite happy if Amile is ready to contribute while playing 10 or 15 mpg. If he's playing 20+ our team will be difficult to beat. So it's all good.

[magjayran]

I'll be there again tonight. Hope some of our guys show up. I'll be sporting the vintage "Duke Rocks" shirt from '03.

[CDu]

Obviously this is all speculation, but putting injury aside I don't think your #1 or #2 would likely lead to Amile getting 20+ minutes.

With #1, if Tyler and Quinn combine for 35 or so minutes (no matter who gets the majority), and Seth gets 35 or so minutes at SG, Then Rasheed gets at least 10 mpg at SF (probably closer to 15) unless he's just not ready (which is your scenario #3). In #2, if Alex plays only 20 minutes then, similarly, Rasheed almost has to play 10 or 15 SF minutes, unless (again) he's just not ready. As far as the likelihood of Rasheed not ready to play 20+ minutes but Amile being ready to run with those minutes (your #3), it's possible but seems remote based on our needs (we absolutely need a defensive minded perimeter player) and their respective RSCI rankings (Rasheed is #12 and Amile is #21).

Having said all that, I'll be quite happy if Amile is ready to contribute while playing 10 or 15 mpg. If he's playing 20+ our team will be difficult to beat. So it's all good.

1. In scenario 1, you must have misread my assumptions and additionally inserted some other assumptions that I wasn't making. I specifically said Cook and Thornton get 15 mpg each (30 mpg total). If Curry gets 30 mpg at SG (I didn't state that assumption, but it was key in my calculations, and I don't think it's unreasonable at all), that leaves 20 mpg for Sulaimon at PG and SG. Give him 5 mpg at SF, that leaves Jefferson with 10-15 mpg at SF (assuming 20-25 mpg for Murphy) and 5-10 mpg at PF (15-25 mpg total).
2. In scenario 2, you must have misread my assumptions. I specifically said if Murphy isn't ready to play more than 20mpg AND if Sulaimon doesn't get more than 5 mpg at SF. So saying that Sulaimon HAS to play 10-15 mpg at SF makes it a completely different scenario.

Again, I am not saying my scenarios will happen. In reality, I don't expect Jefferson to play 20+ mpg this season. I was merely illustrating a scenario in which it could happen. But the scenarios I presented absolutely are scenarios in which Jefferson could get 20+ mpg without (a) Murphy seeing less than 15 mpg or (b) Hairston and Marshall both seeing no minutes.

[gwlaw99]

Any new Rasheed footage from pro-am?

[dcar1985]

Any new Rasheed footage from pro-am?

Few plays from Rasheed last night...

http://blip.tv/hoopmixtape/duke-tandem-connects-for-sick-oop-and-bo-ingram-catches-put-back-all-over-defender-top-10-plays-from-nc-pro-am-6262021

[BD80]

I'll be there again tonight. Hope some of our guys show up. I'll be sporting the vintage "Duke Rocks" shirt from '03.

2003 is "vintage?" Sigh.

[DukeFanSince1990]

Few plays from Rasheed last night...

http://blip.tv/hoopmixtape/duke-tandem-connects-for-sick-oop-and-bo-ingram-catches-put-back-all-over-defender-top-10-plays-from-nc-pro-am-6262021

#3 was slick.

[Olympic Fan]

I also recall a well respected recruiting guru (I can't remember which one, but one of the old school talent scouts) saying that Redick was the best player he had seen in a long time, and that if any of his classmates were as good, Duke would win multiple championships.

Of course, he was right about Redick, but sadly, none of his classmates were as good. (And Deng was obligated to go pro after only one year).

The quote you are thinking of was from Howard Garfinkel, who gave it at an interview with a Durham writer at the McDonald's All-America game in 2002. He did NOT say that Redick was one of the best players he had ever seen, but he DID say that Redick was one of the best shooters he had ever seen (comparing him to Chris Mullins) and was the best member of Duke's celebrated recruiting class. That class included Shelden Williams (No. 8 in the RSCI), JJ Redick (No. 11) Shavlik Randolph (No. 14), Sean Dockery (No. 21), Michiael Thompson (No. 30) and Lee Melchionni (not ranked).

Garf DID say, as you remember, that if any of his classmates were as good, Duke would win multiple championships.

And just to be fair, Redick and his class DID win multiple championships -- three ACC championships and a regional championship. I would say that Williams, who ended his career as a concensus first-team All-American WAS almost as good as Redick (who was the national player of the year as a senior).

