Kentucky was not a better team than Duke was this past year and it's debatable that MSU was, in spite of their impressive wins. Michigan didn't care to show up the last game of the season after clinching the B1G record. Then MSU fell flat on its face in the postseason. It's a matter of debate about the best player on Kentucky this last year, let alone the second best (I would go Jackson and then Boston). For MSU, Aaron Henry was clearly the best player, but it's hard to say who was next best. It was probably Gabe Brown. Again, matter of debate.
That certainly sounds like a young man who plans on being around for multiple years and embracing his role. I've seen other quotes to this effect floating around... I really want this kid now, and I think he could be the perfect compliment to our backcourt. I'd rather have him come in and (potentially, knock on wood) be around for 3-4 years and grow in a Duke uniform than take a chance in the transfer portal. Famous last words re: the longevity, I know, but... it certainly seems like Blakes is saying all the right things.
Fingers crossed we've found ourselves a late gem here.
Scott Rich on the front page
Trinity BS 2012; University of Michigan PhD 2018
Duke Chronicle, Sports Online Editor: 2010-2012
K-Ville Blue Tenting 2009-2012
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Rich
"Failure is Not a Destination"
Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016
I have not done all the research, but the previous national champs from Virginia had Kihei Clark, who was not even a top 300 recruit, start many games at PG as a freshman in 2019. He started more than half of Virginia's games as a freshman in 2019 and played 36 and 33 minutes in the 2 final four games.
I had to go back all the way to the last final four before this year to prove your very narrow thesis wrong. Nice try
-Jason "I have not researched other Final Fours to see how common this is... perhaps Clark is a once in a million outlier" Evans
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?
Agreed. Love that quote by Blakes.
Question for the board. If Baldwin is going to play for his Dad, what’s he waiting on to announce? By announcing now, couldn’t he still help to draw a solid contributor or two around him? What makes more sense to me - granted as a total outsider - is that he’s waiting on Hurt’s decision before making his own.
Rich
"Failure is Not a Destination"
Coach K on the Dan Patrick Show, December 22, 2016
OK, well that's an interesting situation. Ty Jerome had more points and assists in 5 of the 6 games of the NCAA Tournament than Clark and a much higher usage rate. In one game, Jerome has the same number of assists as Clark. Clark guarded the opposing PG a ton, but it was more of a shared responsibility of playing PG.
I'll amend my statement to say "It is incredibly rare for a Final Four team to rely on a primary PG that is a freshman that was ranked outside the RSCI Top 100."
But you got me, fair and square.
I'm all in favor of landing him and would not expect him to play a major role in his first year. I do think having another PG will help out a lot in practice. When it comes to lower-ranked players there is an extremely fine line that Duke has to walk between guys who exceed expectations and leave early, versus guys who fall below expectations or don't get enough playing time and then transfer. But we absolutely need to have these types of players on the team. Would love for him to develop into a Jordan Goldwire type, though it sounds like he'd be more ready to contribute sooner.
Agree here. This seems (and I hope) that Blakes recruitment is with a view towards 2022-23. If he's a rotational player for 2021-22, then that would be a bonus, but I'd be surprised if he's not more than filling out the practice squad for this year. Really hoping we pick up another guard and perhaps a 4 in the transfer market, assuming Hurt is gone and PBJ isn't coming. Not the end of the world if we don't, but veteran depth would help both for this year and next. (Different thread, but the 2022-23 roster looks pretty bare right now.)
Thanks for admitting it... don't see that often on the internet. I appreciate it.
And, for the record, I do not think Blakes (if he commits) is being brought in to start or play a large role for the 2021-22 Blue Devils. I think he will be an important practice player (I want us to have 10 quality players for scrimmages, just listen to my latest podcast with the 2001 team to understand how important those practice scrimmages are) and someone who may play about 5-8 minutes per game as a freshman. I also see him as injury insurance.
Lastly, it is worth noting that Duke is in a strange position with Roach. He could go pro early, it would not at all be shocking if he did, but he could stick also around for a junior or senior season. But, his presence makes it tough to recruit another top 20 PG. So, we can't really replace him. That means that having a decent backup who does not mind playing a small role but is capable of handling a larger role is absolutely essential. I think Blakes is a darn-near perfect fit for that role. Heck, he appears to be a significantly better prospect/recruit than Goldwire was and we all know how valuable Goldwire became to Duke over the past few years.
Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?