Duke Basketball Players Diet

[Duke3517]

Their needs to be an explanation as to why Duke lost to Mercer in the first round. I won't except that Mercer was just better. Were the players too tired? Was it a bad shooting day? Or was Mercer more prepared? My thoughts...

Maybe it is there diet. Maybe after a hard practice they do not refill themselves with proper proteins in order for muscles to recover. Also (my proof is a clip) they need to stop eating fast foods. Proper nutrition is the bulk as to maybe Duke didn't have it against Mercer? Duke players didn't allow themselves the proper nutrition needed to be sustained for an entire season. Your thoughts?

[MartyClark]

I have no evidence to support or deny your hypothesis.

I think a likeable, talented, but flawed team was simply exposed by a less talented opponent.

[mattman91]

Their needs to be an explanation as to why Duke lost to Mercer in the first round. I won't except that Mercer was just better. Were the players too tired? Was it a bad shooting day? Or was Mercer more prepared? My thoughts...

Maybe it is there diet. Maybe after a hard practice they do not refill themselves with proper proteins in order for muscles to recover. Also (my proof is a clip) they need to stop eating fast foods. Proper nutrition is the bulk as to maybe Duke didn't have it against Mercer? Duke players didn't allow themselves the proper nutrition needed to be sustained for an entire season. Your thoughts?

Maybe we should just give all of our players a stool analysis after every loss, just to make sure they are getting proper nutrition. I'll go ahead make a motion to name you the official stool analyst of the Duke basketball program.

[Kedsy]

Their needs to be an explanation as to why Duke lost to Mercer in the first round. I won't except that Mercer was just better. Were the players too tired? Was it a bad shooting day? Or was Mercer more prepared? My thoughts...

Maybe it is there diet. Maybe after a hard practice they do not refill themselves with proper proteins in order for muscles to recover. Also (my proof is a clip) they need to stop eating fast foods. Proper nutrition is the bulk as to maybe Duke didn't have it against Mercer? Duke players didn't allow themselves the proper nutrition needed to be sustained for an entire season. Your thoughts?

There needs to be an explanation as to why posters don't understand simple rules of English. I won't accept that this post isn't some sort of joke.

But if I'm wrong and your question is serious, the answer is simply that sometimes the better team doesn't win. There is no magic explanation that if fixed will keep Duke from ever again being upset by a lower-seeded team. We all just have to deal with it.

[Duke3517]

I apologize that my browser gave me except instead of accept. I was typing too fast. I really wish you were my english teacher.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I apologize that my browser gave me except instead of accept. I was typing too fast. I really wish you were my english teacher.
It also swapped both your versions of your use of "their/there". Your browser is obviously evil. Or infested with roundworms.

[Dukehky]

Should have gotten Todd to go get some crab legs from the Kroger on Hillsborough. Oh well, live and learn. Nick has plenty of money, he can be the crab leg guy for the next few years without going all Jameis on everyone.

[brevity]

I'll go ahead make a motion to name you the official stool analyst of the Duke basketball program.

Seconded. The original poster is full of... qualifications.

Wasn't the 2013-2014 season given enough of an autopsy already? No need to exhume the body and do it over again.

Teams lose. Despite what the Connecticut Huskies might be telling you, championship runs are exceedingly uncommon. All of the participants have come to accept this. Why can't you?

I swear, sports would be so much better without the fans.

[blazindw]

Their needs to be an explanation as to why Duke lost to Mercer in the first round. I won't except that Mercer was just better. Were the players too tired? Was it a bad shooting day? Or was Mercer more prepared? My thoughts...

Maybe it is there diet. Maybe after a hard practice they do not refill themselves with proper proteins in order for muscles to recover. Also (my proof is a clip) they need to stop eating fast foods. Proper nutrition is the bulk as to maybe Duke didn't have it against Mercer? Duke players didn't allow themselves the proper nutrition needed to be sustained for an entire season. Your thoughts?

There are 351 Division I basketball teams. Each year, only one can make a championship run. I would dare say our diet is better than at least 317 programs, as that is the number of programs who don't have a national championship banner hanging from their gym's ceiling.

[BD80]

... Nick has plenty of money, he can be the crab leg guy for the next few years without going all Jameis on everyone.

