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View Full Version : MBB: Winston-Salem State game thread



mgtr
10-31-2012, 11:56 AM
I looked up WSSU, and learned that they are a tradionally black school. They have several 6'7"-6'8" guys who look like bangers (235-245lbs). They also have quite a few upperclassmen, but some of those are JC transfers. I read somewhere that their backcourt was supposed to be good. Beyond that, I haven't learned much. Those from Winston-Salem will likely know a lot more about the team.

Turtleboy
10-31-2012, 12:00 PM
Earl Monroe is not walking through that door.

mrscarlett
10-31-2012, 12:20 PM
I am from WS and WSSU players are tough, not a huge threat to Duke but not a walk in the park imo. They are not afraid to foul or mix it up so I think it will be a good game for Duke to experience. I expect 3 players to foul out from WSSU and Mason to get to the line alot tonight so I hope he brings his free throw shooting to the game.

edit-posted too quick

Jim3k
10-31-2012, 03:10 PM
Earl Monroe is not walking through that door.

Maybe he will, but he won't be suiting up. I'd bet at age 67 his wind is gone but that he still has a good handle.

Indoor66
10-31-2012, 06:36 PM
Maybe he will, but he won't be suiting up. I'd bet at age 67 his wind is gone but that he still has a good handle.

Probably dribbles it a little too high....:cool:

mgtr
11-01-2012, 01:44 PM
Probably dribbles it a little too high....:cool:

I loved the way Earl Monroe dribbled totally out of sync with his feet - it must have been disconcerting for opposing players. Are you saying that he now dribbles on his bib? I hope not.

More seriously, any chance that Seth will play tonight?

Olympic Fan
11-01-2012, 02:08 PM
Great program with a Hall of Fame coach in Big House Gaines ... he in Dean are the only two guys I know to atually coach in buildings named for them.

One correction on the front-page story about the Rams. While I'm sure that Billy Packer did go and see Earl Monroe when he was an assisatnt coach at Wake, the story he always told was going across town to see W-S State when he was a player at Wake. The star then was Cleo Hill, a 6-1 guard who later played briefly in the ABA.

Packer's famous quiote was "I sat there and realized that Cleo Hill was better than anybody playing in the ACC at that time."

He claims that experience encouraged him to push Bones McKinney to recruit black athletes when he became an assistant at Wake. The Deacons made a major run at Lew Alcindor (even buildng him a special bed for his official visit) ... they didn't get him, but they did land his Power Memorial teammate, Norwood Todmann.

Back to W-S State ... they will be a much more athletic, but probably a much less cohesive team that Western Washington was (the Rams have a bunch of newcomers in their rotation). They will offer a very different kind of test -- and that's good.

As for Seth, I know the original plan (as of the WWashington game) was for him to play a few minutes tonight. But I also know that plan was subject to revision, depending on his progress since last Saturday.

We'll see.

Bojangles4Eva
11-01-2012, 02:27 PM
As for Seth, I know the original plan (as of the WWashington game) was for him to play a few minutes tonight. But I also know that plan was subject to revision, depending on his progress since last Saturday.

We'll see.

Do we know exactly what the leg issue is? I thought I heard the announcer for the western washington game (on the video broadcast from GoDuke) say it was shin splints, but I have not seen any reports confirming this. Does anyone know?

Mhgraham
11-01-2012, 03:51 PM
Does anyone have a link to the game on the internet? I assume it is not on TV. Thanks

dcar1985
11-01-2012, 04:04 PM
Does anyone have a link to the game on the internet? I assume it is not on TV. Thanks


GoDuke.com it'll cost ya 10 bucks...only option tho

elvis14
11-01-2012, 04:11 PM
Probably dribbles it a little too high....:cool:He'd get buckets against those youngbloods!

dukebballcamper90-91
11-01-2012, 04:19 PM
Only difference with Div I and Div II schools are big guys. Guards are very similar. I think Mason and Ryan have big games tonight.

Edouble
11-01-2012, 04:35 PM
Only difference with Div I and Div II schools are big guys. Guards are very similar. I think Mason and Ryan have big games tonight.

So half of the guards that get drafted in the NBA draft are from Division II schools?

Our freshman guard that had played zero college games in his life threw down 18 on the returning D II champs last week.

Kyrie'sToe
11-01-2012, 05:16 PM
Does anyone know of an app that can stream the game through my iPad? It would mean a lot if someone could help :)

Go Duke!!!

dcar1985
11-01-2012, 05:27 PM
Does anyone know of an app that can stream the game through my iPad? It would mean a lot if someone could help :)

Go Duke!!!

Same thing Inside Access at GoDuke.com

mgtr
11-01-2012, 05:44 PM
The GoDuke.com deal is hard to beat. Assuming you start early enough, you get live Countdown video plus the two exhibition games in hidef. In addition, there are other sports covered, plus coach comments, plus some other stuff. I have done it for 2-3 years now, and every year is better than the last. The one month period that covers all the above is only $10 -- cheap at twice the price, as W C Fields said. I know that I sound like a shill for GoDuke, but I have no connection to Duke or GoDuke whatsoever. I get so excited the basketball season that I just can't wait to see the guys. I have seen (live video) Sheed and Amile play. So, save up, and you too can see the above next season for only two $5 bills! Or, of course, tonight's game!

Bojangles4Eva
11-01-2012, 05:56 PM
The GoDuke.com deal is hard to beat. Assuming you start early enough, you get live Countdown video plus the two exhibition games in hidef. In addition, there are other sports covered, plus coach comments, plus some other stuff. I have done it for 2-3 years now, and every year is better than the last. The one month period that covers all the above is only $10 -- cheap at twice the price, as W C Fields said. I know that I sound like a shill for GoDuke, but I have no connection to Duke or GoDuke whatsoever. I get so excited the basketball season that I just can't wait to see the guys. I have seen (live video) Sheed and Amile play. So, save up, and you too can see the above next season for only two $5 bills! Or, of course, tonight's game!

2nd that. I have been very pleased, especially with the improvements over the last few years. 3-4 years ago it was not so reliable, but now with HD, good commentators, good connection, etc, its very legit and a steal for $10. Plus they have archived games on there, so if you can't make gametime you can still catch the full broadcast.

Dukehky
11-01-2012, 06:18 PM
Or you can wait until 9 o''clock when GoDuke puts the entire game on the website, and they have the abbreviated game.

riverside6
11-01-2012, 06:57 PM
Live tempo-based stats for the game here, starters posted....

http://www.scacchoops.com/ViewHDGame.asp?hSchedule=14735

DU82
11-01-2012, 06:59 PM
I appear have stumbled on a Dodger game. A VERY late arriving crowd? Upstairs MIGHT be half full on the sidelines, maybe 20% in the end zones. Downstairs isnt much fuller.

TruBlu
11-01-2012, 07:03 PM
i appear have stumbled on a dodger game. A very late arriving crowd? Upstairs might be half full on the sidelines, maybe 20% in the end zones. Downstairs isnt much fuller.

football school!

DU82
11-01-2012, 07:13 PM
Seth is playing.

NM Duke Fan
11-01-2012, 07:18 PM
Seth is playing.

Good to hear, is he starting or will he come off the bench?

dchen09
11-01-2012, 07:37 PM
The goduke HD stream keeps stuttering. Its not an issue of bandwidth because it plays smoothly if I hold onto live key, it plays smoothly. I tried changing the bandwidth all the way down and it doesnt make a difference. I also changed FLASH player's local storage limit. Didn't do anything. The SD stream also plays fine. Any ideas why this happens?

