Nike Hoop Summit, 4/13 10pm ET ESPN2

[kAzE]

cant-get-owned-5ad184.jpg

[heyman25]

Barrett will be a major star! Reddish Jones and Williamson will complement RJ.
I really do not expect Wendell to return. Bolden will emerge next season. Javin needs to work on offense,shooting and finishing. I do hope we add Cremo and O'Connell and Goldwire improve their games.

[dukelifer]

Box score here (unless the link changes later on): https://www.fibalivestats.com/u/USAB/863978/bs.html

RJ's passing in the 4th quarter was a key for the World Team, as was their dominant rebounding. RJ really stuffed the box score with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists (to 2 turnovers), 5 steals

Tre's game fell off a lot in the second half as he took some poor shots but did finish with 5 assists to 0 turnovers. Cam wasn't much of a factor or noticeable.


Jonathan Givony‏Verified account @DraftExpress 25m25 minutes ago
R.J. Barrett once again showed he's the cream of the crop of the 2018 high school class when the lights came on. Just wants to rip your heart out every time he steps on the floor. Thought he showed some impressive passing ability today as well.

Sadly - none of these guys are effective three point shooters. Barrett and Jones are competitors and will get after it on both ends- so that is a good sign. Reddish has so much potential - but he does not like to exert his will. Maybe that will change but personalities are developed early. K will have work to do. Duke will need shooters and AOC is the best option right now.

[budwom]

After watching the game all I can say is, "Vanna, I'd like to buy a shooter."

RJ played like the Alpha Dog we've been hearing about, but I can promise you that several times next season we'll be saying, "Why on earth did he take that shot." Like a lot of very good players he gets on a roll and for some reason decides he needs to jack-up a three.

Cam had a nice start to the game, but then went AWOL. This seems to be his M.O. and hopefully he won't defer too much once he gets to Duke.

Tre had a so-so game. No bad mistakes, but he really didn't make his teammates better.

I will say this about these three, they all seem to be very willing defenders. So that shouldn't be a major issue next season.

If only someone can find a shooting stroke between now and the start of the season

yup, we gonna get zoned all day every day.

[Saratoga2]

RJ is a terrific talent but didn't show 3 point shooting as a strength.

Tre has excellent ball control and will not turn the ball over but his shooting and finishing was not good. He has a lot to do to show improvement.

Reddish has talent but needs to be worked in> His foul shot looks great.

Lot for these guys to work on to realize their full potential for the team.

I hung in there to 11:15 so missed the end of the game.

[westwall]

After watching the game all I can say is, "Vanna, I'd like to buy a shooter."

If only someone can find a shooting stroke between now and the start of the season

I think Reddish, at least, will be a much better 3 pt shooter than he exhibited last night. Here's a video that includes some 3 pt shots:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZaP7PxmICY

[Troublemaker]

I think Reddish, at least, will be a much better 3 pt shooter than he exhibited last night. Here's a video that includes some 3 pt shots:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZaP7PxmICY

Agreed, I wouldn't make too much of one game, especially one in which almost everyone on the court shot horribly. The World Team was 3-17 from three; the USA was 6-22 from three. If all anyone saw was the Duke-Kansas Elite 8 game, for example, they would've thought that Grayson and Gary couldn't shoot.

I think Reddish will be a very good shooter and Barrett will be a good shooter, especially in Duke's system and after working with Duke's coaches. I'm most concerned about Jones' and Williamson's shooting, though.

[richardjackson199]

Barrett will be a major star! Reddish Jones and Williamson will complement RJ.
I really do not expect Wendell to return. Bolden will emerge next season. Javin needs to work on offense,shooting and finishing. I do hope we add Cremo and O'Connell and Goldwire improve their games.

Stop hoping. Cremo is no longer considering Duke on his list.

Barrett was all over the place last night, just willing his team to a victory. He wasn't shooting well from deep, but was getting to the rim, getting out in transition, and assisting teammates.

The US Team had spurts, but the pieces didn't fit as well together. They weren't even close to making the game interesting in winning time.

Bol Bol to me had the most impressive pro talent potential on the floor. He was incredible, blocking everything. He jumps off the floor instantly, and starts off at 7'2". He has serious Dikembe Mutombo type rim protection, or maybe eventually better. He had great hands and finished quickly.

Grimes could be scary good, but also jacked up some bad shots rather than moving the ball. Cole Swider really shoots well, is tough inside, is confident, plays smart, and will fit right in at Nova.