Pretty sure Nick prefers lahbstar.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

And here we are folks: the offical offseason thread!

Beats the Sterling one. Though both seem to cover a similar topic.

Only on the DBR will you find a thread about poo, littered with grammatical critique. I believe we just won the webbernets.

[arnie]

And here we are folks: the offical offseason thread!

Beats the Sterling one. Though both seem to cover a similar topic.

Only on the DBR will you find a thread about poo, littered with grammatical critique. I believe we just won the webbernets.

Without this thread, we'd only have one thread with active posts since 9 something last night. And that thread discussion re: Roy and the Lakers is as much a fabrication as this one. Need more entertainment.

[MulletMan]

Is this really a thread? I am speechless.

Wait... No I'm not. Shabazz Napier went to bed starving at UConn. UConn won the national title. We need to starve our players. OP was right...our training table is all wrong.

Off to bang my head against a wall.

[Duke3517]

Folks, this is a serious problem.

[Duvall]

Folks, this is a serious problem.

A serious problem that demands a serious thread for serious times.

[NashvilleDevil]

Folks, this is a serious problem.

I believe posters are answering in a serious manner. I mean these posts are seriously funny.

[pfrduke]

Folks, this is a serious problem.

This is stupid of me, but it's the offseason, so I'll play along.

What evidence do you have that a) the training table food being provided for the players does not provide a good, healthy diet; b) more broadly, the players' diets are not good and healthy; c) that the particular food particular players ate contributed to particular problems in particular games?

If Jabari was scarfing Double Downs at halftime and then had poor second half performances, maybe we'd have something here, but I don't believe that to be the case. As a general matter, these guys get the benefit of excellent health and wellness programs, including as to diet.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Folks, this is a serious problem.

I think the issue is that they closed the Dillo. Everyone knows that Mexican food gives you a physical edge against opponents.

[uh_no]

I think the issue is that they closed the Dillo. Everyone knows that Mexican food gives you a physical edge against opponents.

i think the loss of chic-fil-a, subway, alpine, the refectory and pauly dogs were at least as damaging.....

god i'm glad I'm not stuck with the current food situation on campus....quite pitiful....

[cspan37421]

Duke players didn't allow themselves the proper nutrition needed to be sustained for an entire season. Your thoughts?

My thoughts are that if you think there's a chance that Duke Basketball does not have on staff someone tasked, in part, with recommending to the players a nutrition plan of some sort (and/or providing such, if within rules*) then yes, there's a serious problem, and that problem is that you don't have trust in our coaching staff or a basketball program that has been arguably the very greatest of the last 30 years.

Even kids who attend Duke Basketball Camp for 5 days get lectured on nutrition. What makes you suspect even for a second that scholarship athletes enrolled full-time at the university don't?

* - I mention this in case there's a basketball equivalent to the traditional "football training table" or whatever it's called.

[ChillinDuke]

If Jabari was scarfing Double Downs at halftime and then had poor second half performances, maybe we'd have something here...

Yeah, we'd definitely have something...a GREAT IDEA! Those things are delicious!

- Chillin

[Kedsy]

Folks, this is a serious problem.

What do you think is the serious problem? That Duke lost to Mercer? Or that you saw a YouTube clip in which the Duke players ate junk food?

[FerryFor50]

I think the issue is that they closed the Dillo. Everyone knows that Mexican food gives you a physical edge against opponents.

There's always Cosmic Cantina. Or Torero's.

[ChillinDuke]

There's always Cosmic Cantina. Or Torero's.

Neither of which is the Dillo, though, whose Chili con Queso was second to none in the immediate area or, perhaps even, the universe.

- Chillin

[MCFinARL]

Not sure what they ate before the game. It was the humble pie they had to eat afterwards that left a bad taste in my mouth.

[Tripping William]

Our training table was fine until someone broke out the Jabari Bars . . . .

[flyingdutchdevil]

There's always Cosmic Cantina. Or Torero's.

No no no. Dillo is nutritional gold from 11am-7pm. Cosmic Cantina is the answer from 1am to closing. Torero's is never the answer.

