Will We See Changes

[SoCalDukeFan]

IMHO Coach K is a guy who is a great coach, competitive, but also a little stubborn.

This year's team has lots of highly recruited players. The basic rotation was 8 players. The players all seem like great college kids and all seem to want a true multi-year college experience, not one and done.

However we were 8-8 in the ACC.

We got beat by teams that were deeper and more athletic.

The game changed with the shot clock, the 3 point shot, and with early entry. Coach K made adjustments and was successful. We are now seeing more, deeper teams.

Will K adjust?

Does he have to adjust?

Thanks

[Jfrosh]

I think in many ways he has adjusted, only with recruiting it takes a couple of years to come to fruition. As you said none of our current players seem to be "one and done" or "none and done" which has hurt us in the recent past, and is one of the main reasons we were so young this year.
Remember because of our youth and the unbalanced schedule a lot of people were predicting a 9-7 record this year which is pretty close to how it ended up. I don't know next year's schedule yet, but I expect to see a significantly better record soley based on experience to go along with increased athleticism.

[ghost]

Might it be more difficult to identify those "one and done"s with the new NBA rules?

[Jumbo]

In the past, I've called Coach K "rigid." After watching him this season, I no longer think that's the case. He's made so many changes from last year to this year, and then within this year, that I've actually marveled at his ability to adjust.
First, the larger philosophies:

1) His recruiting has changed, to a certain degree. Yes, he wanted Brandan Wright. Yes, Duke's hot after Greg Monroe. But Coach K never recruited the maximum number of scholarship players in the past. Now, he's routinely bringing in large numbers of players, and he's targeting a number of 3- or 4-year guys. I think this year we're caught right in the middle of the transition, because Duke is ridiculously young, but not filled with the type of young players who will dominate right away. But there's no question that guys like Henderson and Scheyer will be outstanding players at Duke, that they have tons of room to get better, and that they'll probably be at Duke for 3 and 4 years, respectively.

2) Offensive system -- Coach K completely changed the team's offense from what he'd done the previous couple of years (run J.J. off screens or dump it into Shelden), utilized McRoberts' skills as a point center and put more true motion back into the O.

3) Defensive system -- The help scheme has changed somewhat this year, as has the ball pressure. Duke always used to trade forced turnovers for offensive rebounds given up. Well, Duke's not forcing as many turnovers this year, but the team is rebounding better than any Duke team in a long time.

In-season adjustments:

1) K revamped the offense again during the season. He stopped running stuff through McRoberts as a point forward. Then he started dumping the ball into the block to McRoberts. Then he stopped that, and added the weave to put even more motion into the system. And then yesterday, he essentially played 5-out on offense, spreading the floor, opening up the lane for guys to drive and cut. These are more changes within one season than I can remember.

2) Handling Paulus -- The staff deserves a lot of credit for helping Paulus overcome some of his struggles (I'm willing to bet that we find out after the year that his foot never healed, just like how we never knew about his wrist injury until he had surgery after last season). He went to more of a motion system that took the ball out of Greg's hands some and helped Greg find confidence in his jumper. Now, when Greg shoots, I think the ball's going in. (As an aside, picture last year's team with Paulus shooting like he is now, a healthy Nelson and McClure ... sigh).

3) Bench utlization. Others disagree, but I think we've seen K make many adjustments here. Of the nine scholarship players, everyone except Pocius was earning major minutes in at least one point of the season. Zoubek, people forget, got big minutes against several of our early, tough opponents, including Marquette (13) and Georgetown (16). Then his minutes dropped again. Then he played double digits 3 out of 4 games (SJ St., Temple, VT, GT). Then they dropped again. His fluctuation was almost always tied to performance. And, in a game like Maryland, for instance, he stayed in when he was playing well. Thomas' minutes have fluctuated even more wildly, again based on performance. And Pocius, who was getting DNP-CDs early in the year, is at least getting into games now.
K has tried all sorts of rotations, all sorts of lineup combinations. Lately, he's settled into a routine of playing everyone in the first half, and then going to seven guys in the second half, which should be enough to prevent fatigue. Yesterday, the seven-man second half became six, and the small lineup cut into the lead before UNC ran away with it. But it's totally unfair to say that K hasn't given everyone a chance to play, and earn more playing time. Guys who have played well have been rewarded; don't forget that McClure opened the year in a reduced role (only 15 and 13 minutes against Air Force and Marquette, respectively), as did Henderson (single-digit minutes in those same two games, 12 minutes against Georgetown, etc.).