91_92_01_10_15
11-01-2012, 07:38 PM
This radio station is streaming the game:

http://www.wccg1045fm.com/

CLW
11-01-2012, 07:41 PM
The goduke HD stream keeps stuttering. Its not an issue of bandwidth because it plays smoothly if I hold onto live key, it plays smoothly. I tried changing the bandwidth all the way down and it doesnt make a difference. I also changed FLASH player's local storage limit. Didn't do anything. The SD stream also plays fine. Any ideas why this happens?

Same issue here just gave up on it and decided to watch it in SD. This happened to me the last game as well.

wk2109
11-01-2012, 07:43 PM
Good to hear, is he starting or will he come off the bench?

Seth came off the bench and has looked rusty. He hasn't made a shot and took a tumble on a fast break.

Amile has looked impressive. He's picked up some garbage points and rebounds and was guarding the point guard on some possessions by design and not on a switch.

CLW
11-01-2012, 07:43 PM
I LOVE Jefferson's energy. This kid is just instant energy and seems to have a really positive attitude out on the floor.

Cameron
11-01-2012, 07:47 PM
Does anyone have a link to a different online radio feed? For whatever reason, the above outlet isn't actually connecting for me and my bookmarked sites from previous seasons are either not working or unable to part with the 1980s. I think I just heard The Police. Ugh.

I may have to go over to my nephew's house and reenact the game with stuffed animals..

91_92_01_10_15
11-01-2012, 07:54 PM
Does anyone have a link to a different online radio feed? For whatever reason, the above outlet isn't actually connecting for me and my bookmarked sites from previous seasons are either not working or unable to part with the 1980s. I think I just heard The Police. Ugh.

I may have to go over to my nephew's house and reenact the game with stuffed animals..

I had to open the link above in Internet Explorer to make it work.

Cameron
11-01-2012, 08:13 PM
I had to open the link above in Internet Explorer to make it work.

Thanks for the help. Unfortunately, I only have a Mac. Appreciate it, though.

It's almost sad that GoDuke wants you to pay $10 to watch a basketball game that looks like it is being streamed live from Saturn. After reading some of the posts from others, I am glad I didn't fall for GoDuke's shakedown for a fourth straight year. They might as well just come to my house and rob me at gunpoint.

Cameron
11-01-2012, 08:22 PM
Live tempo-based stats for the game here, starters posted....

http://www.scacchoops.com/ViewHDGame.asp?hSchedule=14735

As always, a life saver. Thanks for your site, man.

53n206
11-01-2012, 08:40 PM
Live via GoDuke is fuzzy but OK. Much better than last game stutter stops.

Cameron
11-01-2012, 08:53 PM
Live via GoDuke is fuzzy but OK. Much better than last game stutter stops.

I guess I could have given it another shot this year, but, really, I was on the verge of a manic-depressive breakdown last year while trying to come to grips with all of the non-stop glitches and buffering. I needed a few beers just to calm down.

I am taking part in a health and wellness screening at my work tomorrow, so I am fine with following tonight's game with riverside's tempo-based stats:D

CLW
11-01-2012, 08:55 PM
Shooting does NOT appear to be a strength (at least tonight). Sort of an UGLY game.

Indoor66
11-01-2012, 08:55 PM
Anybody have a score for the game?

CLW
11-01-2012, 08:57 PM
Anybody have a score for the game?

less than a minute to go

Duke 69

WSSU 44

EDIT: Final 69-45

dchen09
11-01-2012, 09:04 PM
Not a particularly pretty game. Alot of missed shots both from long range and layups. I'm not sure its too much to be concerned about though since several possessions seemed to be geared towards getting Seth Curry back in the groove. Ryan Kelly missed several easy layups too... The 3 point shots are a bit of a concern but we were getting open looks.

mgtr
11-01-2012, 09:06 PM
Live via GoDuke is fuzzy but OK. Much better than last game stutter stops.

It looked to me as if one camera was in HD, the other in SD-27! BDN needs to continue to upgrade. Will I subscribe next year? You bet!

nmduke2001
11-01-2012, 09:06 PM
17 boards for Bazemore (8 offensive). Sign him up.

gwlaw99
11-01-2012, 09:07 PM
1 for 17 from 3. Ouch.

Dukeblue91
11-01-2012, 09:08 PM
Ouch ugly game!
The freshmen looked really good.
The theme for tonight was defense and we did pretty good.
3 Point shooting was horrendous saying it nicely.
Was glad to see Seth out there although he was a little rusty.

Luther
11-01-2012, 09:14 PM
How did Alex look?

Dukeblue91
11-01-2012, 09:22 PM
How did Alex look?

Like he was trying to hard.
He did a couple good things and some not so much.
But he is a real talent and he will work it out.

dukelifer
11-01-2012, 09:23 PM
How did Alex look?

Alex struggled again. Jefferson is clearly playing much, much better at this point. I am worried as these are probably the easiest games of the season. THis was a very ugly game - albeit I only saw the last 12 minutes. Lots of work ahead for this team.

dcar1985
11-01-2012, 09:28 PM
How did Alex look?

Looked good on D for the most part, had a nice steal where he shot the gap on the passer for an easy dunk...Offense though, not so good...didn't shoot the ball well again, air balled one 3 attempt VERY bad, just doesn't seem very comfy out there. Wish people would stop with the Kyle 2.0 thing, like what he brings on the defensive side of the ball though.

Cameron
11-01-2012, 09:29 PM
1 for 17 from 3. Ouch.

If you just look past the 16 misses, it's really a pretty good night from the field.

I still stand by my early statements that, while certainly not as deep as we have been in year's past in terms of the amount of weapons that can hit the three ball, the core group of guys that we do have who can hit the trey is really solid. Seth Curry (64 triples, 42%), Ryan Kelly (40 threes, 40%) and then Rasheed who was one of the better long-distance shooters in the class of 2012. And, I think with time, Alex will begin to hit some open shots from outside.

Bad games do and will happen. Last year, with Andre and Austin and Seth, we went 3 of 16 from three at Maryland and 3 of 15 at Ohio State. I think we'll get much better as the year goes on. I'll concede that I was probably just too hopeful before when I challenged Kedsy and said that we would not miss a beat this year despite losing Andre, but I think we'll have three really deadly guns in Seth, Ryan and Rasheed by mid-season.

mgtr
11-01-2012, 09:43 PM
With regard to this game, we can parphrase an old song: "Clang, clang goes the 3 pointer, clang, clang goes the rebound." We couldn't hit from outside, and we gave away a lot of rebounds. Hopefully these things improve before we play Kentucky.

Leelee902
11-01-2012, 10:04 PM
It was kind of a strange game. Yes, we were certainly struggling offensively in this game as it was one of those where even a ton of layups just would not fall, but the refs had a lot to do with the low scoring too IMO. I swear they blew the whistle almost every time either one of the teams took the ball down the floor. Neither team could get any kind of rhythm going with all the whistle blowing. Defense looked good for sure, but then again it was wssu.

roywhite
11-01-2012, 10:08 PM
So, we shoot 1-17 from three points, but score inside, play good defense, and beat a fairly talented, physical, motivated team by 24 points with our 2 freshmen playing well?

Sounds good to me.

Greg_Newton
11-01-2012, 10:22 PM
So, we shoot 1-17 from three points, but score inside, play good defense, and beat a fairly talented, physical, motivated team by 24 points with our 2 freshmen playing well?

Sounds good to me.

Absolutely. I think you have to be very encouraged after watching this game. When we the last time we held anyone to 13 points in the first half?

