MBB: Duke 81, Drury 65 (Exhibition) Post-game Thread

[conmanlhughes]

final score 81-65 duke wins

[Kedsy]

He got 7 of those in about a 6 minute span

13 points and 16 boards for Amile, but possibly more impressive is 4 assists and zero turnovers.

[duke4ever19]

Wow. So Rasheed never made it into the game.

[Duvall]

Why must you ruin every argument with these "facts" of yours? That's not what the internet was designed for!

You can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true!

[jv001]

Wow. So Rasheed never made it into the game.

I hope the first question asked of Coach K is was Rasheed injured? If not, the media person might get a snarky answer, lol. GoDuke!

[NashvilleDevil]

Wow. So Rasheed never made it into the game.

Came out that he's been sick last few days

[jv001]

Came out that he's been sick last few days

Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee tell me not a foot injury. GoDuke!

[duke4ever19]

Came out that he's been sick last few days

Ok, good. Not good that he's under the weather, but good that he's not in the doghouse.

[NashvilleDevil]

Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee tell me not a foot injury. GoDuke!

Sick not injured

[jv001]

Sick not injured

Thanks, I still think Rasheed will be a valuable player for the Blue Devils this year. GoDuke!

[Ggallagher]

13 points and 16 boards for Amile, but possibly more impressive is 4 assists and zero turnovers.

As Amile's numbers started piling up, I started watching what he was doing more closely in the game. Seems like he's getting really good at putting himself in the right place at the right time - whether it's on offense or defense.
Just nice, smart basketball and very nice to see.

[Duvall]

K: Sulaimon "not up to par, health-wise," hasn't been practicing fully.

[sagegrouse]

Drury is a skilled team without D-1 size. You compete as hard as you can for as long as you can, but height and weight eventually wear you down -- especially when the other team is also highly skilled. -- sage

[mo.st.dukie]

Drury is a skilled team without D-1 size. You compete as hard as you can for as long as you can, but height and weight eventually wear you down -- especially when the other team is also highly skilled. -- sage

Yep, not good when you consider that many teams we are going to face will have more height and weight than we do and be equally skilled as we are (if not moreso).

[Tappan Zee Devil]

Yep, not good when you consider that many teams we are going to face will have more height and weight than we do and be equally skilled as we are (if not moreso).

It's over.

Book your NIT tickets :)

[Indoor66]

I hope that is the best free throw defense we see all year!

[JPtheGame]

I live 10 mins from desoto texas and watched matt jones maybe 20 times between his junior and senior years. Watching him these first two exhibition games, I am convinced that committing early has been great for this kid. His junior year he was a shooter ONLY. A great shooter but just a shooter. Once he committed, he started playing at the point more, driving more, and making a concerted effort on defense. When he played against Jabari his senior year, he dominated the ball and basically carried desoto as simeon could not keep jones out of the lane. Weighing your options may have its advantages but if you commit early, the DUKE coaches can start actually coaching you sooner ( even its just by phone) and that only aids a young players development. Im serious though, Jones has become a completely different player in just 18 months and I think a huge reason why is his early commitment.

[dukelifer]

Yep, not good when you consider that many teams we are going to face will have more height and weight than we do and be equally skilled as we are (if not moreso).

My main concern about this team is chemistry. A lot of new faces in key roles, a new up-tempo style and the defense needs to adjust to the new rules. Duke is likely to struggle at times- but hopefully can find a way to win most games in the next few months. I expect it will take a while before this team is clicking. Expect some ugly games where the other teams have their moments.

[johnb]

Yep, not good when you consider that many teams we are going to face will have more height and weight than we do and be equally skilled as we are (if not moreso).

Are we scheduled to play the Heat?

[OldPhiKap]

Are we scheduled to play the Heat?

No. Spain.

[NYBri]

Sheed is needed in the rotation. Good to see Semi and Alex on the floor, tho.

Next one counts.

[jipops]

13 points and 16 boards for Amile, but possibly more impressive is 4 assists and zero turnovers.

And 8 of the 16 were offensive. Granted this was a small team, but these were largely traffic boards.

[Cameron]

So, things are not looking good for Andre. Six points is one thing. Six minutes is another. Haven't heard anything about sickness or injury being a factor, which makes his combined 15 minutes in two exhibition games somewhat concerning to me. Though, with Matt Jones' arrival this year, it is something that I feared heading into the season. They are the two best shooters on the roster, with one major difference being that Matt also brings another dimension defensively.

Makes me sad, but maybe things will pick up for the kid. He is one of my all-time favorites.

[Newton_14]

Went to the game today and fortunately had really good seats, so great view. Crowd was very sparse including the student section which was about 60% full or so until about 4 minutes from tip when the ushers moved about 50 people from the endzone corner nearest the Duke bench, and brought them around to help fill up Section 17. Upper Bowl was maybe 70% full and that is being generous. On to the game.

I was having Lehigh nightmares for a long time there. I texted Kedsy with about 4 minutes left in the half to tell him that we were pretty much horrible in all phases of the game. Agree with the person upstream who stated the chemistry is not there yet. It clearly is not. Now to be crystal clear, I am not talking about guys not liking each other, or being selfish or anything of that nature. It is 100% about learning to play together on both sides of the ball, and establishing both an offensive and defensive identify.

I will start with the bad, and finish with the good, since that is how the game played out. We were really bad as a team the entire first half. Drury is a well disciplined, well coached team, and it is easy to see how they won their National Championship last year. Their ball movement and screening was ridiculously good the entire first half, and we simply could not defend them well. K tried every combination of players possible without Rasheed and none were good. Drury got pretty much any shot they wanted inside or out, and killed us on the offensive boards when they missed. Our interior defense was pretty bad, and guys were getting lost amidst all the ball movement and screening time and time again. The team defense on the whole there was just bad, and communication was poor. The perimeter defense and full court pressing was not bad, but they just weren't forcing a lot of turnovers, or disrupting Drury very much. Pressing full court and sticking with your man step for step looks pretty an all, but if you aren't turning them over or being disruptive, then all you are really doing is wasting a lot of energy which in turn hurts your offense.

On offense, we were kind of passing it around a lot, not attacking very much, and settling for jumpers or awkward shots around the glass. Hood was the lone guy who was effective in that first half on offense, along with Murphy, but Murphy only got one 4 minute run in the first half and then sat, I assume because K did not like his defense. I would have stuck with Murphy since no one else was playing great D either, but that's just me. End result of all that was 38-34 Drury at the half. We had been down 6, then cut it to 2, but Drury scored on a putback at the buzzer to take it back to 4. K was livid. They came out so late from halftime they only had 1 minute to warm up.

That sums up the bad.

In the second half, the defense was much better, as was the offense and it started with Rodney Hood. In the first couple of minutes he ripped a rebound out of a kid's hand, got pissed at the kid, giving him a dirty look and a couple of words. He then hit a 3 on the other end and turned an saluted his teammates as Drury called time out. Anyone questioning Hood's fire and passion, stop now. He has it. I think those two plays went a long way in energizing his teammates and getting them out of the funk. Great Captain work there. From there the offense started flowing better and Hood started imposing his will. He is flatout unstoppable in the paint, with a deadly "rise and shoot over the D from 4 to 6 to 8 feet. Get prepared to see one move with two positive outcomes as we start the season. Hood catching it out top, making a move, driving to the middle of the paint. Option 1: He shoots and makes the short jumper at a very high percentage. Option 2: He rises to shoot but the defense collapses on him and he dumps the pass to Amile or Jabari right under the basket for an easy dunk or layup. Very effective. I looked up at the clock with about 14 minutes left and Hood had 19 points and 9 boards already. He is a great playmaker who can create his own shot or dump to a teammate really really well. Amile also had a huge second half on the boards and scoring in a variety of ways in the paint. Jabari had his first off game but picked it up in the 2nd half and finished strong. Those 3, plus Quinn, look to be our top 4 scorers, with others chipping in. Have not seen the box score but believe Quinn had 11 and Matt had 9. Tyler played well, as did Josh. Andre did not play enough to get into any sort of rythym which was disappointing, but I am afraid I am going to be disappointed there all year. Things look totally different now than they did at the open practice.

With that, unless something changes or injuries happen, the Top 8 are Guards/Wings (Quinn, Rasheed, Tyler, Matt) and Forwards (Hood, Jabari, Amile, Josh). Murphy is next as of right now, then Andre, then Semi. Those 3 are getting spot minutes in both halves. MP3 is currently low man on the totem pole. Semi actually got quite a few minutes in the first half today as K was not pleased with the play of Amile or Jabari, but then played much less in the 2nd half. For those not in the Top 8, it appears to be team defense that is keeping them on the pine, as none of them looked what I would describe as bad on offense. Murphy as I said earlier, actually gave us a little spark in the first half on offense, but never came back in during the first half after that first 4 minute run early. Murphy got most if not all of his minutes at the 4 spot today, Andre played the 3 in the first half and the 2 in the second half.