In short, I think we've seen a ton of adjustments this year, and they will benefit Duke greatly down the road. There's only so much you can ask a guy to do. Just because someone is a high recruit doesn't mean he should be expected to play that way immediately. Zoubek, for instance, was never expected to be a stud as a freshman. If you watch him play, you know his lower body needs to get stronger (I've been saying that since December on the old board). That's going to take another summer, at least. We live in such an instant-gratification society that we forget that player development takes time. Just think back to all the previous Duke players who improved dramatically from their freshman to senior seasons.

Patience, guys. Patience.

[Kewlswim]

In the past, I've called Coach K "rigid." After watching him this season, I no longer think that's the case. He's made so many changes from last year to this year, and then within this year, that I've actually marveled at his ability to adjust.
First, the larger philosophies:

1) His recruiting has changed, to a certain degree. Yes, he wanted Brandan Wright. Yes, Duke's hot after Greg Monroe. But Coach K never recruited the maximum number of scholarship players in the past. Now, he's routinely bringing in large numbers of players, and he's targeting a number of 3- or 4-year guys. I think this year we're caught right in the middle of the transition, because Duke is ridiculously young, but not filled with the type of young players who will dominate right away. But there's no question that guys like Henderson and Scheyer will be outstanding players at Duke, that they have tons of room to get better, and that they'll probably be at Duke for 3 and 4 years, respectively.

2) Offensive system -- Coach K completely changed the team's offense from what he'd done the previous couple of years (run J.J. off screens or dump it into Shelden), utilized McRoberts' skills as a point center and put more true motion back into the O.

3) Defensive system -- The help scheme has changed somewhat this year, as has the ball pressure. Duke always used to trade forced turnovers for offensive rebounds given up. Well, Duke's not forcing as many turnovers this year, but the team is rebounding better than any Duke team in a long time.

In-season adjustments:

1) K revamped the offense again during the season. He stopped running stuff through McRoberts as a point forward. Then he started dumping the ball into the block to McRoberts. Then he stopped that, and added the weave to put even more motion into the system. And then yesterday, he essentially played 5-out on offense, spreading the floor, opening up the lane for guys to drive and cut. These are more changes within one season than I can remember.

2) Handling Paulus -- The staff deserves a lot of credit for helping Paulus overcome some of his struggles (I'm willing to bet that we find out after the year that his foot never healed, just like how we never knew about his wrist injury until he had surgery after last season). He went to more of a motion system that took the ball out of Greg's hands some and helped Greg find confidence in his jumper. Now, when Greg shoots, I think the ball's going in. (As an aside, picture last year's team with Paulus shooting like he is now, a healthy Nelson and McClure ... sigh).

3) Bench utlization. Others disagree, but I think we've seen K make many adjustments here. Of the nine scholarship players, everyone except Pocius was earning major minutes in at least one point of the season. Zoubek, people forget, got big minutes against several of our early, tough opponents, including Marquette (13) and Georgetown (16). Then his minutes dropped again. Then he played double digits 3 out of 4 games (SJ St., Temple, VT, GT). Then they dropped again. His fluctuation was almost always tied to performance. And, in a game like Maryland, for instance, he stayed in when he was playing well. Thomas' minutes have fluctuated even more wildly, again based on performance. And Pocius, who was getting DNP-CDs early in the year, is at least getting into games now.
K has tried all sorts of rotations, all sorts of lineup combinations. Lately, he's settled into a routine of playing everyone in the first half, and then going to seven guys in the second half, which should be enough to prevent fatigue. Yesterday, the seven-man second half became six, and the small lineup cut into the lead before UNC ran away with it. But it's totally unfair to say that K hasn't given everyone a chance to play, and earn more playing time. Guys who have played well have been rewarded; don't forget that McClure opened the year in a reduced role (only 15 and 13 minutes against Air Force and Marquette, respectively), as did Henderson (single-digit minutes in those same two games, 12 minutes against Georgetown, etc.).