We know we're going to be able to score at shoot threes as least as well as last year, and the team spent all week on defense, so the points we left on the table don't worry me very much. Plus, it was a very low-possession game for an exhibition. The only things that bothered me were the lack of defense rebounding - we're not boxing out well, we're not getting as much from our big perimeter as I expected, and we miss Miles - and post defense. But it's hard to complain about much when the other team is in single digits at the under-8 TV timeout.

We used Amile as a guard-defender tonight, and he was incredible. Looked like our best perimeter defender to me - never got beat off the dribble and was very disruptive all around. I'm not sure how he'll fare on the block against bigger players this year, and I'm not sure if we'll be able to keep him at the 3 once teams realize they can leave him open on the perimeter, but he's making himself hard to keep off the court.

CLW
11-01-2012, 10:35 PM
Positives:

1. Jefferson and Sulaimon look much better than I anticipated (in fact I'd probably start both right now with Curry being injured and Murphy seems to be pressing)
2. Mason looks pretty strong and his free throws look better

Concerns:

1. Rebounding - we barely out rebounded two smaller/inferior opponents
2. Outside Shooting - if Curry is unable to play allot of minutes this team is going to have to slow it down and pound the ball inside to Mason for offense
3. Curry's health - he didn't look right to me the leg is clearly bothering him

mgtr
11-01-2012, 10:36 PM
We know that we should be about as good as last year. plus we have two talented frosh and two really good redshirt frosh. Fortunately, we have a week of practice before our next game. Then Kentucky, Mnnesota, and some other good teams. I wiil be amazed if we can come through that unbeaten, but Coach K always sems to pull the rabbit out of the hat in early season. We have to remember that the other teams are also trying to pull things together. Promises to be interesting.

OZZIE4DUKE
11-01-2012, 10:38 PM
That was one ugly game offensively. I didn't know the stat until I saw above we were 1-17 from 3. Most weren't even close. My daughter made a very astute observation when it came to fighting each other for rebounds and in general - the guys aren't talking to each other enough. Very poor communications between them. I know that's always a point of emphasis by Coach K, so I have faith that the talking will improve, and quickly. It's early. But the games get tough quick. Real quick.

Cameron
11-01-2012, 10:56 PM
That was one ugly game offensively. I didn't know the stat until I saw above we were 1-17 from 3. Most weren't even close. My daughter made a very astute observation when it came to fighting each other for rebounds and in general - the guys aren't talking to each other enough. Very poor communications between them. I know that's always a point of emphasis by Coach K, so I have faith that the talking will improve, and quickly. It's early. But the games get tough quick. Real quick.

That's somewhat disconcerting to hear, considering lack of conversation on the court was, outside of our overall defense, perhaps our biggest shortcoming last season. On the flip side, it's early and some of these guys are only playing together for the second time in a real game setting against another team. I also have faith that K will work quickly to try and correct this issue.

Greg_Newton
11-01-2012, 11:02 PM
Eh, they were talking a lot on defense in the first half. Amile and Mason both aggressively going after a rebound in traffic isn't very concerning to me. You don't hold a team to 13 points in 20 minutes without communicating pretty well.

Also, I would wager that this is the most 3's Kelly, Curry and Sulaimon will combine to shoot without making one all season (11). We know we have guys who can shoot, and WSSU didn't really give up open looks from the perimeter. I won't be worried unless we lose Curry.

Greg_Newton
11-01-2012, 11:14 PM
BTW, the group of (hopefully current?) students across from the bench were great, props if that was Native or any of our other residents. I laughed at "WHY, KEVIN, WHY?".

jipops
11-01-2012, 11:26 PM
Though I seriously doubt we'll be 1-17 bad, I do think this game follows along the theory that this Duke team is not going to be strong from 3 this year. Good thing we're big and experienced.

I like the fact that we only allowed 45 points. This is refreshingly different from the previous exhibition.

mo.st.dukie
11-01-2012, 11:33 PM
Though I seriously doubt we'll be 1-17 bad, I do think this game follows along the theory that this Duke team is not going to be strong from 3 this year. Good thing we're big and experienced.


Yes, and while people are focusing on the three point shooting, Duke also missed a bunch of layups and shots in the paint (shot under 40% from the field). I thought we were doing a good job attacking the rim but just not being strong on the finish. If Duke just finished layups and shots in the paint tonight we score over 80 even with the 1-17 from 3. The offense will come along in time, defense and rebounding should be the main focus at this point in the season (rebounding has been a problem in both exhibition games).

Dukehky
11-01-2012, 11:43 PM
I'm tellin ya, Seth off the bench (with starters minutes of course) would be a good move this year...

No basis for this off of this particular game, but I think it would be a good move, and since Coach K listens to everything I say as gospel, you can count on it happening.

billy
11-02-2012, 12:00 AM
Anyone else see Andre sitting behind the bench tonight?

Props to the students sitting beside the band tonight - several new "techniques" to distract the shooter from WSSU shooting free throws that had us cracking up. My favorite was when half stood at the top of the relatively empty bleachers facing the court with the other half facing away from the court at the bottom of the bleachers. When the shooter was given the ball, they moved in unison towards and past each other towards the other end of the bleachers.

Native
11-02-2012, 01:01 AM
BTW, the group of (hopefully current?) students across from the bench were great, props if that was Native or any of our other residents. I laughed at "WHY, KEVIN, WHY?".

Yeah, that was us. Mostly us Line Monitors plus a few extras. Thanks!

tele
11-02-2012, 02:46 AM
I thought the team rebounded well, could have blocked out better, but missing 16 threes leads to some long rebounds that are tough to corral. Mason had ten, kelly eight, josh 6, amile amd murphy 5, take that most games, there were just a lot of missed shots, 90 rebounds total. Dont see that many very often.

Kelly also led the team again in assists, point forward again, and Mason was high scorer and rebounder, so except for Seth, getting what you'd like to see from your senior leaders early. But Curry did get to play which was great to see and seemed to be moving well, had a couple good drives to the hoop. Otherwise seemed to be a focus on D and some ragged offensive play. Hopefully the team will find some better rhythm on offensive as Curry gets back into the mix. Still two weeks or so before Marshall gets back , then will need to work him into things too.

Greg_Newton
11-02-2012, 03:12 AM
After digesting a little, I think the most interesting thing to follow in these first few games will be Amile at the 3.

It seemed that we made a concerted effort to put him on their primary ballhandlers tonight, and he was just suffocating; I'd say it had a lot to do with the impressive first-half performance. IF - big if - he's able to provide similar defense against ~ACC guards, it would give our defense a huge boost.

The issue is on offense. Amile has always been great in "chaos", crashing the boards and maneuvering around the rim, but he probably shouldn't be shooting or dribbling outside of 15-18 feet. Assuming good teams realize they can leave him alone out there, can we hide his perimeter deficiencies well enough to keep him on the floor at SF? A good motion offense that inverts him and Kelly as often as possible could help, and may be necessary anyway with Murphy struggling to hit shots.

If so, it would certainly present an intriguing set of possibilities.

Also, love this from the postgame (K on Amile): "When he comes in, the life meter goes up. He is more enthusiastic than the crowd."

Reilly
11-02-2012, 07:09 AM
1 for 17 from 3. Ouch.

If we had made just one more 3-pointer per game, we would've been 2 for 17.