We are not a great team as of right now and K said as much in the post game. Folks are going to need to be patient as K gels them into an effective team, and like I said last week, this is clearly a team that will play its better basketball later in the season vs last year where the guys played great coming out of the gate. Just way too many new faces playing together for the first time. Might mean we drop 3 or 4 games early on, but become a much stronger team late when they figure it out and come together. The talent is there, but there is much work to do, especially on defense.

[duke4ever19]

We are not a great team as of right now and K said as much in the post game. Folks are going to need to be patient as K gels them into an effective team, and like I said last week, this is clearly a team that will play its better basketball later in the season vs last year where the guys played great coming out of the gate.

I agree. We usually have a rather noticeable advantage early in the season due to the remarkable job Coach K does in getting individual players to play as a team. There will be more growing pains with this years exciting edition of the Duke men's basketball team.

[throatybeard]

Bob Barker went to that school. How about that?

[Dukeblue91]

Went to the game today and fortunately had really good seats, so great view. Crowd was very sparse including the student section which was about 60% full or so until about 4 minutes from tip when the ushers moved about 50 people from the endzone corner nearest the Duke bench, and brought them around to help fill up Section 17. Upper Bowl was maybe 70% full and that is being generous. /Snip

Newton_14

Thank you for the nice summary of the game, you did a great job giving the lows and highlights of the game.
I had to work today and could not catch it.
I have to say that Amile is fast becoming one of my favorite players of all time,
he impressed me last year quite a bit and looks to have really build upon his skills over the summer.

[devildeac]

Bob Barker went to that school. How about that?

Musta been the right price;).

[Dukehky]

I agree that our peak this year is going to be substantially further down the road. I feel like we peaked really early in the year the past few years, injuries were a significant part of that though. (I may just be thinking about 2012 for the most part with that early peak comment).

I see so much potential on this team and with such, I have high expectations for the whole year, but have realized that as a fan base we need to be patient and allow K to do his work to put a team on the floor that is peaking in March for a trip to the final four.

I've been quick to put Rasheed on the bench to start the games. I wanted Dawkins to start and play great, and that is, right now, unrealistic. I'm back on the Rasheed bandwagon. I still think that he could be used most effectively as the primary option coming off the bench and Matt has shown early that his defense is good enough to be an effective starter. Rasheed finishing games and playing starters' minutes. But whatever works, go for it. I started in high school over a Jamaal Crawford type guy who was WWWWWAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY better than me and just carried the second unit while the starters rested, so I've seen that scenario work out and am probably a little biased because of it.

I was proud of they way this team fought in the second half, and to be honest I almost started a post-game thread half way through the second half titled "Duke vs. Drury Postame Thread: Thank you Rodney Hood for not allowing us to lose to Drury." I'm glad Rodney chose Duke. Lot of passion and took over to essentially single-handedly put Duke ahead.

Regardless, I got to watch Duke play basketball, it was a good day.

[MCFinARL]

So, things are not looking good for Andre. Six points is one thing. Six minutes is another. Haven't heard anything about sickness or injury being a factor, which makes his combined 15 minutes in two exhibition games somewhat concerning to me. Though, with Matt Jones' arrival this year, it is something that I feared heading into the season. They are the two best shooters on the roster, with one major difference being that Matt also brings another dimension defensively.

Makes me sad, but maybe things will pick up for the kid. He is one of my all-time favorites.

I feel the same way about Andre and am holding out one, admittedly faint, hope. The article linked from the main page a couple of days ago about K and leadership discussed a closed scrimmage attended by people attending a Duke leadership seminar and mentioned that Andre was not participating in the scrimmage because he was not practicing that day. It's not clear exactly when that was, but it is possible that Andre is recovering from an illness or minor injury that has set him back a bit, perhaps one that took hold between the blue-white scrimmage, where he appeared to have the coaches' confidence and a big role, and the first preseason game.

On the other hand, it's also possible that something in the first preseason game or things that have been happening in practice have changed Andre's position in the pecking order since the blue-white scrimmage. To keep myself from being too disappointed I am trying to remind myself that Andre can accomplish much by being a leader on the bench and in practice, by helping to train the younger players, and by seeing his Duke experience through to the finish with grace, regardless of playing time, so I am focusing my hopes on that outcome and trying to think about minutes as gravy.

[Cameron]

Went to the game today and fortunately had really good seats, so great view. Crowd was very sparse including the student section which was about 60% full or so until about 4 minutes from tip when the ushers moved about 50 people from the endzone corner nearest the Duke bench, and brought them around to help fill up Section 17. Upper Bowl was maybe 70% full and that is being generous. On to the game.

I was having Lehigh nightmares for a long time there. I texted Kedsy with about 4 minutes left in the half to tell him that we were pretty much horrible in all phases of the game. Agree with the person upstream who stated the chemistry is not there yet. It clearly is not. Now to be crystal clear, I am not talking about guys not liking each other, or being selfish or anything of that nature. It is 100% about learning to play together on both sides of the ball, and establishing both an offensive and defensive identify.

I will start with the bad, and finish with the good, since that is how the game played out. We were really bad as a team the entire first half. Drury is a well disciplined, well coached team, and it is easy to see how they won their National Championship last year. Their ball movement and screening was ridiculously good the entire first half, and we simply could not defend them well. K tried every combination of players possible without Rasheed and none were good. Drury got pretty much any shot they wanted inside or out, and killed us on the offensive boards when they missed. Our interior defense was pretty bad, and guys were getting lost amidst all the ball movement and screening time and time again. The team defense on the whole there was just bad, and communication was poor. The perimeter defense and full court pressing was not bad, but they just weren't forcing a lot of turnovers, or disrupting Drury very much. Pressing full court and sticking with your man step for step looks pretty an all, but if you aren't turning them over or being disruptive, then all you are really doing is wasting a lot of energy which in turn hurts your offense.

On offense, we were kind of passing it around a lot, not attacking very much, and settling for jumpers or awkward shots around the glass. Hood was the lone guy who was effective in that first half on offense, along with Murphy, but Murphy only got one 4 minute run in the first half and then sat, I assume because K did not like his defense. I would have stuck with Murphy since no one else was playing great D either, but that's just me. End result of all that was 38-34 Drury at the half. We had been down 6, then cut it to 2, but Drury scored on a putback at the buzzer to take it back to 4. K was livid. They came out so late from halftime they only had 1 minute to warm up.

That sums up the bad.

In the second half, the defense was much better, as was the offense and it started with Rodney Hood. In the first couple of minutes he ripped a rebound out of a kid's hand, got pissed at the kid, giving him a dirty look and a couple of words. He then hit a 3 on the other end and turned an saluted his teammates as Drury called time out. Anyone questioning Hood's fire and passion, stop now. He has it. I think those two plays went a long way in energizing his teammates and getting them out of the funk. Great Captain work there. From there the offense started flowing better and Hood started imposing his will. He is flatout unstoppable in the paint, with a deadly "rise and shoot over the D from 4 to 6 to 8 feet. Get prepared to see one move with two positive outcomes as we start the season. Hood catching it out top, making a move, driving to the middle of the paint. Option 1: He shoots and makes the short jumper at a very high percentage. Option 2: He rises to shoot but the defense collapses on him and he dumps the pass to Amile or Jabari right under the basket for an easy dunk or layup. Very effective. I looked up at the clock with about 14 minutes left and Hood had 19 points and 9 boards already. He is a great playmaker who can create his own shot or dump to a teammate really really well. Amile also had a huge second half on the boards and scoring in a variety of ways in the paint. Jabari had his first off game but picked it up in the 2nd half and finished strong. Those 3, plus Quinn, look to be our top 4 scorers, with others chipping in. Have not seen the box score but believe Quinn had 11 and Matt had 9. Tyler played well, as did Josh. Andre did not play enough to get into any sort of rythym which was disappointing, but I am afraid I am going to be disappointed there all year. Things look totally different now than they did at the open practice.

With that, unless something changes or injuries happen, the Top 8 are Guards/Wings (Quinn, Rasheed, Tyler, Matt) and Forwards (Hood, Jabari, Amile, Josh). Murphy is next as of right now, then Andre, then Semi. Those 3 are getting spot minutes in both halves. MP3 is currently low man on the totem pole. Semi actually got quite a few minutes in the first half today as K was not pleased with the play of Amile or Jabari, but then played much less in the 2nd half. For those not in the Top 8, it appears to be team defense that is keeping them on the pine, as none of them looked what I would describe as bad on offense. Murphy as I said earlier, actually gave us a little spark in the first half on offense, but never came back in during the first half after that first 4 minute run early. Murphy got most if not all of his minutes at the 4 spot today, Andre played the 3 in the first half and the 2 in the second half.