Darius Garland also outplayed Tre Jones substantially. Garland was hitting his shot. Tre played hard, but didn't shoot well and didn't seem all that effective. Fran Fraschilla was basicallly taking shots at future and former Duke players all night, and said about 100 times he thought Garland was a better point guard than Jones and should be ranked higher. Paul Biancardi called him on it, letting him know that Fran had watched Garland about twice, and Biancardi had see them both about 100 times. Biancardi said Jones plays hard on both ends all the time and that he stands by his rankings that Tre is better. Reddish had a couple of nice iso plays, but otherwise was completely awful. He just didn't get in the flow of the game or really help his team.

As stated ad nauseum; all of our 4 Kill4s need to work on outside shooting and be getting about 1000 shots up a day. AOC should also plan to be a huge contributor next year, we're going to need him.

Way too early Final 4 Prediction now based on what I've seen so far - Villanova; UNCheat; Kansas; and Gonzaga (where some key guys opted to return to school over NBA). Barrett looks like a monster, but unless Carter surprises with a miracle decision, I think Duke's youth does them in again and that we take a step backward next year. The good news is that my powers of prediction are usually about as accurate as a 10 yo playing jeopardy. I haven't been getting fat on pie. Keeping expectations very low, and hoping for the best!

The most impressive recruits from these games to me have been Nas Little, Emmitt Williams, (both didn't play last night), Barrett, and Bol Bol.

[Natty_B]

Stop hoping. Cremo is no longer considering Duke on his list.

Barrett was all over the place last night, just willing his team to a victory. He wasn't shooting well from deep, but was getting to the rim, getting out in transition, and assisting teammates.

The US Team had spurts, but the pieces didn't fit as well together. They weren't even close to making the game interesting in winning time.

Bol Bol to me had the most impressive pro talent potential on the floor. He was incredible, blocking everything. He jumps off the floor instantly, and starts off at 7'2". He has serious Dikembe Mutombo type rim protection, or maybe eventually better. He had great hands and finished quickly.

Grimes could be scary good, but also jacked up some bad shots rather than moving the ball. Cole Swider really shoots well, is tough inside, is confident, plays smart, and will fit right in at Nova.

Darius Garland also outplayed Tre Jones substantially. Garland was hitting his shot. Tre played hard, but didn't shoot well and didn't seem all that effective. Fran Fraschilla was basicallly taking shots at future and former Duke players all night, and said about 100 times he thought Garland was a better point guard than Jones and should be ranked higher. Paul Biancardi called him on it, letting him know that Fran had watched Garland about twice, and Biancardi had see them both about 100 times. Biancardi said Jones plays hard on both ends all the time and that he stands by his rankings that Tre is better. Reddish had a couple of nice iso plays, but otherwise was completely awful. He just didn't get in the flow of the game or really help his team.

As stated ad nauseum; all of our 4 Kill4s need to work on outside shooting and be getting about 1000 shots up a day. AOC should also plan to be a huge contributor next year, we're going to need him.

Way too early Final 4 Prediction now based on what I've seen so far - Villanova; UNCheat; Kansas; and Gonzaga (where some key guys opted to return to school over NBA). Barrett looks like a monster, but unless Carter surprises with a miracle decision, I think Duke's youth does them in again and that we take a step backward next year. The good news is that my powers of prediction are usually about as accurate as a 10 yo playing jeopardy. I haven't been getting fat on pie. Keeping expectations very low, and hoping for the best!

The most impressive recruits from these games to me have been Nas Little, Emmitt Williams, (both didn't play last night), Barrett, and Bol Bol.

Do we all still have shell shock from UNC making deep runs a few years back? They lost in the round of 32 this year finished 6th in the ACC and lost their two most vital players. I’m not putting them in any FF projections.

[richardjackson199]

Do we all still have shell shock from UNC making deep runs a few years back? They lost in the round of 32 this year finished 6th in the ACC and lost their two most vital players. I’m not putting them in any FF projections.

I hate the Cheats as much as anybody. For the last few years they've lost their most vital players. But they've played in the Championship game 2 out of the last 3 years despite a few years of not being able to recruit any 5 stars. Because for whatever lucky reason, they've gotten old (experienced), stayed old, and next year they're replacing Pinson/Berry with 2 extremely impressive 5-star guys who look even more talented.

After last year's Cheats lost Tony Bradley, Justin Jackson, Meeks, and Hicks I thought there was no way they would be able to play with who we were bringing in. We had the best bigs we've ever had, and we had a complete team. Roy relies on quality bigs and they were all gone. And Roy carved up our zone like turkey on Thanksgiving. We lost 2/3 to the Cheats this year, and pretty convincingly. This year's Cheats team lost 2 vital players. Duke lost all our vital starting 5 players. We're bringing in 4 studs. They're bringing in 2 studs. But they bring back Maye, Cam Johnson, and Kenny Williams.