Saratoga2
11-02-2012, 07:13 AM
We know that we should be about as good as last year. plus we have two talented frosh and two really good redshirt frosh. Fortunately, we have a week of practice before our next game. Then Kentucky, Mnnesota, and some other good teams. I wiil be amazed if we can come through that unbeaten, but Coach K always sems to pull the rabbit out of the hat in early season. We have to remember that the other teams are also trying to pull things together. Promises to be interesting.

I prefer to wait and see. We did lose our primary offensive threat in Austin Rivers and Andre at times was a great offensive presence. Miles is also gone and he provided strength inside and rebounding. Right now the team is looking for an offensive identity and the defense, while good is still not good at boxing out on the boards. Ryan has got to provide consistent offense, while Alex, Rasheed and Amile need to be solid offensively for this team to compete at the highest level and that is assuming that Seth can perform as well as he did last year.

OZZIE4DUKE
11-02-2012, 08:11 AM
Props to the students sitting beside the band tonight - several new "techniques" to distract the shooter from WSSU shooting free throws that had us cracking up. My favorite was when half stood at the top of the relatively empty bleachers facing the court with the other half facing away from the court at the bottom of the bleachers. When the shooter was given the ball, they moved in unison towards and past each other towards the other end of the bleachers.

Everyone liked that! It looked like a "Chinese fire drill"! As OzzieDaughter noted though, they won't be able to do that when the stands are full.

Kudos to the students for being there. The upstairs Crazies' attendance last night was pitiful - above the rail it was no more than 50% full, about 30% at tip-off. :mad:

uh_no
11-02-2012, 09:24 AM
Everyone liked that! It looked like a "Chinese fire drill"! As OzzieDaughter noted though, they won't be able to do that when the stands are full.

Kudos to the students for being there. The upstairs Crazies' attendance last night was pitiful - above the rail it was no more than 50% full, about 30% at tip-off. :mad:

To be fair, it wasn't that much more full during the last exhibition game, either. The athletic department needs to make a bigger push to get those tickets into the hands of people who want to go to the exhibition games (not the season tickets as a whole, just for those exhibition games).

there are plenty of people who want to go but can't.....so it's silly that we end up with such an empty stadium even for these preseason matchups

COYS
11-02-2012, 10:06 AM
Count me as one who was actually encouraged by this game more than the game against WWU. Whether it was the refs or WSSU's game plan, the game last night was destined to be an ugly, grind it out affair from the get go. Despite that, I actually thought our offense looked pretty solid. Quinn Cook was steady and stabilizing, save for his careless turnover on the very first possession of the game. He got the ball to Mason in the post when he could. He drove and kicked out to shooters when he could. He even had a few nifty scores for himself. Most importantly, he didn't try to force transition opportunities when they weren't there or rush things in the half court. He lost a lot of assists simply because no one was hitting from outside. He even lost an assist on an Amile Jefferson layup that somehow didn't go in.

The rest of the team was solid on offense, too. Ryan was off on everything, including a few layups that he missed plus his wayward three point shooting. However, he still got to the line and, as far as I remember, didn't take a bad shot. Rasheed was really impressive, in my opinion. No, he didn't have the numbers that he had in the first game, but he was constantly looking to attack, broke down the defense for a few layups, and made some great passes. Most of all, he never forced anything and looked experienced beyond his years. His only big mistakes were a few lazy passes around the perimeter that he could probably get away with in high school but were easily stolen last night. Mason was a beast and did just as you would expect against an opponent like WSSU. They collapsed down on him constantly and made it hard for him to get entry passes, but the team made an effort to get him the ball throughout the game and it paid off. He didn't show off any new moves, but he made his moves faster and more decisively than he has in the past, with his best being a nifty reverse layup that he converted after starting on the left block. We've seen him do this before from time to time, but it often developed too slowly. This year seems like it really will be the year of Mason. Amile continues to impress, save for a few missed layups. Greg Newton astutely noted that when Amile and Ryan are in the game together, they play inverted on offense and defense, with Amile moving to the block and Ryan drifting to the high post or the wing on offense while Amile guards the perimeter on defense. I love this look, personally. Amile has an ability to score in the post because of his length and his unconventional but effective array of push shots and flip shots. Ryan, as we all know, is a good three point shooter and a good passer who is probably more effective away from the post than in it. If Amile can continue his impressive performances as the opponents get tougher, the team leaps ahead in terms of its versatility.

The only negatives on offense besides the three point shooting were Alex and Seth. I give a pass to Seth as he was clearly shaking off some rust. Alex gets a pass, too, because he flashed his talent and his lack of experience, often in the same play. The most obvious example of this was the play where he made an impressive behind the back dribble to pass a defender at midcourt, only to try a second behind the back dribble soon thereafter, which left him a little out of control and led to a charge. The dribble moves and the speed at which he was travelling were impressive. However, he missed a wide-open teammate before making the second behind the back dribble and then tried to force the pass right as he slammed into a WSSU defender. When he starts playing a little bit more under control, I think he's going to wow us with his abilities. He might look a bit like Singler from the camera's vantage with his shaggy hair and the number 12 jersey, but he really is a different player. He's faster and more athletic, but he lacks the refined game of Singler and, from the looks of it, is far away from being Singler's equal as a shooter (Kyle's shooting slumps notwithstanding). When he puts it together, he's going to be a threat to slash to the basket and score almost at will. However, there are going to be growing pains as he figures it out.

Defensively, there was almost nothing not to love about the game. Quinn was very, very impressive guarding the point of attack, forcing two 5-second violations and otherwise stopping dribble penetration. He looked way, way faster in his lateral movements than last season. This bodes well, as WSSU had some good athletes on their team. Amile looked excellent guarding the point guard spot, as well, even though I still think he's better off the ball at this point than on it. The rest of the team was solid, too. Rasheed is very quick, but he also seems to be pretty strong for a freshman. From the looks of it, it seems that Seth is probably our worst defensive guard at this juncture, which I view as a good thing as despite the rep he has as a bad defender, he actually was pretty solid last year. An improved Quinn and a freshman Rasheed really add to our perimeter defense. Alex was solid, as well, and seemed willing to fight pretty hard in the post. He's quick but relies on tipping rebounds to himself with one hand a little too much rather than just going up and grabbing them. Amile does this, too. They both ended up losing rebounds that they probably should have gotten because of this. As someone else mentioned, the communication was also not always great on rebounding, as multiple Duke players converged on a rebound quite a few times, only to have it knocked back to WSSU by a teammate. The freshman also missed a few block-outs, but that's to be expected. I don't think the rebounding was bad because of an inability to rebound. It looked more like an experience issue. Finally, Tyler and Josh were both solid. I'd be lying, though, if I didn't think that if Marshall is rated as highly as K has indicated that Josh is going to have a real fight on his hands for minutes. Oh yeah, and Ryan actually had a few really good hedges, last night, after looking terrible hedging on ball screens last time out.

A few final notes
With Seth back in the lineup, albeit in limited minutes, we did see a little bit more of a three guard lineup. One had Tyler, Seth, and Rasheed. The other had Quinn, Seth and Rasheed. I think this combination can be effective at times, but I do think that the defense looked better when Amile or Alex was in at the three. The rebounding looked particularly poor when the three guards were paired with Josh and one of Mason or Ryan. Even against a relatively short WSSU team, we give up a lot of size and strength when we go 6'1, 6'1, 6'4, 6'7 at the 1-4 spots.