We are not a great team as of right now and K said as much in the post game. Folks are going to need to be patient as K gels them into an effective team, and like I said last week, this is clearly a team that will play its better basketball later in the season vs last year where the guys played great coming out of the gate. Just way too many new faces playing together for the first time. Might mean we drop 3 or 4 games early on, but become a much stronger team late when they figure it out and come together. The talent is there, but there is much work to do, especially on defense.

Great recap, Newton. Didn't get to watch today, so thanks.

What are your thoughts on Andre? Is that it for him, he's pretty much going to be relegated to very minimal spot minutes, unless something drastic happens or a lineup shift is needed? Even in 2010-11, with Kyrie Irving, Nolan Smith and Seth Curry ahead of him, Andre found a valuable niche on that squad, putting up 8 points a game and playing almost 22 minutes nightly. I mean, he played six minutes in what amounts to a scrimmage today. I'm totally confused. He's behind Murphy? Is there something else at play, or is Andre just not going to be much of a factor this season?

Sadly, I sort of wish he had transferred. Even with his limitations, there are big-time schools where Andre could easily be a double-figure guy and lead the country in three-point field goals. But I guess as long as he's happy. It does appear as if this is where he wanted to be. He's still here.

[Cameron]

I feel the same way about Andre and am holding out one, admittedly faint, hope. The article linked from the main page a couple of days ago about K and leadership discussed a closed scrimmage attended by people attending a Duke leadership seminar and mentioned that Andre was not participating in the scrimmage because he was not practicing that day. It's not clear exactly when that was, but it is possible that Andre is recovering from an illness or minor injury that has set him back a bit, perhaps one that took hold between the blue-white scrimmage, where he appeared to have the coaches' confidence and a big role, and the first preseason game.

On the other hand, it's also possible that something in the first preseason game or things that have been happening in practice have changed Andre's position in the pecking order since the blue-white scrimmage. To keep myself from being too disappointed I am trying to remind myself that Andre can accomplish much by being a leader on the bench and in practice, by helping to train the younger players, and by seeing his Duke experience through to the finish with grace, regardless of playing time, so I am focusing my hopes on that outcome and trying to think about minutes as gravy.


Thanks for the information about the closed practice. That gives me some optimism, as well.

And I agree, Andre is a great kid and his experience, especially as a national champion, can only be a good thing for others on the team to be around. Keep your head up, Dre.

[Troublemaker]

Free throw shooting has shot to the top of my list as the #1 concern for this team right now. I still believe Duke will be a good FT-shooting team (71+%) when it's all said and done but, man, that's 4 out of 4 public performances now where they've shown poorly in that area. Going into the season, I just kind of took it for granted that this team would be a good shooting team (both 3-pters and FTs), so the free throw accuracy bothers me more than playing a bad half or even rebounding struggles. And we haven't exactly lit it up from three-point land either. I didn't believe Duke was going to be very good at rebounding this season, but at least in theory Duke was going to overcome that and still be a top 4 team by excelling at shooting, ball-handling, forcing turnovers, having a deep bench, quickness, etc. We need to be good at the things we're supposed to be good at to compensate for the very few things where we might be disadvantaged. If even one of those good things changes columns to become a bad thing, wow, that's going to be tough. I don't think this Duke team can become a great team without being good at shooting FTs. That's a competitive advantage that we need to have.




In the second half, the defense was much better, as was the offense and it started with Rodney Hood. In the first couple of minutes he ripped a rebound out of a kid's hand, got pissed at the kid, giving him a dirty look and a couple of words. He then hit a 3 on the other end and turned an saluted his teammates as Drury called time out. Anyone questioning Hood's fire and passion, stop now. He has it. I think those two plays went a long way in energizing his teammates and getting them out of the funk. Great Captain work there.

Indeed. I think Coach K hopes and we the fans hope that Rodney will be able to take charge like that several times this season when the team faces adversity from the opposing team. But before he can do it several times, he had to do it the first time, so that was great to see. I wouldn't be surprised if when Rodney goes to bed tonight, he'll think about the beginning of the 2nd half and experience a feeling of deep satisfaction. A neat little personal moment for him that'll get lost in the ether as the regular season starts now.

[Newton_14]

Great recap, Newton. Didn't get to watch today, so thanks.

What are your thoughts on Andre? Is that it for him, he's pretty much going to be relegated to very minimal spot minutes, unless something drastic happens or a lineup shift is needed? Even in 2010-11, with Kyrie Irving, Nolan Smith and Seth Curry ahead of him, Andre found a valuable niche on that squad, putting up 8 points a game and playing almost 22 minutes nightly. I mean, he played six minutes in what amounts to a scrimmage today. I'm totally confused. He's behind Murphy? Is there something else at play, or is Andre just not going to be much of a factor this season?

Sadly, I sort of wish he had transferred. Even with his limitations, there are big-time schools where Andre could easily be a double-figure guy and lead the country in three-point field goals. But I guess as long as he's happy. It does appear as if this is where he wanted to be. He's still here.

I am super disappointed in the situation actually. He looked so darn good in the open practice that day and really at CTC as well. I was excited and thought he would be solidly in the rotation, playing a key role. I attended both exhibitions so have seen them 4 times in person now, and the situation appears to have drastically changed with Andre. Like you and others, I really want him to have a great final year and be an integral part of the team. It's too early to call it at this point but I have zero confidence in my initial call on Andre at this point, after the two exhibition games.

In my opinion, there are a combination of factors at play here. First, Rasheed, and Tyler are going to be in the rotation. They just are and deservedly so. Say what you want about Tyler Thornton, but the kid is an impact player without being a stat stuffer. Those kids are rare, but valuable. Second, Rodney Hood is damn good. Jabari is the best talent on the team, but as of right now, Rodney is the best college basketball player on the team. He is going to play heavy minutes at the 3, and a small amount of minutes at the 4. Lastly, Matt Jones has come out of the gate strong. He is a superb ball handler, has shown a really good ability to attack the basket off the dribble and either score, draw the foul or both, and he is pretty solid right now as a perimeter defender. I personally don't see Jones as a great shooter, as he has this little push/hitch thingie in his motion, but like Tyler, he has shown a knack in the two games to hit timely 3's.

All of those factors combined, leave precious few minutes for Andre to get on the floor. Can it change? Sure. We have seen Andre perform at a very high level before, (think 903 vs Mich St for example), so he has it in him. He does not look rusty to me at all so I am not considering that to be a factor here. K said Rasheed did not play today due to subpar Health that kept him out of practice the last couple of days so maybe there is a flu bug or something and Andre has been hampered by that. Not sure

To his credit, Andre has shown an outstanding attitude on the sidelines. Stays enthusiatic, pulls hard for his teammates, stays engaged, etc. No pouting, no head hanging. The one positive is that K has put him in early in both games. If that continues, and Andre can come out hot in a game, and force K's hand to give him more burn in the first half, then maybe he gains confidence and swagger. I would like to see Andre have a game where he gets 25 minutes or so, such that he does not feel like he has to play mistake free on both ends to stay on the floor. It is very hard to play when you feel like one mistake on either end of the floor is going to get you yanked. I have played under those circumstances in high school and it is tough. It changes your entire mindset and approach. I think even the best of players would struggle in those conditions.

Let's see where this situation is at 5 games in. Something to watch.

[duke4ever19]

Sadly, I sort of wish he had transferred. Even with his limitations, there are big-time schools where Andre could easily be a double-figure guy and lead the country in three-point field goals. But I guess as long as he's happy. It does appear as if this is where he wanted to be. He's still here.

I suspect him being on the Championship squad his freshman year kept him from considering a transfer (Of course, Olek Czyz decided to transfer a mere 3 months before Duke won it all). I would not want to leave my team after being part of something that special. Like you said though, he does seem happy here, and I will forever admire him for coming to Duke a year early in order to help the team out.

[BlueDevilBrowns]

To keep myself from being too disappointed I am trying to remind myself that Andre can accomplish much by being a leader on the bench and in practice, by helping to train the younger players, and by seeing his Duke experience through to the finish with grace, regardless of playing time, so I am focusing my hopes on that outcome and trying to think about minutes as gravy.

This is correct. I could be wrong, but I get the feeling some on this board have unrealistic expectations for Andre. More specifically, it's THEIR expectations and goals, perhaps not HIS.

No matter what, Andre will always be a Champion and will be a Duke graduate, something the majority of people only dream about. He's a winner in the greatest sense if he never plays a single minute of Duke basketball again.

Let Dawkins run his own race in his own way. The very fact that K allowed him the space he needed and then allowed him to come back should be evidence enough of the value Coach feels he brings.

So let's not throw a pity party for Andre, because, quite frankly, he may be throwing one for us.

