Is Duke Looking at any Oak Hill Academy Players?

[Pam]

My middle daughter goes to Oak Hill Academy. I just wondered if anyone knows if Duke has their eye on any of the Oak Hill players. Not sure what their preseason rank is this year - one site I found had them #1. They have graduated some terrific players - Carmelo Anthony, Michael Beasley and some that shall remain nameless .

My oldest daughter is a Duke grad, current Army captain, married, expecting her first baby in May and headed to Law School next fall.

Thanks for any info!

[BlueintheFace]

I believe Duke has SG Doron Lamb on their radar. He is a top 20 prospect in the class of 2010, but he does not have an offer.

[Pam]

I believe Duke has SG Doron Lamb on their radar. He is a top 20 prospect in the class of 2010, but he does not have an offer.

I will keep an eye on him - I hope to make it to a few games. Love good BB rather it be HS or college!

[Pam]

The rankings I was looking at were from 2006 when Nolan Smith played for them. They will good this year, but I understand the coach doesn't expect a championship this year. The recent addition of Doron Lamb should be a big plus! Another fun team to watch besides Duke!

[Pam]

My oldest daughter is a Duke grad, current Army captain, married, expecting her first baby in May and headed to Law School next fall.

Thanks for any info!

Her baby is due is March, not May. Another little Blue Devil on the way.

[Carlos]

I believe Duke has SG Doron Lamb on their radar. He is a top 20 prospect in the class of 2010, but he does not have an offer.

Lamb is on the Duke radar but from everything I've ever heard he's not a major target. It's not that he's not a great player (he is) but rather it's Duke has other targets. Kenny Boynton in 2009 is clearly the top priority and in 2010 Duke has already signed Andre Dawkins. Both guys project as 2G's at Duke especially if the Blue Devils land Brandon Knight at the point guard spot.

As a rule, Duke doesn't do much recruiting at Oak Hill. Off the top of my head the only two guys that spring to mind are William Avery and Nolan Smith. That's not too many considering Oak Hill has produced so many Div. I players.

[Edouble]

As a rule, Duke doesn't do much recruiting at Oak Hill. Off the top of my head the only two guys that spring to mind are William Avery and Nolan Smith. That's not too many considering Oak Hill has produced so many Div. I players.

As a rule? Really? I've never heard this. Is there any particular reason?

[Ignatius07]

As a rule? Really? I've never heard this. Is there any particular reason?

I think he means as a rule in that "Duke tends to not do much recruiting," not that they refuse to. As for why, Oak Hill has produced many highly-regarded players but sometimes of questionable character.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I think he means as a rule in that "Duke tends to not do much recruiting," not that they refuse to. As for why, Oak Hill has produced many highly-regarded players but sometimes of questionable character.

And maybe low performing academically

[Diddy]

And maybe low performing academically

To be completely fair to Oak Hill, they usually take in kids who have the ability to perform at a high academic level but simply have not done so. Avery is a great example of this. His test scores indicated an academic ability that his grades did not reflect, probably due to his home environment/school situation. Thus he hied off to Oak Hill and got his academics in order so that Duke would recruit him. Many of Oak Hill's academic question marks are simply kids from bad situations who have never been challenged or pushed in the classroom.

Oak Hill tends not to take the truly intellectually lacking. Merely kids who need direction, which Oak Hill provides in spades.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

To be completely fair to Oak Hill, they usually take in kids who have the ability to perform at a high academic level but simply have not done so. Avery is a great example of this. His test scores indicated an academic ability that his grades did not reflect, probably due to his home environment/school situation. Thus he hied off to Oak Hill and got his academics in order so that Duke would recruit him. Many of Oak Hill's academic question marks are simply kids from bad situations who have never been challenged or pushed in the classroom.

Oak Hill tends not to take the truly intellectually lacking. Merely kids who need direction, which Oak Hill provides in spades.

You expounded well on the point I was making rather elliptically.

[gotham devil]

I think he means as a rule in that "Duke tends to not do much recruiting," not that they refuse to. As for why, Oak Hill has produced many highly-regarded players but sometimes of questionable character.

