taylor king question

[Channing]

Coming into the season I think he was ranked somewhere around 40 by most recruiting services. Has he had a great senior year that would catapult him up the rankings, and that is the reason he was selected for the McDonalds game, or are we going to hear that the only reason he is an AA is because he is a Duke commit. I think I remember Boateng plummeted in a lot of ratings his senior year, was wondering if the opposite were true for King.

What about Smith (Singler seems to be steady in the top 5)

[3rd Dukie]

Coming into the season I think he was ranked somewhere around 40 by most recruiting services. Has he had a great senior year that would catapult him up the rankings, and that is the reason he was selected for the McDonalds game, or are we going to hear that the only reason he is an AA is because he is a Duke commit. I think I remember Boateng plummeted in a lot of ratings his senior year, was wondering if the opposite were true for King.

What about Smith (Singler seems to be steady in the top 5)

That's an interesting question. I hope you get an answer. I think have seen Smith ranked in the 20-30 range, but I may very well be mistaken.

[Madrasdukie]

What about Smith (Singler seems to be steady in the top 5).....Steven52682

I doubt if his senior yr performance has been used to update the following ranking. Perhaps, later on in the year, there'll be a more updated ranking ?


Here's the link to Smith's ranking (#31 according to scout.com):

http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=9&c=4&pid=88&cfg=bb&yr=2007

[JasonEvans]

Coming into the season I think he was ranked somewhere around 40 by most recruiting services. Has he had a great senior year that would catapult him up the rankings, and that is the reason he was selected for the McDonalds game, or are we going to hear that the only reason he is an AA is because he is a Duke commit. I think I remember Boateng plummeted in a lot of ratings his senior year, was wondering if the opposite were true for King.

What about Smith (Singler seems to be steady in the top 5)

What will we hear or what will the reality be?

I can guarantee you that we will hear that King got a high ranking and Mickie Dee selection because he committed to Duke. It is a familiar refrain among fans and pundits that kids get elevated rankings when they are persued and commit to the elite schools. There is probably some truth to it as well.

Still, Taylor King's performance this season would seem to merrit his improvement in the rankings regardless of where he was going to school. He is an intersting case because his soph season, he was considered one of the top 5 kids in the class. Then he fell a bit his junior year and clearly has gone back up his senior season. I think there is little question he deserves to be a Mickie Dee.

As for Nolan Smith, his rankings have dropped a tad since Duke got him. He was in a lot of top 20s and now he seems to be just outside the top 20 according to make of the recruiting gurus. It is tough to rank him because he plays on such a dominant high school team, he is not asked to do as much as if he went to a team that needed more out of him. His play when Oak Hill has faced the other best high school teams in the land has been pretty darn good though, which would seem to bode well for his performance at Duke.

Frankly, I think getting hung up on recruiting rankings is a bit of a waste of time. We have seen many top 50ish recruits come to Duke and outplay top 20 recruits.

-Jason "FWIW, Josh McRoberts was the #2 kid in his class-- behind Gerald Greene" Evans

[3rd Dukie]

I surely hope I am wrong about TK, but I do not have a good feeling about this.
The times I have seen him play, once against Kevin Love, he was abused by the good teams and prospered against the weaker ones. He only seems to scrap with the smaller opposition. The deal with his Dad is also a concern, as he was, apparently, the reason TK committed to UCLA in the 8th GRADE! Can you say "Joe G."?
I know all the reports about him are good, and I am certainly no expert, but I think of him as a bit of a prima dona. Maybe it is just the comparison to Love, whom I regard as the second coming of Hansbs. Love is a grunt, and I mean that respectfully. A moose who will always stick his nose in there and scrap. He is also a beast. I forget the official stats, but he must be 6'10"ish and around 250-260. TK just seems soft compared to Love, but I guess a lot of kids are.

Oh well. I'm likely wrong again.

[ikiru36]

I surely hope I am wrong about TK, but I do not have a good feeling about this.
The times I have seen him play, once against Kevin Love, he was abused by the good teams and prospered against the weaker ones. He only seems to scrap with the smaller opposition. The deal with his Dad is also a concern, as he was, apparently, the reason TK committed to UCLA in the 8th GRADE! Can you say "Joe G."?
I know all the reports about him are good, and I am certainly no expert, but I think of him as a bit of a prima dona. Maybe it is just the comparison to Love, whom I regard as the second coming of Hansbs. Love is a grunt, and I mean that respectfully. A moose who will always stick his nose in there and scrap. He is also a beast. I forget the official stats, but he must be 6'10"ish and around 250-260. TK just seems soft compared to Love, but I guess a lot of kids are.