K has owned Roy before when the Cheats were good. So hopefully he will again. But I think he will really have his work cut out for him with this much raw youth. Keeping it real, I'm not underestimating the cheats next year given everybody we're losing. I project Duke to finish 3rd in next year's ACC race. But I've been wrong before!

[ncexnyc]

Do we all still have shell shock from UNC making deep runs a few years back? They lost in the round of 32 this year finished 6th in the ACC and lost their two most vital players. I’m not putting them in any FF projections.

Unfortunately, UNCheat is like Dracula. No matter how many times they get staked through the heart they keep coming back. I also wouldn't put much stock into their so-called 6th place finish as that was based on tie breakers, they actually won more games than all of those other teams they were bunched with.

As much as I hate to say it, since everyone starts from scratch next season, I'd say they have just as much of a chance to make it to a Final Four as we do.

[Natty_B]

Unfortunately, UNCheat is like Dracula. No matter how many times they get staked through the heart they keep coming back. I also wouldn't put much stock into their so-called 6th place finish as that was based on tie breakers, they actually won more games than all of those other teams they were bunched with.

As much as I hate to say it, since everyone starts from scratch next season, I'd say they have just as much of a chance to make it to a Final Four as we do.

But they did finish in 6th. They did lose three in a row in the ACC. They did get waxed in the round of 32. They are losing their final group of five Star dudes who somehow stayed for years and their big recruit from last year was kicked off the team. Sometimes Roy has unimpressive teams and I think next year will be one. But we will see.

[Troublemaker]

I bet World Team Coach Rana wishes he could coach RJ every year. Gotta think RJ, who led the team in assists, was on Rana's mind with these quotes:


"Their willingness to share the ball is what defined this team," Rana said. "When your best players are willing to give it up to make others successful, it says a lot. That was really on display today. It was a beautiful game."

<snip>

"This is my eighth Hoop Summit and I've never been around a better group from a character perspective," Rana said. "This is a team I'll treasure for a long time."

[CDu]

But they did finish in 6th. They did lose three in a row in the ACC. They did get waxed in the round of 32. They are losing their final group of five Star dudes who somehow stayed for years and their big recruit from last year was kicked off the team. Sometimes Roy has unimpressive teams and I think next year will be one. But we will see.

I think they will be a bit worse than what they were last year, assuming Little isn’t deemed ineligible. They trade 5-star seniors for 5-star freshmen, and freshmen often struggle. Plus, they now have no PG (White is a scorer not a PG) whereas last year they had two (Berry and Pinson). They also lost their best, most versatile defender (Pinson) from a mediocre defensive team.

Their schedule should be easier, which will offset the loss of experience. But I thought this was a Sweet-16 type team, and I think next year’s team will be a round of 32 or Sweet 16 type of team.

[TruBlu]

Unfortunately, UNCheat is like Dracula.

. . . without any of Dracula’s redeeming social qualities.

[JasonEvans]

This thread is most assuredly not the place to get sidetracked into a UNC 2018-19 discussion, but I would merely add that they will really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really miss Theo Pinson. Dude was arguably the most complete player in the ACC last season and he made both their offense and their defense work. Not easy to replace a dud elike that, even if you are bringing in an apparent stud like Nassir Little.

[Saratoga2]

Unfortunately, UNCheat is like Dracula. No matter how many times they get staked through the heart they keep coming back. I also wouldn't put much stock into their so-called 6th place finish as that was based on tie breakers, they actually won more games than all of those other teams they were bunched with.

As much as I hate to say it, since everyone starts from scratch next season, I'd say they have just as much of a chance to make it to a Final Four as we do.

Did I see Meeks is not going to play in the NBA finals due to taking a banned substance? Is this the UNC Meeks and if so was he taking substances during his college days? What is the NCAA doing to check college players for banned substances? I haven't heard much about that.

My bad, it was Jodie Meeks, a former Kentucky player. The other questions of drug policy enforcement by the nCAA is still of interesst to me.

[richardjackson199]

Not Cheats Kennedy Meeks. This was Jodie Meeks. Different Meeks and different Cheats.

[ipatent]

Did I see Meeks is not going to play in the NBA finals due to taking a banned substance? Is this the UNC Meeks and if so was he taking substances during his college days? What is the NCAA doing to check college players for banned substances? I haven't heard much about that.

My bad, it was Jodie Meeks, a former Kentucky player. The other questions of drug policy enforcement by the nCAA is still of interesst to me.

It is former UK player Jodie Meeks.

[proelitedota]

Reddish looked really outclassed last night. Hope he bounces back.


I think we need to use the once every four years trip opportunity to get some extra practice time for our incoming class.