[Cameron]

I am super disappointed in the situation actually. He looked so darn good in the open practice that day and really at CTC as well. I was excited and thought he would be solidly in the rotation, playing a key role. I attended both exhibitions so have seen them 4 times in person now, and the situation appears to have drastically changed with Andre. Like you and others, I really want him to have a great final year and be an integral part of the team. It's too early to call it at this point but I have zero confidence in my initial call on Andre at this point, after the two exhibition games.

In my opinion, there are a combination of factors at play here. First, Rasheed, and Tyler are going to be in the rotation. They just are and deservedly so. Say what you want about Tyler Thornton, but the kid is an impact player without being a stat stuffer. Those kids are rare, but valuable. Second, Rodney Hood is damn good. Jabari is the best talent on the team, but as of right now, Rodney is the best college basketball player on the team. He is going to play heavy minutes at the 3, and a small amount of minutes at the 4. Lastly, Matt Jones has come out of the gate strong. He is a superb ball handler, has shown a really good ability to attack the basket off the dribble and either score, draw the foul or both, and he is pretty solid right now as a perimeter defender. I personally don't see Jones as a great shooter, as he has this little push/hitch thingie in his motion, but like Tyler, he has shown a knack in the two games to hit timely 3's.

All of those factors combined, leave precious few minutes for Andre to get on the floor. Can it change? Sure. We have seen Andre perform at a very high level before, (think 903 vs Mich St for example), so he has it in him. He does not look rusty to me at all so I am not considering that to be a factor here. K said Rasheed did not play today due to subpar Health that kept him out of practice the last couple of days so maybe there is a flu bug or something and Andre has been hampered by that. Not sure

To his credit, Andre has shown an outstanding attitude on the sidelines. Stays enthusiatic, pulls hard for his teammates, stays engaged, etc. No pouting, no head hanging. The one positive is that K has put him in early in both games. If that continues, and Andre can come out hot in a game, and force K's hand to give him more burn in the first half, then maybe he gains confidence and swagger. I would like to see Andre have a game where he gets 25 minutes or so, such that he does not feel like he has to play mistake free on both ends to stay on the floor. It is very hard to play when you feel like one mistake on either end of the floor is going to get you yanked. I have played under those circumstances in high school and it is tough. It changes your entire mindset and approach. I think even the best of players would struggle in those conditions.

Let's see where this situation is at 5 games in. Something to watch.

Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts, Newton. Great stuff, per usual. It is great to read that, despite minimal court time and tough sledding from the field in the exhibitions, Andre seems to be taking everything in stride and keeping his head up. That's partly what has always drawn me to the kid and made him one of my favorites. That beaming smile and undeniable love for the game is contagious. He's got a lot of Chris Collins in him.


I suspect him being on the Championship squad his freshman year kept him from considering a transfer (Of course, Olek Czyz decided to transfer a mere 3 months before Duke won it all). I would not want to leave my team after being part of something that special. Like you said though, he does seem happy here, and I will forever admire him for coming to Duke a year early in order to help the team out.

Excellent point. I'm certainly glad he is still here.

[kAzE]

I am super disappointed in the situation actually. He looked so darn good in the open practice that day and really at CTC as well. I was excited and thought he would be solidly in the rotation, playing a key role. I attended both exhibitions so have seen them 4 times in person now, and the situation appears to have drastically changed with Andre. Like you and others, I really want him to have a great final year and be an integral part of the team. It's too early to call it at this point but I have zero confidence in my initial call on Andre at this point, after the two exhibition games.

In my opinion, there are a combination of factors at play here. First, Rasheed, and Tyler are going to be in the rotation. They just are and deservedly so. Say what you want about Tyler Thornton, but the kid is an impact player without being a stat stuffer. Those kids are rare, but valuable. Second, Rodney Hood is damn good. Jabari is the best talent on the team, but as of right now, Rodney is the best college basketball player on the team. He is going to play heavy minutes at the 3, and a small amount of minutes at the 4. Lastly, Matt Jones has come out of the gate strong. He is a superb ball handler, has shown a really good ability to attack the basket off the dribble and either score, draw the foul or both, and he is pretty solid right now as a perimeter defender. I personally don't see Jones as a great shooter, as he has this little push/hitch thingie in his motion, but like Tyler, he has shown a knack in the two games to hit timely 3's.

All of those factors combined, leave precious few minutes for Andre to get on the floor. Can it change? Sure. We have seen Andre perform at a very high level before, (think 903 vs Mich St for example), so he has it in him. He does not look rusty to me at all so I am not considering that to be a factor here. K said Rasheed did not play today due to subpar Health that kept him out of practice the last couple of days so maybe there is a flu bug or something and Andre has been hampered by that. Not sure

To his credit, Andre has shown an outstanding attitude on the sidelines. Stays enthusiatic, pulls hard for his teammates, stays engaged, etc. No pouting, no head hanging. The one positive is that K has put him in early in both games. If that continues, and Andre can come out hot in a game, and force K's hand to give him more burn in the first half, then maybe he gains confidence and swagger. I would like to see Andre have a game where he gets 25 minutes or so, such that he does not feel like he has to play mistake free on both ends to stay on the floor. It is very hard to play when you feel like one mistake on either end of the floor is going to get you yanked. I have played under those circumstances in high school and it is tough. It changes your entire mindset and approach. I think even the best of players would struggle in those conditions.

Let's see where this situation is at 5 games in. Something to watch.

I just can't believe that even with Rasheed out due to illness, Andre couldn't get more than 6 minutes in an exhibition game. True, we played a very good team that in all likelihood could probably beat many D-1 schools, but still . . . you'd like to try to get a few more minutes for your guys at the end of the bench to at least see what they can do when given the opportunity. Given that the guards who did play (Tyler, Quinn, and Matt) are considered to be good defenders, there can only be one explanation for Andre's lack of playing time. It is very disappointing, since many of us have fond memories of Andre, and he is the only remaining player from the 2010 championship team, but my guess that he won't get off the bench until he shows real progress on D.

On the other hand, the fact that Matt is this far ahead in the rotation as a freshman bodes extremely well for his future on this team. I don't think anyone expected him to be such a big contributor as a first year player. Give him credit. It wasn't Andre's position to lose, I think Matt just beat him out.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

I don't get why everyone is so quick to conclude after two exhibition games that Dre's prospects are so minimal for the season. In addition to potentially not being 100%, isn't it also possible that Dre is being slowly worked back into real game time? I mean, he hasn't played organized hoop with refs in front of a crowd for well over a year. Mechanically he may not be rusty from all his workouts and practice but he likely has a way to go with the mental part of the game. Might take a little more time. Give him and the staff a chance before throwing in the towel... sheesh!

[Dukeblue91]

I don't get why everyone is so quick to conclude after two exhibition games that Dre's prospects are so minimal for the season. In addition to potentially not being 100%, isn't it also possible that Dre is being slowly worked back into real game time? I mean, he hasn't played organized hoop with refs in front of a crowd for well over a year. Mechanically he may not be rusty from all his workouts and practice but he likely has a way to go with the mental part of the game. Might take a little more time. Give him and the staff a chance before throwing in the towel... sheesh!

I fully agree with you.
This is way to early to conclude anything.

[OldPhiKap]

I don't get why everyone is so quick to conclude after two exhibition games that Dre's prospects are so minimal for the season. In addition to potentially not being 100%, isn't it also possible that Dre is being slowly worked back into real game time? I mean, he hasn't played organized hoop with refs in front of a crowd for well over a year. Mechanically he may not be rusty from all his workouts and practice but he likely has a way to go with the mental part of the game. Might take a little more time. Give him and the staff a chance before throwing in the towel... sheesh!

Exactly.

I suspect that there will be more than one game this year where Andre is MOTM. Let the kid work himself back into it.

No matter what role he takes this year, I hope he embraces it and hope he ends up with another ring.

[moonpie23]

i'm sure that andre and the staff have discussed REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS for his return……they know what's up….HE knows what's up. Coming BACK into this year's scenario is completely different than when he started at Duke….

I'm glad he's back…i have no doubt that he knows what's required to get floor time…..

[CDu]

We're seeing the challenge of having 3-4 guys who could easily earn playing time at the same position. Clearly, Sulaimon and Thornton are going to play. With Hood getting plenty of minutes at SF and Thornton getting only some of his minutes at PG, that puts quite a crunch on the availability of minutes at SG/SF. With Jones looking pretty good on both ends of the floor so far, that makes it a real battle for PT.

I think it would be unfortunate for Dawkins to not see much time in his return. But if Jones is playing so well that he deserves the PT, that's a good thing for the program. It gives us options.

As others have noted, I'm sure that Coach K and Dawkins discussed the challenges Dawkins would face if he returned. He surely didn't return thinking he was guaranteed PT.