[cbarry]

#3 was slick.

It was even better in person! Great to see the video to relive it!

[CDu]

And just to be fair, Redick and his class DID win multiple championships -- three ACC championships and a regional championship.

I'm quite sure that these aren't the championships that Garfinkel was talking about.

Still, we were a few minutes away from being a substantial favorite to win it in 2004 (that 2004 UConn team was incredibly talented and more experienced as well - Redick and Williams weren't quite superstars yet). And we were among the favorites in 2006 before being upset. And that was in spite of Randolph, Dockery, and Thompson not coming close to living up to expectations.

What's lost in the discussion is that, while we had 5 of the top-30 recruits in a very good and very deep class, UNC had 3 of the top TEN recruits. They were thus probably in better position in 2005 (when their trio, along with the Williams duo and some nice role players) than we were (given that 3 of our big recruits didn't pan out, and our stud recruit the next year left early).

If Dockery had been the world-beating PG that he was in Chicago and Randolph (or Thompson) had been able to be more effective, I think we'd have won it in 2004 and would have had a very good chance in 2005 and 2006 (Even without Deng or Livingston), and Garfinkel would have been right.

[cbarry]

27182717
My 3-year-old daughter, Leah, posing with a couple of incoming Duke hoops stars (Rodney Hood and Amile Jefferson). Both played great tonight, and are super nice guys!

[Newton_14]

I was able to go out and catch the 7pm game tonight. Good stuff. A great way to spend a summer evening and get a hoops fix. Rasheed, Rodney, and Amile played together on the Dreamworks team, along with Dominique Sutton, and former Wake guard LD Williams. The opponent was The Athlete's Foot who had Quincy Miller, former Okie St player Marshall Moses, and other guys I did not know.

Entertaining game. First, the future of Duke Hoops is in great shape. Amile and Rodney both have good length and good hops. Hood had one dunk in halftime warmups where his head was at the rim. Impressive. Rasheed is really cut, as it is apparent he has benefited from recent weight training. 3 really athletic guys.

Hood was as good as advertised, and shot the ball incredibly well tonight from 3. His jumper is really smooth, and he will fit right in with Duke's approach. He also showed the ability to finish well in traffic. His handle is probably his weakest skill. Not a bad ball handler, but I would rate him average there at this point. He uses his height and length really well though. He will be a very tough match up on the wing at Duke. Can't wait to see him on the floor. It's a shame he is not eligible this season, but will definitely help in practice.

Amile as mentioned also has great length and looks to be every bit of 6'9, if not 6'10. He has Rodney by one or two inches it seems. I loved his footwork, and his approach at getting the ball to the basket and in quickly. Very craft with the angles he takes and never hesitates. I also was impressed with his ball handling and based solely on tonight, I came away with the assessment that he is a better ball handler than Hood. He looked very good facing up from 18 feet, and using shot fakes and jab steps, combined with really good ball handling to take guys off the dribble. His weakness on the wing is his jump shot. He looked somewhat comfortable and adequate with a set shot from 3 point land, and made 2 from that range and style. I definitely see the Jamison comparisons several have mentioned. He was very inept though when attempting pull up jumpers off the dribble from deep, as well as in catch and shoot from deep. Definitely not his thing at this point. My favorite PA announcer in the world, called him out after Amile bricked a 3 point attempt badly off the dribble. All in all though, a lot of talent in this kid. Just needs strength. However, with his skill set, if he can pick up on Duke's defensive schemes quickly, and not be a liability on defense, he will definitely get meaningful PT. I would not rule it out, but that is a big if, as freshman bigs tend to take longer learning the Duke D, so we won't know until the real games begin in November

Rasheed did not shoot it great, but displayed really good ball handling skills, as well as the ability to attack the lane. He's already working on the Kyrie cradle the ball move once amongst the tree's. With his upper body size and strength, he will be good at drawing contact and finishing thru contact. I suspect he will draw a lot of fouls with his driving ability as well. Will be a pesky and strong defender on the ball too. His strength and quickness will help him there as well. I am comfortable stating Rasheed will be a mainstay in the rotation right out of the gate.

All in all, I liked what I saw in the skill sets of all 3. In the summer league setting, I mainly focus on the skills they do or don't display rather than success in scoring. Their team did win the game comfortably which was good. All 3 guys will be really good players in their Duke careers. Exciting.