In short, I think we've seen a ton of adjustments this year, and they will benefit Duke greatly down the road. There's only so much you can ask a guy to do. Just because someone is a high recruit doesn't mean he should be expected to play that way immediately. Zoubek, for instance, was never expected to be a stud as a freshman. If you watch him play, you know his lower body needs to get stronger (I've been saying that since December on the old board). That's going to take another summer, at least. We live in such an instant-gratification society that we forget that player development takes time. Just think back to all the previous Duke players who improved dramatically from their freshman to senior seasons.

Patience, guys. Patience.

Hi,

I am patient. I am a wee bit scared that some of the kids, such as Lance, might not be so patient and bolt to another program because they are not getting enough playing time. I realize that kids want to play and when they don't, they get antsy. So, to me, it isn't just about being fresh during games it is about keeping kids happy.

GO DUKE!

[dbchamblee]

Did you hear K's comments on ESPN's Sunday Conversation about this team's need for a younger, more emotional coaching style. I would say we've certainly seen that. If you've read his books then you know this game's about a whole lot more than Xs and O's and raw physical ability to him.

[WiJoe]

Jumbo:
You make a ton of good points. Not that I needed it, but you post makes it that much easier to keep the faith.

[tbyers11]

1) His recruiting has changed, to a certain degree. Yes, he wanted Brandan Wright. Yes, Duke's hot after Greg Monroe. But Coach K never recruited the maximum number of scholarship players in the past. Now, he's routinely bringing in large numbers of players, and he's targeting a number of 3- or 4-year guys. I think this year we're caught right in the middle of the transition, because Duke is ridiculously young, but not filled with the type of young players who will dominate right away. But there's no question that guys like Henderson and Scheyer will be outstanding players at Duke, that they have tons of room to get better, and that they'll probably be at Duke for 3 and 4 years, respectively.

I'd like to comment on Jumbo's points about recruiting philosophy. I agree that we are in a transition period of stocking the roster with players that might not dominate right away but will be very good-to-great in their 3rd and 4th years. I think this philosophy shifted as a result of how the Deng/Humphries/Livingston situations played out. Not only did it leave this year's roster almost completely devoid of upperclassmen, but I believe that getting only 1 year of playing time combined from all three has led Coach K to limit the number of immediate impact recruits that he pursues.

Speaking of immediate impact recruits, I think not getting Brandan Wright really impacted this year's team. Nothing against Lance Thomas, who I really like and think will be a very good player in the Antonio Lang mold, but I think Duke would be a significantly better team if you swap him for Wright. Then, even if Wright leaves for the NBA after a year, you still have a solid foundation of Scheyer, Zoubek, and Henderson from that class. But you can't get everything that you want and have to make the best of the cards that you are dealt.

Combine a key recruiting miss, a lack of upperclass experience, key injuries and inconsistent play from your returning leaders with a ridicuously difficult conference slate and some plain bad luck against VT, UVa, and FSU and you get an 8-8, 22-9 season. Not a great season, in my opinion, but not an awful one either. Flashes of great things have appeared this year and if they come together now we could be looking at a Final Four run.

I hate looking ahead while a current season is still in progress, but, regardless of how this season plays out, I am not in the doom and gloom camp for next year. I think all the parts are there for a very good team next year and agree with Jumbo that as fans we need a little patience. I think this is something difficult for a lot of younger Duke fans, myself included, to have because we haven't had to use it often.

[Bob Green]

K has tried all sorts of rotations, all sorts of lineup combinations. Lately, he's settled into a routine of playing everyone in the first half, and then going to seven guys in the second half, which should be enough to prevent fatigue. Yesterday, the seven-man second half became six, and the small lineup cut into the lead before UNC ran away with it. But it's totally unfair to say that K hasn't given everyone a chance to play, and earn more playing time.