Oh well. I'm likely wrong again.

I'm just not sure who is comparing Kevin Love to Tyler King? They are, from what little I know, completely different players. I like KL and see the same Hansborough thing you do, but he is a 4/5 position player. Although I more think of TK as a 3/4, some rating services actually list him as a 2/3, at 6'7". The book on him has always been that he is a fabulous shooter (way more Redick in this regard than even Scheyer's rep) with great form, a quick release, good at actively moving on offense and coming off of screens and who takes advantage of his height. But that he also has some inside ability on offense and as a rebounder, making him a difficult matchup. I agree that his minutes are super-hard to predict next year because of our insane depth at the 3, and because he doesn't have an outstanding rep as regards his quickness and defense.

We'll see, but I'm excited to potentially have another great shooter (and a tall one), which was more of a problem on this year's team than some anticipated since Scheyer was/is more a "scorer" than pure "shooter." K did a pretty good developing that Redick kid over his career. ;0)

Go Lady Devils!!!!!!!!!Go Devils!!!!!!!!GTHCGTH!!!!!!!!!

[3rd Dukie]

I'm just not sure who is comparing Kevin Love to Tyler King? They are, from what little I know, completely different players. I like KL and see the same Hansborough thing you do, but he is a 4/5 position player. Although I more think of TK as a 3/4, some rating services actually list him as a 2/3, at 6'7". The book on him has always been that he is a fabulous shooter (way more Redick in this regard than even Scheyer's rep) with great form, a quick release, good at actively moving on offense and coming off of screens and who takes advantage of his height. But that he also has some inside ability on offense and as a rebounder, making him a difficult matchup. I agree that his minutes are super-hard to predict next year because of our insane depth at the 3, and because he doesn't have an outstanding rep as regards his quickness and defense.

We'll see, but I'm excited to potentially have another great shooter (and a tall one), which was more of a problem on this year's team than some anticipated since Scheyer was/is more a "scorer" than pure "shooter." K did a pretty good developing that Redick kid over his career. ;0)

Go Lady Devils!!!!!!!!!Go Devils!!!!!!!!GTHCGTH!!!!!!!!!


I absolutely agree with most of your post (a very good one, I might add). My concern was that others, in other threads, seemed to think of him as a huge inside force. As a 2/3 I have no problem, although it is hard to think of him as a 2. My guess is that he was forced into the 4/5 on a high school team because he was the biggest and best player. He could also be developed into an inside force at Duke. As he matures, I would not be shocked to see him play more inside. As I have said about all 3 of next year's recruits, I am excited to see them play. I am only trying to temper folks' expectations. I think they will all be very good (I am particularly excited anout Nolan Smith) and maybe great. But, as a result of the perceived shortcomings of this year's team, I don't want to see people have outrageous expectations of them. Don't forget - they will be freshmen.

That begs the question - with no preconceived notions from me - when was the last time we had a true impact freshman? I have no idea myself. Could it possibly go back to Laettner?

GTHC!!!!!!!!!

[JBDuke]

...<snip>...

That begs the question - with no preconceived notions from me - when was the last time we had a true impact freshman? I have no idea myself. Could it possibly go back to Laettner?

GTHC!!!!!!!!!

You have to go back to Laettner to find an impact freshman? What about Paulus, who led the ACC in assists last year? What about Luol Deng? What about JJ's freshman year? Chris Duhon? Jason Williams? Elton Brand? Grant Hill? Bobby Hurley? ALL of them had major contributions as freshman since Christian's debut in 1989.

Furthermore, Christian's freshman year wasn't all that great. He averaged less than 17 mins a game, less than 9 pts a game, and less than 5 rebs a game. In fact, other than shooting a record-high 72% from the floor, it's hard to call Christian's rookie year all that remarkable, and I think you could make the case that everyone I listed above had bigger impacts as freshmen than Christian did.