Watzone can touch on this if he wants, but there is a perception that Steve Smith kept trying to persuade Will Avery to go elsewhere (specifically his alma mater, Kentucky). As a result, Duke didn't recruit anyone from that "academy" until Nolan Smith, with whom Coach Dawkins had a long standing prior relationship. Unless a similar situation surfaces or Steve Smith leaves Oak Hill, I wouldn't anticipate Duke recruiting anyone from Oak Hill.

[Oriole Way]

Watzone can touch on this if he wants, but there is a perception that Steve Smith kept trying to persuade Will Avery to go elsewhere (specifically his alma mater, Kentucky). As a result, Duke didn't recruit anyone from that "academy" until Nolan Smith, with whom Coach Dawkins had a long standing prior relationship. Unless a similar situation surfaces or Steve Smith leaves Oak Hill, I wouldn't anticipate Duke recruiting anyone from Oak Hill.

Seems extremely petty, and unwise, to refuse to go after talented players simply because a player Duke got anyway was dissuaded from coming. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but if Nolan and William can come from Oak Hill and flourish, we should go after other kids from their program who would help the team.

[Carlos]

Oriole Way - you're simplifying things too much. Duke isn't so petty as to ignore talented guys simply because they play for a guy who recommended one of his players go somewhere else. But they're also going to be sure to pick their battles wisely. In other words - recruiting is hard enough so why handicap yourself by pursuing kids where you know you'll have an adversarial relationship with someone who is a major influence on the recruit.

[Pam]

I think that kids go to Oak Hill if they, for whatever reason, aren't performing up their potential at the school they are attending. That is the reason we sent Molly there. She is very smart, like her sister the Duke grad, but was falling way short of her potential. I figured that college BB players go there for the same reason. They have devoted their lives to BB and school and grades have suffered. The grading standards at Oak Hill are strict and should help BB players, among others, who need a structured enviroment, small classes, mandatory tutoring, etc. Of course, Duke doesn't have to recruit anyone - players want to attend Duke.

[Pam]

I think he means as a rule in that "Duke tends to not do much recruiting," not that they refuse to. As for why, Oak Hill has produced many highly-regarded players but sometimes of questionable character.

However, Stackhouse does come to mind in this instance! Oak Hill has produced some very talented players with terrific character. I suppose if it isn't there to begin with, a school isn't going to create it in a person.

[jimsumner]

You may not like Stackhouse's style. But what character flaws are you referring to?

[Pam]

You may not like Stackhouse's style. But what character flaws are you referring to?

Just falling victim to the rumor mill that says he isn't a charming young man. Personally I know nothing about him and shouldn't have said anything. Of course, there is the fact that he attended UNC .

He is a wonderful basketball player and probably a nice person as well. I apologize for saying anything.

I think that Oak Hill in general graduates players, and other students, who are disciplined, hardworking, and used to structure. Nothing bad to say to about any of them.

[jimsumner]

Is lack of charm a character flaw? I could be in trouble here.

Look, I have no doubt we could find a litany of snarky behavior, taunting, and trash-talking associated with Stackhouse. He plays with an edge that I'm not always comfortable with.

But on the other hand, he has significant involvement with charities, both his own and others. Lots of professional athletes fund foundations as tax write-offs and have little involvement other than having someone write periodic checks.

By all accounts this does not apply to Stackhouse. His family has been plagued by diabetes and he has funded research into that disease and seems genuinely involved in finding treatments and/or cures for diabetes.

By the way, Mike Krzyzewski recruited Stackhouse and at one time thought there was a good chance he would come to Duke.

[Edouble]

Well, in last year's playoffs, Stack said that he wanted to kick Byron Scott's pottymouth!pottymouth!pottymouth!. Overall, the guy has pretty solid character for a UNC alum though.

I'm not sure that he has the best sense of good sportsmanship. That stupid face and strut that he did after the dunk in Cameron in '94 made him look bad. If he'd just done the dunk and run back down the court, he would've looked much better in my book.

But back to the original point. Duke's taken two Oak Hill guys in the past 10 years. Most other elite programs haven't taken like six or seven Oak Hill guys during the same period. I don't think that we're really underrecruiting at Oak Hill compared to our basketball peers. In fact, by my count, Duke's 2 Oak Hill players in the past 10 years is second only to Syracuse, who has had 4 Oak Hill players in that period: Carmelo, Billy Edelin, Eric Devendorf, and DayShawn Wright.