This point brings me to my last note. Despite the fact that I have vehemently disagreed with those who thought the staff would consider starting Rasheed ahead of Seth, I think Seth's injury and time off have made this a distinct possibility for our earliest games. Seth did not look anywhere near ready to play heavy minutes last night. Perhaps last night was just a warmup and he's now ready to go, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Rasheed stay in the starting lineup next week. There's also no doubt that the team will have to figure out things on offense again when Seth does come back. It is very possible that Quinn, Seth, and Rasheed are three of our five best players along with Mason and Ryan. Figuring out how to give them all playing time without hurting us on the defensive end is not going to be easy. If indeed Seth comes off the bench early in the year because of his time off due to injury and the team looks really good with Rasheed in the lineup, does the staff dare make that a permanent arrangement? I think it's premature to speculate on this right now, Seth might be starting next week, anyway. However, it is something we should keep our eye on, especially if the Quinn, Rasheed backcourt continues to show so well on the defensive end.

Kedsy
11-02-2012, 11:06 AM
Yes, and while people are focusing on the three point shooting, Duke also missed a bunch of layups and shots in the paint (shot under 40% from the field). I thought we were doing a good job attacking the rim but just not being strong on the finish. If Duke just finished layups and shots in the paint tonight we score over 80 even with the 1-17 from 3.

Well, we shot 51% from 2-point range tonight, which is exactly what we shot from 2-point last season. We shot 73% on layups (including our two dunk attempts). I have no stats for what percentage we usually shoot on layups, but you can't expect to make them all. To score 80 (without improving our 3-point percentage) we would have had to shoot 25 for 26 from layup range, and frankly I don't think that's realistic.

DukeHLM'13
11-02-2012, 11:14 AM
Yeah, that was us. Mostly us Line Monitors plus a few extras. Thanks!

Yeah, we had a lot of fun with it. But we're gonna be making sure to push harder for attendance at future games because we'd love some more students to share the fun with. We're hoping the low attendance was a freak combination of mid-terms/Halloween/weak opponent for an exhibition game.

sdotbarbee
11-02-2012, 11:14 AM
I was very encouraged by this game, I think K played around a lot with lineups just to test different things out which hampered us offensively. I was most impressed by Jefferson, he was very decisive with the ball and went up and scored. My biggest problem with our big men in the past 5-7 years has been them wanting to put the ball on the floor to get a better shot instead of just going up and scoring but Jefferson and Mase both did a great job of going up quickly and scoring. I can't say the same for Hairston, he always makes the play harder then it should be. Sheed was impressive too, he has a great first step and has a sweet little floater. Our D was nice too, Murph, Sheed, and Jefferson all had very good games defensively. Jefferson can guard just about anybody on the floor, defensively he reminds me of Lance Thomas in that he is up for the challenge to guard whoever.

Mike Corey
11-02-2012, 11:16 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYF0GM1B1Io&feature=share&list=UU9KCzNMmf0IRcEIsFDgt2bg

I love Amile's energy.

Jealous of all of you who got to see this game in person.

moonpie23
11-02-2012, 11:51 AM
practice all you want.......real time game play is what this team needs......



practice? we're talking about practice?

CDu
11-02-2012, 11:51 AM
So far, through 2 exhibition games (for whatever that's worth) the following seems to have appeared:
- Jefferson has been impressive. His energy, defensive effort, and craftiness in the post are very evident.
- Sulaimon has also been terrific in starting both games. I said last year that he reminds me of Nolan Smith, and nothing thus far has changed my mind about that. I think he's going to be very good for us.
- Murphy hasn't looked at all good on offense yet. He's still a bit out of control. I hope it's just nerves. Defensively, he's been solid though.
- Mason has looked very good, albeit against vastly inferior post comp. He's really working to that baby hook (with either hand), and has looked less awkward (not yet fluid, but definitely less awkward). And his free throw shooting has been MUCH better.
- Kelly has shown some passing acumen, especially in setting up Mason.
- The PG play hasn't been fabulous. Cook hasn't looked sharp with the ball in either game, committing 6 turnovers against WWU and 3 against WSSU (compared to 3 and 1 assists, respectively). Thornton appears similar to last year (pesky but foul-prone defensively; very limited offensively). Cook is going to need to play much better against real competition. Hopefully he steps up.
- Hairston has been solid off the bench (though again, it's against much less talented big men). In a 10-15 mpg role, I don't think he'll be a liability at all. And when Marshall returns, I doubt he'd be needed much more than that.
- Jefferson has played almost exclusively at the 3 spot, even last night with Curry back. He played 22 minutes to Murphy's 14 last night. That will be interesting to track moving forward. Will Jefferson continue to see major minutes at the 3? Might he even push for a starting spot?
- Last night, we introduced two new lineups: a big lineup (with Murphy at the 2 and Jefferson at the 3) and a small lineup (Curry at the 2 and Sulaimon at the 3). I don't know how often we'll see that big lineup (it leaves us VERY short-handed on perimeter shooting and ballhandling), but it was interesting.
- The team definitely made a more concerted effort to get the ball inside to Mason. Especially with some high-low passes from Kelly and Hairston.

It's too early to tell whether we're a better team this year than last year. But we're definitely a different team. Hopefully Cook and Murphy get better as the season progresses (and Sulaimon and Jefferson continue to be very productive as well). If those guys improve, we've really got something.

NM Duke Fan
11-02-2012, 12:22 PM
Overall I like what I see, there will be plenty of growing pains, but so what, it was just about inevitable! What strikes me the most so far about the season is the play of Jefferson. He is better than I expected at this stage, and if anything I think he was an under-rated recruit. Why? Because of all the little things that may not always show up in the stats, and because his versatility, energy, enthusiasm, and hustle creates a synergy on the floor when he is in the game. He also is not as thin as I expected, and he has a deceptive wiry strength that is going to serve him well.

As Cook and Murphy gain more comfort with their offensive games in due time, and as Seth more fully recovers and knocks off some rust, this team definitely has the potential to be a very good to excellent team, and a fun team to watch!

gwlaw99
11-02-2012, 01:06 PM
After digesting a little, I think the most interesting thing to follow in these first few games will be Amile at the 3.

It seemed that we made a concerted effort to put him on their primary ballhandlers tonight, and he was just suffocating; I'd say it had a lot to do with the impressive first-half performance. IF - big if - he's able to provide similar defense against ~ACC guards, it would give our defense a huge boost.

The issue is on offense. Amile has always been great in "chaos", crashing the boards and maneuvering around the rim, but he probably shouldn't be shooting or dribbling outside of 15-18 feet. Assuming good teams realize they can leave him alone out there, can we hide his perimeter deficiencies well enough to keep him on the floor at SF? A good motion offense that inverts him and Kelly as often as possible could help, and may be necessary anyway with Murphy struggling to hit shots.

If so, it would certainly present an intriguing set of possibilities.

Also, love this from the postgame (K on Amile): "When he comes in, the life meter goes up. He is more enthusiastic than the crowd."

I think he should start based on his performance the last two games. On offense, I would just post him up against other team's small forwards. Ryan can bring the other team's power forward out to the perimeter.

Dev11
11-02-2012, 01:37 PM
Echo: Amile Jefferson has been more impressive than I expected. I anticipated him playing a last-option role in the post (5th big behind Mason, Ryan, Josh, and Marshall), and meanwhile he has demonstrated some ferocious energy at the 3. I though his having to play SF in practice and guard Alex Murphy wasn't going to help either player a ton, but he seems like more of a perimeter play than I thought. However, if Jefferson is going to log 15-20 per game at the 3, that means potentially fewer minutes for Alex/Seth/Rasheed, who all of a sudden have only 60 minutes to split instead of what I thought would be more like 70-75. Interesting scenario.