I think the OP is on to something. I recommend we only feed the kids nuts, grains, and low-calorie Gatorade. No more fats, sugars, or anything half decent. Hell, cancel the video games, the late night socializing, and the partying. Even better, let's give em the UNC treatment: no classes! Only basketball, basketball, and more basketball. Remove the "student" from "student-athlete". Come on, Duke! You can do it!

[CameronBornAndBred]

Folks, this is a serious problem.
4113

[NashvilleDevil]

4113

Oh my goodness. This is hilarious!

[bob blue devil]

Folks, this is a serious problem.

Clearly. Media had it all wrong - Rodney had recurring food poisoning, not nervs.

[Newton_14]

Clearly. Media had it all wrong - Rodney had recurring food poisoning, not nervs.

Makes perfect sense Bob. Now it's all coming together.

Methinks someone we know should mosey over to Duke Blue Planet and check out the videos where they show the cooking staff that prepares numerous meal types for our guys 3 times daily for breakfast, lunch, and supper. They get multiple choices of great healthy food at all 3 meals, and each of them have a nutritional plan tailored specifically for each individual player based on each player's unique requirements.

Look no further than one Kyle Singler who changed his body each of his 4 seasons to get the correct body build for the role and position he was going to be asked to play each of his 4 seasons.

This thread is absurd and ranks up there as one of the all time great threads in the wrong category... Sigh...Makes for great humor though...

Carry on....

[Hancock 4 Duke]

I'm sure you could point at any minor defect8 the players' personal lives and point at it as part of the reason we just but in reality Mercer just brought out our weaknesses and bearT us.

[Henderson]

I think it's premature to attribute the Mercer loss to dietary issues until the study is complete.

The OP needs stool samples of all the Duke players, naturally.

But we'll also need stool samples of all the Mercer players too. Who knows that our players' diets were any worse than theirs?

And we'll need a control group sample. Maybe from BaMa? Or ToPeka State? Or the Southern Highlands Institute of Technology?

I'll sit here and read my National Geographic while the samples are collected and the results digested.

[Duke3517]

It all comes down to do they eat enough protein to allow their muscles to recover after tough workouts. I saw a lot of fatigue in that final loss to Mercer.

[flyingdutchdevil]

It all comes down to do they eat enough protein to allow their muscles to recover after tough workouts. I saw a lot of fatigue in that final loss to Mercer.

I saw a lot of defensive incompetence. I saw a lack of leadership. I saw our two best players have off-games.

Duke Basketball, with a ridiculous budget, has nutritionists on payroll and additional nutritionists on speed dial. To think that diet played a MAJOR factor is, IMO, premature.

[CameronBornAndBred]

It all comes down to do they eat enough protein to allow their muscles to recover after tough workouts. I saw a lot of fatigue in that final loss to Mercer.
I knew it! The whole season was ruined because of an omelette deficit!

[Duke3517]

Finally, someone gets it!

[DukieInKansas]

I knew it! The whole season was ruined because of an omelette deficit!

And we thought Rodney was tossing his cookies! It was really the protein he ate. ;)

[MCFinARL]

It all comes down to do they eat enough protein to allow their muscles to recover after tough workouts. I saw a lot of fatigue in that final loss to Mercer.

You're trying to raise what you believe to be a serious issue, and we are all giving you a lot of grief. But, trying to respond seriously, As Flying Dutch Devil points out, the Duke basketball program has a gi-normous budget and nutritionists on staff.

When I was a kid--many more years ago than I care to mention--I was on a summer swim team. It was a very low-key, not very good, hang-around-the-country-club-pool kind of summer swim team. In a typical meet, each swimmer would race one length of freestyle in a 100-foot pool, and a few of the best swimmers would swim another length in a relay. Our coaches were teenage lifeguards. And yet--we received frequent reminders about proper nutrition, especially before meets.

If people were focused on nutrition at that seat-of-the-pants level of athletic competition, it's frankly inconceivable that the Duke basketball program is not paying very close attention to the issue. If they are not implementing state of the art dietary guidelines I would be beyond deeply disappointed in the program.

[NSDukeFan]

I saw a lot of defensive incompetence. I saw a lack of leadership. I saw our two best players have off-games.