I had to leave shortly after their game ended, but Seth was there to either play in the 8pm or 9pm game. Rasheed Wallace was there to play in the 8pm game. Henson and Kendall Marshall came in during the 7pm game, but don't think either were there to play. MacDonald was there as well. I did not see any other Duke guys beyond the 4 mentioned.

If you live close enough to attend, it is definitely worth going. Free hoops, an I sat 4 rows up from the floor near mid court. The new parking garage is directly across from the gym which makes parking a breeze. Great atmosphere as well. Go on a night where Dreamworks is playing as it appears Rasheed/Rodney/Amile are showing up to play for Dreamworks just about every time.

[cato]

The quote you are thinking of was from Howard Garfinkel, who gave it at an interview with a Durham writer at the McDonald's All-America game in 2002. He did NOT say that Redick was one of the best players he had ever seen, but he DID say that Redick was one of the best shooters he had ever seen (comparing him to Chris Mullins) and was the best member of Duke's celebrated recruiting class. That class included Shelden Williams (No. 8 in the RSCI), JJ Redick (No. 11) Shavlik Randolph (No. 14), Sean Dockery (No. 21), Michiael Thompson (No. 30) and Lee Melchionni (not ranked).

There we go. And with the name, I can find a quote (although none of the actual articles): ""JJ Redick will be the best player in the class. If one of the others is better than him next year, Duke will win the national championship."

Point being, there was some indication before JJ even suited up that he was special.


I would say that Williams, who ended his career as a concensus first-team All-American WAS almost as good as Redick (who was the national player of the year as a senior).

No slight to Williams, who I loved, but Garfinkel was right. JJ was the best player in his class. If either Shel or Shav turned out to be better, ah, never mind. It's not worth worrying about.

[flyingdutchdevil]

I was able to go out and catch the 7pm game tonight. Good stuff. A great way to spend a summer evening and get a hoops fix. Rasheed, Rodney, and Amile played together on the Dreamworks team, along with Dominique Sutton, and former Wake guard LD Williams. The opponent was The Athlete's Foot who had Quincy Miller, former Okie St player Marshall Moses, and other guys I did not know.

Entertaining game. First, the future of Duke Hoops is in great shape. Amile and Rodney both have good length and good hops. Hood had one dunk in halftime warmups where his head was at the rim. Impressive. Rasheed is really cut, as it is apparent he has benefited from recent weight training. 3 really athletic guys.

Hood was as good as advertised, and shot the ball incredibly well tonight from 3. His jumper is really smooth, and he will fit right in with Duke's approach. He also showed the ability to finish well in traffic. His handle is probably his weakest skill. Not a bad ball handler, but I would rate him average there at this point. He uses his height and length really well though. He will be a very tough match up on the wing at Duke. Can't wait to see him on the floor. It's a shame he is not eligible this season, but will definitely help in practice.

Amile as mentioned also has great length and looks to be every bit of 6'9, if not 6'10. He has Rodney by one or two inches it seems. I loved his footwork, and his approach at getting the ball to the basket and in quickly. Very craft with the angles he takes and never hesitates. I also was impressed with his ball handling and based solely on tonight, I came away with the assessment that he is a better ball handler than Hood. He looked very good facing up from 18 feet, and using shot fakes and jab steps, combined with really good ball handling to take guys off the dribble. His weakness on the wing is his jump shot. He looked somewhat comfortable and adequate with a set shot from 3 point land, and made 2 from that range and style. I definitely see the Jamison comparisons several have mentioned. He was very inept though when attempting pull up jumpers off the dribble from deep, as well as in catch and shoot from deep. Definitely not his thing at this point. My favorite PA announcer in the world, called him out after Amile bricked a 3 point attempt badly off the dribble. All in all though, a lot of talent in this kid. Just needs strength. However, with his skill set, if he can pick up on Duke's defensive schemes quickly, and not be a liability on defense, he will definitely get meaningful PT. I would not rule it out, but that is a big if, as freshman bigs tend to take longer learning the Duke D, so we won't know until the real games begin in November

Rasheed did not shoot it great, but displayed really good ball handling skills, as well as the ability to attack the lane. He's already working on the Kyrie cradle the ball move once amongst the tree's. With his upper body size and strength, he will be good at drawing contact and finishing thru contact. I suspect he will draw a lot of fouls with his driving ability as well. Will be a pesky and strong defender on the ball too. His strength and quickness will help him there as well. I am comfortable stating Rasheed will be a mainstay in the rotation right out of the gate.