Great post Jumbo. You provide invaluable insight to this forum. I agree with the majority of what you say and specifically agree with your comments about the bench. I'm amazed that some fans continue to carp about "bench development" when the bench has been utilized all year.

I would be interested in your views on next year's freshmen. Specifically, do you have any knowledge on their speed? Will the addition of Singler, King, and Smith increase our team speed?

Bob Green
Yokosuka, Japan

[SoCalDukeFan]

First of all, thanks Jumbo.

I have not see Singler or Smith. King will not add to team speed. He is a tough player and certainly not afraid to shoot but he is not quick. He does have a quick shot.

SoCal

[Jumbo]

Hi,

I am patient. I am a wee bit scared that some of the kids, such as Lance, might not be so patient and bolt to another program because they are not getting enough playing time. I realize that kids want to play and when they don't, they get antsy. So, to me, it isn't just about being fresh during games it is about keeping kids happy.

GO DUKE!

There is no reason to assume Lance or anyone else will leave. With that having been said, with K planning to recruit to the maximum 13 guys, players inevitably will leave at some point. But K has been burned too many times by early entry, where he ends up with guys like Reggie Love playing major minutes, not to recruit this way. After that, it's up to the players to earn their playing time. There's something to be said for working hard toward a goal, showing patience, and eventually persevering. Duke's had plenty of guys who didn't get a ton of playing time early in their career who finished up playing huge roles. It doesn't make sense to play guys simply to keep them happy, especially when you're trying to establish an ethos that runs through a program. You work hard, you earn playing time. It's that simple. And if a player decideds he's not good enough, or he doesn't want to put in that work, he can transfer. But that can often be as much a reflection on that particular kid's attitude as it is on the coaching staff.
Again, though, I don't see that being a problem with this group, especially Lance.

[bluebear]

I'd like to comment on Jumbo's points about recruiting philosophy. I agree that we are in a transition period of stocking the roster with players that might not dominate right away but will be very good-to-great in their 3rd and 4th years. I think this philosophy shifted as a result of how the Deng/Humphries/Livingston situations played out. Not only did it leave this year's roster almost completely devoid of upperclassmen, but I believe that getting only 1 year of playing time combined from all three has led Coach K to limit the number of immediate impact recruits that he pursues.

Speaking of immediate impact recruits, I think not getting Brandan Wright really impacted this year's team. Nothing against Lance Thomas, who I really like and think will be a very good player in the Antonio Lang mold, but I think Duke would be a significantly better team if you swap him for Wright. Then, even if Wright leaves for the NBA after a year, you still have a solid foundation of Scheyer, Zoubek, and Henderson from that class. But you can't get everything that you want and have to make the best of the cards that you are dealt.

Combine a key recruiting miss, a lack of upperclass experience, key injuries and inconsistent play from your returning leaders with a ridicuously difficult conference slate and some plain bad luck against VT, UVa, and FSU and you get an 8-8, 22-9 season. Not a great season, in my opinion, but not an awful one either. Flashes of great things have appeared this year and if they come together now we could be looking at a Final Four run.

I hate looking ahead while a current season is still in progress, but, regardless of how this season plays out, I am not in the doom and gloom camp for next year. I think all the parts are there for a very good team next year and agree with Jumbo that as fans we need a little patience. I think this is something difficult for a lot of younger Duke fans, myself included, to have because we haven't had to use it often.

Great points, tbyers11..This season is a product of a number of early defections which have left us with a very young team...I disagree though about LT who I think fits perfectly into the model..Duke is building a program that will be solid with upper classman who grow into their roles, supported with younger players who are developing. There will always be players leaving early, but the program looks very strong for the forseeable future..

[Jumbo]

Great post Jumbo. You provide invaluable insight to this forum. I agree with the majority of what you say and specifically agree with your comments about the bench. I'm amazed that some fans continue to carp about "bench development" when the bench has been utilized all year.