Can you imagine what kind of roster debates we would be having if Andre was out there? Oh wait, we hopefully bring him back next year and add Matt Jones. Wow.

mo.st.dukie
11-02-2012, 01:51 PM
Well, we shot 51% from 2-point range tonight, which is exactly what we shot from 2-point last season. We shot 73% on layups (including our two dunk attempts).

Fair enough, I was going more based on what I saw and what Coach K said in the post game press conference, that we left a lot of points on the floor by not being as efficient with shots around the rim as we could've been. And while 51% is a good 2 point percentage it's not unrealistic for that number to be higher, even in normal games against good competition, sometimes teams can shoot close to 60% if they are getting a lot of high percentage shots and actually putting the ball through the hoop on those shots. Just because last year's team shot 51% from 2 for the entire season doesn't have anything to do with the fact that this team could've shot much better from 2 in last night's game (this team may not shoot better than 51% from 2 on the year but could have last night).

And 73% is also good on layups, not sure where you got that statistic but it kind of depends on what one considers a layup and what gets counted as a layup in the stat sheet. To me a five foot jumpshot/runner/floater or a hook shot from 3 feet or a quick jumpshot in the paint (without getting all the way to the rim) is a "shot around the basket" and can be converted at just as high of a rate as what we traditionally think of as a layup or dunk. Basically I'm just echoing what Coach K said, that Duke could've been more efficient with shots around the rim and left a lot of points on the floor because of that, perhaps I was overestimating what our final score could've been.

Kedsy
11-02-2012, 02:06 PM
And 73% is also good on layups, not sure where you got that statistic but it kind of depends on what one considers a layup and what gets counted as a layup in the stat sheet.

I got it from the play-by-play in the official box score. I counted everything called a layup or a dunk.

mo.st.dukie
11-02-2012, 02:13 PM
I got it from the play-by-play in the official box score. I counted everything called a layup or a dunk.

Ok, and that all depends on what the person keeping the play-by-play considers a layup or what they are told to count as a layup.

Kedsy
11-02-2012, 02:18 PM
And while 51% is a good 2 point percentage it's not unrealistic for that number to be higher, even in normal games against good competition, sometimes teams can shoot close to 60% if they are getting a lot of high percentage shots and actually putting the ball through the hoop on those shots.

Duke 2-point shooting percentage, last 10 seasons:



Year %
---- ----
2012 51.0
2011 52.4
2010 46.7
2009 49.6
2008 51.7
2007 50.6
2006 54.1
2005 48.9
2004 52.5
2003 49.9


Obviously the above were compiled against strong Division I schedules, and last night's performance was one game against a Division II foe, but 60% for any reasonable length of time would be extraordinary.

mo.st.dukie
11-02-2012, 02:28 PM
Duke 2-point shooting percentage, last 10 seasons:



Year %
---- ----
2012 51.0
2011 52.4
2010 46.7
2009 49.6
2008 51.7
2007 50.6
2006 54.1
2005 48.9
2004 52.5
2003 49.9


Obviously the above were compiled against strong Division I schedules, and last night's performance was one game against a Division II foe, but 60% for any reasonable length of time would be extraordinary.

I know, that's why I said they probably won't shoot over 51% for the season but could've been more efficient last night. I specifically said it's not unrealistic to shoot close to 60% in a single game. You are absolutely right that it's tough to do that for a long stretch of time. And you forgot "TIP INS" on your analysis of the play by play. I looked and found two missed "TIP INS" by Alex early on in the game, I would think a tip in would be pretty close to the basket. (can't always rely on stat keepers to gain an accurate description of what happened in a game, it can give good info but doesn't always tell the whole story)

Lar77
11-02-2012, 03:10 PM
Several comments so far about lack of communication and I have to agree. WSSU's rebounds came a lot on long bounces or our guys fighting over the ball. Mason had a good game; his FT motion is much better this year. I still don't see us running plays for him like I thought we would, especially off perimeter picks. Seth needs to continue to heal - Coach K said afterwards that they want to see how he does overnight. Ryan's shot was off (he even missed an easy layup), but he does so much else to get us to the win. Freshmen (can we use that term?) looked very good. Like their defensive intensity.

For an exhibition game, the team looked OK. We've got two weeks before Kentucky

Luther
11-02-2012, 03:56 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYF0GM1B1Io&feature=share&list=UU9KCzNMmf0IRcEIsFDgt2bg

I love Amile's energy.

Jealous of all of you who got to see this game in person.

I love Amile's intensity!!!!

wk2109
11-02-2012, 04:39 PM
I love Amile's intensity!!!!

I love his intensity and I love his ability to finish around the rim. The only guy I remember who was able to finish this consistently, from awkward angles or with unconventional maneuvers, was Kyle. Amile missed one chippy where Mason got a put-back dunk, but I think he was able to finish every other chance he got near the rim. He just has a knack for putting the ball in the bucket.

I really like the inside-outside swapping between Ryan and Amile on defense and offense. The commentators were talking about what an obvious difference the length on the defensive perimeter has already made -- Amile and Rasheed have great defensive stances and Quinn looks vastly improved defensively so far. I think it's a good thing if the offense is catching up with the defense and not the other way around.

gwlaw99
11-02-2012, 05:43 PM
I love Amile's intensity!!!!

Amile says he gained 16 lbs working out at Duke the last four months and is now 208. That is probably helping a lot.

"Four months later, Jefferson has already filled out noticeably. “I’ve definitely put on a fair amount of weight,” he said. “I came here at 192, and I’m weighing in every day at about 208. That’s pretty good."

http://duke.scout.com/2/1236034.html

Cameron
11-02-2012, 06:41 PM
When Quinn was at the wheel against Western Washington and Winston-Salem, was there a noticeable difference in pace from last year? Did he seem determined, situation permitting, to push the ball up the floor in an attempt to create points on the break? There were flashes of this type of play from Cook last year, but he was obviously limited in what he could do. He already exhibits excellent vision of the court, so if he can eventually perfect the art of operating in transition, I think we’ll be an even better team.

This team has a lot of athletes and speed, especially on the wings, and, I think, a better arsenal of outside shooters than it might be getting credit for. (One bad night from the field does not concern me.) We've averaged roughly 78 points-a-game each season since 2008-09 (with the exception being 2010-11, when we averaged more than 80 for the season and nearly 90 during the first eight games of the year when Kyrie was still in the lineup). So it's probably not unreasonable to expect a similar tempo of about 78 points per game again this year. But, when the personnel has been right, and despite what popular opinion would have you believe, K has proven to be a very effective "guru of go (with a caveat):" willing to push the ball and score and shoot in high volume when the game dictates such a pace, but also cognizant of remembering to play defense and not losing one's mind. Think Paul Westhead on muscle relaxants. In the late '90s and early '00s, we put 90 a game on the board with regularity. We also had more talent than NBA Live '95. So take that observation as you will.

Haven't really heard K elaborate on the speed he expects to play this year. In year's past, namely in 2008 (when K incorporated some of the "7 Seconds or Less" offense created by Mike D'Antoni) and 2011, he has made a note to mention if we are going to get out and run more than usual. Thoughts?

NM Duke Fan
11-02-2012, 07:18 PM
Amile says he gained 16 lbs working out at Duke the last four months and is now 208. That is probably helping a lot.