All in all, I liked what I saw in the skill sets of all 3. In the summer league setting, I mainly focus on the skills they do or don't display rather than success in scoring. Their team did win the game comfortably which was good. All 3 guys will be really good players in their Duke careers. Exciting.

I had to leave shortly after their game ended, but Seth was there to either play in the 8pm or 9pm game. Rasheed Wallace was there to play in the 8pm game. Henson and Kendall Marshall came in during the 7pm game, but don't think either were there to play. MacDonald was there as well. I did not see any other Duke guys beyond the 4 mentioned.

If you live close enough to attend, it is definitely worth going. Free hoops, an I sat 4 rows up from the floor near mid court. The new parking garage is directly across from the gym which makes parking a breeze. Great atmosphere as well. Go on a night where Dreamworks is playing as it appears Rasheed/Rodney/Amile are showing up to play for Dreamworks just about every time.

Thanks for the update. Sounds like we have an amazing and athletic core moving forward. Also sounds like strength is the main issue this year (minus Rasheed, but added muscle is always necessary for freshman). Looks like they need to hit up some BBQ / Cosmic / [insert high protein, high calorie item here]

[Greg_Newton]

FWIW, last week and playoffs of the Pro Am this week: http://ncproam.com/schedule.html

Our guys might be done, but I might try to make out for a night or two. The fairly consistent "Duke" team plays at 8PM tonight.

[Greg_Newton]

Well, they all showed up tonight (Cook/Amile/Sheed for Dreamworks, Curry/Hood for Hendrick, although I missed that game). Looks like Dreamworks will play PJ Hairston/Rasheed Wallace's team at 7:30 tomorrow in the semis, with Seth and Hood playing at 6:30 (depending who shows up).

Nothing really new here, but they won in OT to advance. Cook took over late.


www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwtatqBwkTs

[cbarry]

A few photos I took from last night's (8/7/12) NC Pro-Am. Our guys looked pretty good. Cook really took over at the end.

2740274127422743

[elvis14]

Well, they all showed up tonight (Cook/Amile/Sheed for Dreamworks, Curry/Hood for Hendrick, although I missed that game). Looks like Dreamworks will play PJ Hairston/Rasheed Wallace's team at 7:30 tomorrow in the semis, with Seth and Hood playing at 6:30 (depending who shows up).

Nothing really new here, but they won in OT to advance. Cook took over late.


www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwtatqBwkTs

Watching that video when it started showing Amile working in the paint, two thoughts crossed my mind. First, I'm going to enjoy watching him play. Secondly, because his game is more crafty than explosive, he's going to frustrate the heck out of the fans from other schools. And I'm going to enjoy that as well!

Glad to see QC continue to shine. Let's hope it carries over into his soph season at Duke.

[Greg_Newton]

Amile has looked crafty indeed. Even though he just had to kick it out due to horrible pickup spacing, 1:45 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwtatqBwkTs&t=1m45s) might be the first time I've ever seen one of our bigs execute a legit Dream Shake!

[Leelee902]

Did anyone go to the games last night? Did our boys play? Is Dreamworks in the championship game tonight?

[UrinalCake]

Quinn and Amile have looked good in these games. Quinn is playing very under control while also busting out some street ball moves, reminiscent of Nolan's performance before his senior year. When Amile committed, I was happy but not really expecting much out of him in his first year. The more I see him play the more I think he'll be able to contribute as he's got a lot of nice moves and isn't afraid to go inside.

PJ Hairston has also looked good from the various highlight videos I've seen. I know it's the just the pro-am, but I think he could have a breakout year for them.

[Greg_Newton]

Did anyone go to the games last night? Did our boys play? Is Dreamworks in the championship game tonight?

Sorry, just saw this. Our guys (Dreamworks) tip off at 8 or so for the championship tonight. Hood confirmed on twitter he'd be there, watzone said a couple of our guys were confirmed. Still plenty of seating, good time to head over to see them if you're nearby (I'm leaving now myself).

[Greg_Newton]

Great turnout tonight - Cook, Amile, Hood, Sulaimon from Duke, Bullock from UNC, Deuce Bello from Baylor, Quincy Miller and Stackhouse from the NBA, Damien Wilkins from the former-NBA-player crew, and Dominique Sutton and Bo Ingram from the NBA-F/A crew. Duke, Sutton and Bello ended up losing to Bullock, Miller, Stackhouse, Ingram & co. by about 10 - Bullock was on fire and none of our guys were really hitting. Really good game though.