[Bob Green]

T. King scored 29 points before fouling out in the 4th Quarter.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/la-preps-bbk06-ss16,1,1624827.story?coll=la-util-sports-highschool

His natural position is big guard/small forward so comparisons to Kevin Love are a little odd. K.L. is a monster inside while T.K. is a 3-point shooter. However, King is a good rebounder according to stats and articles on the internet. I've actually only seen him in film clips. I'm excited about his potential at Duke.

Bob Green
Yokosuka, Japan

[Cameron]

Chris Duhon versus USC in the Regional Final anyone? He pretty much gave us that win with his daggers in the second half.

He gave us a tremendous freshman season and helped lead the way at point guard down the stretch, enabling Jason to concentrate on pouring in points from the wing. Without Chris' great play out front in the tournament, I don't think we win the national title.

I agree with many of the others JBDuke mentioned as well.

[Bob Green]

Here is another Taylor King link, which includes the game box score:

http://www.ocregister.com/ocvarsity/todaysregister/article_1623198.php

He scored 29 points on 12-22 shooting (54.5%) including going 5-9 (55.5%) on 3-pointers. He grabbed 9 rebounds including 3 on the offensive end.

Bob Green
Yokosuka, Japan

[chrishoke]

Here are the rivals ratings:

38 Nolan Smith
Mouth of Wilson (VA) Oak Hill Academy (Va.) G 6-3/175 Duke
Good feel for the game on both sides of the ball.
39 Taylor King
Santa Ana (CA) Mater Dei F 6-7/215 Duke
Can both shoot it from deep and rebound underneath.

[burnspbesq]

Dear 3rd Dukie,

You are wrong when you assert that King plays out of position at Mater Dei. The Monarchs start 7'0" Arizona signee Alex Jacobsen in the middle and one of a pair of 6'10" sophomore twins at the 4.

Interestingly, Mater Dei's opponent in next Friday's Division 2 state championship game is San Jose Archbishop Mitty, featuring Drew Gordon. Expect to see some Duke coaches in highly visible attendance.

[watzone]

I wrote an article for the Blue Devil Weekly a few weeks back on Taylor and Nolan. You may find it intereting that Kevin Love hung around the King household quite often. The two know each other very well.

TK will be a major asset at Duke for several reasons. He is capable of playing down low, but of course he can stretch a defense with his shooting ability.

He slowed a little as he grew into his body. While some feel he may be a defesive liability when it comes to man to man, I think he adjusts.

Mater Dei plays nothing but zone, so he will work on footwork in the off season. The thing I like is that he is a mismatch for many players that will guard him, and has the ability to take a taller player outside.

TK is a grounded young man with little ego. He has put up with he** from UCLA fans. In fact his teams win was in Pauley Pavilion. This makes him tougher and teams will not be able to double down on him at Duke.

I have seen him play about 15 times and from my vantage, he will definately help Duke during his four years. Ah, four years! I expect to see him stick around and look foward to his raining threes.

There is an article up on my site about his teams win and his 29 point 9 rebound performance. There is a link to where he put up with cat calls to.

If you want to see them, check out the Blue Devil Nation. His team takes on Archbishop Mitty who feature possible Duke prospect Drew Gordon, a 6-9 big man.

More here - http://myblogdevils.eponym.com/blog

[jimsumner]

Maybe this will help assuage your anxiety.

http://www.usabasketball.com/biosmen/taylor_king_bio.html

Note the portions about King averaging double figures in international competition for the United States U18 team. This suggests that King does in fact compete against top-level competition. Note also that King played ahead of Lance Thomas on that team.

Rivals, IMO, does a decent job of football recruting but not so good on hoops. I guarantee you that the consensus on Nolan Smith has him much higher than Rivals has him.

As far as Laettner, I think his game against Mourning and Georgetown in the Elite Eight may distort our perception of his freshman season. It should be noted that he split time at the 4/5 with senior national POY Danny Ferry, junior Alaa Abdelnaby, and senior John Smith, so PT was somewhat at a premium.

[3rd Dukie]

You're right! Darn, you guys are good.

I must admit, you guys make a compelling case for me to hang my bald, old head in shame.
I had thought that one of the Soph. twins started and TK was the other inside player. I was also under the impression that folks on DBR were expecting him to be an inside force. Obviously, I was 0-2 in that regard. I thought I recalled several posts where people were projecting him into Josh's spot.

I also apologize for the carelessly worded statement re: "impact freshmen". All of your examples were good but not quite what I was referring to. Somebody (Bob?) nailed it when they suggested my opinion of Laettner was skewed by only a few games. As I was in the Meadowlands for the AZ game, I'd have to say there is a really good chance you right. I guess, like many folks, I remember what I choose to.