I would be interested in your views on next year's freshmen. Specifically, do you have any knowledge on their speed? Will the addition of Singler, King, and Smith increase our team speed?

Bob Green
Yokosuka, Japan

Bob,
As usual, you are way too kind. As far as next year's freshmen go, I'll start with the caveat that I try to follow recruiting as little as possible. It's sort of the "making of sausage" of college hoops that I don't enjoy. That said, I can state the following things from what I've seen/heard about those three recruits:

-They're not going to "solve" Duke's speed issues, per se, although Smith is very quick and Singler moves well for his position. However, I actually don't think Duke has a speed problem to begin with. Last year, Duke had a speed problem. But Josh, McClure, Markie and Scheyer are all faster/more athletic than Shelden, Lee, Dockery and Redick were. I think this team has enough athletes; I think that complain has been misplaced this year. Yes, I wish Paulus were quicker with the ball and better at stopping dribble penetration (though I'm also convinced his foot is still hurt). But other than that, I think Duke's plenty quick at the other positions.

-Singler is going to be special. Really special. He's going to step in and score right away. One of the more frustrating things about this team has been the inability to finish plays, particularly inside. Singler finishes. He has legit post moves, a sweet jumper, and can take guys off the dribble. He is so perfectly suited to play the "4" in Duke's system that I almost can't explain it. You'll see what I mean next fall. And, I apologize for tooting my own horn a little bit, but while everyone was going nuts over Henderson last spring, I said Scheyer would have the greatest impact of the freshmen. I am similarly confident in my feelings about Singler. He's an immediate starter, is a far better post scorer than people realize (the Dunleavy comparisons don't capture that), and could become a go-to guy. Just being able to run a play for him on the block will take pressure off the offense, to say nothing of his ability to run the high pick-and-roll. He'd actually play beautifully next to Josh, but I do not expect Josh to return.

-The other two guys will have a chance to earn minutes. But the backcourt is crowded with Paulus, Scheyer, Nelson, Henderson and Pocius returning, so Smith will have to bring it. Plus, he's not a natural point guard. I don't expect King to play much right away, but his shooting could help the team in spots.

Anyway, thanks again for your kind words.

[Bob Green]

Thanks! I admit I was one of the guys who expected Henderson to start as a Freshman. Scheyer has been great this year and now Henderson is coming on strong at the right time of the year.

Singler and Smith have looked very good in the film clips I have seen but I've not seen any clips on King. Anyway, I don't want to get the cart in front of the horse as there is much basketball left to be played this year.

Bob Green
Yokosuka, Japan

[DukeDevilDeb]

Jumbo: Fantastic set of posts. Thank you. I always learn a lot from you. I agree with virtually everything you said. But I do have one question.

You said, "He'd actually play beautifully next to Josh, but I do not expect Josh to return." I recognize that the NBA drafts on potential rather than performance. But do you think Josh is ready to be a big impact player in the NBA? He's having a hard time being any kind of an impact player in the NCAA. If he goes, so be it... hard to tell a 20 year old that however many millions of dollars should be ignored. I just didn't think this was the kind of break out year that one would hope for right before going with the draft.

Any comments are very welcome. Thanks.

[dyedwab]

Jumbo,

Just wanted to say that I always look forward to reading your posts, and those in this thread bring great insight and helpful perspective.

I think your point about the being a transition year in terms of recruiting philosophy is really worth emphasizing. We don't have upperclassmen because players we recruited in small classed didn't give us the years we expected. I think it is unlikely we will ever see single man classes, such as Chris Duhon, Daniel Ewing, or Luol Deng ever again. It also seems to be that Duke got bitten hard by early entry at the exact point that the implications 5/8 rule were becoming clear.

I have to say, that as I was watching the Missouri Valley Conference final, I was thinking that none of those players went to Creighton or SIU or Northern Iowa thinking they would go to the NBA after their freshman year of college. And if Duke can get the best players in the country that don't think they can go pro after one year (which we probably can), we will be fine.