And I certainly don't believe that Dawkins is done. I'm quite sure he'll have a big impact on at least one game this year, possibly a very important one. But I don't think it should be a sure thing at this point that he sees regular minutes all season.

[JNort]

When will the full game replay be up on bdn? I have been checking since the game ended and it still doesn't come up.

[dcar1985]

When will the full game replay be up on bdn? I have been checking since the game ended and it still doesn't come up.

It's been up since yesterday, I've watched the game twice. Check the archived live broadcast section on the media player

[DukieInBrasil]

It's been up since yesterday, I've watched the game twice. Check the archived live broadcast section on the media player

link please?
Do you have to be a subscribing member to watch?

[JNort]

It's been up since yesterday, I've watched the game twice. Check the archived live broadcast section on the media player

I watch from the iPhone app and it doesn't appear on there. The other game does and ctc does but not Drury

[CDu]

link please?
Do you have to be a subscribing member to watch?

Yes, you have to be a subscriber. It's on goduke.com.

[OldPhiKap]

Yes, you have to be a subscriber. It's on goduke.com.

Just watched the replay (first time I saw/heard the game).

Amile was a big stand-out for me. Boards and buckets. Matt was also impressive, and K said in the press conference that he plays like he practices -- and that he has not had a bad practice.

Rodney is not afraid to take a shot. His outside shots were not falling but he was very good at putting it on the floor and driving.

Quinn looked good, as did Tyler.

Parker's outside shot was not falling but he looked good inside and from the line. Best thing, no hesitation on the blocks. Catch, up, throw down. No double-pump plant.

Josh looked solid.

Murphy was effective when in.

Dre did not force things, seemed to make good decisions.

Semi is a beast, may grow into a dominant force over time. Really like the upside.

Overall, lots of good individual things. But need more team cohesion on both ends, which should come.

Props to Drury, they played the disciplined team game we need to develop. And will.

Cannot wait to see Sheed on the floor!

[kAzE]

This is probably overreaction, but I'm starting to get just a little bit worried about our outside shooting. It seems that we are missing that one guy who we can consistently count on to knock down those long range bombs and force defenses to stay honest. Seth Curry has been that guy for our team for the past 3 years, and now that he's gone, I'm not sure who is going to step up and fill that void. We have many "good" outside shooters, but no one who is going to have the "DO NOT LEAVE THIS GUY FOR ANY REASON" note on the opponent's scouting report.

Obviously, Andre is a great shooter, but is he even going to be in the rotation? Even then, he's as streaky as they come. Matt was highly regarded as a deep threat, but that hasn't really materialized yet in the few games we've seen from him. I really hope Matt, Quinn, and Rasheed can hit enough shots to keep defenses honest so that we have room to operate in the paint.

Like I said, this is probably me overreacting to a couple of exhibition games, and we're going to be just fine, but the game tape thus far hasn't been super encouraging. Rasheed has been ice cold, Semi hasn't even attempted a three yet, Rodney and Jabari seem to be only so-so shooters from beyond the arc, and Matt/Andre haven't exactly been lighting it up either. Quinn has been pretty good, but I'd rather he penetrate and kick than shoot a high volume of outside shots. I think it won't end up being a big issue, but it's just something I've been thinking about with a slight bit of trepidation.

[OldPhiKap]

I think it is too small a sample size to be concerned.

We have Tyler and Quinn up top, who can hit from outside. At off-guard, both Andre and Matt (by reputation) have that shot too. In the front court, Rodney has a proven outside shot and Parker does per reputation. Sheed is just a great scorer, from wherever.

You mention a concern regarding Curry's graduation. I am not particularly concerned about a loss at 2-guard. I actually think that losing Ryan is more of an impact - the 6' 10" guy who stretches the floor. You could argue that Ryan's injuries his junior and senior year had more to do with our performance than any other single factor.

Can Hood and Parker stretch the defense? That is the Final Four Question.

[Saratoga2]

This is probably overreaction, but I'm starting to get just a little bit worried about our outside shooting. It seems that we are missing that one guy who we can consistently count on to knock down those long range bombs and force defenses to stay honest. Seth Curry has been that guy for our team for the past 3 years, and now that he's gone, I'm not sure who is going to step up and fill that void. We have many "good" outside shooters, but no one who is going to have the "DO NOT LEAVE THIS GUY FOR ANY REASON" note on the opponent's scouting report.

Obviously, Andre is a great shooter, but is he even going to be in the rotation? Even then, he's as streaky as they come. Matt was highly regarded as a deep threat, but that hasn't really materialized yet in the few games we've seen from him. I really hope Matt, Quinn, and Rasheed can hit enough shots to keep defenses honest so that we have room to operate in the paint.

Like I said, this is probably me overreacting to a couple of exhibition games, and we're going to be just fine, but the game tape thus far hasn't been super encouraging. Rasheed has been ice cold, Semi hasn't even attempted a three yet, Rodney and Jabari seem to be only so-so shooters from beyond the arc, and Matt/Andre haven't exactly been lighting it up either. Quinn has been pretty good, but I'd rather he penetrate and kick than shoot a high volume of outside shots. I think it won't end up being a big issue, but it's just something I've been thinking about with a slight bit of trepidation.

In general I think it is way too early to be concerned about whether we have outside shooting talent. More than likely we will be very good with many capable shooters. In addition, I think far too many posters are going on and on about Andre. That can't be helpful to him at this point or to the team. Give the guy a break and just let things develop.

This team does need to develop cohesion. They are young and haven't played together as a group other than practices and two games. The two areas we already know could be a problem are size inside and free throw shooting. We can't get any bigger but we can play a game which uses our speed and athleticism to counter another teams size. Free throw shooting is a matter of practice and emphasis. Even Mason made a big improvement his final year and many of these kids don't have as far to go. We will be all right.

[kAzE]

In general I think it is way too early to be concerned about whether we have outside shooting talent. More than likely we will be very good with many capable shooters. In addition, I think far too many posters are going on and on about Andre. That can't be helpful to him at this point or to the team. Give the guy a break and just let things develop.

This team does need to develop cohesion. They are young and haven't played together as a group other than practices and two games. The two areas we already know could be a problem are size inside and free throw shooting. We can't get any bigger but we can play a game which uses our speed and athleticism to counter another teams size. Free throw shooting is a matter of practice and emphasis. Even Mason made a big improvement his final year and many of these kids don't have as far to go. We will be all right.

I know it's too early, I even acknowledged that I'm probably just getting worked up about nothing. But being the overly superstitious type of fan who will sit in a certain position or hold the TV remote a certain way if I think it's helping my team win, I just couldn't help but notice we went 13 for 52 (25%) from 3 point range in 2 exhibition games. Should I be worried? No way, it's 2 exhibition games. Am I being irrational and getting kind of worried? Maybe a little bit.

Of COURSE its too early to tell if this is a real problem. There's no WAY we shoot 25% for the whole year, that would be ridiculous. It's just something the team will hopefully work to improve upon over the course of the year. Plus, I'm sure conditioning might have something to do with it, since our increased pace could be causing tired legs early in the year (leading to missed jumpers). Three point shooting isn't even the most important aspect of what the team is trying to accomplish right now, so I apologize for even bringing it up. I'll try to keep these irrational overreactions to myself from here on out :)

[killerleft]

i'm sure that andre and the staff have discussed REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS for his return……they know what's up….HE knows what's up. Coming BACK into this year's scenario is completely different than when he started at Duke….

I'm glad he's back…i have no doubt that he knows what's required to get floor time…..

I am equally as sure that you are wrong about this, unless those reasonable expectations include starting and/or being a vital cog in 2013-2014. This sounds like negative reinforcement and something no coach would do, especially the best coach in the game. Andre may or may not crack the starting line-up very often this year (we're pretty good, I've heard here, when we're not pretty bad:)), but I can't conceive that the staff has already put a ceiling on Mr. Dawkins' potential. He's way too good an athlete for that, and has shown how well he can play several times. As Dr. RosenRosen said, we're only a couple exhibitions into the season.

[CDu]

Here are my thoughts on the game:

As others have noted, our cohesion isn't quite there. That manifested itself on both ends of the floor, but it especially was present on our offense (especially in the first half). We seemed too willing to settle for long jumpshots, which weren't falling.

We allowed Drury WAY too many second chances on offense. That they got 11 of 33 rebound chances on their end is just not acceptable given our substantial size advantage.

Big shout out to Hood for carrying the team on offense. Without his scoring ability and confidence, we might well have lost that game.

Jefferson did get a ton of rebounds, though that has to be discounted a good deal given the size (or lack thereof) of the opponent. When you're the tallest guy on the floor and you spend almost all of your time close to the basket, you should get a lot of rebounds. That being said, he did get them, so credit goes to him for doing his job on the glass. He does seem to have a gift for positioning himself well to get easy baskets from our playmakers. That was again evident this weekend.