Duke Basketball, with a ridiculous budget, has nutritionists on payroll and additional nutritionists on speed dial. To think that diet played a MAJOR factor is, IMO, premature.

Can you prove the defensive incompetence, lack of leadership and two best players having off games weren't all due to the lack of protein in Jabari bars? Checkmate. OP wins all arguments about the reasons for Duke's losses or poor play until we have proof the team drinks 4 protein shakes a day in between tuna omelettes with Greek yogurt for dessert and we figure out what the optimum level of protein is for each player to ensure they recover from tough workouts so they don't have fatigue, tired legs and mental and emotional exhaustion. I am pretty sure the team ate all steak, rib and chicken dinners before the Syracuse games, except for Rodney, who passed on the last chicken wing and therefore didn't quite have the lift at the end to finish his last dunk. I wish I, and, more importantly, the coaching staff, had known this earlier.

[Duke3517]

You're trying to raise what you believe to be a serious issue, and we are all giving you a lot of grief. But, trying to respond seriously, As Flying Dutch Devil points out, the Duke basketball program has a gi-normous budget and nutritionists on staff.

When I was a kid--many more years ago than I care to mention--I was on a summer swim team. It was a very low-key, not very good, hang-around-the-country-club-pool kind of summer swim team. In a typical meet, each swimmer would race one length of freestyle in a 100-foot pool, and a few of the best swimmers would swim another length in a relay. Our coaches were teenage lifeguards. And yet--we received frequent reminders about proper nutrition, especially before meets.

If people were focused on nutrition at that seat-of-the-pants level of athletic competition, it's frankly inconceivable that the Duke basketball program is not paying very close attention to the issue. If they are not implementing state of the art dietary guidelines I would be beyond deeply disappointed in the program.

I started the most active thread right now. I at least provide entertainment.

[UrinalCake]

i think the loss of chic-fil-a, subway, alpine, the refectory and pauly dogs were at least as damaging.....

god i'm glad I'm not stuck with the current food situation on campus....quite pitiful....

The refrectory over in the Div. school is excellent.

[uh_no]

The refrectory over in the Div. school is excellent.

they killed the real refectory 2 years ago....and replaced it with an imposter.....the original owner is suing over stolen IP

they just killed the law school refectory too

[flyingdutchdevil]

Can you prove the defensive incompetence, lack of leadership and two best players having off games weren't all due to the lack of protein in Jabari bars? Checkmate. OP wins all arguments about the reasons for Duke's losses or poor play until we have proof the team drinks 4 protein shakes a day in between tuna omelettes with Greek yogurt for dessert and we figure out what the optimum level of protein is for each player to ensure they recover from tough workouts so they don't have fatigue, tired legs and mental and emotional exhaustion. I am pretty sure the team ate all steak, rib and chicken dinners before the Syracuse games, except for Rodney, who passed on the last chicken wing and therefore didn't quite have the lift at the end to finish his last dunk. I wish I, and, more importantly, the coaching staff, had known this earlier.

Dude, where's the grilled chicken breast (no seasoning, of course)? Or the steamed edamame? Or the boiled egg whites (and a once-a-week egg yolk treat)?

Sidenote: I once saw Daniel Ewing leave the Bryan Center with McD's. I have to admit that I was kinda shocked. But when you're 21-years old and burning 5,000 calories a day, a Big Mac may be necessary. Ummmmm... Big Mac.... when's lunch?

[MChambers]

Dude, where's the grilled chicken breast (no seasoning, of course)? Or the steamed edamame? Or the boiled egg whites (and a once-a-week egg yolk treat)?

Sidenote: I once saw Daniel Ewing leave the Bryan Center with McD's. I have to admit that I was kinda shocked. But when you're 21-years old and burning 5,000 calories a day, a Big Mac may be necessary. Ummmmm... Big Mac.... when's lunch?
I think your side note is the issue. Do the players eat healthy foods when they are away from whatever food they get in the program. Remember that article about Ryan Kelly and his healthy diet with the Lakers? (Weird stuff like coffee with butter, but whatever . . .)

Not that this has anything to do with losing to Mercer.