Jumbo, once again, thanks for the great insight

[Chard]

Jumbo, great post. I agree with pretty much everything you said. You must be old and wise or something. However, I think Josh will stay. I say 65% he stays.

The recruiting mistakes manifested this year. Such is college sports. The team is stocked with players now and will runneth over next year.

We may yet find out that Paulus was hurt the whole year. Either way, I admire his grit. He has played very well with some ups and downs. What do you expect from a sophomore? I for one am delighted with his 180 since the start of the ACC season.

The bench did see significant minutes this year. Marty played in almost every game since he became healthy. Maybe he is trying to hard but I liked his aggressiveness. Next year he could find some additional minutes. I think he progressed.

Zoubek is just to weak to make significant contributions against college level players. Next year will be a different story. Hit the weights, big guy!

Henderson is showing us all what a smooth player he is in the last few games. I expect great things from him.

Thomas has great post moves. He also needs to hit the weights this summer.

Coach K has really impressed me this year. I don't think I've ever seen him this demonstrative on the sideline. All of the wrinkles that we saw on offense really threw me for loops at times. That weave is something.

Next year makes me giddy looking ahead but this year is not over.

Again, great post Jumbo. I didn't realize who wrote it until after I read it. I should have known.

[Jumbo]

Jumbo: Fantastic set of posts. Thank you. I always learn a lot from you. I agree with virtually everything you said. But I do have one question.

You said, "He'd actually play beautifully next to Josh, but I do not expect Josh to return." I recognize that the NBA drafts on potential rather than performance. But do you think Josh is ready to be a big impact player in the NBA? He's having a hard time being any kind of an impact player in the NCAA. If he goes, so be it... hard to tell a 20 year old that however many millions of dollars should be ignored. I just didn't think this was the kind of break out year that one would hope for right before going with the draft.

Any comments are very welcome. Thanks.

Do I think Josh is ready to be a big impact player in the NBA? No. Few rookies are ever ready to be impact players, of course, but I think Josh has a few things he really needs to fix if he ever wants to be an impact player.

Do I think there is any chance Josh will come back to Duke, though? No. Zilch. I was very surprised when he came back last year. I will be stunned if he's back next year.

[Jumbo]

However, I think Josh will stay. I say 65% he stays.

How, I wish that were true. Sadly, while I think you (and everyone else) should still be giddy about next year, you should not be including Josh in your plans. C'est la vie.
Either way, thanks for another nice reply, Chard. I'm glad to see the board calming down a bit after yesterday, and I hope we can all enjoy what's left of the season.

[dukie8]

In the past, I've called Coach K "rigid." After watching him this season, I no longer think that's the case. He's made so many changes from last year to this year, and then within this year, that I've actually marveled at his ability to adjust.
First, the larger philosophies:

1) His recruiting has changed, to a certain degree. Yes, he wanted Brandan Wright. Yes, Duke's hot after Greg Monroe. But Coach K never recruited the maximum number of scholarship players in the past. Now, he's routinely bringing in large numbers of players, and he's targeting a number of 3- or 4-year guys. I think this year we're caught right in the middle of the transition, because Duke is ridiculously young, but not filled with the type of young players who will dominate right away. But there's no question that guys like Henderson and Scheyer will be outstanding players at Duke, that they have tons of room to get better, and that they'll probably be at Duke for 3 and 4 years, respectively.

2) Offensive system -- Coach K completely changed the team's offense from what he'd done the previous couple of years (run J.J. off screens or dump it into Shelden), utilized McRoberts' skills as a point center and put more true motion back into the O.

3) Defensive system -- The help scheme has changed somewhat this year, as has the ball pressure. Duke always used to trade forced turnovers for offensive rebounds given up. Well, Duke's not forcing as many turnovers this year, but the team is rebounding better than any Duke team in a long time.

In-season adjustments:

1) K revamped the offense again during the season. He stopped running stuff through McRoberts as a point forward. Then he started dumping the ball into the block to McRoberts. Then he stopped that, and added the weave to put even more motion into the system. And then yesterday, he essentially played 5-out on offense, spreading the floor, opening up the lane for guys to drive and cut. These are more changes within one season than I can remember.