I was disappointed in our PG play overall. Cook and Thornton combined for 3 assists, 3 turnovers, and 8 fouls. They'll have to play better moving forward. I expect that they will.

Jones was again a menace on defense, forcing a couple of turnovers. I think we can now call that a trend based on the three exhibitions we've seen. He just seems to get it.

Aside from Hood and Jefferson, it was kind of a "meh" performance from everybody on offense. Shots weren't falling and we weren't creating a ton of production through ball movement in the half court offense.

Hopefully we'll have great practice this week and address some of those issues for our season opener. We'll need to get the kinks out quickly as Kansas is right around the corner!

[ChillinDuke]

Great post by Newton above. A lot of good observations by many other posters.

I think K's comments in the post game presser hit the nail(s) on the head. We need to gel more, simple as that.

Rodney looks great. Super excited about him.

Jabari had a relatively unimpressive 13 and 3, but he was still assertive and in tune with the game. That goal tend where he came from fully off screen (TV) to nearly block a wide open layup was strikingly impressive. If that's representative of one of his off nights, well, wow.

Amile played great, largely asserting himself in traffic. And in his post game interview he looked noticeably bulkier in the arms/shoulders.

Quinn looked adequate, but I wanted more. Tyler is so amazing with his nose for the ball and just getting involved in plays defensively. Sometimes he's a half step slow in using his knack that he picks up fouls (and sometimes they look a bit physical as a result).

Matt looked solid and will be exciting to watch as the year progresses when the games count.

Alex gave nice minutes but was yanked. Someone's gotta sit, I get it. But I would have kept him in longer during his run.

And finally, I, like many, am holding out hope for Andre, although these two exhibitions have certainly given me pause. I do wonder if there is a bug going around as nothing has struck me in Andre's (few) minutes that appeared glaringly bad.

The next one counts. Let's go.

- Chillin

[Billy Dat]

I watched the game replay and therefore had the advantage of knowing we were going to win handily. That makes it a lot easier to watch the first 20 minutes. That being said, I couldn't fault our effort, and I felt like Drury hit some huge NBA-range bombs that gave them a lot of confidence. It's very hard to match the intensity of a team playing that kind of Goliath role in a no stakes game.


This is probably overreaction, but I'm starting to get just a little bit worried about our outside shooting. It seems that we are missing that one guy who we can consistently count on to knock down those long range bombs and force defenses to stay honest. Seth Curry has been that guy for our team for the past 3 years, and now that he's gone, I'm not sure who is going to step up and fill that void. We have many "good" outside shooters, but no one who is going to have the "DO NOT LEAVE THIS GUY FOR ANY REASON" note on the opponent's scouting report.

We have gotten so trained on Duke being a 3 point shooting team that maybe it will take a while to adjust to the fact that we are as lethal a dribble-drive team as I have ever seen from Duke in terms of having multiple guys on the floor who can break their defender down one-on-one. Jabari has shown a nasty face-up dribble drive game including a sick crossover on his way to the hoop in the first half. Rodney gets to the hole whenever he wants, it seems like Matt Jones can get to the hole whenever he wants and he showed us an insane coast-to-coast drive finished up a nifty spin move. It warrants mentioning that Parker, Hood, Jefferson and Ojeleye all had monster slams yesterday, and not on breakaways. Which leads me to...


Aside from Hood and Jefferson, it was kind of a "meh" performance from everybody on offense. Shots weren't falling and we weren't creating a ton of production through ball movement in the half court offense.

I will mildly disagree simply because I felt like in the last 15 minutes of the game, especially the last 10, there was pretty dynamic ball movement off of the drive and dish. Per the observations I was making above about this team's capacity for taking it to the hole, they also are good at collapsing the D and dishing, but it seems to me that instead of being like traditional Duke teams where that drive and kick leads to a 3, a lot of these guys (Parker, Hood, Jones) want to catch that kick and drive to the hole! I am really excited by that shift in approach. Granted, we know we need 3 point shooting to have balance, and we did average 26 three point attempts in the exhibition season which is WAY above the season averages for the past 8 seasons, but I think we'll be less reliant on the 3 because guys like Parker and Hood can really get their own shot in a way we haven't seen from a Duke player in quite some time.



I was disappointed in our PG play overall. Cook and Thornton combined for 3 assists, 3 turnovers, and 8 fouls. They'll have to play better moving forward. I expect that they will.

Yeah, I didn't think the PGs were that great. Quinn got it going late, but he also looked frustrated for a lot of the game, especially with some of his teammates.

A couple of other things:
-Parker is a real presence with his shot blocking. He contests a lot of shots and seems to really enjoy it. Someone earlier mentioned the Drury breakaway where Jabari sprinted back and goaltended the shot. If you didn't see it, it was an electric moment, the block was near the top of the white box on the backboard.
-Hood is emerging as the "we need a basket" guy.

Bottom line, I am extremely excited by what I am seeing on the court. Yes we need patience and we may get knocked around, but maybe we won't. My eyes were popping out of my head watching a new wave of Duke players attacking the rim with a vengeance - drives, dunks, spped and hops all over the floor, wave after wave of player coming into the game with no drop off of athleticism. Obviously, this kind of offense is going to generate fouls so we need to hit those freebies. I think the D will get better and better as they get more reps with each other and the rotation solidifies. I'm fired up!!!!!!!!!!

[Kedsy]

It's very hard to match the intensity of a team playing that kind of Goliath role in a no stakes game.

I think we were the Goliath in this scenario, yes?

I agree with everything else you said.

[duke4ever19]

In general I think it is way too early to be concerned about whether we have outside shooting talent. More than likely we will be very good with many capable shooters. In addition, I think far too many posters are going on and on about Andre. That can't be helpful to him at this point or to the team. Give the guy a break and just let things develop.

This team is stacked with good shooting. In fact, on any given night, the "hot hand(s)" may not even be on the floor at the start of the game, and K will be able to find several shooters sitting on the bench if a starter is not having a good night.

As for Andre, he got 9 minutes in the first exhibition game, which is last among those players likely to get a few minutes in the regular season.

In the second exhibition game Andre got even less time (6 minutes) with Sheed not eating up any minutes and no "garbage" minutes from Pagliuca and Zaf. Only Marshall got less minutes, with Murphy getting 6 minutes as well.

We all know Matt Jones got significant minutes in both games. He was one of 4 players to crack 20 minutes against Bowie St. and his 28 minutes vs Drury were tied for second most with Jabari Parker.

Sure, the minutes distribution could be staggeringly different in the regular season, but it seems that Jones has grabbed that "first guy off the bench" role by throat with his good defense.

[johnb]

I don't think I've seen this linked, but my all-time favorite player to ever wear a Drury uniform graduated from Duke in '86. The story of his recruitment is my single favorite recruiting story (and contrasts sharply with the current self-promoting fiascos). And the one time I met him (when he was an assistant at Duke), we chatted at great length over a beer when the team was in New York, and he was a great guy (and presumably still is).


http://books.google.com/books?id=WW7EgBfQn_MC&pg=PA202&lpg=PA202&dq=%22david+henderson%22+drury+basketball&source=bl&ots=nYIKzSfPw2&sig=7Rb4PYp_w3POC0TUM_Xou_JrApY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=kch3Ur_rNKnJsQS--4K4BA&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22david%20henderson%22%20drury%20basketball&f=false

[Billy Dat]

I don't think I've seen this linked, but my all-time favorite player to ever wear a Drury uniform graduated from Duke in '86. The story of his recruitment is my single favorite recruiting story (and contrasts sharply with the current self-promoting fiascos). And the one time I met him (when he was an assistant at Duke), we chatted at great length over a beer when the team was in New York, and he was a great guy (and presumably still is).


http://books.google.com/books?id=WW7EgBfQn_MC&pg=PA202&lpg=PA202&dq=%22david+henderson%22+drury+basketball&source=bl&ots=nYIKzSfPw2&sig=7Rb4PYp_w3POC0TUM_Xou_JrApY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=kch3Ur_rNKnJsQS--4K4BA&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22david%20henderson%22%20drury%20basketball&f=false

Very cool little factoid, johnb.

