Welcome back, Dave McClure!

[Jumbo]

I felt this deserved its own thread. Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the Albany game was Dave McClure's return to the rotation. He'd been largely a forgotten man around here due to the impact of the freshmen and the improvement of the other returning players, while he recovered from yet another knee surgery.

But tonight we saw what made McClure so valuable last season, and how helpful he can be to this year's team. Duke's defensive decline last year coincided almost exactly with McClure's injury. He was never the same, nor was the team. But he's the ultimate glue guy -- active on the boards, a great help defender and an unselfish screener/passer on offense. He caught the ball at the high post and made several nice plays, including a fake that froze the defender, which allowed Scheyer to drift to the corner for a three-pointer. It's just one of those little savvy things that Dave does all the time.

I think McClure would have forced his way back into the lineup when healthy, regardless of Lance Thomas' injury. But if Lance isn't ready to go against Pitt, it's nice to know that McClure will be. And it's another sign that the definition of depth isn't how many guys you do play, but how many you can play.

[killerleft]

I second that! Glue-Guy is back. David McClure is a great guy to have around.

[ugadevil]

He caught the ball at the high post and made several nice plays, including a fake that froze the defender, which allowed Scheyer to drift to the corner for a three-pointer. It's just one of those little savvy things that Dave does all the time.



Might have been my favorite play of the night. Shows that we have players who will not only outhustle the other team, but also out-smart them.

[dukepsy1963]

welcome back Mc.... missed you....

[gep]

I also agree about David. I posted on the Albany game thread before I got to this one... but I also think that David will really help this team... especially against Pitt if Lance can't go.

David had a real nice game against Albany... almost like last year before he was injured. I think he's only going to get better.

I really like this team:)

[Cicero]

I couldn't agree more--probably my favorite part of last season was watching McClure (or, against Miami, McLcure) play defense. His off-the-ball defense is amazing to watch. He moves cleanly around screens, helps and recovers effectively, contests passes, and keeps track of man and ball at all times. I'm excited to have him back.

I thought that our perimeter defense against Albany did a nice job pressuring the ball and disrupting passing lanes. I thought Smith and McClure stood out in this regard, but Henderson has improved his defense significantly as well, and DeMarcus has always done a nice job. I've also been impressed with King's ability to move his feet and stay in front of dribblers, although he seems to get caught gambling for the steal on occasion.

[Bob Green]

I just finished watching the game tape and David McClure played with the same great intensity of last year prior to his injury. It is great to have him back.

[whereinthehellami]

I thought Dave looked good last night and moved well. He looked a little tentative on his breakaway layup but for the most part looked confident with his health. If he he stays healthy and gains more confidence his contribution to the team will be huge.