[Kfanarmy]

I would be somewhat interested in the diet/nutritional guidance the team gets: caloric intake, protein supplements, carbs, what kinds of places they look for on the road; kinds of snacks; etc. These guys expend a lot of energy in practice and games, and they have varied physical development needs. Might be an interesting read. The Dinner with Sam video that's on blue planet and YouTube from last year's team is entertaining and the food looks good, but an article on nutrition might be informative. I don't think I could ever attribute a specific loss to diet, but team diet and its potential impact on performance, could be a bit more interesting to me than parsing someone's diction, grammar, and usage although intended humor is almost always welcome.

[Kedsy]

Not that this has anything to do with losing to Mercer.

Right, which is the real problem with this discussion.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Right, which is the real problem with this discussion.

Wait, is this sarcasm? I hope so, because there is so much wrong with this discussion. It's turned into a massive joke, which is why it's so damn funny. Sometimes, you gotta love the off-season.

It you are being sarcastic, ignore this message. Damn you Al Gore for creating a sarcastic-less internet!

[devil84]

While some of the humor expressed here was creatively punny funny (in a fourth-grade kind of way), it sunk below the established social norms of our community. With Mother's Day on Sunday, we're straightening up the place for Grandma. Per our posting guidelines (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?21833-Decorum-amp-Posting-Guidelines-%28Please-read-before-posting!%29), if you wouldn't say it in front of Grandma, then you don't need to say it here. (In the event that your Grandma enjoys such humor, feel free to substitute Coach K for Grandma.)

So, back to discussing the OP's idea that nutrition played a key role in the loss to Mercer. I'm quite certain that this community can provide witty and insightful commentary on this topic. :cool:

[Henderson]

Good that someone has stepped in to put the thread back on track. It's meandered more than a chunk of old sausage through a large intestine.

So to the OP's original suggestion that a poor team diet caused the Mercer loss? No, I don't see it.

[lotusland]

Good that someone has stepped in to put the thread back on track. It's meandered more than a chunk of old sausage through a large intestine.

So to the OP's original suggestion that a poor team diet caused the Mercer loss? No, I don't see it.

Hmmm - my gastrointestinal experience with breakfast pork is more like a very direct path covered in short order. No meandering whatsoever. Maybe a block of cheese?

[Newton_14]

Good that someone has stepped in to put the thread back on track. It's meandered more than a chunk of old sausage through a large intestine.

So to the OP's original suggestion that a poor team diet caused the Mercer loss? No, I don't see it.

I was at that game, and a lot of things went wrong that day, but to suggest that nutrition had anything at all to do with the loss is beyond absurd. The writing was on the wall from the very first offensive play Mercer ran. It led to a lob to a wide open player, right in front of the rim, and even though the kid blew the easy layup or dunk, it set the tone. We simply could not defend them at a level required to win the game. Mercer scouted us well, and exploited every weakness we had. (Poor defense, lack of quality bigs, reliance on jumpshots to score, etc). More importantly, their kids came in fully believing and expecting to win the game. That was also obvious from the start. Finally, they had a ton of fans there (there real fans, not other teams fans joining in) and they were somehow clustered together at various areas of the arena, filling almost entire sections in 4 or 5 sections of the RBC. That made them very loud. It was not as bad as UVA fans a week earlier, but it was bad enough to have the effect of a road game atmosphere for our guys. There were a lot of us Duke fans as well, but very spread out and not very loud.

Despite making a lot of three's with Rasheed and Quinn leading the way, our two stars, Jabarii, and Rodney both had subpar games, and to me that was the biggest factor of all. If both of them had played at a very high level, or even at their normal great game level, we win. But they didn't. Love them both dearly, but both had very poor games. Add in the normal case of our guys panicking and not executing on either side of the ball in the final 3 minutes, and altogether those things led to a loss to a veteran underdog team. 4th, 5th, and 6th year Seniors in the the top 8 players against our squad heavily dependent on Sophomore's and Freshmen. Winning builds confidence, no matter what level of competition you face in your league. Mercer had a culture of winning all season. We had a culture of ups and downs (as one would typically expect with a young team no matter how talented). Kentucky was even worse than us in that department throughout the season, but they somehow figured it out at the exact right time with the start of the SEC tourney and then the NCAA. Unlike Duke though, Kentucky had quality talent at all positions. No one had to play out of position on their team. Each kid had the full season to play their normal position, and they parlayed that into team success. They also had outstanding depth at the Power Forward and Center Positions which played a huge role. The twins played their best ball in that 9 game stretch after convincing me during the Regular Season that they just were not that good. Shame on me, I misread them, unless they somehow played above their heads for the 9 games.