"Four months later, Jefferson has already filled out noticeably. “I’ve definitely put on a fair amount of weight,” he said. “I came here at 192, and I’m weighing in every day at about 208. That’s pretty good."

http://duke.scout.com/2/1236034.html

Thanks for posting that, I thought he looked substantially heavier and stronger than 192! This is a big accomplishment and will really help him this season. Wow, is he ever getting off to a great start in just about every way. Several opined a few weeks ago that he was unlikely to get much playing time, and now some are suggesting he might start over Murphy. In any case, the team is deeper thanks to his rapid development and when Marshall returns we are likely looking at a very solid 8 man rotation where the drop off in talent is close to nil, with two others playing important back up roles as well.

Luther
11-02-2012, 07:40 PM
I love his intensity and I love his ability to finish around the rim. The only guy I remember who was able to finish this consistently, from awkward angles or with unconventional maneuvers, was Kyle. Amile missed one chippy where Mason got a put-back dunk, but I think he was able to finish every other chance he got near the rim. He just has a knack for putting the ball in the bucket.

I really like the inside-outside swapping between Ryan and Amile on defense and offense. The commentators were talking about what an obvious difference the length on the defensive perimeter has already made -- Amile and Rasheed have great defensive stances and Quinn looks vastly improved defensively so far. I think it's a good thing if the offense is catching up with the defense and not the other way around.

I believe he is just what the doctor ordered. My god we were losing to Lehigh in the first round last year and it seem like no one cared. Lets go Amile!

Newton_14
11-02-2012, 09:45 PM
So, we shoot 1-17 from three points, but score inside, play good defense, and beat a fairly talented, physical, motivated team by 24 points with our 2 freshmen playing well?

Sounds good to me.


Absolutely. I think you have to be very encouraged after watching this game. When we the last time we held anyone to 13 points in the first half?

We know we're going to be able to score at shoot threes as least as well as last year, and the team spent all week on defense, so the points we left on the table don't worry me very much. Plus, it was a very low-possession game for an exhibition. The only things that bothered me were the lack of defense rebounding - we're not boxing out well, we're not getting as much from our big perimeter as I expected, and we miss Miles - and post defense. But it's hard to complain about much when the other team is in single digits at the under-8 TV timeout.

We used Amile as a guard-defender tonight, and he was incredible. Looked like our best perimeter defender to me - never got beat off the dribble and was very disruptive all around. I'm not sure how he'll fare on the block against bigger players this year, and I'm not sure if we'll be able to keep him at the 3 once teams realize they can leave him open on the perimeter, but he's making himself hard to keep off the court.

Agree with both of you. Loved what I saw last night on the court. Off the court was the problem. I have not seen a crowd that small in CIS since I was a teenager in the early K years. The upper bowl was maybe 60% full and that is a stretch. Could have fit all of the grad students on one end, and student section was full of folks who belong upstairs. Very strange. Felt bad for our visitors because they got jipped out of the true Cameron experience. I believe folks are sleeping on a team that is going to be very good in the end.

This looked like a throwback Duke team last night. It's November and the defense is well ahead of the offense. Check. Held opponent to 13 1st Half points. Check. Good aggressive defense such that the opponent struggled to even get into their offense. Check. Only thing missing was the full court press with Amile at the point of the spear (I guarantee that is coming soon to a theater near you. :) ).

The perimeter defense is worlds better than last year already. Quinn was harassing the PG, Rasheed and Murphy defended the wings really well, as did Amile. The new Tyler was a better version of last year at wreaking havoc. Seeing Tyler up close in person you can see how much better shape he is in now. All of the pudginess is gone, and he is quicker. Interior defense was good and active with Mason, Ryan, Murphy, Amile, and Josh all pitching in. Josh had some really good moments on defense. The one negative was rebounding. The wings were aggressive with crashing but just did not have the results. Mason has his normal strong rebounding game, and Josh pulled down 5. I expect they will improve rebounding as we move forward.

On offense, Mason was great, and just needed more touches. Rasheed and Amile had good nighs scoring inside. I have a new nickname for Amile. I am calling him "The Finisher", because that is what he does like a madman. Any time Amile gets his hands on the ball in the paint, he finds a way to score the ball. Left hand, right hand, it doesn't matter. He just finds a way. I love this kid already. He also brings a lot of energy. Several times after he made a play he was pumping his teammates up and begging the crowd to make noise (all 20 of us :) )


We left a lot of points on the table missing easy shots, especially Ryan. The jump shots were not falling, with most being good looks. In Seth's case is was rust, and the fact he is not in game shape. He was laboring out there. Good news is, I thought he moved well, which hopefully means the injury is healing. Coach K said after the game they were anxious to see how the leg responds to playing 17 minutes.

I really like the offensive scheme's they are running. Very different from the past couple of years. Once Seth gets healthy, scoring will open up. Murphy and Quinn were both tentative on offense last night. K was encouraging Quinn to shoot the ball on a couple of occasions.

They did look to run at every opportunity as well, with Mason sprinting down the floor unlike I have ever seen in his first 3 years. With Quinn, Rasheed, Mason, Murphy, and Amile, I think we can be a good fast breaking team before all is said and done. I am anxious to see the next game after a week of preparation.

Finally, I saved the best for last. Andre sat behind the bench and was cheering adamantly for the team, often standing up and hollering encouragement. He did not go in the locker room at halftime, but he looked relaxed, and appeared to have a good time. Very good to see.

Biscuitboy
11-02-2012, 09:56 PM
I believe he is just what the doctor ordered. My god we were losing to Lehigh in the first round last year and it seem like no one cared. Lets go Amile!

I'm super excited that college basketball is back. Can't wait for the Kentucky game.

I did not see the game and I'm relying on board impressions to form my perspective.

I think the two key areas for Duke to be successful this year are point guard production and low post presence on both sides of the ball. Duke has a very experienced team. Kelly and Mason as a front court tandem must dominate.They are seniors who have seen a lot of court time. As was evidenced in the Winston Salem game, we miss Miles' vigor defensively and on the boards. Given their stature talent-wise and experience, Kelly and Mason should clean up down low. Their cumulative experience and size must translate into owning the paint. Period.

I am encouraged by Amile Jefferson's energy and moxie as a longish small forward.

Alex Murphy is a big question mark. Kyle Singler contributied and helped define the teams he played on from day one. Murphy's contribution will be interesting. I'm not sold on Mason and Ryan dominating in the paint. They will need support. Murphy appears to be a natural supporting cast member to ensuring that Duke dominates around the basket defensively. Is he hungry, fearless, and physical enough to do so? I hope we see Murphy develop that warrior mentality that Kyle displayed so well. Banging and pushing and stretching his skill set to do whatever is necessary to win.

Coach K was a point guard for Bob Knight. Duke teams have been defined by their guard play. We have a lot of talent and depth at those spots. This team doesn't have a Johnny Dawkins who excelled on both sides of the ball. Our athleticism at the guard spot has been limited in recent years. Sheed is probably the most physically gifted guard that Duke has had in some time. Perhaps with the exception of Nolan Smith, who took two years to develop into an elite college guard. Quinn Cook's degree of success as a traditional college point guard will go a long way to determining how successful we are this year. He's fortunate to have a big like Ryan Kelly to help get the ball in the right player's hands at the right time. But it's still his show. And on both sides of the ball. Ball penetration on defense will be an essential window to our success as a team.

Seth Curry is a question mark as far as I am concerned. He's a scorer. If he can knock down outside shots and penetrate and score or dish to Mason, then I say job done. His numbers tell us he will deliver in those categories.

Sheed is a bit of a wild card in a good way. In the past we have had gifted off guards who did a little bit of everything (G Hill, Thomas Smith, Brian Davis, Dockery, Demarcus Nelson etc). We need guards who can mix it up and claim some offensive rebounds. Offensive rebounding from the guard spot can be a place that Sheed can excel and score some points. There's few things more demoralizing than second or third chance points where our opponent cannot get a defensive stop.