Consider this issue settled from my point of view. I have been effectively rebuffed.
Thanks!

[lavell12]

You're right! Darn, you guys are good.

I must admit, you guys make a compelling case for me to hang my bald, old head in shame.
I had thought that one of the Soph. twins started and TK was the other inside player. I was also under the impression that folks on DBR were expecting him to be an inside force. Obviously, I was 0-2 in that regard. I thought I recalled several posts where people were projecting him into Josh's spot.

I also apologize for the carelessly worded statement re: "impact freshmen". All of your examples were good but not quite what I was referring to. Somebody (Bob?) nailed it when they suggested my opinion of Laettner was skewed by only a few games. As I was in the Meadowlands for the AZ game, I'd have to say there is a really good chance you right. I guess, like many folks, I remember what I choose to.

Consider this issue settled from my point of view. I have been effectively rebuffed.
Thanks!


After watching TK play he reminds me of a more talented version of Lee Melceonni.

[SoCalDukeFan]

I see King play one game on TV. He has some obvious major pluses to his game. There are also some question marks so it is hard for me say just how much he will contribute next year.

His job on offense is to shoot and to get rebounds. He basically runs around trying to get screens or get open and then shoots, and shoots very well. He also fights hard for rebounds. On defense they play a zone so its hard to see how well he will do in Duke's man to man.

The player he most reminds me of in high school is Casey Jacobsen.

SoCal

[Bob Green]

The player he most reminds me of in high school is Casey Jacobsen.

SoCal

...seeing as Casey Jacobsen was a first team all-american in 2001 and a second team all-american in 2002. I hope you are correct and T. King develops into as good a player as Casey Jacobsen was at Stanford.

Bob Green
Yokosuka, Japan

[kydevil]

One thing about TK is he has dealt with a lot of hostile crowds already. There was an article about him being the most hated high school basketball player. He will fit in well at Duke with the hostile/jealous crowds we face

[SoCalDukeFan]

that King will be as good Jacobsen, just that have similar styles.

King's job on offense is to run around, get free, catch, shoot. He does it very very well. Casey played the same in high school.

[Cameron]

King and Jacobsen have very, very similar styles. Casey is certainly the better of the two when comparing them, but, when it comes to deep range shooting, they are not much different. Taylor is, like SoCalDukeFan pointed out above, primarily a catch and shoot, out of the gym range type of player. Someone who can fill it up in bunches from three-point land, just like Jacobsen used to be while at Stanford. Casey obviously was more potent and an All-American type talent, but Taylor fits his shooters mold to perfection. And who's to say Taylor cannot become an All-American type player as a junior or senior? Let's let things play out before we decide this.

I think most people are going to be surprised to see how much time Taylor recieves off the bench next season. With his height and ability to drill threes from anywhere on the floor, and over the stretch of most wing defenders, Taylor will see a lot of PT. He is the type of player that fits best in our spread the floor system. His superior three-ball shooting, something we really lacked at times this season, will open up a lot of room for Gerald and Greg to make plays towards the basket, especially when he is teamed up with Jon on the outside. He may have some defensive deficiencies to work out but, all in all, I think he will be able to bring a lot ot the table for us in the scoring category next season. Hell, if we don't have our 6-7 sharp shooter, perhaps the best on the team, on the floor next season, and instead he is wasting away on the bench, I might quit being a fan. (Not really, but I will be very, very frustrated. And sad.)

[Duke15304]

seems to be the kind of guy the country is going to hate and our fan base is going to love, another in the great line of them for us, Christain, Bobby, Wojo, Battier, JJ, Greg, etc, i cant wait to have him, his shot is going to help us alot

[dockfan]

He may have some defensive deficiencies to work out but, all in all, I think he will be able to bring a lot ot the table for us in the scoring category next season.

Thanks for the info - since you have obviously seen Taylor play a lot, how is he on defense? Does he have the lateral quickness to guard on the perimeter in the Duke defensive system? Can he defend post players? Or do you think he projects to be a team defender a la Melchionni? I've heard he is a tenacious rebounder and a very tough, competitive kid.

I'm really looking forward to watching TK fit in next year, because we could really use a true catch-and-shoot 3point bomber again!