[roywhite]

I don't think I've seen this linked, but my all-time favorite player to ever wear a Drury uniform graduated from Duke in '86. The story of his recruitment is my single favorite recruiting story (and contrasts sharply with the current self-promoting fiascos). And the one time I met him (when he was an assistant at Duke), we chatted at great length over a beer when the team was in New York, and he was a great guy (and presumably still is).


http://books.google.com/books?id=WW7EgBfQn_MC&pg=PA202&lpg=PA202&dq=%22david+henderson%22+drury+basketball&source=bl&ots=nYIKzSfPw2&sig=7Rb4PYp_w3POC0TUM_Xou_JrApY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=kch3Ur_rNKnJsQS--4K4BA&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=%22david%20henderson%22%20drury%20basketball&f=false

Yeah, good story about how came to Duke and we're certainly glad he did. David Henderson was a terrific player and by all accounts, is a great guy. One of my favorite stories about him was how he begged Coach K to let him defend Walter Berry of St. John's, who was tearing up the Blue Devils in MSG; Henderson did check him late in the game, and was key in helping to pull out an exciting win that was part of a magic 1985-86 season.

Just to pick a bit, his actual high school was Warren County, which is the only public high school in that poor, rural county, which is also the home of Soul City and Lickskillet (not sure if Lickskillet is an official town, or part of Warrenton).

[WillJ]

Some David Hendrson related ramblings as, like others on this thread, he is an all-time fave of mine.
I always point out the Norlina exit on I-95, as I thought that was his home town.
It was represented to us at the time that, as a high school student, he drove his own school bus. (Sounds like a Chuck Norris meme).
He authored one of the top Duke dunks of all time when he dunked on Reggie Rogers of Washington (sadly deceased just this week). Known as Hendo Jam 1 by me and my friends, not to be confused with Hendo Jam 2 (Phil Henderson's on Mourning) and any number of Hendo Jam 3's (pick your favorite Gerald Henderson dunk). I'll have high expectations if we ever get another Henderson.

[elvis14]

This team is stacked with good shooting. In fact, on any given night, the "hot hand(s)" may not even be on the floor at the start of the game, and K will be able to find several shooters sitting on the bench if a starter is not having a good night.

As for Andre, he got 9 minutes in the first exhibition game, which is last among those players likely to get a few minutes in the regular season.

In the second exhibition game Andre got even less time (6 minutes) with Sheed not eating up any minutes and no "garbage" minutes from Pagliuca and Zaf. Only Marshall got less minutes, with Murphy getting 6 minutes as well.

We all know Matt Jones got significant minutes in both games. He was one of 4 players to crack 20 minutes against Bowie St. and his 28 minutes vs Drury were tied for second most with Jabari Parker.

Sure, the minutes distribution could be staggeringly different in the regular season, but it seems that Jones has grabbed that "first guy off the bench" role by throat with his good defense.

There's a couple of ways to look at this. One way is to say that Matt Jones has come in and played so well that he's keeping Andre on the bench. As much as I love Andre, that's a GOOD thing since it tells us that Jones is playing really well. For the most part Andre is a known quantity (the good - shooting, and the bad - defensive focus) and I hope he plays well enough to earn lots of minutes. If he doesn't get the minutes, however, I hope it's not because he's not playing well but because someone else is playing fantastic.

Thanks to everyone who was either at the game or watched the replay and took the time to post either thoughts on the game.

[Billy Dat]

There's a couple of ways to look at this. One way is to say that Matt Jones has come in and played so well that he's keeping Andre on the bench. As much as I love Andre, that's a GOOD thing since it tells us that Jones is playing really well. For the most part Andre is a known quantity (the good - shooting, and the bad - defensive focus) and I hope he plays well enough to earn lots of minutes. If he doesn't get the minutes, however, I hope it's not because he's not playing well but because someone else is playing fantastic.

My take on Dre is that he's going to be what he has always been...a strategic weapon that can explode for 20-30 points via a torrent of 3s at any given time but not necessarily a guy who is going to be counted on for game-in/game-out production. That kind of weapon can swing any game, it's just not likely to impact every game. If no one else emerges as a consistent 3 point threat, I think his chance for PT increases because his presence on the floor will force someone to guard him beyond the 3 point line which spaces the floor.

[Bluedog]

A great video series from Drury's perspective of preparing for the game and the game itself. Really found it interesting and sounds like a good group of guys. They are a few minutes long each, but worth it in my mind. A lot of respect for Duke and Coach K coming from their end:

Here's the first one (travel):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lPo5lWgZ8c

Next two (practice the day before, game itself):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOyZeh8yiqs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N9xgyXg1EE

[CajunDevil]

David Henderson is one of my all-time favorites. And, this is why:

It was the morning of June 20, 1986. I was on a bus with a bunch of fellow campers at Campbell basketball school. Arriving back on campus after the morning session, I looked out the windows and saw a number of camp counselors lined up next to the bus lot. As we readied to exit the bus, a camp counselor stepped on the bus and said, "The second pick in NBA draft, Boston Celtic and former Maryland All-American Len Bias..." I got so excited thinking he was coming to camp. He was my all-time favorite player for what he did to Carolina the year before (the steal of the inbounds pass and subsequent reverse dunk at the Dean Dome). The counselor continued, "... has just died."

I was crushed. I began crying as any 6th grader would when their idol dies. I walked out of the bus and saw David Henderson, a camp counselor for that week. He put his arm around me and consoled me. I asked him how this could happen, and he just shook his head. He walked back to my dorm room... and we sat down. I got out my portable pac-man game and my football game. We played for an hour - just the two of us.

After David Henderson made sure I was ok, he left. I called my parents and broke down in tears again over Bias. Then, I told them about the amazing experience I just had with David Henderson. The following day, my parents drove up for the final day of camp and met David Henderson. He was as nice and gracious and spent time with them as well. I will never forget, and am forever a huge fan!

[CDu]

My take on Dre is that he's going to be what he has always been...a strategic weapon that can explode for 20-30 points via a torrent of 3s at any given time but not necessarily a guy who is going to be counted on for game-in/game-out production. That kind of weapon can swing any game, it's just not likely to impact every game. If no one else emerges as a consistent 3 point threat, I think his chance for PT increases because his presence on the floor will force someone to guard him beyond the 3 point line which spaces the floor.

I tend to agree with this. We know that, when hot, Dawkins can absolutely take over a game. The convenience here is that, with Sulaimon, Hood, and Jones, we have the luxury of taking him off the floor when he isn't feeling it.

And totally agree that IF we can't get 3pt shooting from our regulars AND we are in need of 3pt shooting in a particular game, the odds of Dawkins coming in increase greatly.

[Billy Dat]

I think we were the Goliath in this scenario, yes?

My god (pun intended)...I honestly think I was picturing the old religious claymation show "Davey and Goliath" and equating "underdog" with Goliath the Dog. That's what happens when one is raised a heathen and all religious knowledge comes from whatever passed for kids television on late 70s/early 80s pre-cable Sunday mornings before football.

For those who don't know what I am talking about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGYa4wdW0P8

It used to run back-to-back with a live-action religion-theme drama called 'Insight' that used to freak me out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insight_(TV_series)
Check out the semi-sinister intro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plubOIM4ctw

[OldPhiKap]

My god (pun intended)...I honestly think I was picturing the old religious claymation show "Davey and Goliath" and equating "underdog" with Goliath the Dog. That's what happens when one is raised a heathen and all religious knowledge comes from whatever passed for kids television on late 70s/early 80s pre-cable Sunday mornings before football.

For those who don't know what I am talking about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGYa4wdW0P8

It used to run back-to-back with a live-action religion-theme drama called 'Insight' that used to freak me out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insight_(TV_series)
Check out the semi-sinister intro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plubOIM4ctw

I learned religion as a child from claymation.

My kids learned religion from talking vegetables.

Progress? Probably not.


Re: Hendu -- really like your story Cajun. What an absolutely shocking event. I have always been a huge fan of Hendu and that story cements it even more. The original Sixth Man for K. (primarily Soph. and Junior seasons, IIRC +/-)

[Steven43]

I tend to agree with this. We know that, when hot, Dawkins can absolutely take over a game. The convenience here is that, with Sulaimon, Hood, and Jones, we have the luxury of taking him off the floor when he isn't feeling it.

And totally agree that IF we can't get 3pt shooting from our regulars AND we are in need of 3pt shooting in a particular game, the odds of Dawkins coming in increase greatly.

Yeah, and when was the last time Andre Dawkins took over a game? And what evidence is there to believe he can still do this, even occasionally?

[Duvall]

Yeah, and when was the last time Andre Dawkins took over a game? And what evidence is there to believe he can still do this, even occasionally?

Duke at FSU 2012, the seventh-most recent college basketball game he's played?

[Rudy]

After David Henderson made sure I was ok, he left. I called my parents and broke down in tears again over Bias. Then, I told them about the amazing experience I just had with David Henderson. The following day, my parents drove up for the final day of camp and met David Henderson. He was as nice and gracious and spent time with them as well. I will never forget, and am forever a huge fan!

Nice story. I was 35 years old when Bias died. I still remember driving a car listening to the radio when I heard the news. I had to pull over to the side of the road I was in such shock. Local t.v. sportscaster in the DC area George Michael had done a short interview on air with Lenny just a few days before.