2) Handling Paulus -- The staff deserves a lot of credit for helping Paulus overcome some of his struggles (I'm willing to bet that we find out after the year that his foot never healed, just like how we never knew about his wrist injury until he had surgery after last season). He went to more of a motion system that took the ball out of Greg's hands some and helped Greg find confidence in his jumper. Now, when Greg shoots, I think the ball's going in. (As an aside, picture last year's team with Paulus shooting like he is now, a healthy Nelson and McClure ... sigh).

3) Bench utlization. Others disagree, but I think we've seen K make many adjustments here. Of the nine scholarship players, everyone except Pocius was earning major minutes in at least one point of the season. Zoubek, people forget, got big minutes against several of our early, tough opponents, including Marquette (13) and Georgetown (16). Then his minutes dropped again. Then he played double digits 3 out of 4 games (SJ St., Temple, VT, GT). Then they dropped again. His fluctuation was almost always tied to performance. And, in a game like Maryland, for instance, he stayed in when he was playing well. Thomas' minutes have fluctuated even more wildly, again based on performance. And Pocius, who was getting DNP-CDs early in the year, is at least getting into games now.
K has tried all sorts of rotations, all sorts of lineup combinations. Lately, he's settled into a routine of playing everyone in the first half, and then going to seven guys in the second half, which should be enough to prevent fatigue. Yesterday, the seven-man second half became six, and the small lineup cut into the lead before UNC ran away with it. But it's totally unfair to say that K hasn't given everyone a chance to play, and earn more playing time. Guys who have played well have been rewarded; don't forget that McClure opened the year in a reduced role (only 15 and 13 minutes against Air Force and Marquette, respectively), as did Henderson (single-digit minutes in those same two games, 12 minutes against Georgetown, etc.).

In short, I think we've seen a ton of adjustments this year, and they will benefit Duke greatly down the road. There's only so much you can ask a guy to do. Just because someone is a high recruit doesn't mean he should be expected to play that way immediately. Zoubek, for instance, was never expected to be a stud as a freshman. If you watch him play, you know his lower body needs to get stronger (I've been saying that since December on the old board). That's going to take another summer, at least. We live in such an instant-gratification society that we forget that player development takes time. Just think back to all the previous Duke players who improved dramatically from their freshman to senior seasons.

Patience, guys. Patience.

jumbo, thanks for a well thought out and well reasoned post. i do, however, disagree with you and the other posters that seem to think that k now is passing on the "1 and done" guys and going for players that will hang around for 3 or 4 years and slowly develop into all americans. for one, mcroberts is precisely that kind of player -- he was ranked #1 or #2 coming out of high school (depending on who was doing the ranking) and was flirting with the nba both during his senior year in hs and last year. he is the epitomy of the kind of player people on this thread think that k now eschews! the problem is that he hasn't come even remotely close to what he was projected to become. paulus was ranked #13 overall and the #2 pg who went to college (behind chalmers). he was supposed to get handed the keys to the pg slot for 4 years and be a star all 4 years. after playing nearly 2 full seasons at the starting pg at duke, he was not supposed to be getting shown up by the #93 rated freshman, vasquez, this year.

if we then move to this year's class, henderson was ranked #10 out of hs and right in front of darrell arthur. he was followed by thomas (#20), zoubek (#25) and scheyer (#28). after unc's 3 in the top 8, that was the best recruiting class. reading some of these posts, you would think that k has decided to slum it and dig down into the 100+ ranked recruits. these guys are as blue chip as they come but just have not lived up to their advance billing. i think it is very revisionist now to be looking at a team full of high school all americans that have struggled mightily this year and conclude that this is all part of some master plan by k to build a team with 3 and 4 year guys. contrast that to the recruiting that guys like skinner do -- smith and dudley weren't even ranked in their high school classes!

btw, i was using rsci for the rankings, which can be found here:

http://home.nc.rr.com/rsci/