Duke has lacked a killer instinct for some time. I want that mentality. We are extremely gifted with an embarrassment of riches. Leadership on the floor is going to be huge. I hope it's Quinn foremost and secondly Mason through his sheer dominance and efficacy as a low post scorer. There should be very few teams who can stop him. I think Mason is a whole lot more talented than Tyler Zeller. If he can put up Zeller-type numbers, especially in terms of efficiency, we will win often.

Go Duke!

wk2109
11-03-2012, 12:12 AM
Alex Murphy is a big question mark. Kyle Singler contributied and helped define the teams he played on from day one. Murphy's contribution will be interesting. I'm not sold on Mason and Ryan dominating in the paint. They will need support. Murphy appears to be a natural supporting cast member to ensuring that Duke dominates around the basket defensively. Is he hungry, fearless, and physical enough to do so? I hope we see Murphy develop that warrior mentality that Kyle displayed so well. Banging and pushing and stretching his skill set to do whatever is necessary to win.



I agree that Alex is a question mark offensively, but I've really liked his aggressive play in all other aspects of the game, particularly on the glass. He's pulled down some tough rebounds and he's been strong on defense. I think he's capable of making the intangible plays like Kyle did.

I've also noticed that while he comes off as a pretty mellow guy in the dukeblueplanet videos, he seems like he has a mean streak on the court (did he stare down a WSS player after his breakaway dunk or was I just seeing things?).

Steven43
11-03-2012, 12:32 AM
I believe he is just what the doctor ordered. My god we were losing to Lehigh in the first round last year and it seem like no one cared. Lets go Amile!

I still haven't gotten over what happened against Lehigh. I have NEVER seen a Duke team coached by Mike K. show such indifference toward losing a game. And this just happened to be a nationally-televised NCAA tournament game, no less. It really did look as if the players were no longer responding to Coach's insistence on giving every last ounce of strength and effort for the betterment of the team and the Duke Way. I'm completely at a loss to understand what in the heck went on that night. If someone has any insight please offer it here.

Cameron
11-03-2012, 12:47 AM
I still haven't gotten over what happened against Lehigh. I have NEVER seen a Duke team coached by Mike K. show such indifference toward losing a game. And this just happened to be a nationally-televised NCAA tournament game, no less. It really did look as if the players were no longer responding to Coach's insistence on giving every last ounce of strength and effort for the betterment of the team and the Duke Way. I'm completely at a loss to understand what in the heck went on that night. If someone has any insight please offer it here.

I think the answer to that is quite simple. By the mid part of February, we had zero chemistry. Whatever cohesiveness we had as a team unit in Hawaii had completely vanished during the latter part of the year. No matter what anyone here says, it was plainly obvious that there were players on that team that did not get along or that did not care for each other. To argue that point, IMO, is to not have been watching closely or to be wearing royal blue sunglasses. For the Duke coaching staff to even admit that we had a serious chemistry problem should be very telling of the mess our team was in last year. Like you, I also have never been more disgusted by the lack of team effort than I was during that game against Lehigh.

All I can say is thank you Jesus the March from hell is over.

NM Duke Fan
11-03-2012, 12:16 PM
I think the answer to that is quite simple. By the mid part of February, we had zero chemistry. Whatever cohesiveness we had as a team unit in Hawaii had completely vanished during the latter part of the year. No matter what anyone here says, it was plainly obvious that there were players on that team that did not get along or that did not care for each other. To argue that point, IMO, is to not have been watching closely or to be wearing royal blue sunglasses. For the Duke coaching staff to even admit that we had a serious chemistry problem should be very telling of the mess our team was in last year. Like you, I also have never been more disgusted by the lack of team effort than I was during that game against Lehigh.

All I can say is thank you Jesus the March from hell is over.

That was some of the worst chemistry I have ever seen at Duke.

Another thing that strikes me about Amile is that he seems to be one of those players that is a glue guy, and also creates chemistry through his enthusiasm and energy. He might be a key enzyme that was missing last year, enabling the production of a more intense chemical reaction. Last year's team had potential energy that rarely was released, instead the sum was at times less than the parts would have indicated. Any of us who have played the game quite a bit have memories of just one additional player that changed the whole chemistry of a team.

Rasheed also looks to be a chemist in his own special way.

slower
11-03-2012, 12:40 PM
I think Mason is a whole lot more talented than Tyler Zeller.

You're gonna get some disagreement there, friend.

Cameron
11-03-2012, 12:53 PM
That was some of the worst chemistry I have ever seen at Duke.

Another thing that strikes me about Amile is that he seems to be one of those players that is a glue guy, and also creates chemistry through his enthusiasm and energy. He might be a key enzyme that was missing last year, enabling the production of a more intense chemical reaction. Last year's team had potential energy that rarely was released, instead the sum was at times less than the parts would have indicated. Any of us who have played the game quite a bit have memories of just one additional player that changed the whole chemistry of a team.

Great post and observation. Watching Amile play -- for me that's been solely via highlights at this point -- is like taking a shot of Red Bull and chasing it down with Red Bull. And if I feel that kind of energy boost at home while watching the kid play on TV, then what effect do you think that spiritedness and unbridled enthusiasm has on Amile's teammates who are on the same court going to battle with him? It's really a great thing and, as you point out, might be just the component last year's team was sorely lacking. Tyler is no doubt a spark plug, but Amile also has the raw athletic and physical gifts to go with it. He can be a major force for us this year in tenacity alone.


Rasheed also looks to be a chemist in his own special way.

He's not cooking our team synthetic drugs in the locker room, is he? :D

In all seriousness, I totally agree. This whole team just has a completely different attitude about it. Hopefully, when Seth returns to full speed, he will serve as a catalyst to get our outside game going and we'll take off for Atlanta full speed ahead.

Luther
11-03-2012, 07:41 PM
That was some of the worst chemistry I have ever seen at Duke.

Another thing that strikes me about Amile is that he seems to be one of those players that is a glue guy, and also creates chemistry through his enthusiasm and energy. He might be a key enzyme that was missing last year, enabling the production of a more intense chemical reaction. Last year's team had potential energy that rarely was released, instead the sum was at times less than the parts would have indicated. Any of us who have played the game quite a bit have memories of just one additional player that changed the whole chemistry of a team.

Rasheed also looks to be a chemist in his own special way.

I have read that Marshal has a nasty side and he seems to be a glue guy as well. I can wait To see what he has to offer.

Cameron
11-03-2012, 08:22 PM
So, has Coach K made any mention this year about the type of pace at which he expects or would like our team to play? I find this to be a very intriguing question.

Newton_14 confirmed that we did look to run at every opportunity against Winston-Salem, so I will take that as a positive sign moving forward. I think this team is equipped to play an uptempo brand of basketball with all of the speed and athletic wings we have on the roster. If Quinn is up for the job and our defensive pressure on the perimeter improves as much as I think it can with the presence of Rasheed and Alex (and perhaps even Amile, who sounds as if he will be versatile enough to guard multiple positions), we should be able to create a lot of transition opportunities and put some serious points on the board this year.

MCFinARL
11-03-2012, 08:42 PM
Finally, I saved the best for last. Andre sat behind the bench and was cheering adamantly for the team, often standing up and hollering encouragement. He did not go in the locker room at halftime, but he looked relaxed, and appeared to have a good time. Very good to see.

Very glad to hear this. Thanks for reporting it.