[AZLA]

David Henderson is one of my all-time favorites. And, this is why:

It was the morning of June 20, 1986. I was on a bus with a bunch of fellow campers at Campbell basketball school. Arriving back on campus after the morning session, I looked out the windows and saw a number of camp counselors lined up next to the bus lot. As we readied to exit the bus, a camp counselor stepped on the bus and said, "The second pick in NBA draft, Boston Celtic and former Maryland All-American Len Bias..." I got so excited thinking he was coming to camp. He was my all-time favorite player for what he did to Carolina the year before (the steal of the inbounds pass and subsequent reverse dunk at the Dean Dome). The counselor continued, "... has just died."

I was crushed. I began crying as any 6th grader would when their idol dies. I walked out of the bus and saw David Henderson, a camp counselor for that week. He put his arm around me and consoled me. I asked him how this could happen, and he just shook his head. He walked back to my dorm room... and we sat down. I got out my portable pac-man game and my football game. We played for an hour - just the two of us.

After David Henderson made sure I was ok, he left. I called my parents and broke down in tears again over Bias. Then, I told them about the amazing experience I just had with David Henderson. The following day, my parents drove up for the final day of camp and met David Henderson. He was as nice and gracious and spent time with them as well. I will never forget, and am forever a huge fan!

Incredibly touching account; thanks for sharing.

[WillJ]

David Henderson is one of my all-time favorites. And, this is why:

It was the morning of June 20, 1986. I was on a bus with a bunch of fellow campers at Campbell basketball school. Arriving back on campus after the morning session, I looked out the windows and saw a number of camp counselors lined up next to the bus lot. As we readied to exit the bus, a camp counselor stepped on the bus and said, "The second pick in NBA draft, Boston Celtic and former Maryland All-American Len Bias..." I got so excited thinking he was coming to camp. He was my all-time favorite player for what he did to Carolina the year before (the steal of the inbounds pass and subsequent reverse dunk at the Dean Dome). The counselor continued, "... has just died."

I was crushed. I began crying as any 6th grader would when their idol dies. I walked out of the bus and saw David Henderson, a camp counselor for that week. He put his arm around me and consoled me. I asked him how this could happen, and he just shook his head. He walked back to my dorm room... and we sat down. I got out my portable pac-man game and my football game. We played for an hour - just the two of us.

After David Henderson made sure I was ok, he left. I called my parents and broke down in tears again over Bias. Then, I told them about the amazing experience I just had with David Henderson. The following day, my parents drove up for the final day of camp and met David Henderson. He was as nice and gracious and spent time with them as well. I will never forget, and am forever a huge fan!

Great story.

[Steven43]

Duke at FSU 2012, the seventh-most recent college basketball game he's played?

Thank you for reminding me about that game. It has been almost two years and I had forgotten the details. I hope he can still contribute at that level, though the inconsistency of his past contributions is worrisome.

Inconsistent outside shooting can have a detrimental effect on a team. If you gear your offense around an outside shooter like Dawkins at the times when he is in the game and he only comes through at a high level every seven games or so, well, that is not beneficial overall. Yes, in the occasional game that he goes off it is awesome. But what about the following six games when he does not, yet the team keeps putting him in a position to succeed to the possible detriment of the other players on the court who could be taking the shots Andre is missing? I just do not like a streaky outside shooter to be a focal point of the team. I think it does more harm than good.

Still, I like Andre and sincerely hope that he has exorcised the demons related to the death of his sister. That is far more important than basketball.

[vick]

Thank you for reminding me about that game. It has been almost two years and I had forgotten the details. I hope he can still contribute at that level, though the inconsistency of his past contributions is worrisome.

Inconsistent outside shooting can have a detrimental effect on a team. If you gear your offense around an outside shooter like Dawkins at the times when he is in the game and he only comes through at a high level every seven games or so, well, that is not beneficial overall. Yes, in the occasional game that he goes off it is awesome. But what about the following six games when he does not, yet the team keeps putting him in a position to succeed to the possible detriment of the other players on the court who could be taking the shots Andre is missing? I just do not like a streaky outside shooter to be a focal point of the team. I think it does more harm than good.

Still, I like Andre and sincerely hope that he has exorcised the demons related to the death of his sister. That is far more important than basketball.

I don't totally get this. Even in 2012, where he was significantly less efficient than he was in 2011, Andre wasn't shooting us out of games--he had the highest eFG% of any perimeter player, and with 18.3% usage, he wasn't exactly Thornton-level invisible on offense. Frankly if anything a few more possessions a game ending on a Andre three instead of a (frequently missed) Rivers drive would have very likely been beneficial. Sure his defense wasn't great, but he was one of the better offensive players on the team his last year.

[Kedsy]

Inconsistent outside shooting can have a detrimental effect on a team. If you gear your offense around an outside shooter like Dawkins at the times when he is in the game and he only comes through at a high level every seven games or so, well, that is not beneficial overall. Yes, in the occasional game that he goes off it is awesome. But what about the following six games when he does not, yet the team keeps putting him in a position to succeed to the possible detriment of the other players on the court who could be taking the shots Andre is missing? I just do not like a streaky outside shooter to be a focal point of the team. I think it does more harm than good.

In 2011-12, Andre hit 3 or more three-pointers in 10 games, and 2 three-pointers in 6 other games, that's 16 out of a total of 34 games. He attempted more than 3 three-pointers in 22 games and shot 40% or better on threes in 14 of those games. While it's true he "only" scored 20+ points in 4 games and between 10 and 20 in 9 other games, his lack of late season production was as much a function of a lack of minutes as anything else.

So he wasn't nearly as inconsistent as you seem to believe and has clearly "come through at a high level" a lot better than "every seven games or so."

[Gthoma2a]

In 2011-12, Andre hit 3 or more three-pointers in 10 games, and 2 three-pointers in 6 other games, that's 16 out of a total of 34 games. He attempted more than 3 three-pointers in 22 games and shot 40% or better on threes in 14 of those games. While it's true he "only" scored 20+ points in 4 games and between 10 and 20 in 9 other games, his lack of late season production was as much a function of a lack of minutes as anything else.

So he wasn't nearly as inconsistent as you seem to believe and has clearly "come through at a high level" a lot better than "every seven games or so."

"But, but, but he's a 3-point shooter as his primary offense, so it must mean we are doomed to die by the 3 with him playing."

This is what you get a lot of when you mention Andre. People ignore that he is nowhere near Taylor King out there for just jacking up 3s without consideration of who is around him. Look at him over these two exhibitions. He hardly shoots unless he is open or the game is out of reach by a mile (the end of the first exhibition). He is playing hard on D (like his abilities on D or not), and he is the least of our defensive problems if we don't guard the interior better than we did over the weekend. It is simply rewriting the history of a player that may not see big minutes this year, but has had a hell of a career that gave us a lot more positive than negative. He gave us a good deal of production. He has his ups and downs, but so does everybody. He was taken out in the bad times, but he lifted us up in the good. That's all you can ask. It doesn't make him a starter this year (unless he finds consistency), but it certainly makes him an asset.

[Troublemaker]

If you gear your offense around an outside shooter like Dawkins at the times when he is in the game and he only comes through at a high level every seven games or so, well, that is not beneficial overall. Yes, in the occasional game that he goes off it is awesome. But what about the following six games when he does not, yet the team keeps putting him in a position to succeed to the possible detriment of the other players on the court who could be taking the shots Andre is missing? I just do not like a streaky outside shooter to be a focal point of the team. I think it does more harm than good.

What makes you think Duke would gear its offense around Dawkins? He'll almost always be playing off of the creators, and if he happens to be hot, then yeah, we might run some stuff for him to feed the hot hand. But otherwise, this team obviously is going to be geared around Parker and Hood.

[blUDAYvil]

What makes you think Duke would gear its offense around Dawkins? He'll almost always be playing off of the creators, and if he happens to be hot, then yeah, we might run some stuff for him to feed the hot hand. But otherwise, this team obviously is going to be geared around Parker and Hood.

The fact that Coach K is unlikely to fall for the hot hand fallacy lends further credence to your belief that it's unlikely that Duke will gear its offense around Dawkins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot-hand_fallacy

[Kedsy]

The fact that Coach K is unlikely to fall for the hot hand fallacy lends further credence to your belief that it's unlikely that Duke will gear its offense around Dawkins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot-hand_fallacy

Well, first of all, if you don't believe in the hot hand, it would actually make it more likely (not less) that Duke might structure its offense around a player whose career offensive efficiency stats (oRtg, eFG%, true shooting %) are better than every one of our projected starters (although obviously there's no data on Jabari, so we don't know about him either way).

Second, do you really want to start this tired argument again? The "hot hand" studies are either flawed or inconclusive enough so that neither side will ever convince the other.