So there you have it. No great mystery, and certainly nothing at all to do with what our kids did or did not eat throughout the season. The other thing is, a blue blood team losing to a 12, 13, 14, 15 seed is one of the staples of the tournament we all love so dearly. We are neither immune to it, nor did we corner the market on it. It has happened to many of the other blue bloods, and will continue to happen. Kansas, UNC, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio St, Syracuse, Georgetown, and several more have lost to high seeds, with the spread way more than the 11 points Duke was giving Mercer if I am remembering the line correctly. I left the arena the minute the clock hit all zero's and honestly tried to wipe the entire experience from my memory. I immediately drove across town and bought a new car to try to help ease the pain too! :cool:

[BD80]

... if you wouldn't say it in front of Grandma, then you don't need to say it here. ... substitute Coach K for Grandma. ...

The DBR language filter won't let me use language that Coach K uses.

[Duke3517]

Haha, I love how some of you posters actually thought I was serious.

[JBDuke]

Haha, I love how some of you posters actually thought I was serious.

Wow. In a whole lot of awful, this has to be the worst post. Pathetic.

So, this leaves us with two scenarios. Either you started this thread with an intentionally inane post and kept up the act for a week just to see what kind of reactions you could provoke - which is essentially trolling - or you realized that where you thought you were making a good point, in fact, you made a really stupid one, and are now trying to save face with "Ha! It was all a joke."

In either case, you have dug yourself an enormous credibility hole, and you've put yourself on notice to the board moderators as a potential troublemaker. If you wish to continue posting around here, I suggest you lay low for a while, and then wait for an opportunity when you can contribute meaningfully to the discussion in an existing thread. Otherwise, perhaps it would be best if you chose to spend your time online elsewhere.

[rhynelander]

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

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Haha, I love how some of you posters actually thought I was serious.

Yes, 2/3rds of us ignored the thread, 30% made poop jokes, and a handful felt sorry enough for you to offer a serious response.

Welcome to the offseason.

I predict the next time we see you here, it will be with a new name.

Enjoy your summer!

[devil84]

I predict the next time we see you here, it will be with a new name.

Reminder: registering under multiple names is against board rules (http://forums.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?21833-Decorum-amp-Posting-Guidelines-%28Please-read-before-posting!%29) and results in a permanent ban. (Just in case poasters who would like a fresh start and haven't read the board rules are thinking about it.)

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

I can no longer sit back and allow this UNC conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our team's precious bodily fluids.

[BD80]

... 30% made poop jokes ...

Is that why unc-ers continuously misspell Dukie?

[Duke3517]

Wow. In a whole lot of awful, this has to be the worst post. Pathetic.

So, this leaves us with two scenarios. Either you started this thread with an intentionally inane post and kept up the act for a week just to see what kind of reactions you could provoke - which is essentially trolling - or you realized that where you thought you were making a good point, in fact, you made a really stupid one, and are now trying to save face with "Ha! It was all a joke."

In either case, you have dug yourself an enormous credibility hole, and you've put yourself on notice to the board moderators as a potential troublemaker. If you wish to continue posting around here, I suggest you lay low for a while, and then wait for an opportunity when you can contribute meaningfully to the discussion in an existing thread. Otherwise, perhaps it would be best if you chose to spend your time online elsewhere.

I don't want too. This forum is more fun. Some of you posters take it way too seriously.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I don't want too. This forum is more fun. Some of you posters take it way too seriously.

Believe it or not, thos particulat forum is actually for people who do take it seriously.

There are a lot of words for what you created here with this thread, and none of them are pleasant.

I hope you are proud of yourself. I somehow suspect you might discover in short order that you ushered in even more seriousness rather than less.

Regardless, as I mentioned before, this thread and this unfortunate outcome are an excellent reminder than I need a different online hobby for the next few months. Truly, the dregs rise to the top in the long summer months.