Some completely objective highlights (still uploading):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2aKtyEUJPE

[flyingdutchdevil]

Great turnout tonight - Cook, Amile, Hood, Sulaimon from Duke, Bullock from UNC, Deuce Bello from Baylor, Quincy Miller and Stackhouse from the NBA, Damien Wilkins from the former-NBA-player crew, and Dominique Sutton and Bo Ingram from the NBA-F/A crew. Duke, Sutton and Bello ended up losing to Bullock, Miller, Stackhouse, Ingram & co. by about 10 - Bullock was on fire and none of our guys were really hitting. Really good game though.

Some completely objective highlights (still uploading):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2aKtyEUJPE

Greg - those Bullock "highlights" are out of this world. Mega pitchforks for that!

[elvis14]

Greg - those Bullock "highlights" are out of this world. Mega pitchforks for that!

I don't know what was funnier, the "highlights" or the music. Pitchforks given from me too! Made my morning!

[Wheat/"/"/"]

Hmmm...wonder why there's no mention of the summer league MVP? (http://hoopmixtape.com/2012/08/pj-hairston-goes-off-for-49-points-in-playoff-game-10-dunks-in-single-game/) :)

[elvis14]

Hmmm...wonder why there's no mention of the summer league MVP? (http://hoopmixtape.com/2012/08/pj-hairston-goes-off-for-49-points-in-playoff-game-10-dunks-in-single-game/) :)

No need to wonder, we just don't read Swahili very well.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

No need to wonder, we just don't read Swahili very well.

Just keepin' it real around here......it's what I do. :)

[CDu]

Hmmm...wonder why there's no mention of the summer league MVP? (http://hoopmixtape.com/2012/08/pj-hairston-goes-off-for-49-points-in-playoff-game-10-dunks-in-single-game/) :)

He's probably just getting those highlights out of the way now so that he can disappear again when UNC really needs him. :)

[Greg_Newton]

Hmmm...wonder why there's no mention of the summer league MVP? (http://hoopmixtape.com/2012/08/pj-hairston-goes-off-for-49-points-in-playoff-game-10-dunks-in-single-game/) :)

lol

Probably because he lost in the semis and wasn't there. :p

It was kind of hard to make Bullock look bad though; he hit multiple NBA threes and scored like 30 in the win. Your wings have looked very good all summer.

[Wheat/"/"/"]

lol

Probably because he lost in the semis and wasn't there. :p

It was kind of hard to make Bullock look bad though; he hit multiple NBA threes and scored like 30 in the win. Your wings have looked very good all summer.

The ragging on PJ is well deserved. He needs to step it up this season.

[Greg_Newton]

The ragging on PJ is well deserved. He needs to step it up this season.

On a serious note, I'll be very interested to see how Roy uses Hairston and Bullock this year. IMO, they're NBA wings and unquestionably two of your best three players (along with McAdoo), but like Barnes, they're not really guys you just hand the ball to and let them go to work.

Unless Paige is KM 2.0, I would think that he'd have to adjust his system to get the most out of them.

[Indoor66]

On a serious note, I'll be very interested to see how Roy uses Hairston and Bullock this year. IMO, they're NBA wings and unquestionably two of your best three players (along with McAdoo), but like Barnes, they're not really guys you just hand the ball to and let them go to work.

Unless Paige is KM 2.0, I would think that he'd have to adjust his system to get the most out of them.

Good luck on that one. (See the Overrated thread) :cool:
:cool:

[Wheat/"/"/"]

On a serious note, I'll be very interested to see how Roy uses Hairston and Bullock this year. IMO, they're NBA wings and unquestionably two of your best three players (along with McAdoo), but like Barnes, they're not really guys you just hand the ball to and let them go to work.

Unless Paige is KM 2.0, I would think that he'd have to adjust his system to get the most out of them.

I see PJ and Bullock rotating at the SF, with Bullock the starter.

I was very impressed with L. McDonald's development before the injury. I like his game better than Pj's. He's the starting 2g, assuming his health is ok, and it supposedly is. That guy will surprise the ACC this year.

Strickland will start at the point, assuming he's healthy.

The front court is a big question. It's McAdoo and whoever steps up.